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GRADUATE SCHOOL O F T R A N S L AT I O N ,
discourse repartee
INTERPRETATION, &
LANGUAGE EDUCATION miis.edu/academics/programs/ tesol/lecture-series INSIDE THIS ISSUE van Lier Lecture Series
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Letter from Dean Jourdenais
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B.U.I.L.D.
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Language & Professional Programs
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Summer I.C.E.
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In Memoriam: Leo van Lier
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Monterey Bay Symposium
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Intensive English Programs
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Peace Resource Center
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Peter Shaw: Teaching Award Winner
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Faculty Updates
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Alumni Updates
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Professors Depart/Return
SPRING 2013
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Leo van Lier Lecture Series
In recent years, we have been fortunate to host notable speakers in the field of applied linguistics in our TESOL/TFL Lecture Series. As a widely sought-after guest lecturer himself, and certainly one of the foremost thinkers in the applied linguistics field, we thought it would be a fitting tribute to name our Lecture Series after Leo. The Leo van Lier Lecture Series will aim to bring pre-eminent scholars in the fields of applied and educational linguistics to campus to address faculty and graduate students regarding current topics and issues in applied and educational linguistics and in language education. We also hope to be able to stream and/or record many of these speakers so that our alumni can take part in the series as well. See www.miis.edu/academics/programs/tesol/lectureseries to view past and upcoming speakers. You may honor Leo's memory by making a donation to the Leo van Lier Lecture Series Fund. Give online or mail your checks to: MIIS Institutional Advancement Office 460 Pierce St. Monterey, CA 93940.
Letter from Dean Renée Jourdenais Hi, I think the years are passing more quickly these days… Again, it’s been a busy one. I’m quite delighted to say we did a bit more restructuring in the Graduate School and I’ve gained an Assistant Dean. (You’ll read a little more about this among these pages.) Our non-degree programs, including SILP, ESL, CLS and T&I Professional Programs have been growing and the Board sees them as having quite a lot of potential, so we thought it was time to put someone (else!) in charge of them. After an international search, we found (not surprisingly) that we had a perfect person to lead these programs in our midst, and on August 1, Patricia Szasz (MATESOL ‘06) became the Assistant Dean of Language and Professional Programs for the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education. Quite a title, eh? It’s been wonderful for me to have someone to share that component of our school and she’s gotten off to a running start.
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By now, you probably all know that we ended the year on a devastatingly sad note as we lost one of our dearest friends, professors, and colleagues—Leo van Lier. We can’t imagine what it will be like here without him, his knowledge, and his wit. If you haven’t yet joined us in commemorating his life-well-lived, we’ll tell you more about how you can do that in this issue. We hope this past year has been a good one for you, both professionally and personally, and, as always, we love to hear from you. So please keep in touch! Best wishes,
Dr. Renee Jourdenais, Dean
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Monterey Institute of International Studies
blogs.miis.edu/build/
Students Teaching Students Paul Sonnier B.U.I.L.D. (Beyond yoUrself In Language Development) is a student-run organization established at M.I.I.S. in 2009. Given the linguistic diversity of our student body and the interminable need for TESOL/TFL candidates to practice what they learn about all week, B.U.I.LD. makes a lot of sense. Teacher candidates (and plenty of other students!) get to spend time in a low-risk classroom on campus and the entire community gains the opportunity to expand or refine their language repertoire. B.U.I.L.D. has become a hugely popular source of fun and learning for students in all of the different programs at M.I.I.S., as well as for members of the Monterey community. The mission of B.U.I.L.D. is to capitalize on the enjoyment and passion M.I.I.S. students find in language, which is so often precisely what attracted them to our diverse linguistic milieu in Current MATESOL/TFL candidates the first place. Claire Ballon (left) and Rie Tada coa teaching a B.U.I.L.D. Japanese class Attending B.U.I.L.D. course is a unique academic experience. No homework is assigned, no grades are given, and attendance is not mandatory. Such a relaxed classroom atmosphere eliminates the pressure or embarrassment people often experience when attempting to learn a language. Our teachers are also expert language learners. Since every student at the Monterey Institute has a working knowledge of a foreign language, instructors are very familiar with the process of second (or third, fourth, etc.) language learning and acquisition.
