Evaluation of a Quiz and Self

The grammar quiz, focusing on proposition usage, can be found at Dave's ESL Cafe or by clicking on this link: click here.

Practicality
This quiz is practical in the context of time needed to take and grade the test, cost of the test, and method of grading. Its small size makes it easy for students to finish in a small amount of time and for teachers to grade, even if the class sized is large. The quiz can be printed from online, retyped, or completed online easily. The quiz is also a blend of norm- and criterion-referenced.

Validity
This quiz is valid on a small scale. With only 10 questions, it doesn't include all prepositions, actually being limited to just a few. It is also very face-valid for the students and content-valid, being very obvious in its intention of determining their understanding of prepositions.

Reliability
The quiz has a few shortcomings in reliability. It is very consistent in its form, however, being multiple choice, students are given options to guess at as opposed to independently coming up with an answer. Also, as it is an online quiz originally, the availability of computers and internet access can be affecting factors of its reliability in administration. The test doesn't change; the questions are the same each time you go back to it. Scorer reliability will not be an issue since it is multiple choice with definite answers.

Authenticity
The questions are good examples of real-world language use and contain subject matter that is interesting and useful to language learners. There is no story line in this quiz, but a story line can easily be implemented if modifying this quiz or creating a replica.

Washback
There is poor opportunity for washback with this online quiz. If the quiz was administered as a paper form, then washback could be present. When necessary, incorrect answers are marked and correct answers or given.




Self-Evaluation

My lesson on Tuesday, 7/6, pertained to giving and receiving directions for driving, walking, bicycling, etc. where the individual is responsible for getting themselves to the desired destination, as opposed to a specific grammar aspect. If there was less teacher monologue in the beginning, more time could have been allocated to interaction between students. Instead of listing all of the vocabulary in the beginning, I could have engaged students earlier by asking them for directions, steering them towards using the intended vocabulary, explaining the vocabulary words if and when necessary. I do think that the activities that would eventually occur in the lesson are very communicative.

Speaking: by Derek and Yilmin

Types of Performance
1) Imitative- Imitative works not for the purpose of meaningful interaction but for focusing on elements of language form, e.g. oral drills.
2) Intensive- Intensive goes a step beyond imitative to include a focused practice more about phonological and grammatical aspects.
3) Responsive- Short replies to questions by teacher or other students represents responsive speaking.
4) Transactional- Transactional, a type of dialogue, has a purpose of exchanging specific information and facts.
5) Interpersonal- Another form of dialogue, interpersonal, unlike transactional, conveys more social relationship-based dialogue.
6) Extensive- Extensive is usually in the form of a monologue report or summary by intermediate to advanced levels of students.

Teaching Techniques
1) Indirect Conversation- students have free reign and are encouraged to engage in interaction outside of the classroom.
2) Direct Conversation- the teacher plans a conversation program in advance.
3) Transactional Conversation- examples would include ordering from a catalog, purchasing something at a retail store (e.g. buying a GPS at BestBuy), or talking to a doctor about symptoms; when the purpose is an exchange of information or facts.
4) Practicing Grammar Orally- this would include oral grammar drills or other types of imitative and intensive performance.
5) Individual Practice- examples include oral dialogue journals or other instances where students practice oral expressions. In particular, in small classes, this technique offers students the ability to talk about their concerns without the risk of embarrassment.
6) Other Interactive Techniques- Any activity that requires the student to interact with others orally, such as interviews, discussions, and debates.

Assessment
1) Imitative Speaking Tasks- checking accuracy when repeating small groups of words or sentences, focusing on sounds segments.
2) Intensive Speaking Tasks- focuses on understanding of formulaic usage of a limited number of controlled expressions.
3) Responsive Speaking Tasks- students' responses to simple questions from teacher or other students is checked for appropriateness in context.
4) Interactive Speaking Tasks- assessment via students' interaction between each other during interactive activities
5) Extensive Speaking Tasks- high-level speaking tasks such as oral presentation or retelling a story using paraphrasing skills.

Critical Thinking Questions
1) How can class size affect technique choice?
2) The textbook suggest we do not correct local errors, but how much is too much? Should we ignore all local errors or when should we begin correcting them?
3) What are some strategies of classroom management and setup to create the most comfortable environment for students to express freely (high WTC).

