Welcome
A little about me and what I have been doing
I have been living in Japan teaching English since 1998, with a brief stint back home in New Zealand between 2008 and 2012, teaching at a primary school for three years, then Academic English Writing at the University of Auckland, New Zealand while I started my PhD in Applied Linguistics (since abandoned - hats off to all those who manage to finish one!). I originally trained as a primary school teacher before coming to Japan and, in my further education, I was awarded first class honours in a Masters in Education (Guidance Studies) through Massey University, New Zealand. This study ended up being a mishmash of education and counselling theories, which subsequently fueled my interest in applying Narrative Research, The Dialogical Self and Multimodality to areas and lives related to English teaching in Japan. I am working at Koriyama Xaverio Gakuen, a private elementary school in Fukushima. I was also a guest researcher at the Center for Teaching English to Children at Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba, Japan from 2017 to 2019, through which I was supported to develop teacher training units for teachers of young learners. I am also a co-author of the five-leveled skills book English Language Booster published by Pearson Japan, through whom I also offer teacher training webinars and seminars.
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Things I am thinking about nowI am very engaged in English teacher education and how to improve teaching practice in the context of the rapid expansion of English learning into elementary schools in Japan. I have been involved in teacher training since 2015. My focus is on offering practical, ready-to-use resources and ideas for young learners' classrooms.
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Teaching Experience
1998 - 2001 JET Programme participant, Fukushima-ken, Japan
2001 - 2004 Masters Eikaiwa, Shirakawa-shi, Japan 2004 - 2008 Xaverio Gakuen Elementary School English Teacher 2008 - 2008 Westgate: University Communicative English Course, Nichidai, Kooriyama, Fukushima-ken, Japan 2008 - 2011 St. Mary's Primary School, Blenheim, NZ 2012 - 2012 Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics University of Auckland, NZ. Academic English Writing Tutor and PhD candidate 2013 - 2016 British Hills, Fukushima-ken, Japan 2016 - now Koriyama Xaverio Gakuen Elementary School English Teacher 2019-2022 Co-Author of English Language Booster published by Pearson Japan. A five-levelled skillsbook series for young learners. 2022 Accredited teacher for LoiloNote 2017 - now Teacher training through LoiLo Inc. and Pearson Japan. |