Beyond yoUrself In Language Development
The club offers 14 different languages this Spring alone, including: Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, French, and Japanese. Participation and visibility has grown steadily since the inception of B.U.I.L.D. just three years ago. Consequently, this semester marks two milestones in B.U.I.L.D.’s short history: Teacher training sessions are available for this semester’s novice educators who might have otherwise been hesitant to begin instructing and an outside organization has contacted the club’s student representatives and formally requested that their employees be allowed to attend classes. Employees of the Monterey Bay Aquarium have been attending weekly Spanish classes this semester. Even more active involvement in the local community is the next step for this program. By bringing no-strings-attached language education at no cost to the wider community is B.U.I.L.D.’s incarnation of the Monterey Institute’s directive to “be the
Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education
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GSTILE Language & Professional Programs GSTILE now has a new organization that focuses solely on our nondegree offerings. The new team is called GSTILE Language & Professional Programs. The creation of this team came out of interest from the Monterey Institute’s Board of Governors to increase the support and development of these programs. After an external search, Patricia Szasz (MATESOL ’06), the former Director of Intensive English Programs, was selected to lead the team as Assistant Dean. The new organization includes all the non-degree programs that focus on language instruction, teacher training and professional training for translators and interpreters. Alicia Brent (MATESOL ‘03) remains Director of Intensive & Custom Language Programs in charge of the Summer Intensive Language Program (SILP) and Custom Language Services (CLS). She works closely
with Diane Williams (MATESOL ‘83) who is the Academic Coordinator for SILP and CLS. CLS has some exciting plans to expand its online and hybrid course offerings in the coming year, including the development of an online negotiation course for diplomats. They are also in the midst of creating an Arabic for Diplomats program to satisfy a new demand for language training in this area. Heather Kokesch (MATESOL ‘11) coordinates the Translation & Interpretation Short Programs that currently include a menu of eight courses available on topics such as medical interpreting, court interpreting, and computer-assisted translation. The newest offering is a Portuguese Simultaneous Interpretation course that hopes to address the need for qualified interpreters for the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics events in Brazil.
In the Intensive English Programs department, Katie Dutcher was promoted from Academic Coordinator to Assistant Director. Katie has been busy leading the program’s accreditation efforts, and we look forward to a favorable decision from the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation this summer. Natasha Frank (MATESOL ‘05) is gearing up for her second year as Director of the MiddleburyMonterey Summer Intensive College English program in Newport, Rhode Island. This new program prepares international high school students to attend universities in the United States. The team has also welcomed two new members. Patricia Montanez came on board in November 2012 as an Administrative Assistant, and she is doing a wonderful job of supporting our programs. Alisyn Henneck, a student from our recently-launched MA in International Education Management program, was hired this past January to be Enrollment Marketing Manager. Alisyn assists prospective language students through the application process. We are very excited by the synergy created among our new team and all the exciting initiatives that we are taking on this year. For more information about our language program offerings, visit go.miis.edu/languages.
Students from around the world come together to learn and make friends in Newport, Rhode Island.
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Monterey Institute of International Studies
miis.edu/languages
News You Can Use
blogs.miis.edu/gstile
The Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education (GSTILE) blog continues to provide regular updates on the activities of students, faculty, alumni, and guests to the MIIS campus. The blog features information on new faculty publications, upcoming speakers, recent student activities, and changes at GSTILE. We also encourage guest posts from alumni, sharing your TESOL-related experiences out in the world. Visit http://blogs.miis.edu/gstile/ to learn more about what’s happening at GSTILE or to share your own news.
Summer I.C.E. Gears Up for Second Year Patricia Szasz We are pleased to announce that we are entering our second year of the MiddleburyMonterey Summer Intensive College English program. This year’s program has been extended to two sessions – a six-week session for more advanced learners, and a four-week session for those who may be younger or of lower proficiency. We are happy to once again be partnering with Salve Regina University and using their beautiful ocean-side campus in Newport, Rhode Island.
ship fund was inspired by the Brazilian government’s goal of sending 100,000 students overseas to study in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Undergraduate students come to the United States for one year exchange programs in these fields. Scholarship students who attend Summer Intensive College English would go on to study in the nursing program at Salve Regina.
