One teacher's reflections on English as a foreign language
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, My Teaching Journal, Uncategorized on Jun 11th, 2010
At a recent workshop I conducted at the American Corner here in St. Petersburg, I talked with a group of teachers about tides of change and innovation in education, specifically in Russia. I shared an experience of my own: ten years ago, when I was in graduate school at the American University in Washington, DC, [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, For Students, Teaching Writing, Video on Jun 8th, 2010
Watch the presentation here: Download PowerPoint here. Download handout here. What is the statement of purpose? College applications are generally very dry and impersonal representations of a person’s scholastic achievements and abilities. The personal statement is designed to breathe life into an otherwise lifeless and unoriginal college application. Basically, the statement of purpose is a [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, Teaching Writing, Video on Jun 8th, 2010
Download PowerPoint PDF here. Download PowerPoint Show (with audio) here. Format: Plenary Time: 20 minutes Title: “Technology and Second Language Writing: New Perspectives on Identity and Process” Target Students: Beginner to advanced, any age group With the advent of new technology and online resources for second language writers, educators not only must grapple with their own [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, Lessons/Materials, Teaching Reading, Teaching Writing on Jun 8th, 2010
Each summarizing workshop is about one hour. See below for details of each session. Download PowerPoint and handouts here. Session 1: Reading Strategies for Summarizing In this workshop, participants will explore various approaches to reading which enhance students’ skills in summarizing. The workshop will focus on basic pre- during- and post-reading strategies that improve overall [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, For Students, Video on Apr 8th, 2010
What is the statement of purpose? College applications are generally very dry and impersonal representations of a person’s scholastic achievements and abilities. The personal statement is designed to breathe life into an otherwise lifeless and unoriginal college application. Basically, the statement of purpose is a way for you to put a face on your application, [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, Teaching Writing on Feb 19th, 2010
Attached below is a PDF version of a PowerPoint presentation I wrote to give English teachers an overview of the current guiding principles and approaches to teaching writing in the language classroom. I also touch on benefits of teaching writing and some of the difficulties faced by non-native English speaking teachers who teach writing. Download [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, American Studies, Lessons/Materials, Listening on Jan 19th, 2010
This is a workshop designed for teachers of English on the music of American singer-songwriter Tom Waits. The activities included are for the songs, “Hold On,” “San Diego Serenade” and “Clap Hands” and they encourage students to develop their listening and speaking skills by exploring the uniquely American themes and landscapes of Waits’ music using [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, Teaching Culture, Teaching Writing on Dec 10th, 2009
Format: Workshop Time: 45 minutes Title: “Register, Face and Email: A Writing Lesson for the Electronic Generation” Target Students: Intermediate to advanced One of the most important skills our students learn is how to use language differently in different situations and with different people. Speeches are not like telephone conversations. Essays are not like newspaper [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, Teaching Writing on Dec 10th, 2009
What is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is any student activity that requires research on the Internet as a means of exploring a topic or answering a series of questions. It is a way to encourage students to explore real-world use of English written for native speakers. They often take the form of a list of [...]
Posted in Abstracts/Presentations, Teaching Writing on Nov 22nd, 2009
Format: Workshop Time: 90 minutes Title: “Community and Process: Building Engaging Writing Lessons” Target Students: Beginner to advanced, any age group We are all writing teachers, but we sometimes forget. A writing lesson can be dynamic, energetic and creative. In fact, it should be. As teachers, we want our students to work together and share [...]