I’m visiting lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature.  I earned my Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at San Francisco State University in 2015, and my Bachelor’s at Cornell University in New York.  I’m excited to be returning to the University of Jordan, which I previously attended as a student at the Language Center. 

 

The best part of teaching at UJ is the people.  The enthusiasm my students bring to the classroom makes working here my dream job.  For one presentation, a student of mine brought a paper snake to class.
 
She was retelling a news story she’d studied: On a commuter flight to Alaska, a pet snake was reported missing.  According to CNN, the flight attendant calmly picked it up and placed it in a plastic bag.   But my students asked their classmate
how she would have responded if she’d found the snake.
She gamely provided a dramatic enactment.
 
For me, creating community in the classroom is a key objective.  I really admire the work done by Jiane Peng and Lindy Woodrow on classroom cohesiveness.  Peng and Woodrow (2010) found that the more students work together supportively, the less anxiety they feel, and the higher their willingness to communicate (WTC).  Hardly a shock.  But I think it’s an important lesson to remember:  The higher the WTC, the faster the fluency development.

 

I’m also interested in the role Computer-Mediated Language Learning (CALL) can play in vocabulary acquisition.  I’m studying the advantages of applications like Quizlet, which let students make and study flashcards on their mobiles.  The audio and visuals that you can put on the cards are a game-changer, especially for pronunciation.  The question is whether students will voluntarily adopt these mobile applications, and how.  I hope to publish my findings before the end of the year.

 

I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to teach at the University.
 
My visit has been funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program, which not only sponsors Americans, but also finances Jordanians’ studies at U.S. colleges.  There are many such fellowships, not just for study in the U.S., but also in the U.K., Canada, and Europe.  These programs are a priceless opportunity to develop your language skills.  The A.S. Hornby Educational Trust, ERASMUS MUNDUS, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship, and The International Peace Scholarship are just a few.  I’m teaming up with Emily Clymer of the Linguistics Department to coach interested students on how to write persuasive applications to these fellowships.  The workshop will be held at the American Language Corner this summer.