For more information on Summer Intensive Thanks to the generosity of Middlebury do- College English, visit go.miis.edu/ice. nors, we are pleased to be able to offer scholarships to students for this year’s program. We are also excited to be partnering with School of Leadership, Afghanistan, a school in Kabul that promotes higher education for girls. Last year we welcomed two SOLA graduates to Newport, and we hope to see more young women from SOLA this summer. Shabana Basij-Rasikh (Middlebury ‘11), SOLA’s Managing Director and Acting Head of School will also be visiting Monterey and speaking on campus about her work in educational development.
miis.edu/ice
The program was also pleased to be approved by the Brazilian Ministry of Education to receive students from the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program this summer. This scholar-
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Summer Intensive College English instructor Laurie Nesbitt (MATESOL ’91) works with students during a class activity.
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In Memoriam Leo van Lier This year we had to pay tribute in a way we had never quite planned for and, truthfully, never could have. The loss of longtime faculty member, friend, mentor, and teacher, Leo van Lier, took us all by surprise. Leo’s work was certainly not nearly complete—he had only just begun speaking of “green grammar,” his tenure as editor of the Modern Language Journal was wrapping up, he and his wife had purchased a retirement home in Peru, and his first grandchild had recently been born. It wasn't fair. It certainly wasn't what any of us had anticipated…least of all him. Leo is irreplaceable. But then, we're saying this to all of you, and you all already know this.
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not, please do explore!). We very much appreciate all of you who have shared your memories, your photos, and your messages, as well as those of you who have just been there, reading postings, and remembering our friend and colleague, Leo. We hoped Leo's world would be reflected in our celebration of his life—which is so much bigger than just those of us here in Monterey—and we thought the ning platform would be an appropriate way to achieve that goal.
Leo left an indelible mark on the world and we've been comforted by sharing with all those who've shared in his…brilliance. There's really no better word. (And I'm sure there are not many among us who weren't humbled by his citations!) Leo leaves a legacy. Of those who aspire to be the scholar he was. Of those who aspire to be the educator he was. And of those who simply aspire to be the human he was.
celebratingleo.ning.com We hope you have had the opportunity to join us in remembering Leo at celebratingleo.ning.com (if
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Monterey Institute of International Studies
Leo van Lier, 1944-2012
2nd Annual Celebrating Foreign Language Education:
A Monterey Bay Symposium In honoring Dr. Leo van Lier’s contribution to foreign language education and to his 26 years in the TESOL/ TFL program, we are pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Celebrating Foreign Language Education: A Monterey Bay Symposium that will take place on Saturday March 30, 2013, on the Monterey Institute of International Studies campus. During its inaugural run last year, this celebratory symposium, organized by MATESOL/TFL students, on foreign language education opened with Dr. Leo van Lier as the keynote speaker, and brought together over 160 local teachers, students, administrators and other professionals from throughout the Monterey Bay area to discuss current issues in the field of foreign language education. The featured presentations will contain both practical and theoretical information, centering on classroom implementation, methods and principles, and provide interpretation for presentations in languages pedagogical innovations. other than English, but also to discuss the inherent differences between learning and teaching foreign language and translation and interpretation. Lastly, the symposium will benefit the entire MIIS community, as we are all learners of language and Continuing last year’s success and tradition, this year, therefore all have an interest in promoting the study we will bring together teachers from throughout the of foreign languages. Monterey Bay area, strengthening the connection between MIIS and the local community. We have This year, in particular, we would like to sequence our speakers from local institutions such as Stevenson speakers, panelists, and poster session participants in School, North Salinas High School, and the Defense an order that would make their experience at the Language Institute. The symposium will directly symposium relevant. We will start off with our provide academic and professional support to keynote speaker, Dr. Peter DeCosta, and start with a students in the TESOL and TFL programs at MIIS, theoretical approach to foreign language education, allowing them to share ideas with local teachers, moving on to a more practical approach on examples bringing their learning outside the classroom and into of the implementation of these theories, and finally real-world practical applications. In addition, the closing the celebration with a poster session that symposium will benefit students and professors in the showcases the result of successful implementation of Translation & Interpretation programs, not only to these innovative teaching methods.
