CV - English

Jason Mark Ward
Email: jasonmarkward@hotmail.com
Personal Profile: An innovative, energetic and experienced writing teacher with two MAs, in TESOL and
critical theory, and twelve years of over-seas university-level teaching, plus published expertise in teaching
reading and writing, student-centred instruction, feedback and educational technology.
Education and Training
PhD in English (currently in progress). Nottingham University. UK
2006-Present (P/T)
My research into film and literature explores the exhilarating new field of adaptation and, specifically, the adaptation and
appropriation of D. H. Lawrence. I have discovered a ‘lost’ short film, presented at the International D.H. Lawrence
Conference, completed the upgrade from MPhil to PhD and am currently working to complete my thesis in 2010.
MA in TESOL (GPA 3.93). The American University of Sharjah. UAE
2003-2005 (P/T)
Reading and Writing in ESL (A), Language Testing and Evaluation (A), Culture and the Language Teacher (A), Curriculum
and Materials Development (A), Classroom Research (A), Language Acquisition and Development (A), Linguistics for ESL
Teachers (B+), Advanced English Grammar (A), English Language Teaching Methodology (A), Practicum (A), Technology in
the ESL Curriculum (A), Thesis: Computer Assisted Language Learning in Whole Language.
MA in Critical Theory. Nottingham University. UK
1997 (P/T)
In teaching the most obvious benefits of this MA are critical literacy and critical thinking. When instructing reading, the
cultural and ideological assumptions that underwrite texts are emphasised, and students encouraged to question how they
feel about the content and how it relates to their lives. When teaching writing, students are advised to critically evaluate
their own writing and speaking through discourse analysis, consider audience and the social and cultural purposes of
language use, and to recognise rhetorical patterns. To advance critical thinking, students are encouraged to take
responsibility for discovering meaning, and to find a purpose that is real to them and therefore worth the effort.
BA (hons) 2:i in English Language and Literature. University of Central England. UK 1992
Major courses: The History of the English Language, Socio-linguistics, Semantics, Sentence & Text, Words & Meaning,
Poetics, Narrative, Genre and Gender, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Renaissance Drama, 17 th Century Literature, 18 th Century
Literature, Literature 1790-1825, Literature 1840-1880, Reception of Literature, Modernist Short Story, Modernist
Literature, 1930s America, Literature and its Determinants post-1945, Film Studies, Science Fiction.
Theatre Training Programme. Holgate Theatre, Nottingham.
1993 (P/T)
This course developed management and team-building skills through theatre training, improvisation and performance.
Presentations
• INGED Ankara, Turkey 2009 – iRead: Student-Generated Reading
• TESOL Qatar, Qatar 2009 – Student-Generated Content
• AUS Research Forum, UAE 2009 - Not as Good as the Book: Can Film Adaptations Ever Live Up to Our Expectations
• Nottingham University, UK 2008 – Team-taught an MA class with the director of the DH Lawrence Research Society
• The Eleventh International D. H. Lawrence Conference. UK, 2007 - The endings of "Odour…"
• TESOL Florida, USA 2006 – Dare to Moodle
• TESOL Arabia, UAE 2006 – Moodlers in the Middle East
• TESOL Texas, USA 2005 – Tale of two bloggers
• TESOL Arabia, UAE 2005 – Computer-assisted feedback
• TESOL Arabia, UAE 2004 – Reading, writing and blogging: Pushbutton publishing for our pupils
• KYOTO JALT, Japan 2004 – Alternative assessment and the rise of the weblog
• TESOL Arabia, UAE 2003 – Wired community in the CBI classroom [Online Discussion Groups]
Publications
• Chrysanthemums at Broadway (2010). D. H. Lawrence society newsletter, 85, 38-45.
• Interactions in an online class (2010). In M. Al-Hamly, P. Davidson & I. Fayed (Eds.). Computers in English Language
Teaching (pp. 155-167). United Arab Emirates: TESOL Arabia Publications.
• Teaching to learn: Advantages of student-centred learning (2009). In C. Gunn (Ed.), Exploring TESOL practices in the
Arabian Gulf (pp. 124-137). Dubai: TESOL Arabia.
• The neon nights of the Emirates (2007). In Encounters in the Middle East (pp. 209-216). Palo Alto: Solas House.
• ESL Café: The Computer-Assisted Feedback Experience (2006). In Proceedings of the 11th TESOL Arabia
conference: Teaching, learning, leading (pp. 191-204), Vol 10. Dubai: TESOL Arabia.
Moodling in the Middle East (2006). In C. Combe & L. Barlow (Eds.) Language teacher research in the Middle East
(pp. 173-186). Alexandria, VA, USA: TESOL
• Dare to Moodle! (2006). TESOL Perspectives, 14, (1), 10-16.
• Having a BALL with Blog-Assisted Language Learning (2005, January). LORE: An E-journal for teachers of
writing. Retrieved January 21, 2005, from http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/lore/digressions/content.htmdis13
• Blog-assisted language learning (2004, October). TEFL web journal. Retrieved October 1, 2004, from
http://www.teflweb-j.org/v3n1/blog_ward.pdf
• Teaching ESL/EFL with the Internet (book review) (2004). TESOL Arabia Perspectives, 11 (3).
