About me

 


  2. Experience

  3. I am a native English speaker and experienced teacher, writer, editor, and public speaker.

  4. For most of my teaching career, I have helped college, university, and adult education students improve their communication skills. My special areas of interest and research include how we acquire language ability and how to improve language teaching.

  5. Currently I teach advanced adult ESL students at La Sierra High School in Fullerton, CA. La Sierra provides free adult ESL classes to about 1,000 students every year. Many of my students are working to improve their English skills so they can continue their education at nearby colleges and universities.

  6. Since 2006, I have been using the Internet to tutor university students and professionals, including doctors, medical technicians, and architects, to help them improve their English and prepare for the TOEFL, GMAT, or GRE exams.

  7. Education

  8. I have earned Master’s degrees in both education and music from Biola University in La Mirada, CA. I have also completed graduate work in communications and undergraduate work in music and journalism.

  9. While I was working on my Master’s degree in education, I concentrated on second language instruction. For my capstone project (similar to a thesis), I created a workshop called Second Language Instruction: A New Paradigm View to help ESL teachers improve their teaching. The University’s Education Department gave this project the 2005 Capstone of the Year award.

  10. Current Projects

  11. Julian’s Story: A Comprehensible Input Case History - a brief analysis and description of one student’s experience in an adult ESL class based on comprehensible input.

  12. How Simple is Simple English? (with Dr. Jeff McQuillan) - a study of simplified online texts intended for English language learners.

  13. Professional Memberships & Activities

  14. I am a member of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and Computer-Using Educators (CUE). I have presented a variety of professional workshops for ESL teachers and others.

  15. Personal Interests

  16. I especially enjoy music, the arts, photography, and reading.