Tales from the Desh

TweetThis is a workshop for teachers at the Mongolia University of the Humanities, first given on Sept. 23, 2011. PDF Slides Handout

TweetNow that summer is over and I have mostly settled into my new home in Ulaanbaatar, I feel it is necessary to provide an update on my current goings-on. My plan for the next two semesters is cobble together several smaller projects which, because of my busy schedule during the past two years, I was [...]

TweetHaving a great time in Cherepovets. The weather is fantastic and the students I am working with are really active and energetic. I am spending a couple of hours a day with campers and then three hours with teachers. The teaching workshops have been lots of fun, too. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere and, since [...]

TweetToday is my last day of classes at Herzen…presentation day for my students! Tomorrow, I fly to Cherepovets for 7 days.

TweetDownload presentation here. In this presentation, I shared my impressions of living as a foreigner in Russia and working as a member of faculty at a Russian university. In it, I first shared relevant details of higher education in the United States which helped to shape the context within which I garnered my understanding of [...]

TweetHere is the link to a presentation I wrote about the history and culture of Alabama, my native state. I gave it first at the Arkhangelsk American Corner in April, 2011.

TweetOne thing I encounter with greater and greater frequency is the ever-growing technology gap between teachers and students. Our learners tend to be digital natives, that is, they feel quite at home already in the digital and online world of communication. Teachers, on the other hand, are often (at best) digital immigrants. I am working [...]

TweetDownload abstract here. Download PowerPoint here. Download handout here. Format: Workshop Time: 60-90 minutes Title: “A Postmethod Pedagogy: Challenges, Opportunities and Empowerment” Target Students: Beginner to advanced, any age group Summary In this workshop, teachers will explore the nature of the Postmethod Condition as it relates to their unique teaching situation. Then, participants will develop [...]

TweetWriting is the most difficult of all the language skills. This is true for the teacher as well as the learner. It is not necessarily a requirement that, in order to be good writing teacher, one must also be a good writer (but it helps). More important for teacher is that she has a clear [...]

TweetFormat: Workshop Time: 60 minutes Title: “Tasks, Content and Learning Styles: Foundations for Skills Integration” Target Students: Beginner to advanced, any age group Equipment required: Laptop, multimedia projector and speakers Summary In this workshop, participants will briefly explore learning styles, content-based instruction and task-based learning as means by which teachers can more successfully encourage learners [...]