Curriculum Vitae

Eliz Tchakarian
etchakarian@miis.edu Education: Monterey Institute of International Studies, A graduate School of Middlebury College, Monterey CA Master of Arts, Teaching a Foreign Language (Spanish) Expected May 2012

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA December 2008 Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, Summa Cum Laude, Hispanic Languages and Literatures. Thesis on Jorge Luis Borges and Mikhail Bulgakov titled Staging Christs Last Days: Bulgakov and Borges. Certificate, Russian and East European Studies. TFL Spanish Teaching Experience BUILD Beyond Yourself in Language Development September 2010 to present Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, CA Administrative Officer, Teacher Support/Training, and Teacher Developed marketing strategies, ensured the availability of rooms and materials for the teachers, placed students in their appropriate levels, conducted orientation and training sessions for new teachers, and ensured a productive and stress-free learning environment. Created needs assessment instruments to measure students proficiency level and motivation to learn Spanish and designed a curriculum that matched their wants. While teaching, encouraged group work and interaction through the use of authentic resources that provided real life communications skills for the students. Successfully completed 8-10 weeks of classes every semester, in addition to holding monthly and one-on-one teacher meetings to ensure both students and teachers are comfortable learning and teaching. Summer Intensive Languages Program (SILP) Spanish Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, CA Spanish Teaching Assistant June 2011 August 2011

Closely collaborated with SILP director, Alicia Brent and the Spanish coordinator Professor Pablo Oliva, to determine students needs and created an hour of daily additional instruction for students at the High Elementary level who needed and demanded additional lessons. Provided students with a variety of tasks and authentic resources according to their level and learning needs, which helped them stay motivated and resulted in their placement into the Intermediate High level, in addition to offering emotional support to those who needed guidance throughout the intensive program.

Successfully covered for the coordinator, Prof. Pablo Oliva and Prof. Janet Llana, for three days (equivalent to 15 hours of instruction).

Tutoring, Mentoring and Volunteer Experience Private Spanish Tutor January 2011 Present Monterey, CA Spanish tutor to the MIIS Prof. Gueldry (one hour a week). Conducted an oral needs assessment to determine the students needs and goals. Developed a variety of tasks, exercises, and games meant to strengthen oral communication, listening and reading comprehension, as well as writing skills. In a short period of time the student developed a solid understanding of the language and was able to communicate effortlessly at the Low Intermediate level. Graduate Writing Center Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, CA Writing Tutor February 2011 Present

Identified students major writing difficulties with grammar, sentence structure, organization, and style in all types of writing (from essays to cover letters) by carefully reading their work, administering a questionnaire, and conversing. Used students strengths in order to perfect their writing without explicitly editing their work and used a variety of written and oral feedback techniques to accommodate their needs. Provided students with the necessary resources to continue improving their writing and developed a solid professional relationship with them, which allowed them to feel comfortable writing in the academic realm.

University of Pittsburgh Spanish Writing Center August 2007 to December 2007 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Spanish Writing Tutor Assessed students major difficulties with Spanish grammar, sentence structure, and writing organization by using a simple oral questionnaire and carefully reading their work. Provided careful and customized written and oral feedback, in order to help students recognize the issues in their writing, therefore improve by developing the necessary skills and building upon what they already knew. Developed a strong professional relationship with the students and offered help outside of regular hours if needed. Private English as a Second Language (ESL) Tutor August 2003 to May 2004 Pittsburgh, PA ESL tutor to a senior woman and a child in the 4th grade (native speakers of Armenian). Assessed the womans basic language needs to help her manage her everyday life through the usage of authentic materials that lead her to acquire a job at a local church.

Provided a learning framework to the child to improve on his English and Spanish oral and written skills after which he successfully moved on to the 5th grade.

Other Employment Wayside Publishing January 1, 2011 Present Yarmouth, ME Editorial Assistant Intern Wrote and uploaded the monthly Wayside Publishing Newsletter. Managed and edited the Moodle site designed to enhance students learning experience and offer a variety of resources. Revised and amended the company blog. The Modern Language Journal August 31 Present Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, CA Editorial Assistant Worked closely with the Editor-in-Chief Dr. van Lier and the Managing Editor Elana Solon to select and contact reviewers, communicate with authors, and keep in touch with other editors. Copy-edited an average of four manuscripts (40-60 pages) and proofs (20-50 pages) a week, in addition to handling daily administrative tasks. Kept current on innovations and developments in the field of foreign language education, communicated with a number of professionals in the field, and helped dramatically reduce the number of unprocessed manuscripts. Intensive and Custom Languages June 2011- August 2011 Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), Monterey, CA Graduate Assistant Liaised with the director of Custom Language Services (CLS), Diane Williams, to schedule rooms and other services for CLS clients to deliver a high quality of customized learning experience. Enhanced the work and learning environments by answering telephone and e-mail inquiries about the program in a timely manner and assisted CLS teachers with any materials, print outs, books, and/or scheduling and administrative issues when needed. Developed a professional relationship with all parties involved while performing the above responsibilities. Hallmark Hall of Cards March 2005 to May 2010 Pittsburgh, PA Sales Associate Responsible for hiring, training, and supervising new employees. Performed all store operations that included opening and closing, layout, effective and personalized customer service, computer operations and technical support. Successfully accommodated approximately 200 customers a day while maintaining an ethical and productive work environment.