Ronda and Derek Part 2

Listening- Encourage use of top-down and bottom-up strategies.

Students can and should look at language from these two angles to decipher the meaning of an utterance. Top-down is approaching the utterance from the big picture, it's entire meaning, using expectations, past experience, and schemata to understand the utterance and uncover the meaning of each piece and how they fit into the bigger picture. Bottom-up is the opposite: start with the smaller morphological and phonological parts of an utterance and build up from their meanings and roles to discover the big-picture meaning. Both approaches are equally important and are used on a case-by-case basis. This could be done by disecting utterances that include a word(s) students don't know (for top-down) or comprised of known words but unclear meaning of the utterance as a whole (for bottom-up).

Speaking- Encourage the development of speaking strategies.

Students gain skills that supplement oral communication towards automaticity. These include asking for clarification or something to be repeated for the listener to understand better, using fillers to buy time to process and paraphrasing or using nonverbal expressions when speaking, and even just asking the interlocutor for help. Language learners can benefit greatly by adopting and utilizing these techniques. Teachers can best explain them by modeling the strategies with a student(s) for the class and possibly creating a game or exercise (border-line drilling, but with partners) to follow the example.

Experiential Learning

Part 1

Experiential Learning: includes activities that engage both left- and right-brain for living in the real-world

Students learn by doing and discovering. Trial and error plays a part in learning.


LESSON PLAN:

Context: 12 Intermediate Level Adult Learners in a Language Center in Texas
Course focus: Multiple skills, emphasis on Grammar
Class Hour: 1 hour
Terminal objective—Ss will be able to use and identify past perfect (pp) & past perfect progressive (ppp) tenses in all four skills areas

WARM-UP (5 mins) L, S, W, R
Enabling Objective: T models using past perfect and past perfect progressive tenses
Step 1: T asks following question and then writes on board: What had you already studied by the time you moved to Texas?
Step 2: T draws diagram on board illustrating chronological order of events, using a response from a student

PRESENTATION: (10 mins) R, L
Enabling Objective: T explains definition of pp & ppp verb tenses, Ss follow along in textbook and refer to examples
1) T directs Ss to page __ in textbook
2) T defines past perfect and past perfect progressive tenses

PRACTICE: (15 mins) R, W, L, S
Enabling Objective: Ss practice creating their own examples of pp & ppp usage
1) Ss create 3 sentences of their own complete with diagrams
2) Volunteers will read their examples

ROLE-PLAY: (20 mins) L, S, W, R
Enabling Objective: Ss use their own creativity to show comprehension & ability to use pp & ppp
1) T & S volunteer model example
2) T assigns pairs
3) Each pair receives an index card with format
4) Pairs fill out cards using pp/ppp
5) Each pair will act out their card

DEBRIEFING (5 mins) L, S
Enabling Objective: Ss evaluate appropriate usage of pp/ppp

WIND-DOWN (5 mins) L, R, W
Enabling Objective: Ss practice pp & ppp usage
T passes out worksheet to be completed and returned the following day

Anticipation of Reward and (Mainly) Intrinsic Motivation

Bordia, Sarbari, Lynn Wales, and Jeffrey Pittam. "The Role of Student Expectations in TESOL: Opening a Research Agenda." TESOL in Context 16.1 (2006): 10-7. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

The idea of students having expectations of the courses they attend, although accepted as an important issue amongst language teachers, has limited research support. Students devoting time, money and energy to courses expect intellectual and practical gains from them. Expectations are also shaped by their language learning goals and previous learning experiences. Fulfillment of expectations can affect motivation, performance and general language learning experience. In the absence of existing theoretical perspectives on student expectations in second language acquisition (SLA) and TESOL, researchers turn to consumer psychology, with a history of research on expectations in relation to product, service and healthcare marketing. This article provides a formative base for further empirical research on student expectations in TESOL. After reviewing definitions of expectations in consumer behaviour, we propose one for TESOL. The theoretical background in expectation research is described and, based on findings of the doctoral research of the first author, a conceptual model for TESOL is proposed. This model of student expectations accounts for factors shaping expectation formation, interaction of expectations with curricula and pedagogy in courses and outcomes of met/unmet expectations. Constructs relevant to research on student expectations in TESOL and similar findings in consumer psychology are finally discussed. Adapted from the source document

