President

Helen Moore, AM, PhD, is a “retired” (!) teacher educator, who set up the first full professional TESOL teacher education program at La Trobe University (Melbourne) in the late 1970s. She was also Acting Director of the La Trobe Language Centre (1991-93), which included AMEP and ELICOS students. She has taught in Papua-New Guinea, England, Holland, China and Australia. Her 2004 doctoral thesis from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), Toronto, analysed policies impacting on English language teaching in Australian schools from 1948 to 1996. Returning to Australia in 2004, she worked for the AMEP Research Centre on two projects (continuous enrolment and provision for refugee youth with minimal/no previous schooling). She has played a major advocacy role through the Australian Council of TESOL Associations (ACTA). She is currently ACTA Vice-President, co-chairs the ACTA Consultancy Group on EAL/D for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander English language learners, is a member of the ACTA Adult ESOL Consultancy group, and represents ACTA on the Foundation Skills Advisory Committee to the Dept. of Education & Workplace Relations. Her other passion is music.

Vice President

Patrick Kelly says: “I have over 30 years’ experience in the areas of teaching and student diversity. I have worked as a primary and secondary school teacher, special educator, an advisor around students with diverse needs, including those students for whom English is an additional language or dialect, and as a Curriculum and Assessment Specialist – Student Diversity for ACARA. In 2023 I returned to the classroom as an Inclusive Education Teacher at St Mary MacKillop College. I am passionate about ensuring that our students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, abilities, and interests are not barriers to them accessing a meaningful education experience.”

Secretary

Siyang (Sia) Tang. Sia says “I am currently a Master’s student majoring in TESOL at UC. I have a comprehensive academic background in business, marketing, information systems, and education. I have worked in marketing and communication, system support, student recruitment, student service, and administration for tertiary education institutions. I believe in the power of language as I believe ‘Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going’“.

Treasurer

Janica Morella says: “I was born in Malta but moved to Australia when I was 2. Maybe it’s because of this huge move that I love to travel and have always been inspired by different cultures and languages. I qualified in teaching English in Spain through the University of Cambridge in Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (CERT TESOL). I loved teaching English in Belgium and Japan to students ranging from 2 to 72 years old! In Canberra, I now teach English to primary school students who are either new arrivals to Australia or who have other languages/dialects at home and need help. I joined the ATESOL ACT Committee in 2019. It’s been a wonderful way to network with other EALD teachers and to update my skills through professional learning opportunities s. I hope to begin studying my Masters in this area soon.

Convenor, Membership Working Party

Public Officer

Sarah Warren says: “I’m a primary school educator in the ACT Public Education Directorate. I have worked in a variety of different school settings throughout the ACT in between overseas postings. Currently I teach a year 1 mainstream class at Kingsford Smith School. We have an amazing diversity of home languages and cultures. My involvement as a member of ATESOL ACT is central to my professional learning and development. The expertise, advocation and excellent opportunities assist my everyday teaching. I am proud to be a member of such a dynamic association.”

Social Media Editor

Phattharanit (Bee Bee) Pannuan. Bee Bee says “I have always had a passion for learning languages. I’m an experienced and qualified education professional with additional TESOL and IELTS training and a graduate diploma in early childhood education. I recently completed a graduate certificate in TESOL at the University of Canberra. I come from Thailand, where I have teaching experience at a language school in Bangkok. The research focus of my Master of Arts (English) was the development of English-speaking strategies. I migrated to Australia in 2019. Moreover, I have a strong background in AMEP (Adult Migrant English Program) education as I volunteered at a local TAFE in Perth as a classroom tutor. I also taught at the language school where I studied CELTA, and I have worked in early childhood education and care in Perth. In Canberra, I am a early childhood educator at a day care at the ANU and an IELTS invigilator, and I am studying towards Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and planning to step up to be an educational leader. I enjoy engaging with people from all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds and always wonder how many languages they can speak. I am a new committee member, and I am enthusiastic to use my passion in English to make a meaningful impact on my students. In my free time, I like hiking, visiting museums and travelling”.

Bronwyn Singh (Dip. Teaching, B Ed., Grad. Dip. TESOL) is currently teaching in an ACT Government Primary Introductory English Centre. Canberra born and bred, Bronwyn began her teaching career in the United Arab Emirates in primary schools operating in English medium.  TESOL Arabia conferences initiated her into the TESOL world and prompted a strong desire to learn more about the field. Back in Australia, Bronwyn joined the staff at a new arrivals Intensive English Centre. She has contributed to the ATESOL ACT Committee since 2013 and is now its Immediate Past President. Bronwyn is a Stage 2 nominee for a National Excellence in Teaching Award, sponsored by the Australian Scholarships Group.

