Anna Jacobson Education August 2009 PhD, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN PhD major in Foreign Language Education, PhD minor in Applied Linguistics/TESOL. Dissertation Title: Negotiating an identity, learning a school culture: The influence of a school community s expectations on the development of a native speaking Spanish teacher in a US public middle school. May 1995 May 1988 MAT, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH Secondary Education, specializing in Russian BA, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH Double major, Russian and History Additional coursework: 17 credits in Special Education toward M.Ed. University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH taken in 2011 2012. Certification: Massachusetts Professional Educator certificate, grades 5 12, Russian Scholarly and Teaching Interests Pre-service and in-service teacher development Secondary and post-secondary foreign and second language pedagogy and issues Disciplinary literacy Critical thinking and reading Computer assisted language teaching Inservice Teacher Professional Development Supporting non-native English-speaking teachers of foreign and second languages. Meeting the needs of students with special needs in foreign/second language classrooms. Less commonly taught language teaching
Professional Work Experience 2014 present Visiting Assistant Professor Division of Education Alfred University Alfred, NY I currently teach two undergraduate courses, EDUC 231 Social Foundations of Education and EDUC 345 Education Fieldwork, and two graduate courses, EDUC 507 Literacy Seminar and Field Experience and EDUC 695 Master s Thesis. 2012 2014 Research Associate, National Foreign Language Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. I developed and administered surveys in response to the STARTALK program s need for information on program impact and participants' experiences and reported findings. I provided content advice on training for teachers and evaluation materials. I researched teacher certification requirements in all 50 states. I presented findings at up to five national, international, and regional conferences per year. 2011 2014 Adjunct Professor, Department of Education, University of New Hampshire, Manchester, NH In response to a state certification requirement for a grammar class for teachers of second and foreign languages, I developed and taught a 4 credit class on Teaching Grammar Across Content Areas. The class addressed issues such as Larsen-Freeman s tripartite approach to grammar, differences in grammatical structures used in various subject areas, history of English grammar and grammar teaching, and pedagogical implications in the teaching of grammar. The class was delivered in hybrid fashion, with 80% of the class conducted online. Apr. 2008 May 2011 Academic Specialist Academic Support Center, Directorate of Continuing Education, Defense Language Institute, Seaside, CA
This position involved developing and providing professional development to teachers of less commonly taught languages at the intermediate and advanced proficiency levels (ILR levels 2+ and up). I mentored teachers in the Arabic, Russian, Pashto, Dari, Urdu, and Persian-Farsi departments, providing assistance in developing curricula and syllabi, writing lesson plans, and developing language learning tasks. Additionally, I taught an ESL class on sociolinguistics and developed online professional development classes for Defense Language Institute (DLI) Continuing Education (CE) instructors. I was also an OPI tester in English, and was trained as a Diagnostic Assessment Specialist. I also served as a member of DLI s Institutional Review Board. June 2007 Apr. 2008 Faculty Development Specialist Division of Faculty & Staff Development, Defense Language Institute, Seaside, CA Responsibilities for this position included conceptualizing, developing, and conducting workshops with a team of international educators to prepare new teachers to deal with American military learners at DLI and to refresh experienced DLI instructors knowledge of current approaches to foreign language teaching. I also mentored in-service teachers in the Hindi and Indonesian departments, providing one-on-one professional development and guidance in lesson planning and communicative task development. Aug. Nov. 2006 Senior Associate, Language Pedagogy Transparent Language, Nashua, NH This position required me to research and to write reports about different language learning software, evaluate different language learning activities developed by Transparent Language and suggest other communicative activities. I additionally betatested programs created by Transparent Language. Dec. 2004 June 2006 Teacher of Spanish Littleton Middle School, Littleton, MA My duties included teaching five classes of seventh and eighth grade Spanish. While teaching I developed assessment tools and language learning materials appropriate for my students age level and proficiency. I developed interdisciplinary plans uniting Spanish with other eighth grade disciplines (math, science, social studies, and English). I served as an unofficial counselor to my students, and ensured articulation between grades and from the middle to high school Spanish programs. In addition to my teaching duties, I served as a faculty advisor for the Middle School Student Council. June 2002 Apr. 2004
