I am a teacher and lecturer with a significant international dimension to my achievements, and considerable experience of teaching in a range of contexts, both in the
My teaching experience has been gained both in the
This is proven by the fact that I have completed three degrees plus a CELTA, one degree in the field of Humanities (English Literature and Language) and two in Education. However I am very strongly in support of the view that qualifications alone do not make good or bad teachers, or professionals in any field. I also do not subscribe to the view that only those
with PhDs are qualified to read, write, and research although I am currently in the process of applying to do one myself in the field of language learners and online identities.
My latter qualification was a Masters in Education, gained through the
DETAILED LIST OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS EXCLUDING NON-ACADEMIC MATERIALS .
April 2008 – ‘Cultures coming together through English and Technology.’
Article on teaching English for Specific Purposes, in different contexts, currently under consideration with the Asian Journal of English for Specific Purposes.
February 2008 – ‘Maritime Lessons for the Digital Age.’ Research Paper on how online learning can make a positive contribution to British universities - submitted to Association of Learning Technology Conference 2008.
Now accepted as an official paper renamed ‘International Lessons for the Digital Age.’ Expected to be published as a Conference Presentation September 2008.
November 2007 - ‘A framework for the use of online learning in education in developing societies.’ International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.
Accessed at http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/411/953
Also referred to on a number of contemporary educational research sites including The Israeli Open University’s Research Centre for the Integration of Technology in Education. http://www.openu.ac.il/research_center/dagim/
May 2007 – ‘Teaching English for World Citizenship.’ Headline article in
Also a shortened version can be found in JALT publication June 2007.
October 2006 – ‘Coming Out of the Darkness of the past – an assessment of a teacher education distance learning project in
September 2006 – ‘Action Research: Korean Student Attitudes to the use of CALL.’ Short article in
August 2006 – Unpublished dissertation available on
Breen, P. (2006) ‘Drilling through the digital divide – an analysis of an online teacher education project.’ (unpublished Masters thesis,
July 2006 – ‘The Education of Language Teachers in
Volume 13 Article 1. http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/pta_july_06_pb.php
October 2005 – Article Published in edited hardback journal. ‘Two Examples of CALL in the English Language Classroom.’ Breen, P. (2005) In Robertson, P. and Jung, J. (2005) Asian EFL Journal Teaching Articles 2005.
Asian EFL Journal
August 2005 – ‘Two Examples of CALL in the English Language Classroom.’
Same article as above in online format describing computer based activities used to teach English grammar to overseas students in a college in
Asian EFL Journal, accessed at www.asian-efl-journal.com/pta_august_05_pb.php
MOST RECENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE IN THE UK AND OVERSEAS.
Currently Senior EAP/Academic Writing lecturer and Co-ordinator of International Foundation Programme. Prior to this, lecturer/teacher on an eight week English for Academic Purposes course taught to a group of overseas students preparing for Masters’ Degree studies at the University of Greenwich, London. The core duties of this position included the teaching and evaluation of students, particularly through assessed presentations and work on academic portfolios, as well as some work in the area of curriculum adaptation. The student ability was generally in the IELTS band range of 4.0 to 6.5. Current initiatives in Greenwich include the development of tailored writing classes for native students of Humanities.
HOLBORN LAW AND
Full time lecturer in Academic Skills; Academic Writing for Legal Studies; and Academic English. I taught course-specific EAP lessons for students on courses in the fields of Law (LLM&LLB) and Business (MBA), with one particular module (English Skills) accredited as a component part of selected degree courses. Aside from teaching I was responsible for the assessment of students and the development of materials related to these courses, the Academic Skills aspect of which was taught not only to EFL/ESL students but any student from overseas undertaking a degree in the United Kingdom for the first time. This even included Canadians - speakers of a North American variation of English!!
Visiting Assistant Professor in a Korean National University where I taught Academic credit courses for undergraduate students alongside some non-credit ESP courses for postgraduate and off campus students, including small groups of medical and healthcare professionals from Korea's National Cancer Centre in Seoul, ( http://www.ncc.re.kr/english/about/mission.jsp ), Architectural Engineering postgraduates; and administrative staff. I also worked with tenured Professors on proof-reading and correcting papers for both postgraduate and undergraduate students; and assisted in teacher education/mentoring, material development, and curriculum design.
MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY.
I am a well-qualified and experienced teacher with a strong track record of classroom success, material design, curriculum development, course management, computer literacy, and academic publication. I have gained experience of working in three continents and teaching in a wide range of educational contexts. Therefore I see myself as being as much of a global educator as a language teacher, whether that language is that of native born students learning how to write properly or overseas students learning English as a second language.
I have a dynamic and personable approach to teaching and lecturing. I like to make my lessons interactive and to engage the students. I believe in fostering a team environment in the classroom and in motivating students to achieve their maximum potential. I do not believe in creating a wall of artificial distance between teachers and students, other than the natural gaps of knowledge and professionalism in the academic relationship. I am there to facilitate students in their learning process and expect them to work hard towards meeting the criteria for success. There are no easy routes to academic achievement and being slack on rules and procedures is of no benefit to anyone.
Thus if students wish to pass my courses they must expect absolutely no short cuts to success. I am flexible and dislike field manual approaches to life, but I will only be flexible with those who can demonstrate a good case as to why they deserve such leniency. Those who lie, cheat, plagiarise, copy other people's work, miss deadlines or presentations, need not apply!!!!
The most important thing for students of any discipline is to take control of one’s own learning process, and in the context of overseas students it is vital to feel comfortable with the language, and indeed not to view language as the exclusive possession of native speakers but rather as something continuously evolving and developing. Being mature is vitally important. Perhaps I was slow to mature as a student, getting far greater results in postgraduate study than undergraduate study. I know all the mistakes and the weaknesses that students have because I have been there, done that, and regretted it. Through that, I can teach others to reach academic maturity in a faster manner.
Above - teaching Academic Writing to foreign students in Greenwich.
Below - with summer pre-sessional class in Greenwich 2007.
Left to right (back): Mon Alim; Ghazy; A.J.; Kookie; Weesarak.
Left to right (front): Paul Breen; Stacey; Joycey.
Above: Extracurricular activities with Foundation students in Greenwich.
Below: Drum lessons for students in Cairns, Australia.
