Self Introduction

Hello boys and girls,

This here is Michael Ryan Lesser, a citizen of Canada, a resident of Australia, who calls Taiwan home. If that’s not confusing, I also consider South Korea my second home.

EDUCATION AND WORK BACKGROUND

Now let me explain. I lived in Ottawa and Montreal, Canada, until I was 23. Upon graduation from Concordia University where I earned a Bachelor of Arts, specializing in history of the third world, I moved to Busan, South Korea, to teach EFL. I stayed there for two years, from 1997 to 1999, teaching at a few language schools and a university, while making some lifelong friends. I then moved to Tainan, Taiwan, from 2000 to 2006. I studied Chinese at National Cheng-Kung University, while teaching EFL at various schools, including a high school, where I taught for the last two years. Realizing that I needed to upgrade my skills and qualifications, I decided to come to Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, where I am now earning a Master in TESOL at the University of Southern Queensland. I am also teaching in Study Tours, with groups of students from Korea and Japan, who come and study here for a few weeks to a month. When I graduate, I will return to Taiwan with my fiancé, Chia-Chien Wu, also a student at USQ. I plan to work in a university in Tainan for a few years, and then move to another country.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

As for my teaching philosophy, I enjoy monitoring my pupils in their aspirations of learning and engaging in the English language and its culture. It is my aim to ensure that all of my students excel in their academic and personal lives. Now, more than ever, sociolinguistics and communicative language teaching are at the forefront of the syllabus; thus, it is my goal to make sure that my scholars learn proper, academic English, as well as English used in authentic, real-life situations.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests include speech and pronunciation software, and teaching authentic language through the use of television and film in the EFL classroom. Students and parents of students are very concerned with being properly understood, so voice recognition software can help students gain the accent they desire. Students in today’s world are driven by media, computer games, and comics. The old conventions of learning through a textbook are old fashioned. Teachers can hit their heads against a wall, or they can adapt. Teaching EFL through popular TV shows and movies is one way to keep our students motivated in learning a foreign language.

Any questions? Try me at eslmichael@gmail.com