Detaramani, Champa R., and Irene Shuk Im Chan. "Learners' Attitudes and Motivation Towards the Self-Access Mode of Language Learning." Research Monograph - City University of Hong Kong, Department of English 8.Mar (1996): 1-42. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

Undergraduate Ss (N = 585, aged 16-25) from the City U of Hong Kong were surveyed regarding their needs, attitudes, & perceptions toward independent language learning & the use of a self-access center (SAC). Data were obtained via an English questionnaire consisting of 22 questions & in-depth interviews with 5% of the S sample. Questionnaire results included self-perceptions of English ability, perceived most important & difficult skills, preferred learning approach, measures of desire to improve English, attitudes toward learning English, desire to use the SAC to improve English, reasons for an unwillingness to use the SAC, recommendations for the role of the SAC, the focus & theme for SAC materials, & preferred SAC services & facilities. Strong extrinsic motivation to learn English was combined with a reluctance to use the self-access mode of language learning. High intrinsic motivation was associated with a willingness to use the SAC. 22 Tables, 1 Appendix, 19 References. Adapted from the source document

Fox, Anne. "Using Podcasts in the EFL Classroom." TESL-EJ 11.4 (2008): 6/16/2010. <http://tesl-ej.org/ej44/a4.html>.

Talk-radio podcasts, such as Absolutely Intercultural, which are not overtly pedagogical, can be much more than passive, extended listening practice. This paper describes two examples in which teachers have used the Absolutely Intercultural podcast and discusses the different levels of involvement possible with podcasts from listening to producing and how these are based on our current understanding of what constitutes effective learning approaches. This is a step-by-step guide, centering on pedagogical rather than technical issues, about how to involve target language podcasts in EFL teaching.

Hiroaki, Tanaka, and Hiromori Tomohito. "The Effects of Educational Intervention that Enhances Intrinsic Motivation of L2 Students." JALT Journal 29.1 (2007): 59-80. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

Although motivation in the area of L2 studies has attracted the interest of numerous researchers, there have been very few studies conducted regarding factors involved in bringing about motivation, or in other words, strategies that enhance motivation. To address this gap, Noels & her coresearchers have used Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a well-developed motivation theory in psychology, to examine factors behind the intrinsic motivation of L2 students (eg., Noels, 2001; Noels, Pelletier, Clement, & Vallerand, 2000). SDT focuses on the source of human motivation & deals with the manner in which the inclination & physiological/ psychological needs toward growth innately possessed by human beings evolve or are attenuated as people interact with surrounding sociocultural factors. In addition, this theory assumes the existence of three psychological needs (ie., for autonomy, competence, & relatedness) as prerequisites for enhancing student motivation. SDT hypothesizes that if these psychological needs are met, intrinsic motivation will be enhanced; whereas, if they are not met, intrinsic motivation will be undermined. The studies conducted by Noels et al., which examined factors behind L2 students' motivation, demonstrate to a certain extent the significance & potential for invoking SDT in L2 motivation studies. However, their studies are limited to an examination of the correlation between motivating factors (ie., the three psychological needs) & intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, the causal relationship between these factors & motivation has not been established. In other words, is intrinsic motivation really enhanced if psychological needs are satisfied? Thus this study investigates whether or not it is possible to enhance intrinsic motivation in Japanese EEL university students by introducing an educational intervention that stimulates the three psychological needs put forth in SDT. We decided to use the "Group Presentation Activity" (GP Activity; Tanaka, 2005) for this purpose because this activity has the potential to stimulate the three needs simultaneously. Therefore, the purposes of this study are as follows: (a) to examine whether the GP Activity enhances intrinsic motivation in Japanese EFL university students, & (b) to examine which psychological need (the need for autonomy, competence, or relatedness) plays the most significant role in students' motivational development. Seventy-eight university students (58 males & 20 females) who were enrolled in a second-year English language course participated in this study. The students met once a week in a 90-minute class. The GP Activity was used with them for five weeks. Prior to the beginning of the intervention, students were given questionnaires about language learning motivation & the three psychological needs. The same questionnaires were administered at the end of the intervention. Changes in scores (ie., the difference between pretest & posttest scores) served as the measures of development of students' motivation. In addition, to investigate in detail the manner in which the three psychological needs act in terms of enhancing motivation among students, we examined the data from the perspectives of general tendency & individual differences. The results showed that: (a) GP Activity had a significant positive effect on students' intrinsic motivation; & (b) from the perspective of general tendency, satisfaction of the need for autonomy had a strong relationship with students' motivational development. These two findings corresponded to previous studies based on the SDT. On the other hand, a more detailed analysis focusing on individual differences revealed that (c) the facilitating role of the three psychological needs varied according to students' motivational profiles. In short, while less motivated students seemed to benefit the most from the satisfaction of the need for competence, students with a medium level of motivation required that both the need for autonomy & competence be met for their motivational development. This suggested that teachers who intend to enhance students' motivation should differentiate their teaching strategies depending on the motivational profiles of their students. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References. Adapted from the source document

