BridgeUniverse TEFL/TESOL/ELT Podcast: Recent Episodes
Bridge TEFL/TESOL
Exciting podcast content from our live webinars on industry trends and insights in English language teaching, including thought-provoking discussions with experts in the field. To register for upcoming ELT webinars or watch past sessions you missed, on-demand, visit https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/webinars/.
Are you looking to engage intermediate or advanced learners in meaningful conversation? Whether you use authentic materials as inspiration or find ready-made materials and add your own twist, there's a whole world of exciting topics out there for you to discuss. Our expert panelists are excited to share their sources of inspiration and concrete methods for developing and expanding lesson plans, as well as techniques for facilitating conversation.
Join Bridge and Ellii (formerly ESL Library) as we focus on helping English teachers discover materials to generate interesting conversations with intermediate and advanced level learners.
For great conversation resources you can use with your students, explore Ellii's Discussion Starters, Mini-Debates, or a Detective Series.
- https://esllibrary.com/courses/72/lessons
- https://esllibrary.com/courses/73/lessons
- https://esllibrary.com/courses/79/lessons
Panelists:
Carla Martinez is an English teacher based in Brazil who has been teaching since 2001 and has taught exclusively privately since 2014. She has a Licentiate Degree in Language and Literature (English and Portuguese), a postgraduate diploma in Translation Studies, and Bridge's IDELTOnline Certification. Most of her career has been dedicated to teaching adults and encouraging independence through speaking and communication. She also has experience with teacherpreneurship through content creation for social media (@carlamartinezenglish) as well as her own online courses and a Mentoring program.
Lise Papineau is the Social Engagement Manager at Ellii (formerly ESL Library). She has been teaching English as a second language for over 8 years and has had experience working with young learners, teenagers, and adults. Most recently, Lise taught English privately in Brazil to adult learners completing Master’s and Ph.D. degrees, in addition to working professionals. She has led numerous individual and group classes that focus on conversation skills, and has a wealth of knowledge to share in regards to stimulating conversation in teen and adult level classes with students of all English levels.
Tammy Wik is the Director of Outreach & Engagement at Ellii (formerly ESL Library). She has a Master's degree in TESOL and over 10 years experience as an English teacher, an English language school director, and as a teacher trainer in China. She has taught English in the US, Ecuador, and Japan in one-on-one, small group, and large class situations. She has worked primarily with high school and adults language learners. Now, she loves supporting educators with classroom ideas and solutions.
This panel is hosted by Erin Hernandez:
Erin Shaw Hernandez is an experienced TESOL professional with expertise ranging from teaching in the classroom to owning and operating an accredited language school. She received a MA TESOL degree from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing. She currently teaches and offers private consulting for language teachers and programs through her company Larchmere Language Services https://larchmerelanguages.com/.
Everyone loves to make learning English fun, but can you play games and still teach your lesson with older, more advanced students? Whether online or in-person, learn to make it fun and conversational!
Join Bridge and our expert panelists for a hands-on demonstration of how games can help accomplish your lesson plans and get more engagement from your intermediate and adult learners. In this session, our experts focus on free and low-cost games you can use to enhance learning and overcome teacher-student boredom… by playing with you!
In the meantime, don't forget to check out the Bridge YouTube channel and the archived webinar page for more exciting content!
Panelists:
Alex Bricker creates fun educational tools which help English learners get the skills they need to succeed in life. He is passionate about helping teachers and their students get 'aha' moments through their educational journey. Alex has been teaching English through paid and volunteer roles for over 16 years and is the founder of www.ESLWithPurpose.com and Phrase It brand games.
Sarah Lutz is an English Language professional with over 12 years' experience working at community programs, intensive English schools, and universities. She earned an MA TESOL degree from Brigham Young University and she has taken on roles as an English instructor, student life advisor, DSO, and assistant director of Selnate International School. Within these roles she has also gained substantial experience in developing curriculum and language assessment. She enjoys engaging language learners with interactive tasks, collaborative games, and activities.