CALL Consultant/Education Specialist Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region Indiana University, Bloomington, IN I assisted in the writing of the Title VI grant which brought this center into being. I worked as part of a team developing materials for Central Asian Language learning. My duties included working one-on-one with Pashto, Uyghur, Tajik, and Uzbek linguists to develop communicative language learning materials. Providing a pedagogical grounding for their work, I developed general language learning tasks that could be used by any of the languages (with cultural modifications), assisted them in establishing a sequence for language learning, and helped them develop teaching materials that would accompany their texts. I also developed templates for computer-assisted language learning materials. Nov. 2001 June 2002 University Liaison Interdisciplinary Collaborative Program Indiana University, Bloomington, IN My duties included developing workshops for content area teachers and their ESL colleagues that focused on developing working relationships between these two different disciplines via content-based ESL courses and versions of sheltered instruction. Additionally, I maintained a website for the program that featured online resources for teacher development. I also corresponded with the teachers in Ft. Wayne and Angola, IN, answering their questions and providing pedagogical support where needed. Sept. 1999 May 2005 Associate Instructor Department of Language Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN My duties included teaching a variety of classes (listed below). Aug. 1995 June 1999 Teacher of Russian and Spanish Exeter High School, Exeter NH Cooperative Middle School, Stratham, NH My duties included teaching 5 levels of Russian and 1 level of Spanish to students in grades 7-12. In addition to teaching five classes a day, I developed assessments and pedagogical materials suitable to my students age and proficiency levels. I advised several afterschool activities, including Russian Club and the Russian Honor Society, Dobro Slovo. Every other year, I led up to 12 high school students on month-long exchange trips to Yalta, Ukraine and to Peterhof, Russia. In Russia, I taught several meetings of advanced English classes while my students attended classes in our exchange schools. I planned three visits of students from our exchange school, developing a
schedule, negotiating tours to local businesses and to Exeter landmarks, and arranged for each exchange student to be hosted by a family that featured one of my own Russian students. Aug. 1992 June 1995 Teacher of Russian and Spanish Littleton Junior/Senior High School Littleton, MA My duties included developing a Russian program, including creating language learning materials and assessments for students in grades 7 12. I taught 3 levels of Russian and 2 levels of Spanish five days a week. I recruited enough students into my program that by the second year I was teaching, I had one of the proportionally largest Russian programs in the area. I also advised afterschool activities, including the Junior High School Student Council, Students Against Drunk Driving, and co-advised the Yearbook. Research experience 2013 In response to STARTALK Statement of Work demands, I investigated procedures for teacher certification in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. I gathered data from State Department of Education websites, developed a report and tabulated findings for use with a task force on teacher certification in STARTALK Teacher Development programs. 2004 2006 Researcher. Conducted dissertation study on a native speaking Spanish teacher learning to teach his language on the job, working in a US public middle school. Initial intention was to conduct a case study; after the primary participant was fired, it expanded into a critical ethnography examining the school community as an ecological system featuring multiple communities of practice and, more specifically, the role of legitimate peripheral participation within these communities. Data was collected through interviews and observations, triangulated with multiple resources (newspapers, video, small group discussions), and coded, following grounded theory, phenomenological and narrative inquiry principles. 2002 Research assistant on needs analysis/study to determine professional development requirements of Indiana public school teachers providing content area instruction to English language learners. Data was collected through surveys, interviews, and observations. This study resulted in the development of a series of workshops that assisted teachers in six different cities and towns in Indiana. 2001 Research assistant on study to determine literacy education program graduates perceptions of the effectiveness of their Indiana University program. Data was collected through surveys from first-year teachers around the state of Indiana and in collaboration with other Indiana University campuses.
