MICHELLE M.Z. OHANIAN 4214 Plaza Lane 703-502-8599/703-577-2446 Fairfax, VA 22033 mohanian@masonlive.gmu.edu RESEARCH AND TEACHING INTERESTS Adolescents perceptions of their identities and literacy skills; how these influence their motivation to engage in literacy development across the disciplines; and how teachers acknowledge and respond to these influences on motivation; methods of teaching multilingual students; literacy instruction for adolescent and young adult ELs. EDUCATION 2014 Ph.D. Education, Specialization in Literacy and Multilingual/Multicultural Education, Secondary Area in Teacher Education George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia Dissertation, Investigating Older Adolescent/Young Adult English Learners Literacy Engagement at an Alternative High School 1998 Virginia Teacher Certification, Endorsements in ESOL and Spanish 1998 Maryland Teacher Certification, Endorsement in Spanish 1996-1998 Resident Teacher Program, Baltimore City Public Schools with Notre Dame University 1996 M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction with Specialization in ESOL George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 1990 B.A., with Honors, Legal Studies with concentration in Spanish University of Massachusetts, Amherst AWARDS AND HONORS 2008 Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award for Educational Excellence 2008 Fairfax County Public Schools Teacher of the Year 2007 School and Community Impact Award, Fairfax County ESOL Office 2006 National Board Certification: English as a New Language, EAYA UNIVERSITY AND PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHING Fall 2015 Assistant Professor, Department of Education Mount St. Mary s University, Emmitsburg, Maryland
Spring 2015 Fall 2014 Instructor, EDRD 631, Advanced Literacy Foundations and Instruction, Adolescence through Adulthood. Hybrid course format. Instructor, EDRD 619/EDRD 419, Literacy in the Content Areas George Mason University, Secondary Education Program, Fairfax, Virginia Spring 2014 Instructor, EDRD 619, Literacy in the Content Areas George Mason University, Secondary Education Program Spring 2013 Instructor, EDUC 606, Education and Culture George Mason University, Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning Program Summer 2011 Instructor, EDUC 519, Methods of Teaching in Multilingual Settings George Mason University, FAST TRAIN Program 2004 Present High School ESOL Teacher and Department Chair Mountain View Alternative High School, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) 2003-2006 Instructor, EDUC 695, Writing across the Curriculum (three sections) George Mason University, Northern Virginia Writing Project 2003-2004 Middle School and High School ESOL Instructional Support Teacher, ESOL Office, Fairfax County Public Schools 2000 2002 Middle School ESOL Teacher and Department Chair Franklin Middle School, Fairfax County Public Schools 1998-2000 Elementary ESOL Teacher Mount Vernon Elementary School, Alexandria City Public Schools 1997 1998 High School Spanish Teacher Patterson High School, Baltimore City Public Schools Summer 1997 English Language Instructor University of Maine, Summer English Language Institute 1996-1997 Middle School Spanish Teacher West Baltimore Middle School, Baltimore City Public Schools 1993-1996 Federal Contract Policy Instructor Procurement Automation Institute, Shirlington, Virginia 1992-1993 English Language Instructor
University of Valladolid, Spain, English Language Institute PRESENTATIONS 2014 Key Note Speaker, Virginia ESL Supervisors Association Annual Conference, Richmond, VA, Teaching with English Learners Academic Engagement in Mind 2013 Key Note Speaker, Academic Diversity Institute, Fairfax, VA Building Capacity for Student Engagement in Lifelong Learning 2012 Presenter, ATE Conference, Boston, MA Teacher educators explore ELLs identities in digital writing 2011 Presenter, WATESOL Conference, Silver Spring, MD ELLs make their identities public through blogging PUBLICATIONS 2014 Paper submitted, I Choose : Older Adolescent/Young Adult English Learners Literacy Engagement at an Alternative High School 2014 Chapter in progress, Implementing an Executive Functioning Skills Curriculum with Alternative High School Students 2014 Manuscript in progress, Building a Culture of Engaged Reading with Older Adolescent and Young Adult English Learners 2014 Manuscript in progress, Whose Blog Is It? How Teachers Can Learn from English Learners Layered Identities through Digital Writing SERVICE 2011-2012 Online Coach, Project DELTA (Disseminating Effective Learning through Automation) a FIPSE-funded three year project designed to provide support and training to community college faculty online, and to develop a model to offer innovative, interactive strategies to support their students academic and career needs. 2011-2014 Student Reviewer, International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT 2011 Presenter at the NWP Urban Site Conference, Boston, MA Whose blog is it? How ELLs represent their identities in digital writing and what teachers can learn from them 2010-2011 Presenter and Planning Team Member at the NWP Summer Inservice Institute, Cleveland, OH July 14-16, 2012.
