Our Teaching Faculty

Qualifications

B.A. (Hons) (NUS)

PGCE (Institute of Education, University of London)

M.A. (Eng. Lang.) (NUS)

M.Sc. (Policy & Leadership) (University of Pennsylvania)

Diploma in Department Management (NIE, NTU)

Ed.D. (University of Western Australia)

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional experiences

Dr Alvin Pang taught at a local secondary school before joining the Ministry of Education as an English curriculum specialist. He then taught the General Paper in a junior college where he headed the English Department. He is currently the Dean of the Training, Research, Assessment and Consultancy Division at SEAMEO RELC. He has been involved in both language teaching and teacher training. He is an authorized Aviation English Competency Test examiner.

Major interests

Curriculum planning and materials development, reading and writing, ESP, teacher training, and qualitative research

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, with distinction (University of Colorado, U.S.A.)

Postgraduate Diploma in Education (University of New England, Australia)

Master of Education (University of Canberra, Australia)

Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and Learning (RMIT University, Australia)

Doctor of Education (University of Leicester, U.K.)

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional Certificate in Hybrid Teaching and Learning, Republic Polytechnic. Singapore.

Professional experiences

Dr Marie Yeo has taught English to foreign language learners in Australia, China, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Vietnam.  She has also trained teachers, university lecturers and educational administrators in teaching methodology, educational management, and supervision.  Before joining RELC, she worked as a Lecturer at the University of Canberra, the Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute, and the University of Phnom Penh. She was Head of the English Program at the Cambodia Development Research Institute in Phnom Penh and at the Center for Amerian Education in Singapore. She has also worked as a Consultant with IDP Australia and UNESCO and as an Adviser on several AusAID, USAID and EU-funded projects. Most recently, she has worked with several private educations institutions (PEIs) in Singapore in the area of accreditation. She is an authorized Aviation English Competency Test examiner.

Major interests

TESOL methodology, teacher education, trainer training,

Quality Assurance and International Accreditation, tertiary

teaching and learning, international education, English

Medium Instruction (EMI), and blended learning

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia)

Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education (Monash University)

Master of Education in TESOL (Monash University)

Doctor of Philosophy (Monash University).

Professional experiences              

Prior to joining RELC, Dr Roby Marlina was a lecturer in the Department of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He has also taught various TESOL teacher-education courses to early-childhood, primary, and secondary English language teachers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. He is an authorized Aviation English Competency Test examiner.

He has published widely in the fields of World Englishes curriculum and pedagogy, language teacher education, and intercultural education. His scholarly works have appeared in international peer-reviewed journals; and various edited books and the encyclopedias on language teaching and teacher-education. His edited book, The Pedagogy of English as an International Language: Perspective from Scholars, Teachers, and Students, was published by Springer International Publishing. He is also the sole author of a monograph entitled Teaching English as an International Language: Implementing, Reviewing, and Re-Envisioning World Englishes in Language Education, published by Routledge (Taylor and Francis Group). His google scholar profile can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/robymarlina

Major interests

The pedagogy of English as an International Language

Materials development and evaluation

Internationalisation of Education

TESOL teacher-education

Qualifications

B. Ed. English (Saint Mary’s University, Philippines)

PG Diploma in Language Studies for Teachers (University of the Philippines)

M.A. Language and Literacy Education (University of the Philippines)

Ed.D. (Northeastern College, Philippines)

PG Certificate in Learning Design (University of Toronto, Canada)

Professional experiences

Dr Joel Meniado has more than 20 years of experience in teaching, training, and leading ELT professionals in various countries. He has trained pre-service and in-service teachers on ELT methodologies, technology integration, language assessment, and classroom-based research. Before joining RELC, he worked as a teacher educator in the Philippines and a language lecturer/trainer in Saudi Arabia. In addition, he also served as a leader of different teacher development initiatives in Southeast Asia, Middle East, and North America. As a scholar, he has published widely in the areas of literacy development, technology integration, language assessment, and language teacher development under Routledge, Wiley, and SAGE. His scholarly works are indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

Major interests

Language education, new literacies, alternative language assessment, self-directed professional learning, technology-enhanced language learning

Qualifications

Ph.D. Applied Linguistics, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

M.A. Applied Linguistics, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Postgraduate Diploma in English Language Teaching (PGDELT), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

B.A. English, Sun Yat-Sen University, China

Professional experiences

Dr Weiyu Zhang has more than six years of English language teaching experience at the university level. She has taught a variety of courses, including general English, speaking, and reading courses. She has conducted consultations and workshops for graduate students on academic writing and oral presentation skills.