mflsymposium.org
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Intensive English Programs Katie Dutcher Intensive English Programs has had a year of exciting changes and developments. The intensive ESL program recently hosted a visit from the site review team from the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA). This visit culminates the program’s two-year process of seeking accreditation with CEA. With the goal of accreditation ahead, the past year has seen the intensive ESL program revamp our curriculum and assessment, led by full-time instructors Jennifer Grode (MATESOL ’10) and Adrienne Stacy, which has resulted in standardized levels that are clearer and achievable for students as well as instructors. The administrative procedures of the program have also been streamlined and better documented, and a formal plan for program review and development is now in place. All of these improvements have led to a more efficient program of higher quality, and the change for the better is noticeable to students, faculty, and staff alike. Program staff and faculty continue to keep the ball of program development rolling, and the program has high hopes of receiving a favorable accreditation decision from the commission in April. In other program news, full-time instructors Jennifer Grode and Adrienne Stacy will be presenting at the annual TESOL convention in Dallas. Their session, entitled “Targeting and Assessing Spoken Accuracy in English,” came about from Jennifer and Adrienne’s experience teaching Students from the University of “Accuracy in Spoken Shimane and their instructor, English” in the intensive Luke Slisz (MATESOL ‘12) ESL program last spring. transplant native plants at CSU They found that the majority of Oral Monterey Bay. Communication courses
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Patricia Szasz (MATESOL ’06), Adrienne Stacy, Katie Dutcher, and Jennifer Grode formed the Steering Committee to carry out the CEA accreditation process. focus primarily on fluency, rather than balancing it with accuracy. Their intension is to inspire teachers to think creatively about how to address and assess accuracy by presenting easy-to-implement activities and projects, as well as assessment tools that address learners' accuracy goals. This session has been selected to be recorded and posted online in the TESOL Resource Center and to the TESOL Live Learning Center, so if you miss it at the TESOL convention, look for it online afterwards! Assistant Director Katie Dutcher recently presented a poster at the Professional Development Workshop hosted by the American Association of Intensive English Programs. The poster highlighted some exciting developments to this past summer’s month-long joint program with the University of Shimane in Shimane, Japan. The program centered around service learning and local environmental issues, building the themes of volunteerism, sustainable farming, and fishing, and social welfare into the English-language curriculum. Students planted redwood seedlings and dug potatoes in Big Sur at Country Flat Farm, helped distribute produce to families in need with the Food Bank of Monterey Country, gave cultural presentations to residents at the Park Lane retirement community, and transplanted native plants with CSU Monterey Bay’s Return of the Natives program and at the Monterey Institute’s own Our Green Thumb community garden. The students and instructors enjoyed and learned so much from the program that Intensive English Programs can’t wait to do it again this August!
Monterey Institute of International Studies
peacecenteresl.wordpress.com/
Peace Through Understanding Ariana Van Beurden The involvement of MIIS TESOL candidates at the Peace Resource Center (PRC) began as a simple idea thought up by a few students just a few years ago. During January of 2011, Yulia Nikolskaya, (MATESOL ‘10), and Heidi Laidemitt, (MATESOL ‘12) began teaching classes to beginning and low-intermediate level Hispanic immigrants at the PRC in Seaside, California. Since then, the PRC has continually offered free ESL classes 4 days a week, and has been established as a welcoming, safe-place for the immigrant population to practice their English. Beyond the classes every week, students and teachers have coordinated conversation nights and potlucks to create more opportunities for the students to practice and improve their English. The classes are all organized and taught by pre–service and in-service teachers from MIIS.
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PRC students busy at work in the class of current MATESOL candidates, Kerri-Ann Moore, Sage Benson, and Jeremy Martin
The program has developed into a sustainable immersive learning program where MA TESOL students integrate their theoretical coursework into hands-on experience. For the last five consecutive semesters, the curriculum at the Peace Resource Center has been built upon and improved by students in the Curriculum Design course. The Curriculum Design projects have shaped the curriculum around the unpredictable and fluctuating attendance of the students, the needs of the stakeholders, and the needs of the students. Additionally, many MA TESOL students have used the Peace Resource Center as a site for their Practicum course. The Peace Resource Center has also afforded students the opportunity to gain experience in Language Program Administration. Since the program is all student-run, there are many opportunities for students to get involved with the administrative aspect of the program. These opportunities include grant writing, marketing, fundraising, and teacher supervision. There have been several projects based around the Peace Resource Center for Marketing, Teacher Supervision, and Grant Writing courses at the institute. This past summer, the teachers and students raised over $1,000 dollars for the program by hosting a benefit concert at the center. Goals for the future include continually improving the program based on the needs of our students, and recruiting other programs at MIIS to become involved in the running of the program.