Sharmila Ghimire

I come from Nepal and am currently living in Australia. I’m an enthusiastic teacher who is passionate about teaching English. I’ve been in this teaching field since 2012. I am an IELTS and PTE instructor who helps students become fluent in the language and get their desired score. I hold a Masters in Humanities and Social Sciences and I’m currently studying for a Masters of TESOL at the University of Canberra. I’m keen to enhance my teaching skills using the teaching methods that I’m learning here in Australia.

Sharon Gilbert

I’m an experienced adult education team leader and teacher with over 24 years’ experience in the language and literacy field. I’m motivated, driven and always looking to challenge myself.

The first 10 years of my career were spent working in Science. I began my career in ESL / LLN after travelling overseas for several years, where I became interested in other cultures. I then returned to university to study for a Masters in Linguistics.

I’ve worked in ELICOS, International Study Tour programs, WELL programs, ESL/LLN Indigenous projects, the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) – my passion, and the Foundation Skills for Your Future Program.

I’m passionate about my field, motivated by the extraordinary students I’ve been so privileged to meet, interact with and support in achieving their work, personal and settlement goals. I’m grateful to have had these opportunities to make a difference by helping students in their learning journey.

I’ve also been fortunate to have expanded my knowledge and skills through working with knowledgeable and passionate professionals in projects and working groups, and in collaborating with ESL teachers in the AMEP and the vocational education and training sector.

I’m now working at Canberra Institute of Technology in the Teacher Capability Team.

Sophie Arkoudis

Dr Sophie Arkoudis is a recently retired Professor of Higher Education. She was the Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne. Her research has included English language teaching and assessment in higher education, internationalising the curriculum, and English language standards in higher education. She has led major projects in recent years, including studies commissioned by the International Education Association of Australia, the Commonwealth Government and Universities Australia.

Humera Khan (MA English – Linguistics and Literature; Grad. Cert. -Educational Leadership; Grad. Cert. TEAL; Diploma in TESOL; Cert IV Mental Health; Dual Diploma TAE50216 Training Design and Development and TAE501166 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training; TAE v4). Humera is currently pursuing a Master of Education (Leadership and Learning) PhD Pathway. Qualified and dedicated TEFL/EAL/ESL teacher, and Trainer and Assessor, she is passionate about education leadership and in her motivation to pursue a career in Training and Development. Her experience includes more than 10 years of developing and delivering training materials for English Language programs, including for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), and the Certificates in Spoken and Written English (CSWE), and for Mental Health courses in collaboration with RTOs and TAFE institutes in Victoria (Melbourne Polytechnic, Chisholm Institute, Swinburne TAFE, AMES Australia) and in the ACT (Navitas Skilled Futures and CIT).

Margo Smith says: “I started professional life as bank accountant and then studied Nursing. Continuing into teacher education, I studied at Signadou Catholic University (Canberra) and then Charles Darwin University (CDU). My first teaching position was at Maningrida in remote North-East Arnhem Land. To experience learning a new language, I spent 6 weeks at the Universitas Nusa Cendana in Kupang, Timor, studying Bahasa Indonesia. Following Maningrida, I moved back to Canberra and completed a B. Ed. at Canberra University. My interest in health continued, so I also undertook a Master of Indigenous Health at Wollongong University. I worked as an Enrolled Nurse and as a casual teacher in both Catholic & ACT Directorate schools, and then at the Australian Centre for Languages in Sydney. I returned to Maningrida as an Outstation teacher, then worked in several Arnhem Land communities, studied for a Master of Applied Linguistics, moved to Darwin, taught at Darwin High School in the Intensive English Unit, then returned as a Teacher Linguist to Maningrida, also the Tiwi Islands, then lectured at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Education and taught in the AMEP at CDU. My final Top End job was as Careers Advisor at St John’s Catholic College, Darwin, consolidating connections between St John’s and Batchelor Institute. I’ve always felt my most valuable learning was with my Indigenous colleagues and the community members in the NT. Back in Canberra, I taught in the AMEP with Navitas and am now at St Clare of Assisi Catholic Primary School teaching Bahasa Indonesia (K-6), as well working with AMEP students on Saturday mornings.