Her primary research focuses on academc writing and corpus-based discourse analysis. She has also conducted research on topics related to English language teaching, task-based learning, and transnational teacher education and language assessment. Her works have appeared in various books, peer-reviewed journals, and internatinal conferences.

Major Interests

English language teaching, academic writing, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), English for Research Publication Purposes (ERPP), corpus-based discourse analysis, CDA

Qualifications:

PhD., University of Otago, New Zealand

M.A. (English Language Teaching), University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

B.Ed. (Teaching English as a Second Language), University of Exeter, United Kingdom

Professional Experiences

Dr. Pearl Wong has over 23 years of experience in teaching and mentoring English Language learners of different academic levels in Singapore and Malaysia. In addition to language teaching, she has taught and tutored pre-tertiary and tertiary level modules related to the development of academic writing skills, critical thinking, and higher order thinking skills. She also oversaw the English Language departments of two private educational institutes in Singapore, actively contributing to the professional growth of her team of English Language educators.

She has a keen interest in teacher development, primarily in the socio-psychological construct of self-efficacy.

Major Interests

Teacher training and mentoring, Teacher professional development, Teacher self-efficacy, Higher order thinking skills, Critical thinking

Qualifications

M.A. TESOL, Sheffield Hallam University, UK

B.A. (Hons) Social Anthropology, University of Kent, UK

Licentiate Diploma in TESOL, Trinity College, London, UK

Graduate Certificate of Education: Tertiary Teaching, James Cook University, Australia

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional experiences

Paul has been teaching English language and communication skills courses in Asia since 2000. He has taught in a variety of contexts including English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses to military officers in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses to students on university pathway courses in Saudi Arabia, Singapore and China. Paul has also taught EFL and exam preparation courses in Indonesia and Singapore, and conducted corporate training for companies in China. In his most recent role as a lecturer at a university in Singapore, he was a course coordinator which involved developing and moderating assessment items and designing courses which were approved by the Singapore Council for Private Education and the Australian accreditation body, NEAS.

In his current role as Deputy Dean at SEAMEO RELC, Paul oversees the Language Teaching (LT) team in TRAC and works closely with clients from around the region to design and deliver English language and professional communication skills courses to meet the needs of course participants. Paul teaches a variety of courses to adult learners from countries in Southeast Asia and beyond. He is an authorized Aviation English Competency Test examiner.

Major Interests

Extensive reading, portfolio assessment, and the development of learner autonomy.

Qualifications

M.A. Applied Linguistics, RELC and National University of Singapore

B.A. Hons. (Sociology), National University of Singapore

B.A. (English and Sociology), National University of Singapore

Postgraduate Diploma in Education, NIE, Nanyang Technological University

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional experiences

Claudine has 25 years of teaching experience in the Ministry of Education, Singapore. She taught General Paper, Literature and Project Work in junior colleges, and also has 10 years’ experience as Subject Head for Literature in English. During this time, two of her students were awarded the Angus Ross Prize and the second runner up, respectively.  She also conceptualized and helmed the Humanities Scholarship Programme for higher ability students. Claudine taught both lower ability and higher ability students, and she has experience in creating both support and stretch materials and programmes to support diverse learners. She was awarded a Post-Graduate Scholarship by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and after completing her Masters, she served in the English Language & Literature Branch (ELL), Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD), MOE. While in CPDD, she was a member of the Secretariat for a national study that reviewed English proficiency in mainstream schools. She led two national curriculum reviews as subject team leader for Literature and Knowledge and Inquiry (Pre-University/ GCE A levels). Claudine convened the Syllabus Review Committee and worked closely with representatives from the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board. To create a platform for professional sharing in the teaching fraternity, she initiated the National Literature Symposium (Pre-University). She facilitated the roles of experienced teachers identified for the Instructional Programme Support Group (Literature in English) to address the professional training needs of the fraternity. Additionally, Claudine worked closely with Cambridge International Examinations on workshops to support the new A-level syllabus. She conducted workshops on pedagogy for teachers of General Paper, Literature in English, and Project Work. Furthermore, she facilitated partnerships between the National Arts Council and the teaching fraternity for the Singapore Writers Festival.  Prior to joining the Ministry of Education, Claudine was with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) for 2 years, where she managed MINDEF-wide communications and public relations.

