Bill VanPatten is Professor of Spanish and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he is also the Director of Spanish Basic Language. His areas of research are input and input processing in second language acquisition and the effects of formal instruction on acquisitional processes. He has published widely in the fields of second language acquisition and language teaching and is a frequent conference speaker and presenter. In addition to ¿Sabías que... ?, he is also the lead author and designer of Destinos and co-author with James F. Lee of Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen (2003, McGraw-Hill), now in its second edition. He is the author of Input Processing and Grammar Instruction: Theory and Research (1996, Ablex/Greenwood) and From Input to Output: A Teacher’s Guide to Second Language Acquisition (2003, McGraw-Hill), and he is the editor of the newly published Processing Instruction (2003, Erlbaum). He has a new project in production with McGraw-Hill called Sol y viento, a movie with accompanying textbook and other learning materials.

James F. Lee is Professor of Spanish, Director of Language Instruction, and Director of the Programs in Hispanic Linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Indiana University. His research interests lie in the areas of second language reading comprehension, input processing, and exploring the relationship between the two. His research papers have appeared in a number of scholarly journals and publications. His previous publications include the Second Edition of Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen (2003, McGraw-Hill) and several co-edited volumes, including Multiple Perspectives on Form and Meaning, the 1999 volume of the American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators. Dr. Lee is also the author of Tasks and Communicating in Language Classrooms (2000, McGraw-Hill). He has also co-authored several textbooks including Vistazos: Un curso breve (2002, McGraw-Hill), ¿Qué te parece? Media Edition (2003, McGraw-Hill) and Ideas: Lecturas, estrategias, actividades y composiciones (1994, McGraw-Hill). He and Bill VanPatten are series editors for the McGraw-Hill Second Language Professional Series.

Terry L. Ballman is Associate Professor and the founding faculty member of Spanish and Languages at California State University, Channel Islands. Her teaching experience includes Spanish language and linguistics courses as well as methods courses for foreign language, ESL, and bilingual teachers. She has also coordinated lower-division language programs, supervised student teachers, and served as department chair. She is a recipient of several teaching awards, including one from the University of Texas where she received her Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics. A frequent presenter of workshops and papers, she has published numerous articles in research volumes and journals. She is a co-author of Vistazos (2002, McGraw-Hill), as well as project leader and co-author of The Communicative Classroom, a volume of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Professional Development Series for K-16 Teachers.