Tesol Kuwait - Presenters' Bio Day 2

Presenters' Bio

Dr. Justin Shewell - Keynote Speaker

Justin Shewell has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from Arizona State University and an M.A. in TESOL from Brigham Young University. He is the co-designer of the award-winning Teach English Now! (https://teachenglish.asu.edu/), the world’s largest online TESOL certificate program, and co-designer of the popular Learning How to Learn a Language MOOC (https://language-warriors.com). He is the author of several books and book chapters, including 50 Ways to Teach Online (https://jshewell.com) and 50 Ways to Learn a Language (https://jshewell.com). He is the creator of the Perception of Spoken English (POSE) Test (https://posetest.com) and ESL Activities (https://eslactivities.com). He is a member of the Board of Directors for the TESOL International Association (https://tesol.org), the premiere international association for teachers of English to speakers of other languages. He has lived and worked in the UAE, Korea, and Utah, and Hawaii in the United States. He currently lives in Arizona with his wife and their 5 children.

Dr. Mohammad Etidali

Mohammad Etedali works as the English Language Programme Leader at Joutseno Opisto, Finland. He has taught in Iran, Kuwait, and Finland since 1989 and has frequently presented at different international events. He was twice the winner of the Award for Distinctive Teaching (2002, 2011) which he received from the Amir and the Crown Prince of Kuwait. He was one of the founding members of TESOL Kuwait and served as its president in 2016. He is primarily interested in LT in language teaching (CALL), but topics such as the 21st. century education and sustainability are also within his area of interest.

Mr. Omar Salama

Omer Salama is a lecturer of English language in Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic (SPSP). He has PhD in applied linguistics. He presented in many ELT conferences and published three articles. He is a reviewer in two open-access online journals. He is in the field of teaching for more than 18 years. He has the passion of teaching and uses technology in his teaching.

Dr. Reem Al Qanai

Dr. Reem M. Al Qenai is the Head of The English Language Department at Kuwait College of Science and Technology. As a CELTA (Pass B) certified educator, Al Qenai possesses over 13 years of teaching experience. Reem has taught numerous Literature, ESP and Foundation courses within the College of Science, College of Arts & The College of Women at Kuwait University, Kuwait International Law School and Kuwait College of Science and Technology. Al Qenai has also been a team leader for exam writing, a unit testing representative as well as a department accreditation officer. AlQenai applies her complete understanding of education and continues to grow in her career

Panel Discussion Speakers:

Dr. Christine Sabieh is a full Professor at Notre Dame University, Lebanon, teaches and does teacher-training on teaching, learning, assessment, and/or technology partnership. An advocate of CALL, she is a Certified On-Line Instructor/Trainer. She consults, tutors, conducts workshops, and publishes nationally and internationally. Active in TESOL and its affiliates, Christine is the former TESOL CALL-IS Chair 2019-20.

Joshua O’Neil is Area Coordinator Middle East – Cambridge University Press. Joshua has four years’ experience working within the education sector across the Middle East and Europe. Joshua is responsible for adult ELT across the Middle East region, consulting closely with Higher Education, Private and Government institutions to support and develop their ELT departments. Joshua is a CELTA qualified teacher, prior to joining the publishing industry Joshua taught General English and Exam preparation courses.

Dr. Louise Ohashi: (PhD) is an Associate Professor at Meiji University who specializes in TESOL. Her research interests include learner autonomy, motivation, the use of digital technologies for language learning, and the impact that formal education can have on these areas. She has extensive experience using digital technologies as an English educator and a language learner (Japanese, French and Italian). Twitter @ohashilou

Eftychis Kantarakis is an RSA DOTE and an MBA holder and has been working as a teacher trainer with National Geographic Learning for almost 15 years. He has served as a Vice Chair and Newsletter Editor for TESOL Greece. His passion lies with Learning Technologies. Eftychis loves working with teachers as he feels that they shape the future of the world in their classrooms.

Dr. Georgios Kormpas is currently the Director of the Teaching, Learning and Development Center at Al Yamamah University in Saudi Arabia. He also works for the Center for Executive Education where he coordinates programs for executives. Georgios has taught English in several countries, including the USA, Greece, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and others. He has also been an invited speaker at different TESOL events in several countries namely the USA, Greece, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Mexico, Turkey, and others. Georgios is pursuing a Ph.D. researching Technology Enhanced Learning at Lancaster University. He is the Past chair of the ANPC (Affiliate Network Professional Council) a professional council of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) International Association based in the US with affiliate associations in more than 120 countries around the world. Currently Georgios serves as a member of the Nominating Committee of TESOL International.