This panel is hosted by Erin Hernandez:
Erin Shaw Hernandez is an experienced TESOL professional with expertise ranging from teaching in the classroom to owning and operating an accredited language school. She received a MA TESOL degree from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing. She currently teaches and offers private consulting for language teachers and programs through her company Larchmere Language Services https://larchmerelanguages.com/.
Considering a career transition to TEFL/TESOL (or just a great part-time job or retirement activity)?
No matter your previous work experience, age, education or background, you can find a path towards a fruitful career teaching English!
Join Bridge and experts from the ELT sector to learn how you can reimagine yourself as an English language teaching professional. We’ll share insights into the different paths that exist within ELT and help you recognize how your previous experiences translate to the classroom (online or in-person). We’ll also discuss the hard and soft skills that transform your teaching toolkit and help identify your strengths.
Panelists:
Rory Falls is Founder and Director of The Language Mountain, an online company providing one-on-one English classes. He has been teaching English for three years and specializing in students from Brazil. His goal for students is not only to improve their language skills but also their confidence and long-term strategies. With knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish and specialized certifications from Bridge in teaching Business English and IELTS preparation, he has managed to create a network in South America and inspired students to think about learning English in a different way. Prior to entering the ELT sector, Rory worked in customer service and administrative jobs.
Diana Cárdenas Aguiñaga is from Mexico and is committed to people's growth in all aspects. She holds a bachelor's degree in language from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México and a master's degree in business administration with an emphasis on human resources from Universidad TecMilenio. She is in charge of Human Resources and Creativity in The We.Men Foundation Mexico, an educational NGO that aims to enhance the skills of women and girls from lower socio-economic backgrounds to improve their professional and personal development.
This panel is hosted by Erin Hernandez:
Erin Shaw Hernandez is an experienced TESOL professional with expertise ranging from teaching in the classroom to owning and operating an accredited language school. She received a MA TESOL degree from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing. She currently teaches and offers private consulting for language teachers and programs through her company Larchmere Language Services https://larchmerelanguages.com/.
Do you have the skills and traits it takes to teach English to adult professionals in the business world? Like the industry itself, the field of teaching Business English evolves over time, and as an EFL teacher in this niche, you need to stay current as well.
Join Bridge and experts from the ELT sector to learn what it takes to teach Business English in the 21st century. We’ll break down how much background you should have in business, how deeply you need to understand your niche, what trends and technologies you need to stay on top of, and what employers and students really seek from a Business English teacher.
Panelists:
Karin Heuert Galvão is the Founder and CEO of i-Study Interactive Learning, a language school and training center based in São Paulo, Brazil, and has been working in ELT for 22 years. She holds the CPE and CELTA certificates, a degree in Languages, a background in Law, as well as a PgD in Distance Learning and Educational Technology. She also works closely with the International Leadership Programs as a Corporate Trainer and Behavior Analyst. Karin is currently working with European and American multinational corporations developing their language strategies for their Latin America branches and assessing candidates for relocating purposes.
Gabrielle Mare' is a certified ESL teacher in South Africa, who earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology and completed 168hr TEFL, 150hr IDELT, and IELTS micro credential through Bridge. She's been teaching online for over two years, working with two different companies.
This panel is hosted by Erin Hernandez:
Erin Shaw Hernandez is an experienced TESOL professional with expertise ranging from teaching in the classroom to owning and operating an accredited language school. She received a MA TESOL degree from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing. She currently teaches and offers private consulting for language teachers and programs through her company Larchmere Language Services https://larchmerelanguages.com/.
As a teacher, you've probably heard of Bloom’s Taxonomy and the idea of lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) and higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), but you may not be sure how to practically apply these concepts in the classroom.
As you’re developing lessons plans, how can your learning objectives and desired outcomes for students be mapped to create “scaffolded” lessons that challenge them to move from lower- to higher-order skills? And how can you check that students are achieving the objectives you’ve set forth?
Join Bridge’s expert panelists for answers to these questions and more about Bloom’s Taxonomy in the ESL classroom.
Panelists:
Leah Donelson has been in the ELT field for 7 years. Based in the United States, she has experience teaching all ages and levels, in the U.S., Europe, and online. Currently, she is working as a freelance teacher online and teacher trainer. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado and holds CELTA and DELTA Module One certifications. She is currently working on completing the Trinity TESOL Diploma (DIPTESOL). She has experience in academic management, curriculum and program development, language assessment, and teacher training course development.
