Taiwan
I help speakers of Mandarin Chinese or Spanish perfect their conversational skills for business or travel! Some of my more salient skills are: interviewing skills for university admissions, work, and immigration—copyediting (also called proofreading) of such items as university admission-related essays—translation and interpretation skills. I can also teach general language skills to young learners. As a highly experienced educator in multiple venues, as well as a veteran court interpreter and former US Army officer who has used his language skills in overseas military service, I am available for in-person English as a Foreign Language or Spanish teaching in Taipei, Taiwan (at mutually convenient times and places) or even better, online teaching via Zoom (I can teach anywhere in Taiwan and am open to teaching EFL or Spanish students elsewhere if our schedules and time zones match)! I reside in Asia and have lived in Central America. My teaching experience spans many years, two countries, many educational levels, and diverse venues. I have taught high school Spanish and various university English classes in Taipei, Taiwan, and my teaching experience also includes freelance work and private-sector teaching. I have written and spoken on such topics as how to learn languages, court and medical interpreting, and teacher job searches. --As an experienced Translation and Interpretation professional, I am available for consulting with Taiwanese and other "from-English" colleagues on Source Language issues, as well as for Spanish-to-English translation. I am also available for freelance writing, teaching, and public speaking assignments on: teaching, languages, language study, language teaching, and various education topics, language topics, and culture-related topics. -- I have special expertise in test preparation (TOEFL, TOEIC, GEPT, TOEFL ITP, etc.) and can also teach conversation and other topics. I'm also available for on-site or online Workplace English training. -- My Teaching Philosophy My teaching philosophy is that students and teachers co-construct knowledge. Students are equally responsible for their knowledge and should always take the initiative and be strong self-starters. As a teacher, I see myself as a mentor and a guide, and I strive to create a comfortable, family-like atmosphere in which all participants’ uniqueness and contributions are valued. Rather than simply impart disparate facts, I like to teach students how to think, how to connect the dots between our subject and other topics, and how to be lifelong learners.
Job Description: Professional Writing Skills Course (Graduate Institute of International Security (GIIS), College of International and National Defense Affairs (INDAC), National Defense University (NDU))--I teach Advanced Writing Skills to Taiwanese military and police of senior rank. Students include field grade officers of all branches, along with Sergeants Major and senior police officers. This advanced master's course, "Professional Writing Skills," is designed to enhance students' writing abilities in preparation for their thesis defense. The course focuses on creating clear and impactful written content, emphasizing strategic approaches to professional writing. Students will develop critical thinking skills to tailor messages for specific audiences and learn effective rhetorical strategies. Through workshops, group projects, and real-world examples, students will improve their editing, proofreading, and writing style. The course also covers digital communication, preparing students to effectively use social media and online platforms. "Professional Writing Skills" is essential for anyone looking to succeed in professional settings where strong communication is key.
In my current assignment in the Special Education Department, I am teaching students 1-on-1 by appointment using the newsletter "Breaking News English". Students read and then record the articles. I write a critique of their pronunciation and usage and I then discuss the same face-to-face.
I teach a variety of pedagogy-related subjects online to Vietnamese graduate students via Zoom and I also supervise students in the writing of their theses and participate in online thesis defenses with an affiliated university. I write the syllabus for the semester and author PowerPoint presentations. Courses taught include: Pedagogy and Practice in Education (textbook: Teaching Today—An Introduction to Education, 9th Edition—by David G. Armstrong, Kenneth T. Henson, Tom V. Savage--Pearson); Digital Technology and Materials Development (textbook: Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 8th Edition—M.D. Roblyer, The State University of West Georgia and Joan E. Hughes—Pearson © 2019); Leading Reflective Practice in Education (textbook: Improving Schools Through Action Research—A Reflective Practice Approach, 4th Edition—Cher Hendricks, University of West Georgia—Pearson © 2017); The Management of Educational Change (textbook: Organizational Change, 6th Edition—Barbara Senior, Stephen Swailes, Colin Carnall— ISBN 978-1-292-24342-9 (PDF)—Pearson © 2020); Teaching Listening and Speaking (textbooks: Teaching the Core Skills of Listening and Speaking—Erik Palmer—ISBN 978-1-4166-1756-3--ASCD (c) 2014; Learning Teaching, The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching, 3rd Edition--Jim Scrivener--ISBN 978-0-230-72982-7--Macmillan Education (c) 2011; The practice of English Language Teaching (5th Edition)--Harmer, Jeremy--updf ISBN – 978 1 4886 83244--© Pearson Education Limited, 1983, 2015; Vocabulary Strategy Training to Enhance Second Language Acquisition in English as a Foreign Language--Andrés Canga Alonso, María Pilar Agustín Llach-- (13): 978-1-5275-4113-9--© Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020). Students are professional educators in diverse jobs who are pursuing a MATESOL and other pedagogy-related Master's degrees.
Online adult education (ESL, EF): I teach English as a Foreign Language to adults on the Cisco WebEx platform for a Taiwanese company. Topics vary--they tend to be contemporary topics. During the lessons, I teach conversation, pronunciation, grammar, reading and listening comprehension, etc. Adult students range from students in private business to educators and university students. I have very favorable student evaluations during my tenure at AMC as a part-time online EFL instructor.
4-Star Author--Content Writer at Textbroker International. I tested into Textbroker via a writing sample that landed me into the 4-Star Author category (highest possible initial rating for new writers). Content writers produce articles on a variety of topics for a diverse range of clients. As a Textbroker Author, I avail myself of professional training furnished by the company. https://www.textbroker.com/