Nadia Mifka-Profozic

Hi, I teach French at Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland and occasionally have some ESOL students. Currently I am also working on my PhD research study in L2 acquisition at the University of Auckland (just yesterday handed in the report on my pilot study carried out with the English learners of French.) So, second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, bilingualism/multilingualism have recently become the areas of my great interest which I’m very keen to investigate more deeply. Otherwise I have a B.A. in English and Comparative Literature, CELTA Cambridge, Postgrad Dipl. in Teaching and MA in Applied Linguistics from Auckland University.

Although I haven’t been a user of web tools in teaching so far I am aware of the huge potential that lies in the computer assisted/based language learning and teaching. Therefore I would really love to start using it with my students, in teaching both ESOL and French. We do use computers at school but so far it has been limited to using the sites that offer some exercises for languages learners (mostly grammar). I am very keen on exploring more and offer my students the learning though wikis, blogs, and all that I hope I’m going to learn in these six weeks. Otherwise I have been teaching quite a lot of essay writing both in English and French, academic writing (preparation for IELTS), some creative writing with younger classes (13-14 year olds) of mainstream English.

There’s also the issue of motivation – I hope the students will be more motivated to learn and take part in on-line activities and communication.

As a first time participant in EVO I have probably taken up too much, this section and also BaW09, but I ‘ll try to do my best – learn as much as I can and also share, ideas, knowledge, experience, etc.

Yeah, I didn’t say, I have two wonderful kids, actually adults (a daughter of 23 and a son of 29 who I am both very proud of). I have also a cat who has become very lazy these days, having to cope with high summer temperature.

Sure there will be more opportunities and time to add more info.

And, here ‘s just a couple of my photos (the lovely little girls are my nieces). The others were taken not long ago, in Sydney .

Best wishes and warm reagrds from New Zealand,

Nadia