Teaching
I teach education-related courses and courses on research design
At Arizona State University
I teach courses for undergraduate and graduate students in the area of linguistics/applied linguistics/TESOL. The courses for graduate students include: LIN501–Approaches to research, LIN521–Methods of teaching English to speakers of other languages, LIN523–Language testing and assessment, LIN524–Curriculum design and materials development, LIN591–English for specific purposes education. The courses for undergraduate students include: ENG404: Studies in second language acquisition: Materials development in TESOL; ENG404 Studies in second language acquisition: Second language education, ENG404 Studies in second language acquisition: Second language teaching, and ENG107-First year composition for ESL writers. (See course descriptions below.)
Outside Arizona State University
I have taught in a variety of other contexts, including:
– universities in Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and Canada (teaching English and TESOL/applied linguistics courses for graduate and undergraduate students);
– private English schools (with general English courses for adults, teenagers, and children, intensive residential English programs for high school students, and intensive residential English programs for business professionals) and a workplace English program (for engineers at their own company) in Japan;
– a private English school (with general English courses for adults visiting from other countries) and a settlement English program (with English courses for recent immigrants) in Canada.
Course descriptions
This course focuses on the branch of ESOL education called English for specific purposes (ESP). To provide context, we examine the history of ESP education and its relationship to the broader field of TESOL. Then, we examine the different branches of ESP education, including English for academic purposes (EAP) and English for occupational purposes (EOP), focusing on best teaching practices and current research issues. By the end of the course, students have a foundation for pursuing work in and/or further studies of ESP education.
This course provides an introduction to curriculum design and materials development in the area of teaching English to speakers of other languages. We will approach curriculum development as a systematic, iterative process that consists of several fundamental, interdependent elements: learner needs, instructional goals and objectives, testing, materials, teaching, and evaluation. We examine the fourth element, materials, in particular detail, focusing on principles and procedures for evaluating and developing materials.
This course provides an introduction to assessment methods and tools in the area of teaching English to speakers of other languages. Students analyze and evaluate a variety of assessment tools, including both large-scale standardized tests (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS) and site-specific tools developed for particular teaching contexts. Students also generate assessment tools for various teaching contexts they are interested in.
This course provides an introduction to methodology for teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). In this course, we examine how ESOL is taught (e.g., content-based and task-based instruction; using technology), with a focus on fundamental principles of effective teaching (e.g., agency, interaction, transfer). We also examine what is taught, specifically in terms of language skills (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, listening) and knowledge (e.g., grammar and vocabulary). The topics covered are relevant across a range of teaching contexts (e.g., English as a foreign language; English as a second language; English for general purposes; English for specific purposes).
LIN520-Second language acquisition
This course focuses on theories of second language acquisition (SLA), including linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural aspects. Students examine SLA research and theory from a historical perspective, identifying major trends in this scholarly work (e.g., behavioral, cognitive, constructivist). Students also examine a collection of key themes in this work (e.g., the relationship to first language acquisition, the influence of age, the relationship to learning in general), that reflect a range of general perspectives on SLA (e.g., maturation-based, cognitive, sociocultural). Throughout the course, students look at SLA scholarly work for solutions to real-world problems (e.g., how to teach second language learners), and ways to contribute to this scholarly work (e.g., by identifying research gaps that can be filled).
This course provides an introduction to research methods that are suitable for investigations in applied linguistics, linguistics, and TESOL. Students examine a variety of studies that reflect various purposes (e.g., to develop theory; to improve educational practice) and research families (i.e., qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods). Students also create research designs suitable for various issues and contexts they are interested in.
This course provides an introduction to the development of instructional materials for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). We will approach materials development as a systematic process consisting of several fundamental interdependent steps (e.g., identification of students’ needs, creating of learning tasks, production of materials, evaluation of materials). In this process, we will apply key principles of second language acquisition (SLA) that are particularly relevant to materials development. The course will balance the practical and the theoretical in a way that will provide students with a foundation for pursuing work in TESOL materials development or for further studies related to TESOL materials development (e.g., a graduate degree in second language education or TESOL).
This course provides an introduction to practice and theory in second language (L2) education. Students learn about the history of second language education, the different contexts in which second language teaching occurs (e.g., foreign language instruction in Asia, immersion education in North America), current issues in second language education (e.g., learner strategies, use of technology), and practical approaches to second language teaching (e.g., task-based language teaching, content-based instruction). By the end of the course, students have a foundation for pursuing work as a second language educator (e.g., teaching English overseas) or further studies in second language education (e.g., a MTESOL degree).
In this course, we learn about contemporary teaching of second languages from various perspectives, including the teaching of (a) vocabulary and grammar, (b) language skills (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, writing), and (c) culture. The aim is to balance the practical (e.g., learning about concrete teaching techniques) and the theoretical (e.g., learning about the research and theory behind those techniques) in a way that students have, by the end of the course, a basic foundation for pursuing work as a second language teacher (e.g., of a foreign language in the US, or of English in the US or overseas) or for further studies related to second language teaching (e.g., a MTESOL degree).
ENG107-First-year composition for multilingual writers
The main goal of this course is to introduce students to the importance of writing in the work of the university and to develop their critical reading, thinking and writing skills so that they can successfully participate in that work.