Columbia University’s American Language Program faculty has had a very productive few months in the field of English language instruction. Here are highlights of their recent accomplishments:
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Senior Lecturer Shelley Saltzman has been acknowledged by the Executive Committee of the Arts and Sciences, and invited to attend a reception celebrating faculty distinction. The reception is held annually to acclaim the awards, honors, and recognitions of Columbia Arts and Sciences faculty over the past year.
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In October, Senior Lecturer Carol Numrich was an invited speaker at the University of British Columbia’s intensive English program, where she delivered a presentation entitled “Preparing ESL Students for Writing Assignments: Teaching Synthesis.” She was also invited to speak at the regional BC chapter of TEAL, the Canadian Association of Teachers of English as an Additional Language.
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Also in October, Adjunct Associate Sarah Ford presented at the Asociación Nacional Universitaria de Profesores de Ingles (ANUPI) in Los Cabos, Mexico. She delivered a paper on creating effective prompts to elicit comprehensive student writing. ANUPI brings together university English teachers from Mexico and beyond to promote professional development, and to initiate and support research in the ESL field.
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Senior Lecturer Frances Boyd served on the Paper Selection Committee for this year’s event.
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Lecturers Babi Kruchin and Alan Kennedy were interviewed by Voice of America this summer, where they discussed using concept maps in academic writing.
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Adjunct Associate Tristan Thorne was published in the August edition of the TESOL Journal, a publication read by English teaching professionals all over the world. His article was titled “Augmenting Classroom Practices with QR Codes.”
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In July, Adjunct Associate Carol Lo, who is pursuing her EdM at Teachers College, delivered a paper at the Seventh Conference of the International Society for Gesture Studies in Paris. She spoke on the subject of group work, focusing on how learners accomplish alignment and affiliation through gestures.
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Lecturer Alan Kennedy and Adjunct Associate Michele Lewis contributed to a new academic writing textbook series for Cambridge University Press, Prism. In addition, Michele is writing content for new editions of Pearson’s popular Focus on Grammar series. Adjunct Associate Tim McLaughlin has been writing and consulting for the Pearson Test of English, and he’s been creating assessment materials for the SIT Vermont’s Teacher Training course. McLaughlin is also designing digital content for Pearson’s Focus on Grammar series and for Wall Street English.
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Lecturers Brittany Ober and Babi Kruchin will present at New York State TESOL conference in November, where they will discuss the work they have been doing to improve students’ grammar and vocabulary through reading. Ober will also be presenting at the New School’s ‘Meeting Challenges, Exploring Solutions in the Adult ESOL Classroom’ conference in November, where she will discuss extensive listening as an empowering solution for ESOL learners.