Mr. Abdullah Al Matani and Mr. Ali Al-Senaidi

Abdullah is a regional supervisor in Sharqia South. He obtained his BA from Rustaq College of Applied Sciences in 2010. He has trained many teachers through an educational portal in many aspects of e-learning. He is a member of the e-learning and IEARN teams. His primary interest is e-learning. Jalan Teacher Training Center, Oman. Co-presenter Ali is a senior English teacher at Alhasan Abasri School. He obtained his BA from Rustaq College of Applied Sciences in 2010. He has presented several workshops at various regional conferences. His main interest is e-learning

Dr. Ilene Winokur

Dr. Ilene Winokur has lived in Kuwait since 1984 and is a professional development specialist supporting teachers globally including refugee teachers. Prior to retiring in 2019, she was a teacher and administrator for 25 years. Her blog and podcast focus on the importance of feeling a sense of belonging. She is a Wakelet Ambassador and Buncee Leader.

Mrs. Maria Polychrou

My educational background (BA English Language and Literature, MA Theatre in Education, PhD candidate Promoting Intercultural Education through Teaching English as a Foreign Language and Educational Drama) and my 16 years of experience, which include teaching both primary and high school kids and preparing them for the English Language Examinations in all levels, have driven me to participate as a presenter in many national and international conferences regarding teaching English as a second language through drama and theatre. \in the field of translation. Last but not least, I have participated in many Erasmus Programs both as a leader and a member conducting intercultural and international projects.

Dr. Katie Welch - Keynote Speaker

An active contributor in the ESL community, Dr. Katie Welch currently serves as Past-President of TexTESOLV, an affiliate of TESOL International that serves the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas. She led the Board of Directors as conference chair of the 2018 state conference and has presented at numerous conferences nationwide. Katie has amassed a lengthy dossier in preparing ESL teachers for both adult and K-12 classrooms, most recently completing seven years at the Emerging Teacher Institute at UNT-Dallas. Katie holds a B.A. in Spanish from Baylor University and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Shu-Hua Wu and Dr. Sulaiman Alrabah

Dr. Shu-hua Wu and Dr. Sulaiman Alrabah are associate professors at the Language Center of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. Their research interests include Language Teaching Methods, Teacher Education, Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences, L2 Reading Research, L2 Writing Research, and Curriculum.

Mr. Samir Omara

Samir Omara has been an English language teacher and teacher trainer for the Ministry of Education since 1998 in Egypt. He got diplomas of education, special education, and educational leadership. He studied “TEFL” and “Management & Leadership Development” at universities of Exeter and Westminster, UK. He presented at ILACE, Nile TESOL, IPAWL, TESOL, BETT and ASES. He is a RELO mentor, IVLP alumnus, MOOC alumni facilitator, AUC Professional Certified Trainer, PAT and AMIDEAST teacher trainer. He got “UK Alumni Professional Achievement” award. He was Head of Professional Development for Teachers First Egypt from 2016 to 2020. He is Nile TESOL 2021 President.

Mrs. Christine Canzanella

With my lifelong interest in languages, I obtained a B.A. in French Literature from McGill University and an M.A in Near-Eastern Studies from UCLA, specializing in the Arabic language. I then taught Arabic at the University of California, Berkeley. During this time, I also obtained an M.A. in TESOL from the University of San Francisco, and I have been teaching English at Kuwait University for the past 18 years. Using my knowledge of Arabic, I have written several English-language textbooks designed specifically for Arabic speakers. My interests include first- and second-language acquisition, materials development, curriculum development, and assessment design.

Mr. Nathan Waller - Keynote Speaker

Nathan Waller is the lead teacher trainer for Macmillan Education in the MENA region. With a background in child development and social and cultural anthropology, he has 15 years of experience in education, starting in early year’s education and special educational needs support in the UK before teaching English in Oman, Egypt, Qatar and Vietnam. He also worked as a teacher trainer in Malaysia and IELTS examiner in China, finally moving to Dubai in 2016 to work in educational publishing.