Ibarz, Toni, and Sue Webb. "Listening to Learners to Investigate the Viability of Technology-Driven ESOL Pedagogy." Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 1.2 (2007): 208-26. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

Policies for second language (L2) learning have moved to centre stage in many postindustrial societies as economic and political migration has increased. This paper presents an overview of this shift in education policy and uses empirical work with learners to examine the way that technology is being used as a solution to support second language programmes for adult immigrants in some English-speaking countries. The paper examines the viability of technology-driven pedagogy for ESL/ESOL using qualitative research conducted on learners taking an ESL/ESOL CD-ROM-based programme offered by a national basic skills provider in the UK. After setting out the context relating this UK policy intervention to existing CALL theory and to similar technology-based projects in Australia and North America, the paper discusses the findings in relation to the four language skills, motivation and learning relationships. This research identifies some potential benefits of technology-driven pedagogy for language learning, provided it is supported by a principle-oriented ESL/ESOL pedagogy. Adapted from the source document

Richards, Stephen. "Motivation in Second Language Learning: A Hong Kong Perspective." Research Report - City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, Department of English 32.Nov (1993): 1-106. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

Theories & research into the connection between motivation & second-language acquisition (SLA) are reviewed, along with several studies investigating the motivation & ethnolinguistic attitudes of English-learning students in Hong Kong. Perspectives on the role of intrinsic motivation in second-language learners from the fields of social & educational psychology are presented. The review of studies conducted in Hong Kong on the motivations & attitudes of local English as a second language (ESL) students indicates ambiguous feelings over the use of English among Hong Kong students. Survey results show loss of Chinese identity & ethnic solidarity as factors affecting students' English language development. Nevertheless, this comparison of studies fails to produce any direct link between attitudinal variables & ESL proficiency. Suggestions are made for enhancing intrinsic motivation & encouraging positive ethnolinguistic attitudes in students. 2 Figures, 108 References. Adapted from the source document

Rubenfeld, Sara, Lisa Sinclair, and Richard Clement. "Second Language Learning and Acculturation: The Role of Motivation and Goal Content Congruence." Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique appliquee 10.3 (2007): 309-24. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

This study explored how having differing goals and motives for learning a second language influences adaptation in the foreign culture. Specifically, we compared English as a second language (ESL) students in two programs, which differed in their long-term goal orientations. Some students were taking ESL courses in order to attend university in their second language, whereas other ESL students took courses that were not followed by an immediate reward. Students in both programs completed measures of acculturation as well as measures of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for learning English. We found that adaptation to the foreign culture, in the form of acculturation, is best facilitated by congruence between students' motives and goals. The findings are discussed in terms of their methodological and pedagogical implications. Adapted from the source document

Sanchez Hernandez, Purificacion, and Pascual F. Perez Paredes. "Integrating English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) Skills into Mainstream English Courses." Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses 15.Nov (2002): 229-40. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

This paper examines the design & implementation stages of a course of English given by the faculty of psychology at the University of Murcia, Spain. The course was programmed regardless of the particular individuals & no previous requirements were needed. Two initial tests were passed to the students at the beginning of the semester, the first one to evaluate their needs & motivation, & the second one to measure their general communicative competence. The results were heterogeneous. The students were informed of their results, & also of the level they should reach to pass the course, especially those with low marks. With respect to their motivation, they manifested two orientations: labor, & integrative reasons. Taking into account their "labor reasons," some units closely related to their specialty were included, & the final evaluation was modified giving some weight also to the specific English component (75% GE, 25% ESAP). The analysis reveals that, according to our initial assumption, those students with a better communicative competence at the beginning of the course obtained the best results in the final exam. A correlation between those students with intrinsic motivation & communicative competence & the best final marks has also been found. 11 Tables, 27 References. Adapted from the source document