Karina Zew has been teaching English for over 30 years. She has taught all ages, ranging from three to 83, in schools, companies and institutes. Karina has also been a lecturer in several conferences about language learning and has developed material for special courses. She was the head trainer of Bridge’s IDELT course in Buenos Aires for over 10 years and is currently a TEFL Online tutor for Bridge, helping hundreds of teachers all over the world improve their teaching skills.
This panel is hosted by Erin Hernandez.
Erin Shaw Hernandez is president of Selnate International School, an online English language program based in Provo, Utah. She has traveled throughout South America and Europe and been working with English language programs as a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She received BA Linguistics and MA TESOL degrees from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing.
Ready to be the next Bridge success story? Explore our TEFL/TESOL course library! Get Started at: https://bridge.edu/tefl/
Rachel Story is a nomadic ESL teacher originally from Tennessee. In 2010, she moved to China to begin teaching ESL. For five years, she taught at a variety of schools and training centers in Beijing and Kunming. In 2016, she began teaching English online with VIPKid and traveling full-time. Since then, she has been teaching, traveling, and living around the world with her husband Sasha. Together they document their travels and teach others how to become traveling teachers on their blog, Grateful Gypsies.
Ready to be the next Bridge success story? Explore our TEFL/TESOL course library! Get Started at: https://bridge.edu/tefl/
Carla Martinez is an English teacher based in Brazil who has been teaching since 2001 and has taught exclusively privately since 2014. She has a Licentiate Degree in Language and Literature (English and Portuguese), a postgraduate diploma in Translation Studies, and Bridge's IDELTOnline Certification. Most of her career has been dedicated to teaching adults and encouraging independence through speaking and communication. She also has experience with teacherpreneurship through content creation for social media (@thesimplegrammar) as well as her own online courses and a Mentoring program.
Ready to be the next Bridge success story? Explore our TEFL/TESOL course library! Get Started at: https://bridge.edu/tefl/
Rory Falls is Founder and Director of The Language Mountain, an online company providing one-on-one English classes. He has been teaching English for three years and specializing in students from Brazil. His goal for students is not only to improve their language skills but also their confidence and long-term strategies. With knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish and a specialized certification in teaching Business English and IELTS preparation, he has managed to create a network in South America and inspired students to think about learning English in a different way.
Ready to be the next Bridge success story? Explore our TEFL/TESOL course library! Get Started at: https://bridge.edu/tefl/
Rory Falls is Founder and Director of The Language Mountain, an online company providing one-on-one English classes. He has been teaching English for three years and specializing in students from Brazil. His goal for students is not only to improve their language skills but also their confidence and long-term strategies. With knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish and a specialized certification in teaching Business English and IELTS preparation, he has managed to create a network in South America and inspired students to think about learning English in a different way.
Do you often feel bored or constrained by the limits of the textbook? Do your students? Would you like to better engage your learners with richer, more diverse material that’s specifically relevant to their interests or matched to their particular learning styles?
Join Bridge’s expert panel to learn about the process of developing unique materials (including authentic, digital, and multi-media) that will excite your students. Panelists will discuss how to find or develop materials and how to creatively integrate them with textbook content to create tailored, targeted lessons that still align with your school’s curriculum.
To prepare for this webinar check out this related Bridge blog post: Top Tips for Creating Materials for the EFL Classroom.
Panelists:
Dorothy Zemach taught English and other languages for over 20 years, in Asia, Africa, and the U.S. She holds an MA in TESL from the School for International Training in Vermont, USA. Dorothy now concentrates on writing, editing, and publishing ELT materials and textbooks and conducting teacher training workshops. Her areas of specialty and interest are teaching writing, teaching reading, academic English, testing, and humor. In 2012, Dorothy started her own small publishing company, Wayzgoose Press, which publishes fiction, non-fiction, and educational materials. She is a frequent contributor to BridgeUniverse.
