Welcome to ESL Teacher Reference Desk
ESL Teacher Reference Desk serves English teachers, professors and researchers who wish to improve their competence in teaching, research, administration, ESL job search and other fields related to English teaching profession.
My doctorate dissertation focused on the research of lingo-stylistic peculiarities of the feature article as a genre in the English newspaper style. I conducted a comparative analysis of compositional and semantic structures, analyzed pragmatic factors that influenced selection and usage of different language means and stylistic devices in the texts of the feature article, and compared feature articles with leading articles, short news items, advertisements and other newspaper genres.At present, my primary field of interest is linguistic pragmatics and cross-cultural communication: the relationships between social and cultural structures, the study of social conflict and the analysis of face-to-face interaction.
My other field of interest is making English language study relevant to the demands of the social and professional tasks facing graduates, through the development of a reliable means of analysing and specifying particular learners language requirements. For this purpose, I develop teaching materials which reflect linguistic and lingo-pragmatic realities of language and language use in specific fields. Such materials provide a clear and coherent focus and structure for teachers and learners.
I consider myself as a person having extensive experience of socio-cultural settings relevant to my profession. First, I studied and worked in Europe, and then I had the benefit of the academic environment and the general lifestyle of Australia. Later I was engaged in lecturing and researching in an entirely different cultural and linguistic environment of Papua New Guinea. In 1999-2000, I taught ESL at Eastern Mediterranean University in Northern Cyprus and then again lived in Australia where I designed marketing materials, conducted research in corporate image survey and internet marketing. Subsequent five years spent in China were extremely rewarding to me. I learned much about Chinese lifestyle, culture, and language teaching and learning methods at schools and universities. From 2006 till 2009 I worked as Head of Languages Centre at the Middle East College of Information Technology in Oman. My job was ESL teaching, administration, program design and material development. From September 2009 till August 2014 I worked as Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Nizwa. I am currently teaching ESL in the United Arab Emirates.
I had excellent opportunities to travel three times around the world andI became acquainted with many exciting and culturally diverse countries. I visited India, Brazil, Singapore, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Georgia, Poland, Chechnya, and some other countries. I worked and studied in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Russia, China, Lithuania, Oman, Northern Cyprus, and the United Arab Emirates.
I taught many different ESL courses at universities, colleges and schools: General English, English for Academic Purposes, English for Computers, Business English Communication Skills, IELTS Preparation, Advanced Academic Writing, English for Research Purposes, English for International Communication, Essay Writing Skills, Business English for MBA, Intensive Reading, Extensive Reading, and Public Speaking. I also taught Language and Culture (at bachelor and postgraduate degree levels): Western Culture, Australian Studies, Sociolinguistics, English Stylistics, and Language and Culture. Besides, I taught Communication (at the foundation, diploma and bachelor degree levels): Job Skills, Communication in the Workplace, Academic and Professional Communication, Mass Media and Communication, and Language Study and Communication Skills.I also taught research and teaching related courses (at a postgraduate level), such as Material Development and Adaptation, Writing for Research Purposes, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Introduction to Education, Theory and Practice of TEFL, Error Analysis, Educational Administration and Management, Critical Thinking Skills, Educational Technologies, and Writing a Research Paper.
The above experiences gave me valuable insights into many cultures, learning and teaching styles at different universities, colleges, schools and ESL training centers, and enabled me to design this website.
Ph.D., Linguistics
Author, Webmaster and Owner of ESL Teacher Reference Desk
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