Santoro, Ninetta. "Why Won't they Talk: The Difficulties of Engaging Victims of Trauma in Classroom Interaction." TESOL in Context 7.2 (1997): 14-8. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

It is suggested that some refugees' lack of motivation & anxiety in the English as a second language (ESL) classroom is linked to pre-immigration trauma that may have occurred as much as 10-15 years earlier. Case studies of three adult refugee ESL students in Australia (N = 3) are examined in order to explore this hypothesis. Although all three subjects had been well educated in their native countries (ie, Afghanistan & Vietnam), they all have problems in their ESL classes despite having been in Australia for 9-19 years & having attended numerous English classes. Subjects' stories reveal that all of them had experienced periods of deprivation & prolonged separation from their families before immigrating to Australia; one was even tortured. It is conceded that other factors may be contributing to their lack of motivation to participate in the ESL classroom; however, it is considered important that their experiences be taken into account, particularly by teachers who are accustomed to working with more established immigrant groups. 12 References. J. Paul

Tanaka, Hiroaki. "Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation at Three Levels: The Effects of Motivational Strategies." JALT Journal 31.2 (2009): 227-50. CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts.

Traditionally, motivation researchers have been more concerned about what motivation is rather than how to motivate students. Recently, research interests have shifted towards educational purposes and an increasing number of studies now propose motivational strategies. Motivational strategies refer to "methods and techniques to generate and maintain the learners' motivation" (Dornyei, 200 1, p. 2). Using motivational strategies is generally believed to facilitate students' motivation, but only a few studies have found empirical evidence to support this claim. For example, Hiromori (2006) used "creative writing activities with student self-monitoring techniques" as a motivational strategy and showed that the strategy had a significant positive effect on students' motivation toward learning English. Tanaka and Hiromori (2007) proposed that "group presentation activities" are a useful motivational strategy. They successfully enhanced students' intrinsic motivation during a 5-week intervention. However, the number of studies that examine the effect of motivational strategies in the actual English language classroom is limited. In this article, I would like to point out two drawbacks of the above studies. The first drawback is related to the definition of motivation. Most of the preceding studies on motivation define motivation as a trait attribute. However, many researchers segmentalize motivation into different levels (e.g., Crookes & Schmidt, 1991). Vallerand and Ratelle (2002) analyzed intrinsic motivation at three levels, namely, the situational level, contextual level, and global level. They recommend that motivation be considered not merely as a unitary concept, but as a complex concept. However, studies examining the effect of motivational strategies focus only on the trait and unitary aspects of motivation. Thus, there needs to be an examination of the effect of motivational strategies on motivation at different levels. In this article, three types of intrinsic motivation are addressed, namely intrinsic motivation for listening/speaking activities, intrinsic classroom motivation, and intrinsic trait motivation. The second drawback concerns research design. Much of the research that examines the effect of motivational strategies adopts a pre-post design. However, in order to capture motivational changes in more detail, additional measurement times would be useful. In this article, intrinsic motivation was measured at three different times: that is, pre-measurement, mid-measurement, and post-measurement. Thus, this study aims to enhance students' intrinsic motivation at three levels. I adopt Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a well-developed motivation theory in psychology, as the theoretical underpinning. This theory provides a useful framework for examining the effect of motivational strategy because it assumes the existence of three psychological needs (i.e., the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness) as prerequisites for enhancing student motivation. The purposes of this study are as follows: (1) to enhance intrinsic motivation to engage in listening activities; (2) to enhance intrinsic motivation to engage in speaking activities; (3) to enhance intrinsic classroom motivation; and (4) to enhance intrinsic trait motivation. This study further explores facilitating factors of intrinsic motivation at the three levels. Thus, this article also aims (5) to examine which psychological need (the need for autonomy, competence or relatedness) plays the most significant role in students' motivational development; and (6) to explore new facilitating factors of intrinsic motivation. Fifty-two university students who were enrolled in a 1st-year English language course participated in this study. The students met once a week in a 90-minute class. The intervention was given to them for 15 weeks. Prior to the beginning of the intervention, students were given questionnaires about language learning motivation and the three psychological needs. The same questionnaires were administered in the middle and at the end of the intervention. An open-ended questionnaire was also administered to students at the post-measurement stage. The results of the quantitative analysis showed that: (1) the intervention had a significant positive effect on students' intrinsic motivation to engage in listening/speaking activities and intrinsic classroom motivation; (2) the need for competence had a strong relationship with the development in students' intrinsic motivation to engage in listening activities; (3) the need for competence and relatedness had a strong relationship with development in students' intrinsic motivation to engage in speaking activities; (4) all three needs were related to the development in intrinsic classroom motivation. Further, the results of qualitative analysis indicated that (5) "usefulness" might be another facilitating factor of motivation. Adapted from the source document

