Areas of Interest

Language through content, varieties of English, academic English for ESL students

Research Interests

My goal as a language teacher educator is to make language empowering rather than limiting. From my experiences as a French teacher in a K-7 school, a lecturer in English language at a university in Nigeria, and an ESL teacher in elementary school through college levels in the U.S., I have gained perspectives on language teaching from a range of language learning contexts.

I teach pedagogy courses for pre-service ESL and World Language teachers as well as courses in pedagogical grammar and academic English. My interests include the analysis of language structures, varieties of English, and understanding the role of academic English in the education of English language learners. In my research, I have explored the balance of content and form in language instruction, and I apply this focus in my courses preparing language teachers.

To stay grounded in practice, I recently spent a year teaching and participating in ESL programs in elementary and middle schools and then combined my university teaching with teaching a high school ESL class for another three semesters.  I have also been involved in tutoring programs for ESL students as a program evaluator/researcher, consultant, and tutor.

Currently I am administering our program for Alternate Pathway to Licensure, designed in particular for teachers of Less Commonly Taught Languages such as Mandarin Chinese.  I am also involved in the preparation of content area teachers for working with English language learners.

Courses taught

• CI 5631—Second Language Curriculum Development and Assessment
• CI 5632—Communication and Comprehension in Second Language Classrooms
• CI 5634—Content-Based Instruction in Second Language Settings
• CI 5635—Culture and Diversity in Second Language Classrooms
• CI 5147—Language, Culture, and Education
• CI 5646—Understanding and Teaching English Grammar
• CI 5644—Working with Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students in the Mainstream Classroom

Selected Publications