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Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education
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Leslie Eliason Excellence in Teaching Award: Peter Shaw
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Every year, a MIIS professor “Each time Peter has visited is singled out, based on my classes, my admiration for nominations from students, him has increased as he has faculty, and alumni, to be recognized for “outstanding interacted with me and my contributions as a classroom students in such an openheartteacher.” Peter Shaw was ed, sincere, and expert way this year’s recipient of the that I wish I could emulate.” award named in honor of Dr. Nuket Kardam former International Policy Studies professor, Leslie Eli- succinctly puts it in his bio on ason. At the award ceremony the Monterey Institute weblast fall, provost Amy Sands site (where he has been desreminded us that Leslie is re- ignated Professor of Pedagogimembered not only for “her cal Magic), he’s “never enthusiasm for her work both stopped teaching English.” as a teacher and a policy re- Nonetheless, according to the searcher,” but because she provost, “Peter’s impact has “wanted to help us find tools gone well beyond the classand ways both in the class- rooms as he has worked with room and outside of it to be his faculty colleagues to help successful human beings.“ As them rethink and in many cassuch, those of us who have es recast their approach to been lucky enough to have teaching so that it involves worked and learned with Peter both teaching and learning, lisshould easily recognize the ap- tening and engaging.“ propriateness of his selection. Peter’s dedication to “Not only does Peter respect our teaching, learning, and comments, perspectives, and beliefs, the MIIS community, he encourages us to bring them into however, is perhaps the classroom and to see the inherent best exemplified by value in the diversity of our ideas.” the project he is proposing to carry out Members of the class of 2012 with the stipend that Peter has been sharing his wis- accompanies the award. The dom, knowledge, and stories recipient of the Excellence in with TESOL/TFL candidates Teaching Award is allotted ten since 1983. Additionally, as he thousand dollars with which to
Monterey Institute of International Studies
Peter Shaw pursue some form of professional development. Tellingly, Peter’s proposal “is to examine learning and teaching at the Monterey Institute through the lens of signature pedagogies.” He plans to apply Design Thinking concepts in order “to develop tools and procedures for those colleagues who are interested to engage in investigation and reflection on pedagogic practice.” Peter has been nominated regularly for this award since its inception seven years ago and his recognition is fitting. For a glimpse of Peter’s musings on learning, teaching, etc., check out his blog!
not-sad.blogspot.com/
Faculty Updates Jean Turner is working on the final draft of the research methods/statistics textbook she’s been working on for several years, which will be submitted to the publisher at the end of May. She appreciates the feedback she has received from her students who have used different versions of the manuscript—and is looking forward to the completion of this project and engagement in some new ones. She plans to offer a course in 2013-2014 on practices in teaching speaking and accent modification and she continues to coach individuals in accent modification itself. For the past year, she has been working with the Language Studies faculty on the implementation and trial of online placement tests in each of the languages offered at MIIS. She has also been collaborating with the Translation and Interpretation faculty on the redesign of the programs’ admissions tests.
Kathi Bailey has been travelling a lot, as usual. She recently gave talks about dialogue journals at Sophia University in Japan, about communication strategies for EFL learners at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan, about preparing our learners for the 21st-century at the Instituto Cultural Peruano Norte Americano in Peru, and about washback at the University of Limerick in Ireland. This year she also has published chapters (or has articles in press) with MIIS alumni David Chiesa, Ryan Damerow, Cara Llamas, Courtney Pahl, Sarah Springer, and Mica Tucci.
Lynn Goldstein has been pursuing her interests in intercultural communication through teaching a course on multilingual communication in multicultural settings for students across all programs at MIIS, presenting her work at the Conference on Intercultural Competence through the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) and attending the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) in Portland. She is currently writing a paper addressing where we are, where we have come from, and where we need to go in research on feedback and revision in second language writing, and she will be presenting a paper on a critical analysis of second language writing feedback research at AAAL and a paper at TESOL on the relevance of intercultural communication approaches for language teachers that explores the need to go beyond communicative competence to a focus on intercultural communication competence.
