Having been selected as an English Language Specialist is a tremendous honour. My PhD research has prepared me very well to participate in such a project: it included a consultancy in which I helped conduct a needs analysis, redesign the English for academic purposes curriculum, design learning materials, and develop and co-lead workshops for tutors.
Angela Hakim, PhD candidate, School of Education, Communication & Society, King's College London
03 May 2023
King's student selected by US Department of State for prestigious English language specialist project
Angela Hakim, PhD candidate at the School of Education, Communication & Society, has just been selected as a US State Department English Language Specialist to consult on a project with the US embassy in Japan.
PhD candidate Angela Hakim will work on a project focusing on English for Engineering and Technology at Kumamoto University, Japan.
Taking place during academic year 2023-24, the three-phase project will require that Hakim go to Japan to complete a needs assessment in September, before returning to the US to work on curriculum development and course design. She will go back to Japan in April 2024 to lead teacher training.
Being selected for this project is the culmination of Hakim’s years of experience as an English for academic purposes practitioner and researcher. Hakim has been teaching English for academic purposes in universities for over 12 years, and has worked on teams to conduct needs analysis, curriculum design, and teacher development, in addition to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate university students in pre-sessional, foundations, in-sessional, and teacher education courses.
Through the English Language Specialist Program, leaders in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) are given the chance to bring about meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad. Through projects developed by U.S. Embassies in more than 80 countries, English Language Specialists work directly with local teacher trainers, educational leaders, and ministry of education officials to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities in the United States and overseas.
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PhD candidate