2000 Researcher on collaborative team studying factors contributing to student failure during their first semester at Indiana University. The study, conducted through a grounded theory approach, involved a data gathered through a combination of interviews and surveys. Classes Taught at Indiana University Instructional Issues in Language Learning This course reviews the principles and the current instructional issues related to learning a first or a second language. Besides the general issues of effects of the environment, developmental stages, and basic instructional methodologies, relationships among reading education, English education, and second language education are explored. Reading and Academic Support for Post-Secondary Learners* This course explores theory and practice in the field of academic support services, with special emphasis on roles and uses of reading, writing, and language. Topics include review of current literature on learning at postsecondary levels, exemplary programs and models. Curriculum and instructional applications are provided and theorized. Critical Reading and Thinking in Content Areas* This course analyzes and applies to reading various theories and models of thinking. It presents teaching/learning strategies for developing critical reading and evaluates instructional materials and methodologies designed to foster critical reading. Methods of Teaching Reading in Middle and Secondary Schools This course is designed to assist pre-service teachers to improve and increase the reading, writing, and thinking abilities of middle and high school students in content area subjects. Pre-service teachers develop an understanding of the reading process and instruction and the role of literacy as it relates to content area learning at the secondary level. Substantial class time is spent developing skills in selecting, planning, and creating reading comprehension strategies that pre-service teachers then experiment with during their field experiences. Computer Assisted Language Learning This course introduced students to applications of modern technology for use in language teaching. Participants discussed the planning of computer-based lessons, speculated about the potential benefits and drawbacks of computer assisted language learning, and developed a better understanding of issues facing computer-using teachers of language and literacy. Basic familiarity with educational computer programs as well as delivery systems was developed. Substantial class time was spent developing a portfolio of activities, lessons, and unit plans that made the most effective use of computers in the language-based classroom.
Language Education Issues in Bilingual and Multicultural Education This class was a survey of language education issues related to the linguistic abilities and educational needs of students requiring bilingual or bidialectal instruction. Topics discussed included language acquisition, language pedagogy, program models, cultural influences, teacher training, and research directions. Current Approaches to Instruction and Assessment in EFL/ENL Classrooms* This course focused on the instruction and assessment of language in tandem with content-area courses. Approaches such as sustained content, sheltered content and adjunct models were analyzed, critiqued and put into instructional practice. Socio-Psycholinguistic Applications to Literacy Instruction* This class explored the linguistic and cognitive dimensions of language as they relate to the development of literacy. It discussed relationships among the systems of language and among the various expressions of language, including pragmatic semantics, grammar, and dialect. * indicates classes taught online Classes and Workshops Developed and Taught at DLI Task-Based Instruction for Language Teachers This 20 hour workshop was designed as an introduction to task-based instruction (TBI) for instructors of students with proficiency levels of 0+ to 2 (on the ILR scale) at DLI. It presented the theoretical framework for TBI and used hands-on activities to differentiate between tasks and exercises and outline the benefits and drawbacks of both. Teachers participating in this workshop learned to create tasks based on their own languageteaching materials and how to implement them with their military learners. Task-based Instruction for Teachers of Language at Higher Proficiencies This 20 hour workshop was designed as an introduction to TBI for instructors of students with proficiency levels above 2 (on the ILR scale) at DLI. It reviewed the theory behind TBI, and defined the differences between tasks and exercises, but also discussed the implications of TBI as a tool to reach higher levels of proficiency. As was the case in the TBI class described above, participating teachers created tasks, but were challenged to help each other create tasks requiring control of conceptually and linguistically higher level language. Lesson-Planning and Objective Writing This four-hour workshop reviews principles and models of lesson planning at the higher levels of proficiency. Starting with the premise that the key to lesson planning is a strong objective, participating teachers first plan a hypothetical lesson together, reviewing the concepts of pre-, during, and post-action tasks. Attention is paid to developing lessons featuring integrated skills and communicative tasks. The teachers ultimately create their own lessons, with their own materials, for use in their classrooms.
