David Michael Pope
Michael Ford
Otto Condliffe
Peter Farber
Robb Ross
TEFL Teacher Course

David Pope brings with him into the classroom a truly remarkable background in the field of EFL.  Having completed his master's degree in modern languages at Cambridge University, he went on to obtain another master's degree in intercultural relations at Victoria University.  He later acquired his CELTA certification at Cambridge University, and his postgraduate certificate in education at Durham University.  Currently one of Shanghai's leading consultants in the areas of English-language training and intercultural relations, David has also written a book for Cambridge University Press on the subject of teaching EFL in China.  David's professional roles in the field of EFL have included university lecturer, senior teacher, assistant director of studies, and school principal, for a broad variety of schools and universities.  He has successfully synthesized the management, teaching, and learning styles of many different cultures to effectively hire, train, and manage a diverse range of teachers and support personnel.  He has taught at middle schools, high schools, universities, private language schools and multi-national corporations, as well as private tutoring, including English, conversational English, English for academic purposes (including academic writing), business English, exam preparation (FCE, CAE, CPE, IELTS, TOEIC and TOEFL), English for special purposes (banking, accounting, marketing, tourism and hospitality), and high school and university preparation.  David possesses extensive experience in curricula design and resource development.

Having been interested in language learning since early childhood, David has studied and is conversational in 6 different languages, including French, German, Dutch, Maori, Czech, and Chinese.  His experiences as a language learner have heavily influenced his teaching style, which combines a solid foundation of grammar within a communicative framework, and have given him a unique insight into ways of enabling his students to solve their own language problems.  Additionally, his background as a professional classical singer has given him a special interest in teaching pronunciation.


Michael Ford holds both a master's degree in English education and a bachelor's in educational studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a recognized scholar and author on the subject of cross-cultural learning.  As Academic Coordinator for Capilano College, Vancouver, BC (Zhejiang Gong Shang University Campus), Mike has designed, taught, and managed a variety of postgraduate-level EFL learning programs.  An expert in the field of language acquisition, Mike is on the cutting edge of progressive pedagogical methodology which focuses on emotional, sociological, cognitive, attitudinal, and psychological education.  Mike draws upon the most-advanced methods and techniques to incorporate into language instruction topics steeped in cultural differentials.  This method emphasizes Choice Theory and "Essence" instruction, rather than the more conventional methodology typically utilized in foreign-language instruction.  At the core of this system is the importance of developing culturally-appropriate curricula according to multiple perspectives / intelligences.  Mike is also an expert in the area of combining technology and education in order to optimize the individual learning experience.


Otto Condliffe is considered to be one of the preeminent experts in English-language training in Shanghai.  He has regularly advised the Chinese Education Ministry on textbook development and currently writes textbooks and learning materials for Pearson, the largest educational publisher in the world.  He has served as a Director of Studies at Shane English, Director of Educational Development for Lingomedia, and Service Manager at Wall Street English.  Otto holds a degree in linguistics from Hertfordshire University in England and an RSA DELTA from the International Teacher Training College, Bournemouth.  RSA DELTA is widely considered to be most-highly valued TEFL certificate in the field, comprising a massive 250 hours of teacher training with a focus on practical skills and methodologies.  Otto has taught, managed, and trained teachers at language schools and universities in the UK, Poland, and China, and has been a certified examiner for both Cambridge First Certificate (FCE) in Poland and for IELTS in China.  His teaching style is eclectic, borrowing from many modern methodologies such as Task Based Learning, NLP, the Communicative Approach and the Natural Method.  He is interested in the use of technology and neuroscience in ELT and is himself a keen language learner, speaking, reading and writing both Mandarin and Polish.


Peter Farber holds a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a master's degree in education from the City University of New York.  He is also a Permanently-Certified Teacher in New York City and New York State (the highest certification awarded).  Few people in the world know TEFL as Peter knows it.  Beginning at the age of 12, Peter’s teaching experiences span an astounding 25 countries, and include every level and category of English, from preschool to PhD, students aged 3 to 80.  As the owner and vice president of DaShan and New Idea Foreign Language schools, Peter has founded, built, and developed hundreds of English-language training centers across China, and has hired, trained, and supervised literally thousands of teachers.  More recently, Peter has served as Director of Education for Shanghai Jiao Tong ONLY International Education Group, where he was responsible for the training and supervision of teachers at more than 200 schools in 15 provinces.  He also headed Adult Programs at Yew Wah International Education in Shanghai, and is currently director of studies at EF Shanghai.  Peter is writing a book about the effective teaching of EFL in China, which draws upon his classroom experiences with tens of thousands of TEFL students from every age group, level, and walk of life.


For the past eight years, Robb Ross has effectively dedicated his life to intercultural communication, TEFL, and teacher training.  He has been a featured lecturer at the prominent AsiaTEFL Conference on topics such as "Language as Culture" and "The Globalization of TEFL Learning Materials."  He is also a well-known television actor and radio personality in South Korea, where he starred in such popular English-language learning programs as Come on Kids and English for Young Learners.  Robb holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and a Master's degree in TESOL from the University of Edinburgh.  For the past eight years, Robb has taught at language schools and universities in South Korea, the Czech Republic, and the UK, spanning nearly every level and type of EFL, from toddlers to graduate students and corporate executives, with specialties in English for academic purposes (EAP) and teacher training (TESOL).  Robb has designed and taught TESOL courses at South Korea's premier foreign language university, which included TESOL methodology, culture and pragmatics, and materials development.  He has published articles in the academic journal English Language Teaching, including "Cultural Awareness in EFL Instruction: Rationale and Suggestions for Implementation."  Robb is an active member of the Korean Association of Teachers of English (KATE) and the Pan-Korea English Teachers Association (PKETA).  His research interests are centered on cross-cultural communication and the implications of the emergence of English as an international language within EFL teaching and learning contexts.  Integral to his research is the exploration of how materials and lessons can better address the needs of culture-specific language learners toward fostering their ability to communicate more successfully.

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