Heekyeong Lee presented her work on understanding identity and agency of international students in their second language academic literacy development at two international conferences in 2012: One at Summer school of Insight into Applied Linguistics – Languaging, Agency, and Ecologies in Jyvaskyla, Finland; and the other one at Genre 2012: Rethinking Genre 20 Years Later in Ottawa, Canada. Her co-authored paper entitled “International students and identity: Resisting dominant ways of writing and knowing in academe” was published in 2011 in D. Starke-Meyerring, A. Pare, N. Artemeva, M. Horne, & L. Yousoubova (Eds.), Writing in knowledge societies. Currently, she is working on revising/updating Dr. Douglas H. Brown’s book Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (3rd ed.) as a co-author. In spring 2012, John Hedgcock co-presented a paper on academic writing development among heritage students at the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics in Boston. A co-authored chapter reporting on his recent heritage language research also appeared in Learning-to-Write and Writing-to-Learn in an Additional Language, a recent edited volume published by John Benjamins. The third edition of Teaching L2 Composition: Purpose, Process, and Practice, which he is co-authoring with Dana Ferris, is scheduled to be published by Routledge in late 2013.
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Alumni Updates Maureen Moore (MATESOL ‘02) was recently promoted to the position of Reading Comprehension Coordinator (Content Lead) for ITP TOEFL. Maureen is in her third year at ETS (Educational Testing Service) after spending many years teaching abroad in China, India, Japan, Ecuador and Pakistan. ITP (Institutional TOEFL Program) administers roughly 500,000 paper-based tests a year to universities, English language learning programs and other organizations to assess English-language skills. The TOEFL ITP tests use new and previously administered TOEFL ® test questions that can be used for placement, progress, evaluation, exit testing and other situations. Maureen graduated from MIIS in 2002 with a MATESOL and LPA certificate. She reports that she has very much enjoyed working with the diverse English Language Learning department at ETS. Additionally, in the near future, Maureen will be getting involved in assessment research among TOEFL test takers as, in Maureen’s words, there’s “never a dull moment here!”
Maureen Moore with Assistant Lisa Blisky reviewing a draft Student Guide to the ITP
Jeff Fowler (MATESOL ‘12) and Kimby Murakami (MATESOL ‘12) reported in February that they had started teaching English classes at S.K. University in Northern Gujarat, India. They each have their own classes and they teach two classes collaboratively. Kimby teaches a group of Master's of Engineering candidates, Jeff teaches a group of Bachelor's of Biotechnology students, and they both teach MS computer administration and B.A. Communication, Business, and Computer Science students. The two recent grads were hired by Tarana Patel (MA TESOL '01).
Jeffrey Fowler and Kimby Murakami in India
Jeff and Kimby say Tarana has been graciously supporting their professional development and going out of her way to make them feel comfortable. She has been providing them with the resources they need to succeed professionally and valuing their input.
Jeff says: Kimby and I are adjusting well. The food is great, sometimes spicy, but always interesting. I'm learning to play cricket, though not very well. It's winter here and the locals act like they're freezing. They put cotton balls in their ears and wrap up in scarves and coats. Kimby and I, on the other hand, are quite warm. Daily highs have been in the mid-70's or warmer and lows never drop below 50F.
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Monterey Institute of International Studies
Tarana Patel
Students Benefit From Alumni Connection During the J-term Dr. Kathi Bailey offers a course that is an introduction to language program administration. The students complete a shadowing assignment and a fifteen-hour administrative internship. As in previous years, MIIS TESOL/TFL alumni have been instrumental in helping current students accomplish these tasks. Here are a few attestations from current students: Last winter, I did an internship with an alumna of the TESOL program, Reiko Morishita (MATESOL ‘02), who is currently working in Tokyo for a company called Westgate Corporation. Westgate provides English programs to universities in the Kanto region of Japan (an area around Tokyo prefecture). They employ native speaking teachers as three-month contract workers and send them to various schools to give English lessons following the curricula that the company establishes based on the needs of individual schools. Reiko is a Curriculum Director; it is her responsibility to develop these curricula, and help ensure that the teachers give coherent and creative lessons based on them. It was very inspiring to work with her and see and learn about the challenges and rewards that a language program administrator faces being a middleman between teachers and the company, and simultaneously pursuing what is best for the clients: the students who actually receive instruction. Reiko told me that what she learned at MIIS has really helped her in implementing the tasks at work successfully, and that she is so grateful that she chose MIIS to pursue this career despite the demanding coursework over the two years. Thanks