• Dozens of restaurant reviews published in every Dubai Explorer book from 2004-2009. Dubai: Explorer Publishing.
Jason Mark Ward’s Resume p. 1

Teaching Experience
Senior Instructor of Writing. Department of Writing Studies (DWS). American University of Sharjah, UAE.
Chaired and served on most committees for the department and the school such as IT, the E-Learning Platform and
the Faculty Development, Placement and Recruitment committees. Senior instructor of the following courses:
WRI102 Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Taught and designed a writing course based around
stimulating, culturally appropriate readings in areas such as philosophy, travel, film, and literature.
WRI101 Communications 101 – Academic Writing. Pioneered the use of weblogs and utilised meaningful
content such as film, literature, and psychoanalysis to teach effective composition skills at the 101 level.
WRI001 Fundamentals of Writing. Designed and taught interactive methods of learning the basics of English
in 001 through student-centred online activities and discussion forums. Introduced Moodle to DWS.
Adaptation: Text to film. I have also designed a syllabus for our communications department on the study of
film adaptation (my PhD area) to promote reading and writing across the curriculum, which is awaiting approval.
English Teacher. Bilkent University Ankara, Turkey.
Previously taught English courses to native Turkish speakers at Bilkent University. Participated in a content-based
instruction (CBI) pilot program that resulted in a new curriculum being instated in the university's English program.
Instructed the following courses:
• CCI (Cultures, Civilisations and Ideas) & AMER (American Studies). Taught 2 nd and 3 rd year engineering
students how to discuss, read and write about challenging, canonised humanities and philosophy texts from
Homer to Freud. Assisted in the adjunct course design, produced own lesson plans, assignments and weekly
materials. Also, designed and administered the CCI web site.
• ENG 101. Taught and designed 1 st year English courses to improve academic writing and oral English skills.
Produced own CBI syllabus, course-books, lesson plans, weekly materials and websites for the topics of The Self
and Identity (1999) and Dream Interpretation (2001).
• ENG 102. Taught and designed 1 st year English and Composition II, to improve academic language skills and
research writing. Produced CBI syllabus, course-books, lesson plans, weekly materials and websites for Dreams
Research (2000) and Conspiracy Theory (2002).
• ENG 403/410 Business Communication (ESP). Assisted in the design and delivery of a course in business
communications to develop and improve business-writing skills and oral communication for 4 th year students.
Designed and administered web site.
Writing Consultant. Bilkent University Ankara, Turkey.
Tutored five hours per week at BilWrite, the university writing centre:
• Assisted students working on writing, reading and presentation assignments and CV building.
• Specialised in computer skills, essay composition, research and humanities projects.
ESL Teacher. LEC (Paris), Nottingham, UK.
This position was an exciting, early introduction to teaching and working with students from a different culture:
• Taught conversational English to groups of French students during their educational holidays in the UK.
• Arranged and led excursions and activities, providing comprehensive information on the area and attractions.
English, Communications and I.T. Teacher. People’s College, Nottingham & Wilmorton College, Derby, UK.
Worked part-time in two community colleges simultaneously, teaching, assessing and preparing resources for a
range of subjects:
• Taught English ‘A’ Levels, and GCSEs, GNVQ, Credit Framework, RSA & BTEC Communications; RSA CLAIT, C&G
Information Technology
• Educated students from a wide range of backgrounds and with a variety of abilities, such as: mature students,
recent immigrants, the hearing-impaired, and university applicants.
• Helped students to find work placements, visited them on-site and provided support.
English Teacher and School Administrator. Thomas Danby College, Leeds. UK
Primarily responsible for the administration and evaluation of the schools of Health, Science, Leisure and Tourism
and also taught part-time:
• Taught GCSE English to a school referral student with autism and also to a class of mature students.
• Supported care staff on field trips for students with learning difficulties.
• Compiled agendas, took minutes, monitored databases, produced spreadsheets and reports.
• Ran a fitness class for the other staff during my lunch break, three times a week.
Aug
2002-
Jan 2010
1998-
June
2002
1998-
2000
Summers
1991-
1994
1995-
1996
1997-
1998
Skills/ Hobbies
• Helped to set up the Moodle CMS for The American University of Sharjah as part of an Open Source initiative.
• Highly computer literate in the use of Macs, PCs, Blackboard, Moodle and a range of software and hardware.
• Designed and administered a number of websites and CMSs for a range of courses and audiences and set up a
tutorial database for daily use in the Bilkent writing centre.
• Planned, produced and DJed my own weekly alternative shows for Bilkent Radio and Ankara’s Radiovizyon.
• Performed and assisted in numerous student film projects and in a televised play for the Ruler of Sharjah.
• Sing backing vocals and play harmonica for a band, which has performed concerts in Dubai and Sharjah.
References. Available on request.
Jason Mark Ward’s Resume p. 2