Carnegie Mellon University
October 01, 2011

Carnegie Mellon Qatar faculty share research on English language teaching

Faculty members from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar are attending and presenting at The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) International Association's "Putting Research into Practice" conference, which is being held at The Qatar National Convention Centre from October 1 to 3. The three-day conference gathers experts from around the region and across the world to focus on key areas of applied research in the field of English language teaching.

In fact, conference chair Dudley Reynolds is a Teaching Professor of English at Carnegie Mellon Qatar and a member of the Board of Directors for the TESOL International Association. "At Carnegie Mellon we feel it is extremely important to the success of our university and Education City that our teachers understand why certain teaching practices work in some situations and different practices work in others," he commented.

Silvia Pessoa, another professor in the Liberal & Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon Qatar, will also discuss her research at the conference. Using quantitative research methods and text analysis, Pessoa has been studying the academic literacy development of writing by undergraduate students.

"Although literacy development is difficult to document and measure, by employing various methods of text analysis, I have been able to identify various linguistic and rhetorical elements in student writing that are indicative of development," said Pessoa. "The students have come a long way in two years and it's been a very rewarding to be part of their experience."

Other speakers at the conference will discuss the latest research in the field related to topics such as understanding the ‘good language learner,' bridging the gap between goals and results, and ongoing professional development.

The TESOL International Association is the largest professional association devoted to improving English language learning and teaching worldwide. More information about the upcoming conference can be found at www.tesol.org/researchintopractice.

Dudley Reyonds Silvia Pessoa 

Left: Conference chair Dudley Reynolds, Teaching Professor of English at Carnegie Mellon Qatar and a member of the Board of Directors for the TESOL International Association

Right: Silvia Pessoa, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Liberal & Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon Qatar