to my experience with Reiko and her encouragement, I feel more motivated to complete this MA and work as a professional in the language teaching field. — Aiko Nakamura Reiko (left) with Aiko I shadowed Patricia Szasz (MATESOL ‘06) for my shadowing assignment in LPA. Patricia was recently promoted from her position as the Director of the Intensive English Programs to the Assistant Dean for Language and Professional Programs, GSTILE. During my afternoon with Patricia, I was able to get a small glimpse into the world of Language Program Administration and observe several of the topics that we were reading about, such as budgeting and strategic planning, being put into action. I am currently completing the internship component of the LPA class with Molly Lewis (MATESOL ‘84). Molly Lewis is currently the Director of Community Collaboratives and Articulation at Hartnell College in Salina, CA. She has provided me an opportunity to learn about college administration. We are currently establishing a contract education program at Hartnell College. Molly's willingness to help to me learn about administration has provided me with an invaluable opportunity. I will undoubtedly take the experiences I've learned workMolly Lewis ing with her into my career after MIIS. —John Alexander
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I shadowed Heather Kokesch (MATESOL ‘11), the T&I Short Programs Coordinator, as part of an assignment for Introduction to Language Program Administration. Heather graduated from MIIS herself not long ago, so I was very happy to get a peek in what could be the near future for someone in TESOL. During our shadowing session, I watched an orientation for the Computer Assisted Translation short course that is run several times over the course of the year. It was great to see so many students from across the world come to MIIS for the first time to take one of the courses for which Heather is responsible. Heather has a lot on her plate with her position as coordinator, but she pulls it all off really well and has run two brand new courses this year: Advanced Medical Interpreting and Portuguese Simultaneous Interpretation. —Claire Ballon
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Hello to the MIIS TESOL/TFL Community! I am a voice from the past for some of you, or a new voice for others. You may have heard that I was a MIIS TESOL/TFL professor for many years before deciding to take advantage of an opportunity to live overseas one more time before I “settle down.” In late 2007, I sadly took leave of my colleagues and friends at MIIS and set out for Fiji to be Peace Corps Country Director for a while (2.5 years to start). That was an exciting and challenging time for me after so many years in the US. Although I had had to deal with some difficult issues as a dean at MIIS, at least I didn’t have to account for 60 Volunteers living in isolated villages during frequent tsunami and cyclone warnings!
villages, I “retired” from Peace Corps (having finished my fiveyear tour) and returned to the US, thinking I would be relaxing in Philadelphia, near my daughter and son-in-law. However, by lucky circumstance, they had just decided to move back to California. Now, I am thrilled to say that I will be back at MIIS this summer teaching the practicum. I know I Ruth Larimer will bring some useful experiences, but that I will also learn a lot. That’s the fun of teaching: what you get back in learning from the students, especially at MIIS. I also hope any old friends who come through will drop by and say hello between June 17 and July 24. I may only be around three or four days a week, so let me know you are coming. I am on email at larimerr@gmail.com.
I ended up spending three and a half years in Fiji and then going to Tonga for the last year+ of my second PC tour to set up a new EFL program. That was even more fun professionally, since I got to train the staff and the first group of new Volunteers. I was on email to several of my colleagues at MIIS, and of course they generously helped me find resources to do the Best Wishes, training. Right after the group went off to their Ruth
Visiting Professors Depart For the last two years, TESOL/TFL candidates at MIIS have been lucky enough to benefit from the knowledge, patience, and guidance of visiting professors Peter DeCosta and JoDee Walters. Sadly, they will both be leaving after this semester. A special thanks to both of them and best of luck in the future! Peter reports that next fall he will be taking up a tenure-track position at Michigan State University (MSU), in the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages. Specifically, he will be teaching in the Ph.D. Program in Second Language Studies (http://sls.msu.edu/about/) and his courses will be cross listed with the College of Education, where he will also be working with beginning teachers. JoDee, on the other hand, is less certain of her next move. She is confident only of the fact that she will be joining her husband in the Middle East, most likely Saudi Arabia. If all goes as she wants/expects, she'll be working in a women's university, teaching linguistics, EFL, or some combination of both. She say that she is excited to be living (at least) on the same continent as her husband, if not same city or even country! She is also rather hoping to end up teaching EFL, as she thinks it would be great to get back into the language classroom and try practicing what she’s been preaching for the last 10 years,.
SPRING 2013