Rachel Messenger is originally from Vancouver, WA and has taught English to speakers of other languages since 2008. She has taught in Cambodia, Taiwan, and the U.S., and has worked with students ranging from elementary school children to international business professionals. She is currently a curriculum developer for BYU - Pathway Worldwide and teaches ESL and business courses at Utah Valley University.
Jodi Petersen has taught ESL courses over the past five years. She received a master’s in TESOL from Brigham Young University in 2018, and began working at Selnate International School as a curriculum and materials developer this past year, developing their online courses.
The panel is hosted by Erin Shaw Hernandez.
Erin Shaw Hernandez is president of Selnate International School, an online English language program based in Provo, Utah. She has traveled throughout South America and Europe and been working with English language programs as a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She received BA Linguistics and MA TESOL degrees from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing.
Watch the webinar at https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/webinars/.
Conducting a needs assessment with new students – asking about their motivation for studying English, past learning experiences, and current learning goals – is a vital starting point for all English teachers. This is especially true in Business English, where you’ll often assess not only the student’s goals but also the goals of the company sponsoring that student. As a Business English teacher, how can you conduct a needs assessment that takes the student and the employer’s expectations into account? After the course, how do you report on the student’s success, and to whom?
To prepare for this webinar check out this related Bridge blog post: The Essentials of Teaching Business English Online and In Person and What Is a Needs Assessment for Teaching English? or download this free Bridge eBook: Teaching English to Adults.
If you’re a current or future teacher looking to expand your skills into the Business English niche, you can learn more about conducting needs assessments and other essential ESL instructional methods in the Bridge Specialized Certificate in Teaching Business English. To further specialize your skills, the Bridge Teaching IELTS Exam Prep Micro-credential course offers targeted skills in a high-demand subfield of teaching adults.
Panelists:
Camila Capponi is the human resources manager for Chile and the Americas with NTT, a global technologies service provider. She has a B.D. in Psychology and more than nine years of experience in human resources. She studied a business administration certification at the University of California, San Diego and most of her experience has been dedicated to developing HR teams and policies in relation to gender equity, diversity and inclusion, career development and training.
Vesela Koeva is a certified EFL instructor at BridgeEnglish Chile who is passionate about innovative methods in education and language teaching. For the past two years, she has been focused on teaching Business English to corporate professionals and executives in South America. She is also working as a corporate teacher at a multinational IT company. She received an MA in Translation and Editing in Bulgaria, and she also studied at Charles University in Prague, where she developed an interest in multilingualism and language management.
Natalia Bustos is director of marketing, sales and customer service for BridgeEnglish Latin America. She is an experienced English language teacher and has a degree in public relations. Most of her professional career has been focused on improving the language-learning experience for adult professionals at BridgeEnglish and supporting and guiding companies in the development and delivery of language training plans for employees.
The panel is hosted by Erin Shaw Hernandez.
Erin Shaw Hernandez is president of Selnate International School, an online English language program based in Provo, Utah. She has traveled throughout South America and Europe and been working with English language programs as a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She received BA Linguistics and MA TESOL degrees from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing.
What happens when language students make errors in the classroom? As a teacher, can you recognize the nature of that “error,” and do you know when it’s appropriate for students to self-correct or peer-correct versus when they need your help? The teacher’s ability to determine whether a student has made a mistake, a slip, or an error directly affects how to correct it. Properly executing these techniques can ensure that students avoid anxiety in speaking and feel comfortable putting their language skills to practice!
Join Bridge’s expert panel to learn more about the different types of errors in learning English and strategies on how to correct them.
Panelists:
Natasha Isadora Ala has been working for the past sixteen years in the TESOL/TEFL field. During this time, she has been a language center director, trained teachers as a Senior English Language Fellow, and designed curricula for Bridge Education Group, TEFL Express, and the American University of Beirut. She has taught both in-person and online classes to adults and kids. Natasha has had the privilege of working in countries such as Russia, Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, United States, and Canada. Currently, she is teaching online while getting certified to work with disabled students in Canadian K-12 schools. Natasha received a MA in TESOL from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Rachel Story is a nomadic ESL teacher originally from Tennessee. In 2010, she moved to China to begin teaching ESL. For five years, she taught at a variety of schools and training centers in Beijing and Kunming. In 2016, she began teaching English online with VIPKid and traveling full-time. Since then, she has been teaching, traveling, and living around the world with her husband Sasha. Together they document their travels and teach others how to become traveling teachers on their blog, Grateful Gypsies.
