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Category: TESOL

Careers / Cross-cultural / Internationalisation / Professional Identity / Story / TESOL

Embracing the Journey of an International Professional

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🌍 Here’s my story of how I became an international professional.

My life motto: Carpe Diem

“Carpe diem. Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary.”

The quote comes from the film Dead Poets Society, spoken by the character John Keating (played by the late Robin Williams), a teacher inspiring his students to pursue their passion and do something great. I watched the film when I was just 12 years old, ready to enter high school, and in those years of schooling and later on at university. I found myself drawn to exploration, self-discovery, and defying expectations. That spirit remains a driving force in my life and career today.

It represents more than just motivation. Carpe Diem speaks to my desire to be bold and use my talents, to be brave and make a difference, and to believe that whatever I do serves a greater purpose beyond my own needs.

My identity: A Chinese Singaporean

I was born and raised in Singapore, a multicultural city-state and former British colony, where English is the main language of education and public life. In multicultural Singapore, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and other ethnic communities live side-by-side, and so I was part of a social fabric of cultural and linguistic diversity from an early age,

As a Chinese Singaporean, I grew up speaking English at home, school, and with friends, while also learning Chinese and Mandarin as a second language under Singapore’s bilingual policy. Our official mother tongue was assigned based on ethnicity and was a second language by default. Singapore’s bilingual policy has evolved over the years with a current focus on reviving interest and proficiency in our ethnic languages. However, among my generation, we were impressed upon the social and economic importance of mastering English, a gateway to the Western world and prosperity.

The particular ideology, policy and pragmatism of my upbringing have no doubt contributed to my strong grounding in both Western and Asian cultures. This has enabled me to navigate global spaces with confidence and cross-cultural fluency. My language and cultural identity shapes how I see the world and informs my work as an international professional and career coach committed to cross-cultural understanding. I understand what it’s like to look ‘Asian,’ sound ‘Western,’ and yet not fully belong in either category.

Image by CatsWithGlasses from Pixabay

What does it mean to be international?

My sense of being ‘international’ began during a university course on the history of the English language. I was introduced to World Englishes and the debate on who ‘owns’ English. I was struck by how much judgment people receive based on their accent, race, or skin colour, even in multicultural contexts, and the sharp division and discrimination between native and non-native English speakers.

In all my youthful defiance, I told myself: No country or accent shall determine how I use English. I shall be an international speaker of English!

This deep desire to challenge the barriers and divisions imposed by so-called pure, prestigious or better versions of English later shaped my Master of TESOL and PhD study. The debate on who owns English was re-ignited through my essay on Re-imagining the Non-Native Speaker. In my PhD research on international learners, one of my research agenda items was to dispel the deficit framing of non-native English speakers.

In corporate settings, I realised how many brilliant professionals around the world feel undermined not by lack of skill, but by cultural codes, accent bias, and the hidden hierarchies of language.

A 2013 British Council report states that English “now belongs to the world and increasingly to non-native speakers – who today far outnumber native speakers.” Indeed, the English language continues to evolve and it continues to serve as a global lingua franca, and yet old habits die hard. Our accent (and skin colour) continue to draw judgment from native and non-native English speakers alike. Just read the news about the racist backlash against Air New Zealand’s new CEO Nikhil Ravishankar.

It feels like contemporary notions of ‘inclusivity’ that celebrate and embrace differences are individual beliefs at best, and very slippery and airy concepts at worst. And I wonder if ‘international’ is a similar contemporary notion – Is it something that is celebrated and embraced? Or will it reveal its true colours when it is put to the test? And how much is one person’s experience of being international positively or negatively affected by the languages they speak, the accent of their spoken English, their passport, and the shade of their skin they were born with?

Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash

How to thrive as an international professional

The complex realities of being international are discomforting, but I’m not here to dwell in the discomfort. Instead, I aim to raise awareness and spark conversation through writing. I’ve previously written about my experiences and tensions in looking, feeling and being different:

✍️ Living and thriving with labels: A journey towards cultural intelligence

✈️ The Diasporic Resident

🧭 How NOT to be a Migrant

The moral of my stories? Carpe diem. Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary.

I hope discomfort gives your data. They can show us what still needs dismantling—and where we have power to influence change. So perhaps it’s time to stop scrolling or eye rolling and start thinking, feeling and doing things differently.

My coaching approach: Supporting international careers

As a career coach for international professionals, I’m here to help you, however you define yourself as ‘international’, to do these things:

🔍 Discover Your Strengths
Clarify who you are and how you want to contribute to the world.

❤️ Act With Purpose
Move beyond random applications and focus on how you add value.

🎯 Build Career Confidence
Master tools and strategies to manage manage your career on your own terms—for life!

