Kristina Smith
Kristi.HawaiiTeacher@Gmail.com
Introduction
I am a student in the Second Language Studies Department of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. I completed my BA in the Spring
of 2014 and am continuing on to the SLS MA program with a focus on program development and teacher training. I have been
teaching in some capacity, either volunteering, coaching, interning, or assisting for over fifteen years. I am excited to have found a
program that has combined my passion for language with my passion for helping others.
Education/ Training/ Cert.
University of Hawaii at Manoa
BA Second Language Studies- GPA: 3.7
May 2014
- Focused on skills and issues related to cognitive development, bilingual education, and teaching English as a
Second Language
- Focused on specific skills to make English Language Instruction more effective in the areas of reading,
writing, listening, and speaking
- Studied the process of selecting appropriate materials and adapting older materials to balance student needs
with program requirements as well as assessing student
- (Relevant Courses listed at the end of this document) Pursuing Ma in SLS
Pending May 2016
- Continuing the Skills Learned as an undergrad with greater focus on academic reading and writing
- Emphasis on Program Development and Teacher Training
Certificate for Secondary Education
Continue Fall 2015
- Developing the skills necessary for teaching general education in the public school system
- Developing strategies of classroom differentiation for inclusion of learners with special needs (including
linguistic needs)
- Knowledge of laws pertaining to teaching in the public school system
Teaching Experience
EF Honolulu
ESL Instructor
Hawai’i
October 2014- Present
Honolulu,
- Designing materials and instructing a new format of our Culture Series Course (Approx 50-150 students per class)
- Developing a new style of reading course for the program, which incorporates Extensive Reading with additional activities in
Strategic Reading.
- Negotiate topics and instruct a conversation course of culturally diverse students (Up to 17 students per class)
- Design materials and instruct a 6 week syllabus for a Business English for Employment course which focused on skills related to
resume writing, cover letters, and interviews (Up to 17 students per class)
Pacific Friends
ESL Tutor/ Tour Guide
Hawai’i
August 2014- Present
Honolulu,
- Pacific Friends is a vacation company that sets up activities and homestay opportunities for Japanese tourists.
- Several of these tourists are interested in taking English lessons while on vacation,
- Usually 2 hour sessions 2 or 3 times per week focused on language used in tourism or cultural knowledge
YMCA
ESL Instructor
March 2014
Honolulu, Hawai’i
- Class of 7 middle school students from Japan came to Hawaii for an English Language Camp experience
- 5 hours of instruction per day for one week
- Gave students the flexibility to choose from a variety of lessons and activities to enhance motivation for these longer sessions.
HELP foundation, Inc.
August 2006
Assistant Teacher
-
June 2004Cleveland, Ohio
Train new Classroom Aides to perform their duties
Assist teacher with parent conferences and communications
Assist teacher with preparing IEPs and articulating realistic goals
Monitor students’ progress toward those goals
Continue to perform the duties of Classroom Aide (See in Volunteer section below)
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Kristina Smith
Kristi.HawaiiTeacher@Gmail.com
Internship
Kalakaua Middle School
Teacher’s Aide (5 hours per week)
-
January 2014- May 2014
Kalihi, Hawai’i
6th, 7th, and 8th grade Small group work and tutoring
Academic reading, standardized test preparation, and essay writing
Wrote lesson plans to incorporate conversational fluency into lessons
Focused on strategic and critical dimensions of learning Volunteer
HELP foundation
Classroom Aide
June 1999- August 2003
Cleveland, Ohio
(35 hours per week- verification and letter of recommendation available upon request)
-
Direct daily care of students of all ages with severe behavioral, cognitive, and physical disabilities
Worked in conjunction with paraprofessional speech therapists to establish effective means of communicating with students
Worked in compliance with IEPs to meet student's specific goals
Motivate students to achieve their goals
Producing hand made materials for use in the classroom
Other Work History
Na Hoku
Fine Jewelry Salesperson
March 2007- April 2008/ August 2010- September 2014
Ka’anapali, Maui/ Honolulu, O’ahu
- Only multilingual speaker at multiple locations
- Translate for coworkers working with Japanese and Chinese customers
- Utilize creative strategies for communicating with customers from various international backgrounds on a daily basis
- Train new employees on various sales techniques and strategies as well as technical and historical information on the
products
Sir Wilfred’s Cigar and Coffee Shop
Salesperson/ Barista
June 2009- August 2010
Ka’anapali & Lahaina, Maui
- Only multilingual speaker in the store
- Translate for Japanese customers
- Educate customers on various qualities and flavors of coffee and tobacco Revathi Gallery (Fine Art and Jewelry)
Manager/ Store Opener
-
April 2008- March 2009
Ka’anapali, Maui
One of two multilingual speakers between 5 locations
Researched best, most profitable locations to open new stores
Negotiated with hotel management for hours and fees
Opened three new stores and trained incoming staff
Educated customers on the quality of the craftsmanship of designer pieces Awards/ Scholarships
- Merit Scholarship- Wittenberg University 2005-2006
- Dean’s List- UH Manoa Publications
Reading in a Foreign Language Journal
Copy Editor
May 2015
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
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Kristina Smith
Kristi.HawaiiTeacher@Gmail.com
Skills Languages
-
High proficiency: English, Hawai’i Creole, AAVE
Intermediate: Japanese, American Sign Language
Beginner: Mandarin Chinese (Beijing Dialect), Korean
Heritage Language: Welsh
High School Study: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic Computer
-
Familiar with Mac and PC systems of word processing, presentation, and spreadsheets
Linguistic analysis software
Video editing software
Apps for education
Leadership
- Experience leading classrooms of up to 25 students
- Comfortable leading teams of my own peers toward group projects
- Clearly gives instructions and ensures that those I train understand what is expected of them at any time
Interests
Professional
Cognitive Development
- Stages of development
- Cognitive advantages of bilingualism
- Arguments against the critical period hypothesis Learner Types
- Researching differences of learner types and how to make the most of their specific
advantages and disadvantages
Materials Development
- Adapting authentic, real life materials into a lesson of an appropriate level
- Incorporating multimedia into lessons as much as possible
- Creative ways of students to develop their own materials Personal Crafts
- Knit, Crochet, Beadwork, Wire Wrap, Making Jewelry, Origami, Calligraphy, etc
- Often used when creating my own materials for a class Social Media
- Also useful for engaging students in activities outside of class
Exploring the Island
- Hiking, Kayaking, Skydiving, Ziplining
- Knowledge of the local environment can be incorporated into lessons Languages and Cultures
- Knowledge of local cultures and student backgrounds can help establish learner types
and incorporate a culturally relevant dimension into lessons
Relevant Courses
Bachelors of Arts
SLS 499 Directed Reading/Research
Building on the needs analysis and research that I did in 480P, I developed a new course. As our department is currently does not
offer a practicum for undergrads, I developed one and piloted it myself under the supervision of my advisor (See Internship section).