The panel is hosted by Erin Shaw Hernandez.
Erin Shaw Hernandez is president of Selnate International School, an online English language program based in Provo, Utah. She has traveled throughout South America and Europe and been working with English language programs as a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She received BA Linguistics and MA TESOL degrees from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing.
Join BridgeUniverse Director Ian Wright and senior leadership from IATEFL and TESOL International Association for updates on members’ experiences from the past 20 months as these organizations responded to the unprecedented circumstances of the global pandemic. How have these organizations, their respective members, and other constituents been impacted? What can they expect in the year to come?
The discussion will focus on four major themes, and there will be time for questions from the audience as well:
- Technology in ELT and the threats and opportunities its dependence presents for these two professional communities
- Sustainability: how the organizations are adjusting to these challenging times while maintaining a focus on issues like environmentalism
- Access in ELT, such as questions of equity and inclusion within the profession
- Quality standards for programs that train and develop ELT professionals
Want to read more before we sit down with these leaders? Check out these recent BridgeUniverse articles: IATEFL and TESOL: The Two Titans of ELT (Part One) (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/iatefl-and-tesol-titans-of-elt-part-one/) and “The Titans of ELT (Part Two): Defining Diversity and Inclusion Within IATEFL and TESOL.” (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/titans-of-elt-part-two-defining-diversity-inclusion-iatefl-tesol/)
Panelists:
Gabriela Kleckova is currently TESOL International Association President (2021–2022) and formerly a TESOL Board of Directors member (2012–2015). Kleckova is Head of the English Department in the Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia, Czech Republic, where she also teaches second language teacher education courses. Her research interests include visual design and elements of English language teaching materials, teacher education, innovation in education, and leadership.
Rosa Aronson currently serves as Interim Executive Director of TESOL International Association. She had previously served the association as Executive Director from 2010-2017. Her career in Education began as an EFL teacher in France and continued in the USA in professional educational organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education, a master’s degree in Education, and a master’s degree in English Linguistics. In 2015 she was named Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (FASAE) in recognition of her service and leadership in association management.
Dr. Gabriel Díaz Maggioli is the first Latinx President of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL). He is a teacher who applies the lessons learned in the classroom to his roles as teacher educator, researcher, and writer. He is a certified researcher for the National Research and Innovation Agency and works as Academic Advisor to the Institute of Education at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Jon Burton is Chief Executive for IATEFL and has over 30 years’ experience in English language teaching as a teacher, trainer, materials writer, quality inspector, academic manager, and language school and further education college principal. He has lived and worked in France and Spain as well as in the United Kingdom and has worked in many other countries on various projects.
The event is moderated by the Director of BridgeUniverse, Ian Wright.
Ian Wright is the inaugural Director of BridgeUniverse, Bridge Education Group’s media, research, and news division. Wright spearheads efforts to fill the gap in the understanding of trends and opportunities in the rapidly growing English Language Teaching (ELT) industry.
In a recent BridgeUniverse webinar, we discussed how dramatic changes in China’s education policies are affecting current and prospective English language teachers. In particular, we examined the effect of this disruption on teaching English online, which makes up a large portion of the Chinese education market (as many as 500,000 teachers, by some estimates).
Now, we’ll take a closer look. What were the reasons behind these drastic changes? What has the immediate impact of these policies been and what outcomes will we likely see in the future? Will the ripple effects be felt mostly on international student mobility to the West or on the EdTech unicorns in China?