An invitation to international professionals

If you’re navigating a career change, adapting to a new cultural environment, or exploring your identity as an international professional, this space is for you.

🌍 Learn more about my career journey here.

🔗 Subscribe on LinkedIn, or on Substack, follow along, let’s make our lives extraordinary—wherever in the world we are.

Cross-cultural / Pedagogy / Student Learning / Teaching / TESOL

The ‘other’ in ESOL: Is it really about othering?

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I was confronted by a recent headline that read:

ESOL outdated: English for speakers of other languages guilty of othering

ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. In New Zealand and other English-speaking countries (eg, Australia, US), the term is used to differentiate the intended audience from mainstream English language instruction. 

The article claims that “there is something Anglo-centric and othering about the term”. There’s an argument to be made that someone not born into an English speaking environment and who receives English language training is orienting themselves to an ‘Anglo’ worldview, eg, that English is important for them to want to learn it, that the world they live in or wish to live in operates on an English-speaking basis and all its norms and assumptions. The term is also Anglo-centric in that it is those who provide that type of English language instruction are dominated by the Anglo centres of the world (ie., US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand).

Image by Alison from Pixabay

I recognise that Anglo-centricity can give rise to othering, but it is also important to distinguish between the issue of Anglo-centricity – that is, how the English language and associated culture is the dominant and unquestioned way of life, and the issue of othering – marking someone or some group as different with intended or unintended negative connotations.

We can use any number of labels to identify those who are learning the English language, and labels in the English learning and teaching context help to differentiate pedagogical approaches. Whether the label or term becomes ‘othering’ will depend on the context in which it is used.

For the learner, ESOL might be a strange term for them since it’s a given that they speak other languages. Why not simply call it an English language class? Or better yet, describe what they can do with the English, eg, Conversational English, English for Work, Everyday English. And this is probably what happens with naming English classes. So while ESOL is used to refer to the type of English language instruction, learners don’t necessarily use the term to describe their own learning. So whether the term ESOL is ‘othering’ for the learner may be moot as they simply consider themselves English language learners.

Then what about others who use the term, like teachers of ESOL? The teaching of ESOL (or TESOL) as a type or approach of English language instruction will vary among teachers, but we can look to TESOL International Association for a core set of 6 principles for the exemplary teaching of English learners:

  1. Know Your Learners
  2. Create Conditions for Language Learning
  3. Design High-Quality Lessons for Language Development
  4. Adapt Lesson Delivery as Needed
  5. Monitor and Assess Student Language Development
  6. Engage and Collaborate within a Community of Practice

  These principles are intended to:

  • respect, affirm, and promote students’ home languages and cultural knowledge and experiences as resources
  • celebrate multilingualism and diversity
  • support policies that promote individual language rights and multicultural education
  • guide students to be global citizens
Image by Hebi B. from Pixabay

So if we hold the teachers of English to speakers of other languages to the principles and intentions of affirming the learners’ home languages and cultures, the term ESOL is far from ‘othering’: it is inclusive, respectful and aspirational.

And to go back to the issue of Anglo-centricity, the underlying ethos of the terms ESOL and TESOL would appear to challenge the status quo of Anglo-centricity in a way that aims to be beneficial for both English language learners and the wider community.

So why this accusation of ‘ESOL’ being guilty of ‘othering’? The ESOL terminology not only serves to make clear the audience of English language instruction, but also aims to affirm learners’ heritage and their linguistic and cultural resources.

It’s encouraging to know that there are advocates for inclusivity and those who call out discriminatory language. But has the word ‘other’ in ESOL tripped people up? There’s nothing othering about the term nor its intended use. And it’s concerning if we start reading ‘othering’ into a term that means no harm.

Sure, re-name course titles and qualifications to signal a wider audience of English language learners. But don’t erase a term or label when there’s a useful function for differentiation, and more importantly, when there’s a specific intention of making learners the centre in language training.

If we want to deal with ‘othering’, let’s look beyond the single word or label. Better yet, let’s welcome the ‘other’ relative to ourselves. If we recognise that those who are learning English speak ‘other’ languages, how about we start to be curious about their languages, and unpack what this ‘other’ means to us, and start to unravel a multitude of languages we can recognise, learn and embrace?

And if you’re ready, you’re in luck. New Zealand Chinese Language Week is coming up and runs from 25 September to 1 October. As a speaker of English, Mandarin and some Hokkien, I’m delighted to share ‘other’ languages with you, and I’m curious about ‘other’ languages different communities around me speak.

Ko taku reo, taku ohooho, ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria.

My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul.