Listening Made Easier: Teaching Listening at the Higher Levels This five-hour workshop uses experiential learning and a seminar approach to introduce, enhance, and review, principles for teaching listening. Focusing on topics such as intensive vs. extensive listening, the role of memory, strategy development, and native vs. non-native listening, the class encourages teachers to make personal sense of teaching listening. Task-Based Instruction 2.0: Applications of TBI at DLI This 10-week online class was developed to encourage teachers using TBI to discuss the pros and cons of using the approach in their high level language classes. The teachers are encouraged to discuss theory, share tasks, and work together to develop tasks at all levels. The class features regular presentations by participants, and is structured as a graduatelevel seminar, communicating via discussion board and chat. Sociolinguistics of American English (It s not what you say, it s how you say it) This ongoing English as a Second Language class is designed for instructors at Continuing Education who would like to develop both their knowledge of American English sociolinguistics and American culture. The class is topical, covering areas of interest to the teachers, and there is no formal class sequence. Making use of a variety of resources, from video to written materials, the students discuss issues focused around speech acts (complaining, delivering feedback, etc.), and idiosyncrasies of US culture and language (regional accents, vocabulary drawn from sports, editorial cartoons, politics, etc). Publications Jacobson, A. (2006). Of course they can all learn if we can teach them. Front Page Dialogue. ACTR Newsletter. 33, 2: 1 2. Jacobson, A. & Pawan, F. (2003). Growing with the flow: Sustaining professionalism through online instruction of language teachers. In Professional Development in Language Education Series, Volume 2: Extending Professional Contributions. Alexandria, VA: TESOL. Jacobson, A. (2001). Social interactions and learning in an informal setting: An ethnography of communication in a knitting circle. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED455547) Jacobson, A. (2001). Developing a voice: Teacher empowerment and second language teacher education (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED456105) Conference Presentations 2014 National Council On Less Commonly Taught Languages
(NCOLCTL) Conference, Itasca, IL Making a Difference in LCTL Education: The Impact of STARTALK Microteaching: Lessons from STARTALK Teacher Education Programs 2014 Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL), Boston, MA Microteaching: Making Time and Space for Practice Generating Demands for World Language Programs Using Authentic Stories at Different Proficiency Levels 2013 American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Conference, Orlando, FL The Endless Summer: Extending Summer LCTL Programs Year-Round Providing Practice Space and Time for LCTL Teacher Learning: The Role of Microteaching 2013 International Language Teacher Education Conference, Washington, DC Reconsidering Microteaching: Insights from STARTALK 2013 NCOLCTL Conference, Itasca, IL Principles of LCTL Teacher Preparation and Training 2013 NECTFL, Baltimore, MD A Guide for Developing World and Critical Language Teachers Characteristics of Effective Virtual/Online Language Programs 2012 ACTFL Conference, Philadelphia, PA Characteristics of Effective Virtual/Online Language Programs 2003 NCOLCTL Conference, Los Angeles, CA Developing Task-Based Materials for Learning Pashto and Uyghur, 2002 Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (INTESOL) Conference, Indianapolis, IN Taking Classes Online 2001 Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference, St. Louis, MO Heterogeneous Needs in Homogeneous MA TESOL Programs 2000 ACTFL Conference, Boston, MA Multisensory Approaches to Multiple Intelligences in Foreign Languages
2000 INTESOL Conference, Indianapolis, IN The Multimedia Music Book WebQuest Defense Language Institute In-House Presentations 2010 Authentic Listening, presented at Faculty Professional Development Day, DLI 2009 Using Web-based Resources to Provide Professional Development, presented at Faculty Professional Development Day, DLI 2009 Using Games to Build Higher Proficiency, presented at Continuing Education Colloquium, DLI 2008 What s Your Objective?: Using strong objectives to fuel strong lesson plans presented at Continuing Education Colloquium, DLI Language Proficiency (Estimated) ILR level 2 (ACTFL Advanced level) in Russian (Estimated) ILR level 2 (ACTFL Advanced level) in Spanish Reading knowledge of German Professional Affiliations 1990 present ACTFL 1990 present ACTR 1999 - present TESOL Professional Service 1999 present Reviewer, Foreign Language Annals 2008 2011 DLI-certified English Oral Proficiency tester (OPI) 2008 2011 Member of Defense Language Institute Institutional Review Board