Resources: https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/quakes-in-chinas-english-language-education/
Archived Webinar: https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/webinars/
Panelists:
Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas and a professor in Educational Leadership at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education in Australia. He has been recognized as one of the most influential education scholars; his works (over 100 articles and 30 books) focus on the implications of globalization and technology on education. Zhao was born in China’s Sichuan Province. He received his bachelor’s degree in English Language Education from Sichuan Institute of Foreign Languages in Chongqing, China in 1986, and his master’s in Education and Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Charles Abelmann is an educational leader with experience in both research, policy and practice. Most recently he was the Director of the Laboratory Schools at the University of Chicago, a school founded by John Dewey. Earlier in his career, he worked at the World Bank and managed programs in China and other East Asian Countries. He has done numerous projects related to China and currently is working on producing and directing a documentary film project about the cultural connections between teachers and students through the online English industry. He holds a doctoral degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Andrew H. Chen is Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer of WholeRen Education. As an international student from Beijing, Andrew Chen came to the U.S. for graduate school in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1995. In 2010, Mr. Chen founded WholeRen Education, an "on-shore" education service provider for Chinese students and their families. Alongside WholeRen colleagues, Mr. Chen has advised thousands of clients: in areas including long term educational attainment, school placement, university transfer, tutoring, mentoring, employability training, as well as international student school suspension recovery by second chance support. Mr. Chen hosts the "Andrew Chen on American Education" channel, which reaches up to 30% of international Chinese student families. Andrew Chen serves as the Vice-Chair of NAFSA China Member Interest Group (MIG). He has lived with his wife and 2 children in Pittsburgh, PA since 1998.
Host:
Ian Wright is the inaugural Director of BridgeUniverse, Bridge Education Group’s media, research and news division. Wright spearheads efforts to fill the gap in the understanding of trends and opportunities in the rapidly growing English Language Teaching (ELT) industry. He brings over 20 years of education industry knowledge, university leadership, and consulting experience in international education and student enrollment management, including Director of International Admissions at LIU Post, Director of Partnerships at World Education Services (WES), and University Relations Manager for Prodigy Finance.
English language teachers often use realia, or authentic materials, in the classroom to engage students visually and aid in the retention of vocabulary or grammar points.
In this webinar, Bridge will also look at digital realia, including what it encompasses and how it differs from traditional realia. We’ll answer questions such as how teachers can determine which type of realia is better suited to their lesson or learners and how they can use digital realia most effectively, especially to introduce games in the online ESL classroom.
Prepare for this live panel by reading our article on BridgeUniverse: Tips for Using Games When Teaching Adults English Online. You can also watch many useful videos on this topic on our YouTube channel such as TEFL LIKE A PRO: Bridge Games & Activities for the Online Classroom (Adults): PechaKucha Games.
You can also get an Online TEFL/TESOL Micro-credential: 10-Hour Certificate in Games and Activities for the Online Classroom (Young Learners) from Bridge!
Panelists:
Caroline Ideus recently finished a year of teaching ESL to university and high school students and the public as a Virtual English Language Fellow (VELF) in Kazakhstan. She has six years of experience teaching at a university-based Intensive English Program (IEP). She received her MA TEFL/SL at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and has studied, worked and lived for a combined seven years in the U.K., Japan and Estonia. Her teaching interests are in experiential learning and curriculum development.
Sharon Tavares has more than 10 years of experience teaching ESL online. Over the past six years she has trained thousands of ESL teachers with VIPKID. She received a BA in English and MA in TESOL from Brigham Young University and has extensive experience in curriculum and instructional design for digital spaces. She is passionate about understanding new languages and cultures and is currently living as an expat in Sweden with her husband and three children.
The panel is hosted by Erin Shaw Hernandez.
Erin Shaw Hernandez is president of Selnate International School, an online English language program based in Provo, Utah. She has traveled throughout South America and Europe and been working with English language programs as a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She received BA Linguistics and MA TESOL degrees from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing.
Dramatic changes in Chinese law regarding education have resulted in hiring freezes and even closures of some big-name online English tutoring companies, including GoGoKid and Magic Ears. Considering China hires the bulk of online teachers globally – as many as 500,000 by some estimates – these new regulations are causing a significant disruption within the ELT industry.
BridgeUniverse brings online teachers and representatives from top English tutoring companies together to discuss how changes in Chinese law are impacting the current job market and to explore new options for teachers, such as working with companies in other regions or teaching English as a freelancer.