Based on the success of the course, and overwhelming student call for it, the course I designed will be offered in the spring of 2015.
SLS 480P Pedagogy in Globalization
As part of my final project, I performed a needs analysis and a survey of the SLS undergraduates (with over 70% participation of
approx. 90 students) and found that there was an overwhelming student need for a practicum course. I had been designing a
practicum for myself for over a year, but now I had the opportunity to give the student body a voice. The findings of my needs
analysis were presented at an SLS conference, and a pilot course developed.
SLS 313 Second Language Listening and Speaking
Practice writing lesson plans with the specific focus of listening and speaking. Design, analyze, and develop material and activities.
Theoretical frameworks, ideologies as well as sociocultural, political and institutional context.
SLS 380 Bilingual Education
Overview of bilingual education in the United States and related policy. Various types of bilingualism and their advantages.
Teaching methods for various types of bilingual classrooms and programs. The importance of all languages and the impact language
has on identity.
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Kristina Smith
Kristi.HawaiiTeacher@Gmail.com
SLS 302 Second Language Learning
Overview and history of various language concepts, theories and issues related to First and Second Language Acquisition.
SLS 303 Second Language Teaching
Exercise of theories/methodologies related to Second Language teaching. Practice writing lesson plans with rationales and
reflections. Classroom management and appropriate use of the Target Language in the classroom
SLS 490 Second Language Testing
Measurement and evaluation of achievement and proficiency in second language
learning
SLS 430 Pidgin and Creole in Hawaii
Major historical descriptive, pedagogical aspects; pidgin and creole languages, linguistic change, language variation. Work with
actual language data. Laboratory work required.
ANTH 350 Pacific Island Cultures
Introduction to cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia from time of first settlement to emergence of modern nation states.
SLS 441 Language Concepts for Second Language Learning and Teaching
Language analysis-phonology, syntax, semantics, discourse for teaching second
languages.
ETEC 442 Educational Technology
Emphasized the importance of incorporating multimedia into modern day classrooms. How to appropriately use technology in
language teaching and learning using what students have access to, including social networking, video, pod cast, and blogs.
Masters of Arts
SLS 600 Introduction to Second Language Studies
Introduction to basic professional and research issues in second language studies; integration of theory, research, and practice for
prospective second or foreign language teachers and researchers.
SLS 610 Introduction to Teaching Second Languages
Survey and analysis of second language teaching traditions and perspectives.
SLS 614 Second Language Writing
Problems in teaching second language composition. Survey materials; use, modification, and development. Error analysis.
SLS 650 Second Language Acquisition
Survey of theories and research on second language learning by children and adults, learning naturalistically and in formal settings.
Relationships are explored between SLA research and language teaching.
SLS 660 Sociolinguistics and Second Languages
Theoretical and applied aspects of language, culture, and society, and research methods in sociolinguistics, as they relate to second
and foreign language issues.
SLS 620 Second Language Reading
Survey of research in reading process; teaching methodology; psycholinguistic investigations; comparison of reading in first and
second languages.
SLS 630 Second Language Program Development
Designing, implementing, and evaluating language programs; systems-based approach to program and curriculum development.
SLS 672 Second Language Classroom Research
Survey of research on second language classrooms and analysis of methodological issues (Ethnography, Action Research,
Quantitative Studies)
LING 698 Hawaiian Sign Language Documentation and Revitalization
Descriptive information on the phonological, morphological, and syntactic structures and lexicon of Hawai'i Sign Language (HSL);
language skills development in HSL; and guided research related to the documentation, conservation, and revitalization of HSL.
Post Bacc. Certificate
SPED 304 Foundations of Inclusive Schooling
Foundations of "special education" exploring philosophies, diverse and historical viewpoints, laws, and service delivery. Students
reflect upon texts, films and interviews with persons with disabilities, their families and professionals to understand the culture of
disability.
SPED 445 Educating Exceptional Students in Regular Classrooms
Teaching secondary students with disabilities and those who are gifted/talented. Meeting academic/social needs, classroom
management, motivation, peer interaction. Collaboration between special and regular educators. Includes an emphasis on instruction
in writing. (Cross-listed as ITE 445)
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