Bill VanPatten is a former Professor of Spanish and Second Language Acquisition at Michigan State University.
He specializes in second language acquisition, which he investigates on both theoretical and practical levels, using techniques from psycholinguistics, applied linguistics, and cognitive psychology.
VanPatten was the creator of the educational television show Destinos, designed for use with Spanish courses.
Growing up in a multilingual home, he strongly believes in the significant benefits of being able to speak, read, and write multiple languages.
VanPatten considered that most people view language as something static, assuming that practicing rules will eventually make them stick in one's mind.