Resources:
https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/ebooks-teach-english-online/
https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/quakes-in-chinas-english-language-education/
Panelists:
Rachel Story is a nomadic ESL teacher originally from Tennessee. In 2010, she moved to China to begin teaching ESL. For five years, she taught at a variety of schools and training centers in Beijing and Kunming. In 2016, she began teaching English online with VIPKid and traveling full-time. Since then, she has been teaching, traveling, and living around the world with her husband Sasha. Together they document their travels and teach others how to become traveling teachers on their blog, Grateful Gypsies.
Alice Copello was born and raised in Italy, and she started teaching English as a foreign language in 2010 while working on her CELTA and her BA in Language Studies and TEFL at Swansea University. She has taught in the UK, Austria, Germany and Spain as a teacher, director of studies and pre-sessional university lecturer. After her DELTA and MA TESOL she started writing materials for Cambridge University Press, and then moved to sunny Barcelona where she freelanced for 2 years before becoming the head of the Tutor Training team at Preply.
This panel is hosted by the Director of BridgeUniverse, Ian Wright.
Ian Wright is the inaugural Director of BridgeUniverse, Bridge Education Group’s media, research and news division. Wright spearheads efforts to fill the gap in the understanding of trends and opportunities in the rapidly growing English Language Teaching (ELT) industry. He brings over 20 years of education industry knowledge, university leadership, and consulting experience in international education and student enrollment management, including Director of International Admissions at LIU Post, Director of Partnerships at World Education Services (WES), and University Relations Manager for Prodigy Finance.
As teachers, we’ve chosen this profession because we believe in making a change and impacting lives. But every educator has unique experiences, values, and motivations that drive their personal teaching philosophy. How do you communicate your teaching values to current and future employers or to your students?
Whether you’re just entering the field and looking for a way to differentiate yourself in the job market or you’re an experienced teacher but haven’t honed your value proposition, this webinar is for you!
Join Bridge Education Group to learn how you can craft a teaching philosophy that showcases your unique mission as an educator. The webinar will be hosted by Erin Shaw Hernandez, a longtime English teacher and language school owner, who will discuss the topic with a panel of ELT experts.
Prepare for this live panel by reading our article on BridgeUniverse: ESL Philosophy of Teaching Statement: What Is It & Why Does It Matter?Panelists:
Venice Irving, from Jamaica, has been in the ELT field for more than 20 years and taught in primary school, high school, and college before founding Happy Teachers, a communications firm, in 2009. She has also created several online courses for teachers, such as “Cross-Cultural Communication Skills for the ESOL Teacher,” and is a sought-after speaker for local and global ELT events. She currently leads an online group of over 3,000 teachers.
Terry McLean earned her BA in Business from Brenau College, and later completed a Master's in Education in ESL from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is currently studying for her Doctorate in Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Terry has over 20 years’ experience teaching English, nine of which were spent working with high school students in rural North Carolina. She also taught abroad in Germany, where she worked as a ESL tutor. She is an instructor for the graduate-level Bridge IDELTOnline course, as well as a tutor for Bridge.
Host:Erin Shaw Hernandez is president of Selnate International School, an online English language program based in Provo, Utah. She has traveled throughout South America and Europe and been working with English language programs as a teacher and administrator for over 10 years. She received BA Linguistics and MA TESOL degrees from Brigham Young University, and has extensive experience in curriculum and program development, teacher training, language assessment and program marketing.
How are MA TESOL programs emerging from the pandemic? Are they providing enhanced/hybrid learning environments for students while keeping the degree relevant for an evolving job market?
Join a panel of university admissions professionals and moderator Ian Wright, Director of BridgeUniverse, to discuss the challenges and prospects MA TESOL students and graduates face in a post-pandemic world. Our discussion will be followed by at least 20 minutes of questions and comments from our global audience.
This live panel builds on the BridgeUniverse article: Is Getting a Master’s in TESOL Worth It?Panelists:
Shoshannah Hernandez serves as the Director of the Institute for TESOL Studies and Assistant Professor of Education at Huntington University in Huntington, Indiana. She manages the university’s TESOL certification and master’s degree programs, teaches several courses in undergraduate and graduate Education and TESOL programs, and serves local schools with English language teaching professional development and coaching. Before her work in Huntington, Hernandez taught EFL in Asia, ESL in university-level IEPs in the U.S., and led several international teacher training programs.