Research / TESOL

Using Google Hangouts on Air for a Research Presentation

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Using Google Hangouts on Air for a Research Presentation

Although Google Hangouts on Air launched in May 2012, I only recently discovered it when I chanced upon a colleague’s live lecture while scanning my Google+ feed. And what I saw, I liked. Google Hangouts on Air (or HOA for short) broadcasts what happens in a Google Hangout session. In that session, you can choose to have a conversation with people you invite, work on Google docs, or what I thought was the most promising, conduct a presentation via screenshare. The live session is streamed via YouTube and that live stream is automatically saved as a video whenthe broadcast ends.

Google Hangouts on Air
Google Hangouts on Air

Practice Makes Perfect

While the process sounds simple, I had to practise going through the process of setting up a HOA, broadcasting it and checking if the recording of the session matched what I imagined it to be – five times to be exact – before I was convinced I was sure of what to do at the actual presentation. Through the practice sessions, here are some of the pitfalls I encountered:

  • Entering a name for your HOA generates a YouTube link for the live session in standby mode. Hitting the broadcast button makes the video ‘live’. However, if you open the page for the YouTube live session and record at the same time, you will get two sets of audio being recorded. So after checking that the YouTube link has been created, close the browser or tab.
  • There are several options for screenshare – desktop and the various windows that are open. Although it may seem obvious to screenshare the particular application you are using for your presentation, that did not work for me – the slides did not appear to move as I clicked through them in presentation mode. What was more reliable was screensharing the desktop and then activating whichever application I wanted.
  • A mic is necessary for the best sound input. Otherwise the sound quality in the video sounds muffled.

HOA For Real This Time

The use of HOA at my presentation (of my research paper Understanding the Identity of One ELL in Singapore) went fairly smoothly but it was only after the whole process was completed did I realise the finer details of implementation. A few realisations as I watched the playback of my presentation:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPO8943kD3M&w=560&h=315]

  • The screenshare (using desktop) of my powerpoint presentation was exactly what I had on my desktop (presenter mode), but not on the projector screen (full screen mode). Using Microsoft Powerpoint 2013 meant that once the application detects a projector, it goes into presenter mode with the notes of the current slide and a preview of the subsequent slide show at the side of the screen. I didn’t like it but others thought it was cool. Note for future HOA: change the default presenter mode to full screen presentation.
  •  The mic I used was an arm attached to headphones and had a long wire so that I could move around with ease but stay connected to the laptop. While the long wire was helpful for movement, the awkward shape of an arm mic dangling from my neck resulted in inconsistent volume in the recording.
  • I recorded both the presentation and the Q&A which meant a 58 min recording. 58 min is an overwhelming duration for a YouTube video clip. In fact, some friends gave feedback that the video would stall halfway through. Not sure if it’s because the recording is too long or it’s a technical glitch. Either way, I intend to edit the video to include just the presentation portion which would last about 30 min.

More Tech Won’t Hurt

HOA aside, I was also experimenting with the use of Padlet during the presentation for audience members to post their questions, comments, etc. As it was a live audience, I guess few were inclined to post anything since there was going to be a Q&A session immediately after the presentation. A friend who was keen to try out Padlet did a little more than post comments. He posted a related link as well as uploaded a few photos of my presentation to my Padlet wall. I wasn’t expecting photos but this turned out to be a neat way of capturing moments of an event.

Using Padlet during a presentation
Using Padlet during a presentation

Conclusion

The best outcome of my presentation experiment was that the entire event was captured and archived. The YouTube video serves as a reference for me to reflect on how I could conduct a presentation more effectively, on how I could refine my thought process, and provides another avenue for me to share my research ideas with a broader audience. As long as HOA remains free, it will probably become the tool of choice among tech novices like myself to create (and archive) live presentations.

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Academic Writing / Research / TESOL

The Academic Life I Never Imagined

Sherrie Lee2 Comments

The Academic Life I Never Imagined

The first time I dabbled in a thesis, I was 21 or so. It got off to a shaky start, not helped by the fact I changed my topic mid-way because I had lost passion in the initial topic. And while I was a whole lot more motivated with the newer topic, I had less time, lost focus now and then, and when I finally handed it in, felt I had let myself and my supervisor down. The honours year was disappointing for me and with less than stellar results, I decided to abandon any thoughts of academia, even though I previously thought it was a possibility.

More than 10 years later, after 5 jobs in 4 industries, I finally found myself quite settled in my current position as a lecturer in a polytechnic. I was in my element – interacting with people, particularly young people, teaching and sharing knowledge, and having a part in shaping people’s futures. I also had completed my family and the intense years of child-bearing and nursing were coming to an end. And then I started thinking about doing a Masters. I cannot remember whether it was by instinct or intent (perhaps both), the thought grew stronger and on May 2011, I embarked on the Master of Arts in Teaching (TESOL) with the University of Southern California.

