More than 30 TESL and English alumni, students, faculty, staff and guests gathered for an evening of stories about teaching English as a second language around the globe.
Dr. Marlise Horst was Master of Ceremonies, welcoming the group and introducing the speakers. Presenters Zach Alderton, Jessica Bate, Jennifer Foote and Jordan Foster spoke of their experiences teaching English in Quebec and Alberta as well as abroad in France, Korea, Prague, Peru, Cambodia and Japan.
The question-and-answer period sparked a number of interesting conversations and debates that trickled into the reception portion of the evening.
Marlise Horst, PhD
Marlise Horst is an associate professor in the Department of Education. She has recently taught courses in second-language vocabulary acquisition, the history of English and grammar for language teachers. She looks back fondly on her years of teaching ESL in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Hong Kong.
Zach Alderton
Zach Alderton is a 27-year-old, first-year student in the TESL B. Ed. program. Originally from Red Lake, Ontario, he spent nearly three years teaching in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, before coming to Montreal. While he loves living in Montreal, he is still undecided about whether to return abroad after his degree.
Jessica Bate
Jessica Bate is a first-year B.Ed student in the TESL program. Her most recent work experience includes teaching at an adult education centre in Laval, Quebec, where English classes are offered to help recent immigrants and Quebec francophones find employment. This, along with her year teaching English in Japan and her current work in Laval propelled her to return to school get her B.Ed.
Jennifer Foote
Jennifer Foote recently moved to Montreal from Alberta to pursue doctoral studies in Applied Linguistics at Concordia. She has taught English in Japan, the Czech Republic and South Korea as well as in Edmonton. She is particularly interested in teaching and researching pronunciation.
Jordan Foster
Jordan Foster has four years of experience teaching ESL in Canada, France and Peru. Now a master's student of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Education at Concordia, the Edmonton native has worked in education since graduating with a B.Ed from the University of Alberta. He also teaches French and Spanish.