Tammy Boyer is Assistant Director of Strategic Partner Development for the American College of Education (ACE) and was previously a K-12 educator and administrator. She holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from American College of Education where she is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Leadership. Boyer oversees the development of strategic partners, working with organizations like Bridge to provide credit transfer pathways for individuals pursuing continuing education through programs at ACE.
Meghan McMillan is the Graduate Programs Outreach Manager & University Relations Manager at SIT, the School for International Training. McMillan has been with SIT Graduate Institute since 2019. She holds an MA in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute and a BA in Communication Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College. Her international experience includes a semester at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia; teaching English in rural Thailand; and a two-week SIT field course in Barbados and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. McMillan uses her diverse background of international experience to assist in the growth and visibility of SIT’s graduate programs.
Host:
Ian Wright is the inaugural Director of BridgeUniverse, Bridge Education Group’s media, research and news division. Wright spearheads efforts to fill the gap in the understanding of trends and opportunities in the rapidly growing English Language Teaching (ELT) industry. He brings over 20 years of education industry knowledge, university leadership, and consulting experience in international education and student enrollment management, including Director of International Admissions at LIU Post, Director of Partnerships at World Education Services (WES), and University Relations Manager for Prodigy Finance.
English proficiency testing has long been a high-stakes rite of passage for those looking to secure admissions to a top school abroad, get an international job, or land a promotion to the global C-suite. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made traditional, in-person testing impossible, thereby pushing online, technology-based assessment to the forefront and sparking discussion around whether the conventional paradigm is, in fact, as accessible or accurate as once perceived.
This webinar builds on the themes in BridgeUniverse’s January 2021 article, English Test Providers Jockey for Position as Pandemic Accelerates Online Trend.
Panelists:
Jennifer Dewar is the Director of Strategic Engagement for the Duolingo English Test and has worked in college admissions since 2001. Prior to joining Duolingo, Jennifer was Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Washington University in St. Louis. She has also worked in the admissions offices at Duke University and Connecticut College.
Srikant Gopal is the executive director of the TOEFL program at ETS, the world’s largest nonprofit educational assessment, research and learning organization. He joined ETS in 2018 as the senior director of brand marketing before being appointed to his current role as executive director later that year, where he is responsible for the strategy, performance and growth of the TOEFL product portfolio. He is a graduate of the Birla Institute for Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, India and earned his MBA from Indiana University, USA.
Judson Hart is the Director of Language Assessment at Emmersion. He advances company strategy through developing and furthering innovations in language assessment. Judson has spent 16 years working in English language assessment, teaching, and administration. Before joining Emmersion, he was the Coordinator of Assessment and Technology at Brigham Young University’s English Language Center.
Jim Brosam II is the President of iTEP International. Brosam is a 24-year veteran in the field of international education. He founded Jameson Global, an international education consulting company that operates “J-Check” a nation-wide testing service that assists universities with documentation of English proficiency of incoming J-Scholars. While working on several university campuses, Brosam directed international student recruitment and domestic study abroad programs in over 40 countries.
Ariel Foster is the Executive Director/CEO of IELTS USA, the world’s most widely used English language proficiency test for college admission and immigration. Prior to joining IELTS USA in 2014, she had a 20-year career with the College Board as head of the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Higher Education for the Advanced Placement Program (AP). Ariel helped lead the transition of CLEP to computer in 2000. Ariel led higher education initiatives for AP’s redesign and new product development, such as the Computer Science Principles curriculum and AP Capstone.
Host:
Bridge Education Group (“Bridge”) is led by Founder and CEO Jean-Marc Alberola, an experienced leader with over 30 years of experience in international education. Jean-Marc’s experience includes 10 years overseas in Brazil, Chile and Argentina building Linguatec, a chain of seven language centers catering to the corporate training market. Most recently he led the creation of BridgePathways a division of Bridge focused on international student recruitment and the establishment of six ESL centers on U.S. University campuses.