TEACHING AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

This spring semester, in addition to designing and developing a fully online academic ESL writing course for undergraduate students, I am co-teaching English 525 with Dr. John Levis. English 525, a graduate-level course, focuses on the teaching of Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation skills to nonnative speakers. The course provides practical methods for teaching each skill separately but also explores methods for integrating all of these skills in EFL/ESL classes.

In the spring and fall semesters of 2012, I taught English 101D (Academic Writing for international graduate students). English 101D helps develop the English communication skills that graduate students need as professionals in their respective academic communities. In the class, students analyze and learn appropriate styles of writing in their discipline and practice writing various academic documents including e-mail messages, research article summaries, abstracts, literature reviews, and data commentaries. Students also develop the ability to critique other’s work and to evaluate and revise their own writing. Although the course does not focus on grammar, it addresses some specific areas to help students become more capable at meeting standards of correctness. Students also have opportunities to practice oral English, both in small groups and in more formal presentations.

For the Fall semester of 2010 and Spring semester of 2011, I taught English 180A (Speaking for International Teaching Assistants). The focus of the course is on improving oral English skills through focused practice: working on improving language fluency; analyzing the sounds of American English and how they are produced; developing monitoring skills; discussing and practicing effective communication strategies, such as varied clarification questions; discussing cross-cultural issues; and practicing classroom management and communication skills (e.g, asking and answering questions appropriately). Students prepare for and give two presentations that are videotaped for practice and for self, peer, and instructor feedback.

For four semesters (Fall 2008-Spring 2010), I taught English 101B: English for Native Speakers of Other Languages: Advanced Grammar Applied to Writing. The main goal of English 101B is to prepare students for the English requirements of their university work. It covers advanced English grammar as it applies to writing and academic writing features such as drafting, choosing topics, developing and organizing materials, and revising. In this course students also learn how to analyze and improve their own writing by reading and responding to classmates’ draft papers. A vocabulary assignment helps them improve their academic vocabulary, and they practice important skills of summarizing and responding through reading assignments. As a result of this course, they should develop fluency and confidence in writing.

Cross-Cultural English 150 (Fall 06 and Spring 07; classes are composed of 50% Americans and 50% international students)

Regular English 250 (Spring 08; classes are composed mainly of native speakers of English)

Looking for useful resources to teach/learn writing strategies?

Here are some

Campanile_ISU