Helping busy professionals use English effectively in a complex global environment.
Navigating Global Englishes
Years of
Experience
30+
Are you an expert in your field but sometimes don’t feel like it when you have to do a presentation in English? Are you a faculty development leader on your campus and find that your faculty want support in responding to multilingual student writing? Are you an academic administrator and are finding it challenging to promote and retain international faculty?
English is a lingua franca around the world and at many universities. But in English-dominant countries, ironically, navigating different Englishes can be especially difficult. Effective users of English are not only able to write and speak in English to be understood by others but also to listen and read in English to understand others. While multilingual users of English may feel most sensitive about areas of difficulty in English language usage, monolingual speakers who are accustomed to living in a monolingual environment also have areas of growth and may not be skilled at understanding unfamiliar accents and grammatical patterns.
I offer resources to help all users of English, including
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targeted coaching to help multilingual speakers better communicate their ideas in English
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workshops on English as a global language and strategies for communicating effectively with multilingual students and colleagues
I bring my expertise as a scholar of rhetoric, composition, and literacy studies; my Cambridge CELTA certification; and my experience as a teacher of English as a second or foreign language. I also bring decades of experience in multiple capacities in academia (tenured professor of English, Dean of faculty affairs, director of a writing and faculty development center, accreditation team member, and national conference host and board member). I have done professional work on four continents and have navigated my own professional identity in those contexts. I am prepared not only to help you refine and communicate your ideas but also to help you shape how you use English to communicate those ideas.
Let's talk about how we might work together!
Why Global Englishes?
All languages evolve, and English has evolved even more than most languages have. Because of its particular history as language, English now is used as a lingua franca around the world—often between people who use English as a second or other language, and often between people living in countries that have no history as British colonies.
Whenever people use language, it serves at least two functions: 1) to help people communicate the explicit content of the exchange, and 2) to help communicate social status. One’s accent, vocabulary, grammar, and confidence with the language serve to support or undermine the explicit message being communicated.
In countries where English is used widely as a second language, local variants develop, such as Singlish in Singapore. Thus it is more accurate to talk about plural Englishes, rather than singular English.
My training and experience as a scholar of English is unusual. I am prepared not only to help you refine and communicate your ideas but also to help you shape how you use English to communicate those ideas.
Make English Work for You
Regardless of when or how you started learning English, using it well requires ongoing learning. Learn how to be intentional and effective in using this powerful tool in the present global context.
One-to-one Coaching
As a coach, I meet you where you are in your goals to become a better communicator in English. I understand and respect that you are already a highly skilled user of English, in addition to being an expert in your field. My goal is to help you wield English to be the professional you want to be—not necessarily to sound like a native speaker. We will meet to discuss some short-term goals and then meet regularly for a period of time to make progress on those goals.
For many people, a couple of months of coaching will be sufficient, but I am willing to continue meeting for as long as you feel that we are continuing to meet your needs. We might work together on
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Pronunciation of particular sounds that are especially troublesome for being understood accurately (for instance, differentiating between pronunciation of “ship” and “sheep”)
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Refining article usage (English practices for using articles are notoriously complex!)
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Grammar concepts that remain difficult, even after years of using English
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Drafts of scholarly writing
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Classroom management and/or classroom culture in the United States
Professional Development Workshops
I lead professional development workshops tailored to your needs, building on my expertise and research in writing across the curriculum pedagogy, English language usage, and global Englishes.
For people who have grown up speaking English as a mother tongue (and I count myself among these people), it is easy to rest on our laurels: We know English, so why spend time learning more about it? But being fluent, truly fluent, in English requires understanding it in a global context and being able to hear and understand the people from around the world who speak English.
In a half- or full-day workshop, I might
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Present scholarship on global Englishes
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Offer tips and hands-on exercises in responding to multilingual student writing
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Present examples of common ways that English words are pronounced differently, given influence of multilingual speakers’ other languages and offer practice in discerning homophones
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Share scholarship on and examples of different rhetorical styles in other cultures and how those styles might appear in English writing
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Invite hands-on practice in pedagogy that is accessible to a wide variety of students, including multilingual students
Testimonials
Stanislav, Ukraine
“Thank you for bringing so much positivity, warmth, and smiles to our English Speaking Club. You have a wonderful way of making people feel comfortable and open to communication..”
Oksana, Ukraine
"You created a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere that helped everyone feel valued, motivated and comfortable expressing themselves in English."
Irina, Ukraine
"I am really grateful to you for giving us such a great opportunity to communicate in English with our colleagues, to improve our speaking skills and even to get to know each other better."