Westminster Presbyterian Church November 2004 to December 2006 Pittsburgh, PA Teacher Responsible for three 1-2 year olds at a time. Recognized the importance of early childhood language education, thus introduced the children to Spanish. Used and developed authentic materials such as songs, paintings, drawings, association and role playing games in order to introduce basic Spanish vocabulary and sentence structure to a tough audience. Maintained a friendly and comfortable environment for the children. Projects and Presentations Celebrating Foreign Language Education: A Monterey Bay Symposium March 2012 Editor-in-Chief Edited and approved all symposium materials such as the proposal form, flyers, and the program. Accepted and suggested revisions to proposals for presentations, workshops, poster sessions, and panel discussions. Presented Learning to write in a foreign language versus learning a foreign language through writing? 4th Annual Undergraduate Symposium March 2008 Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Presented the essay: El Lenguaje Como una Paradoja en El camino a taca y en El lenguaje de la soledad por Carlos Liscano, published in the Visions of Latin Ameica Journal, Vol. III, Issue 2. Principles and Practices December 2010 Kumaravadivelu Project Presented the Macrostrategy Contextualizing Linguistic Input with two other colleagues at the Fall 2010 Principles and Practices Trade Fair. The project focused on relating Kumaravadivelus macrostrategy to appropriate classroom activities, planning learning tasks for different populations of learners, sequencing related tasks into a meaningful instructional order, and relating the ideas to existing literature on language education. The project included a sequence of six tasks organized around a short authentic reading consisting of an advice column and three politically charged songs. All tasks were presented in Chinese, Spanish, and English and are appropriate for intermediate to advanced learners. The written project and the presentation were available to colleagues, professors and other faculty and it was overall well received. Educational Research Methods Research Proposal December 2010

Influence of Type of first language Orthography on English Spelling Skills The proposed research concentrated on whether or not type of first language (L1) orthography has an effect on English spelling skills with the following levels of the independent variable: shallow orthography and Roman alphabet (Spanish), shallow orthography and Cyrillic alphabet (Russian), and hidden orthography and Roman alphabet (French). Although the research is exploratory, if performed it will add to the large body of research in support of the use of L1 in the classroom and Bilingual Education. Further research on specific constructs is necessary in order clarify how to effectively teach English spelling to learners from different literacy backgrounds. Curriculum Design January - June 2011 MIIS Summer Intensive Language Program (SILP) Spanish Fluency Component My colleague, Gabriel Voehl, and I developed a needs assessment for the SILP Spanish 2011 students and other stake holders (e.g, SILP Program Director Alicia Brent) after which we analyzed the results in order to develop an appropriate curriculum for the fluency component of the program. I developed a detailed syllabus, course goals, unit objectives, one unit plan, one lesson plan, and connected all five elements to the goals of the students as well as all other parties involved. The final project was featured in the Curriculum Design Trade Fair and was received extremely favorably by both, Dr. Peter Shaw and Alicia Brent. Language Assessment January - June 2011 SILP Spanish Diagnostic Test Since I was already familiar with the incoming SILP Spanish students, I developed a diagnostic test that featured relevant topics to the students as well as a number of important grammatical points. The test was piloted with Dr. Kathleen Bailey and two of my colleagues, after which I piloted it with students from a variety of levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), in order to determine the validity and reliability of the test. Upon analyzing the results I found that the test was not perfect, however I knew how to improve it and I received favorable feedback on my overall work and extensive report from Dr. Kathleen Bailey, Prof. Carina Feldsberg, and the students who took the test.

Screenplay and Short Story Editing November 2007 to present Working with the author Jason Falcione who was published in the Pittsburgh Writers Project Magazine in Issue 3, Volumes 1, 2, and 3. We are currently working on two screenplays titled Vacation and Painted, as well as developing a YouTube miniseries. Honors and Awards Monterey Institute of International Studies merit scholarship 2010 2011

Eucalyptus Foundation Scholar Technological Competency

2011 -2012

Closely acquainted with ScholarOne Manuscripts for the purposes of managing manuscripts for The Modern Language Journal. Acquainted with a wide variety of Internet based learning and teaching tools such as WordPress, LiveMocha, grammar enhancement and games websites, Facebook, Youtube, newspapers and magazines such as Time and BBC, smart phone software and applications such as Nativa Translator, Audacity voice recording and editing software, and Skype. Familiar with the Windows operating systems from 95 to Windows 7. Highly proficient with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point), Adobe Acrobat Reader, and Page 2 Stage (screenplay writing software). Excellent research skills that include knowledge on several databases such as ERIC and JSTOR. Closely acquainted with UPS WorldShip 2005-2010 software.

Language Skills Bulgarian: English: Native speaker (Near) Native

Spanish: Superior Advanced Attended an immersion program in Sofia, Bulgaria Undergraduate degree in Hispanic Languages and Literatures Graduate level coursework in Spanish at MIIS: Professional Public Speaking and Internet, Media and Conflict in Hispanic Countries (Directed Study). Russian: Low intermediate in speaking, intermediate in reading, writing, and listening

Armenian (West): Intermediate/Colloquial Only Armenian by origin Portuguese: Beginner Completed and introductory Portuguese course at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

References Professors: Dr. Peter Shaw Professor of TESOL/TFL Monterey Institute of International Studies Dr. Lynn Goldstein Professor of TESOL/TFL and Sociolinguistics Monterey Institute of International Dr. Leo van Lier Professor of TESOL/TFL Monterey Institute of International Studies Employers: Jon Lind Owner of Hall of Cards 460 Pierce Street Personal/Professional: Jason Falcione Writer/Retail Manager Prof. Michel Gueldry Professor of French and European Union Studies Monterey Institute of International Studies