MY PICK:

Anne Fox's article about using podcasts to increase intrinsic motivation in an EFL class. At first I thought, "Yeah, right. How?" But it makes sense. She claims that they offer excellent listening practice because they can be paused, chunked, and have segments replayed. Additionally to this convenience, with the popularity of ipods and other mp3 players, podcasts are very portable and can be taken anywhere to be listened to at anytime. She uses a specific program as an example and mentions several English-learning specific podcasts, but there is great variety ensuring captivated interest for any ELL.

Fox suggests this listening tool be used for more advanced learners and that it could be used for lower levels if the teacher prepares ahead of time. Additionally, students can be creative and make their own podcasts.

Fat, Ugly, and Snobby

"Describing Appearances & Characteristics of People"
Click here to go to the page and find the activity titled above.


A student describes a photograph of a person provided by the teacher.

The activity is appropriate for various age levels.

In the beginner proficiency level, covered areas include physical descriptions such as sex (male/female), major body parts (head, arm, etc.), colors (of hair, clothing, etc.).

In the intermediate level, descriptions become more specific. Examples would include more detailed descriptions (height, body type, etc.).

In the advanced level, descriptions become even more descriptive, including concepts like such as facial expressions, advanced vocabulary (types of clothing, less common adjectives, etc.), and inferences personality, education, profession, and economic status.

In the context of ESL, vocabulary will be centered more on the immediate community, especially community leaders and civil servants.

In the context of EFL, vocabulary will be more general.

Derek's initial web pick

I think Dave's ESL Cafe is an amazing site. Check it out! Just click on the link...

My favorite use of this site is getting idioms. I used them in conversational English classes. The way I use them is printing off a small selection with their definitions, maybe a dozen or so, and then giving examples, having a Q&A time, and finally ending with a game- usually make small teams, or work individually, based on class size, and see who can make the most original sentences using the idioms. I also created worksheets with blanks to fill in using the new idioms.

Dave's ESL Cafe is also a good source of organizations and opportunities to achieve TESOL certification or teach using your TESOL certification.

In addition to idioms, the site gives many good ideas about games and other activities to be used to learn pronunciation, intonation, and other aspects of language. Some of these games include "Pronunciation Baseball" and "International Idol."

Also, there are many resources for students, too. That's actually where I got the idioms.

So check it out and let me know what you think.

This is I

My name is Derek Smith. I speak English. I'd like to be bilingual, but will settle for borderline fluency in another language. I've attempted to formally learn Spanish and Chinese, and through friends I know a couple greetings and a few swear words and threats in Korean. I would like to improve my Chinese and pick up Thai sometime as well. I'd also like my Spanish to be improved enough to allow me to get by visiting Latin America or Spain (though I don't care much for the lisp-accent in Spain).

I received a B.A. English, minoring in Linguistics, from UTA in 2008, with then intent of getting my M.A. TESOL as soon as possible. I worked in a junior high for Arlington ISD as a tutor in the AVID program. I went through an alternative teacher certification program the following summer for ELA and ESL 4-8, but due to a sudden surge of laid-off teachers from some districts and few openings in others, I returned to the same junior high as an AVID tutor, long-term substitute AVID teacher, substitute for other subjects, and a general "whatever the principal wants." The extent of my experience in teaching English specifically includes leading conversational English classes for nearly two years on UTA's campus, English camps in Sichuan, China during the summer 2007, and tutoring/coaching my friends who are international students. I visited the Newcomer Center in Arlington and sat in on some ESL classes at the junior high where I work, and I fell in love with ESL.

I think that's about it!