Invited member and facilitator for planning and conducting a working retreat focused on building a site's capacity to serve the needs of English Language Learners. Presented: Using an annotated bibliography to plan professional development for teachers of ELLs 2009 Panel Speaker at the U.S. Department of Education Briefing on behalf of NWP 2008 Key Note Speaker at IREX Teacher Exchange Luncheon, Gallaudet University 2002-2008 Co-chairperson and chairperson 2004-2008 National Writing Project, English Language Learner Network Leadership Team Presented at the National Writing Project s (NWP) annual meetings, developed seminars, initiated new programs and coordinated annual mini-grant awards to Writing Project sites across the country. The ELL Network supports writing project sites in providing professional development for teachers of ELLs and advocating for the needs of ELLs. 2008 Co-Presenter at the National Council for Teachers of English, San Antonio, TX Double the work: Language learners developing literacy in the content Areas 2007 Co-Presenter at the NWP Annual Meeting, New York City, NY Double the work: Language learners developing literacy in the content areas 2007 Discussion Leader at the NWP Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C. Supporting English Language Learners doing double the work 2006 Co-presenter at the NWP Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN Technology workshop for inclusion, equity, and access: Bridging gaps for ELLs 2005 Co-presenter at the NWP Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, ID Peer revision as the focus of writing instruction 2005 Guest speaker at the summer institute of the Third Coast Writing Project, Kalamazoo, MI Starting where they are: Sharing and honoring student culture and literacy NORTHERN VIRGINIA WRITING PROJECT 1999-present Teacher Consultant and Board Member ESOL Liaison to the Board; Facilitator for the 2008-2009 ESOL teacher inquiry group to research and identify our students positive attributes to promote learning; Staff editor and Contributor to the Journal of the Virginia Writing Project 2002-2004. 2012 Presenter at the Language and Learning Conference Whose blog is it? How ELLs represent their identities in digital writing and what teachers can learn from them
2008-2009 Coordinator and co-facilitator for a minigrant project funded by the National Writing Project for an ESOL K-16 teacher inquiry group focused on the question: How can we identify and draw upon the strengths of ELLs to improve classroom instruction? 1999-2008 Presenter at the Language and Learning Conferences and graduate courses Using dialogue journals to promote fluency with English Language Learners; Scaffolding writing for ELLs; Teaching new technology tricks to ELLs. 2002 Coordinator, co-facilitator and grant writer, after-school writing workshop for ESOL high school students. NWP grant for an anthology of student work to all middle and high schools. Published article in The Journal of the Virginia Writing Project. FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, VIRGINIA 2012-present Project Team Member and Instructor, Executive Functioning Skills to Support Academic Achievement 2012 Panel Speaker, National Conversation about the Teaching Profession, FCPS ESOL Focus Group, United States Department of Education 2008-2009 Co-instructor, Candidacy support course for NBPTS certification, 3 credit course 2007 Co-instructor, Orientation to the NBPTS Certification, 1 credit course 2006-2008 Leader, trainer, and participant in the middle/high school ESOL exit review team. Assessed ESOL student portfolios with state-approved rubrics to exit students. 2005-present Co-Chairperson of staff development program, Mountain View High School, designed to increase student achievement through teacher collaboration and the implementation of research-based instructional strategies. 2003-2008 Presenter for the following instructional sessions for the Office of ESOL: The big broadcast: Using technology, writing and drama to engage ESOL students in the writing process Advanced ESOL middle school curriculum: Building bridges with the standards of learning Developing fluency in writing for beginning ESOL writers Front loading learning centers, Unpacking and rewrapping your great activities Even on a cart! Read like a writer and write what you mean: Using craft lessons from Ralph Fletcher