Jason is an internationally experienced English language instructor and Blended Learning Specialist. Born and raised in Canada, Jason holds dual Swiss/Canadian citizenship and has spent several years living in Lucerne and Zurich.
Jason’s teaching career has taken him to classrooms in Switzerland, Canada, Hungary and Taiwan. Each country had its own unique learning environment, providing Jason with the ability to adapt to every kind of student and teaching situation.
Throughout his career in Switzerland, Jason has taught at various private language schools, has provided on-site exam preparation and in-company business English instruction, and is currently working for the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Zurich. Jason’s current focus in on e-Learning, and finding new opportunities to enhance the classroom with technology and online learning.
In Canada, Jason taught college level English in Toronto, to international students who were preparing to study, or upgrading their language ability to improve their potential for future employment. As a teacher in Taiwan, he taught at an English cram school, a public high-school and a kindergarten.
In 2012, Jason completed a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, with courses in language teaching methodology, curriculum design, teaching with technology, and teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP). For his final dissertation he wrote a paper on the most effective contemporary language teaching approaches.
Jason is also CELTA certified, with an ‘A’ pass distinction (only awarded to approximately 5% of all course participants).
Experience
Blended Learning Specialist / English for Scientific Purposes Lecturer
ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Wädenswil, Switzerland)
- Managing the development and maintenance of the blended learning program for the School of Life Science’s English program, which is attended by approximately 1,000 students per year.
- Liaising with the school’s Blended Learning department, to ensure that students always benefit from the latest improvements in the LMS (Moodle), state of the art digital learning materials, online teaching tools, and collaborative software.
- Simultaneously responsible for teaching blended learning courses in English for Scientific Purposes.
Blended Learning Specialist / Business English Lecturer
ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Winthertur, Switzerland)
- Managed the development and maintenance of the blended learning program for the School of Management and Law’s English department, and acted as the first point of contact for approximately 1,300 students who benefitted from these materials and interactive activities each year.
- Developed and instructed in the department’s first Flex program, a series of Blended Learning courses taught partially online through a series of interactive media and educational videos.
- Liaised with the school’s Blended Learning department, to ensure that students always benefitted from the latest improvements in the LMS (Moodle), state of the art digital learning materials, online teaching tools, and collaborative software.
- Was simultaneously responsible for teaching blended learning courses in Business English and Academic Writing.
English Instructor, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Humber College (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- Taught a critical reading and writing course online through distance education. This is a compulsory course for native speakers of English who are learning how to read and write at the college level.
- Previously also taught this course in a traditional face-to-face classroom.
English Instructor
Centennial College (Toronto, Canada)
- Was responsible for three courses within the English Language Learning program.
Teaching Practicum
Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada)
- Participated in 40 hours of observation and 20 hours of observed teaching during a semester at the university’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program.
- Upon completing the practicum, insights from the experience were used to produce a syllabus and set of teaching materials for a semester of an introductory level English for Academic Purposes class at the school.
English Instructor
The English School of Canada (Toronto, Canada)
- Provided consultation and developed materials which were used to overhaul one of the school’s mainstream courses.
- Provided language lessons for students from all over the world.
English Instructor
The English Professionals (Lucerne, Switzerland)
- Was responsible for the English language program at several international companies in Switzerland. Courses were designed to meet the needs of clients, and were delivered on site. High demand for these courses resulted in increased student numbers and the creation of additional classes.
- Simultaneously taught at the language school. Courses included general and business English, exam preparation (IELTS, Cambridge Exams), and private lessons.
English Instructor (Taiwan)
- Provided English lessons for a public high school, a cram school, and a kindergarten.
Education
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