As a research oriented teacher, I am interested in designing methodologies of critical pedagogy to teach language from an applied linguistics perspective. My goal is to analyze dialectal variations and minimalist syntax in both Conversational ESL and L1 Spanish to create didactic materials for teachers and students to teach and learn both languages. My second research interest is related to language game design using upcycled materials. Currently, I am developing board games and flashcard games out of upcycled plastic, paper and cardboard to teach ESL descriptive grammar and social skills related to language (i.e. collaboration, empathy, solidarity, and democratic participation).