And so I moved from one intense period to another. Really intense.

The academic experience this time was not just about engaging in ideas with professors and classmates, but juggling work, family and studies at the same time. At times I wished I was singularly focused on studying, especially when it came to completing my Capstone project, a qualitative research paper on language learning and identity. But there was no escaping the multiple responsibilities I had. It meant committing a few hours each evening to study and writing – as soon as the kids went into slumberland, or as soon I could convince them to let Dad or Grandma tuck them into bed while I studied behind a closed study door. It also meant being focused during the precious snatches of time I had. The two years spent on the Master program honed this skill of multitasking, or what I would rather call focused tasking.

I completed my Master of Arts in March 2013 and am proud to say that it was the best academic and intellectual experience I’ve had so far. While I successfully completed my research paper for the program, I considered it unfinished business as I wanted to improve it so that I could have a chance at publishing it in a journal and also present it at a conference. As I learned in a learning theory class, self-efficacy boosts student learning and confidence. What a far cry from my undergraduate ending!

Now more than ever, I see myself as an academic, that is, one who is interested in pursuing the truth of education through the application of research and scholarship. Just to be clear, I have no title that is commonly associated with academics, and neither am I in a position formally related to such work. But the whole experience of doing the Master of Arts in Teaching has opened my eyes to the needs of struggling students, and has rekindled a lost love for scholarship.

I am currently preparing to present my research paper at the 2013 Joint SELF Biennial International Conference and Educational Research Association of Singapore (ERAS) Conference. And so the academic thinking, academic writing and of course, focused tasking, continues. The one thing that is missing though, is the sociocultural practice of discussing ideas and collaborating on projects with like-minded folks. That was one of the defining aspects of my Master of Arts experience and I miss it each time I engage in the solitary act of being an academic, which unfortunately has been institutionalized as a typical and highly legitimate way of being.

Solitary or not, I will continue exploring this academic life that I’m growing into.

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Education / Learning / Research / TESOL

My Last Class – Reflections on the MAT@USC

Sherrie Lee4 Comments

My Last Class - Reflections on the MAT@USC

“Please hold while I confirm your passcode. Thank you. Your passcode is confirmed.” That’s the automated message to the virtual classroom I’ve attended every week for 6 semesters in the past two years. As I attend my last class today, I know I will miss that familiar buzz through my headphones which welcomed me to a community of learners from various continents including North America, Europe and Asia.

I started the Master of Arts in Teaching (TESOL) with the University of Southern California in May 2011. It is a wholly online course and like many others, I was skeptical of how learning could take place. But as I examined the course program, comparing it to other education-related Master programs I could take in Singapore, I was attracted to the subjects it offered, fieldwork requirements, and the convenience that comes with online learning. I could access the classroom from any computer with camera and mic and for me, that meant not having to travel to and from classes, and being able to go home for dinner, attend to my kids, and settle them down to sleep before I stepped into my study.

Master of Arts in Teaching (TESOL) at USC

The most important part of the program was that it was interactive – real time video conferencing lessons and study group sessions was something that other distance education programs did not offer. (Read more about the Adobe Connect platform that the program used.) While other programs had intensive weekend lessons, the MAT program was paced like a regular program with weekly classes. Like most distance programs, students were required to submit forum postings and term papers, but the MAT program  (as opposed to Master of Education programs) also required students to be involved in fieldwork, observing and video recording classes.

Adobe Connect Meeting Room
Adobe Connect Meeting Room

As I started virtual classes, there were technical glitches now and then but overall, the learning experience was the best I’ve experienced. Most of my schooling experience in Singapore followed what Paulo Freire calls the banking concept where the teacher deposits information into us to be remembered and regurgitated. In the MAT program, on the other hand, true to the impression many have of American education, learning depended on peer discussion and in the process, respecting and embracing the diversity of opinions and ideas. It was liberating for me and I valued and enjoyed every opportunity I had to engage in discussion with professors and classmates alike.

Apart from attending classes, pouring over readings and honing my teaching skills, I spent time with 3 or 4 classmates in study group sessions. In our cozy groups, we clarified our understanding of the readings and concepts, worked on our group presentations, and had fun bonding with one another. Study group was key in connecting me to fellow classmates on a more personal level. I have made friends with kindred spirits and while it is difficult to maintain long distance friendships, I have great hope that we will all meet one another at some point in the future.

As I complete my MAT journey in the Spring of 2013, I have already begun another journey to be a reflective educator and researcher. (Read about my Teacher Leadership Project.) To my professors and classmates, thank you for these two precious years. No goodbyes, just good memories.

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