MA, University of Leicester
BA, Ambrose University
OCELT, ICELT
Email: aconrad@uwaterloo.ca
Biography
I was born in Alberta, Canada and moved to Ontario when I was 3. I moved around Southern Ontario a lot as a kid before returning to the West to complete a BA (Hons) in English Literature (Canadian Bible College, later renamed Ambrose University, 2009). After discovering a love for language instruction in my undergrad, I moved to South Korea shortly after graduation to pursue language teaching where I remained for almost 7 years. While there, I completed an MA in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Teaching English as a Second Language (University of Leicester, 2017). Since returning to Canada in 2016, I have taught in a wide variety of English language programs for universities and colleges. Although I have gravitated towards Communications in the past 5 years, I still frequently teach English language skills for several programs. I hold 2 professional language teaching designations (OCELT, ICTEAL), and I’m a member of several language educator communities, having also served on executive boards for many years.
I have a passion for supporting and connecting with students from all backgrounds and can often be found chatting with them about cultures and foods of the world or flexing my Korean Language skills. I also enjoy the outdoors, travel, volunteering with my church and community, singing, theatre and golfing.
Presentations
- Leveraging the Value Rubrics to Support Demand-Led Micro-Certification in Access Education (AAC&U, January 2022)
- Implementing Equitable Assessment through Skills-Based Scoring (GIFT, Fall 2021)
- Adapting Multimedia Projects to create PBLA tasks (TESL Ontario, 2019, TESL Niagara, 2020)
Fellowships
Care & Equity in Teaching Fellow with WiSER@Waterloo (Fall 2024)
Current Research
My MA research focused on the sociolinguistic aspects of language education materials and the effects on English language educators and students. My current interests center on developing practices and materials for the programs and classes I teach into and finding ways to support student’s language development and acculturation in the Canadian climate. More recently, I joined a fellowship with WiSER@Waterloo that focuses on adapting classroom practices to foster better Care and Equity in teaching.
Teaching Areas
- Academic and Workplace Communications - particularly for STEM, Tech and Trades
- Academic Skills (particularly writing and speaking)
- English Grammar and Style
- Academic Integrity
- Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada,
- Workplace Preparation for Newcomers to Canada,
- Language Teacher Training
- Highschool Bridging and community programs