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 (2004, Erlbaum) and co-editor of Form-meaning Connections in Second Language Acquisition (2004, Erlbaum). He is also the co-writer of the movie Sol y viento (2005, McGraw-Hill) and the lead author on the accompanying textbook materials. When not engaged in academic pursuits, Bill writes fiction and performs standup comedy.

James F. Lee is a member of the faculty of the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. His research interests are in the areas of second language reading comprehension, input processing, and exploring the relationship between the two. His research has appeared in a number of scholarly journals and publications. His previous publications include the book Tasks and Communicating in Language Classrooms (2000, McGraw-Hill) and the co-authored book Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen, Second Edition (2003, McGraw-Hill). He has also co-authored several textbooks, including ¿Sabias que... ? Beginning Spanish (2004, 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 Professor of Spanish and founding faculty member of Spanish/Languages, and Chair of Multiple Programs 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 and supervised student teachers. A recipient of several teaching awards, Dr. Ballman is a frequent presenter of workshops and papers. She has published articles in research volumes and journals. She is a co-author of ¿Sabías que...? (2004, 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.