She has taught several English language and communication skills courses to adult participants, both locally and overseas.

Major Interests

Reading and speaking, teacher training, curriculum design, brain-based learning,  cultural linguistics

Qualifications

M.A. Applied Linguistics, National University of Singapore

B.A. English (Hons), National University of Singapore

Postgraduate Diploma in Education, NIE, Nanyang Technological University

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional Experiences 

Ms Yow has close to 30 years of experience teaching English and Literature in different institutions with learners of varying profiles and abilities.

Prior to joining SEAMEO RELC, she began her career teaching the General Paper at a Pre-University college, after which she taught English and Literature to secondary school students. As a Senior Teacher appointed by the Ministry of Education, she has developed course materials, trained and mentored teachers in teaching pedagogies and initiated school-based reading programmes. She was attached to RELC for five years, where she taught a range of customized language courses to participants from Southeast Asia as well as Japan and the People’s Republic of China. She was an authorized Aviation English Competency Test examiner. Her most recent teaching experience in an international school includes preparing and delivering general English lessons to low proficiency ESL learners to help them in English examinations for entrance to universities.

At SEAMEO RELC, she teaches a wide range of customized English language courses to government officials, educators, working adults and university students from the ASEAN countries and beyond. She is also involved in assessments.

Major Interests

TESOL, English for Professional Purposes, Language testing and assessment, reading and speaking

Qualifications

PhD. NIE, Nanyang Technological University.

M.Ed. NIE, Nanyang Technological University

B. Business. Nanyang Technological University

Postgraduate Diploma in Education, NIE, Nanyang Technological University

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional experiences

Raslinda has more than 20 years of teaching experience in Ministry of Education, Singapore. Prior to joining RELC, she was a School Staff Developer in a primary school. In that portfolio, she worked with various segments of school staff in identifying their learning needs, planning and conducting programmes and workshops for their professional development and well-being. She was previously seconded as Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice (CRPP) at the National Institute of Education (NIE) where she worked with teachers in teacher development as part of her involvement in the research projects. She has presented papers in local and international conferences and co-authored papers and a book chapter with CRPP colleagues. As part of her work at NIE, she has also supervised student teachers during their practicum and school experience.

At SEAMEO RELC, Raslinda teaches a variety of English language and communication skills courses to adult learners from Southeast Asia and beyond.

Major Interests

Language Acquisition, Classroom Discourse and Dialogic teaching, Classroom Pedagogy.

Qualifications

M.A. Applied Linguistics, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

B.A. Communication and Psychology, University at Buffalo

Diploma in TESOL, London Teacher Training College

Professional experiences

Ms Pavithra has more than 8 years of experience in education research projects at the National Institute of Education, Singapore, in areas such as multimodality, disciplinary literacy, and teacher language awareness. She has co-authored academic papers and presented at various conferences. In addition, her work has been published in Ubiquity: The Journal of Literature, Literacy, and the Arts, Semionauts of Tradition: Music, Culture and Identity in Contemporary Singapore, and ArtsEquator. Prior to joining RELC, she tutored both local and international students at enrichment centres in Singapore. She has taught students from diverse backgrounds and a wide range of curricula, including IGCSE, GCE “O” Levels, PSLE, CBSE, IB, and AP. She has also guided students in writing college application essays, and has helped to prepare students for the SAT and IELTS examinations. At SEAMEO RELC, she is involved in teaching English language courses to working adults from around Asia and the ASEAN region.

Major Interests

TESOL, ESP, reading and writing, sociolinguistics, multimodality.

Qualifications

Master of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia

Bachelor of Arts with Diploma in Education, Nanyang Technological University

CELTA, University of Cambridge

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional Experiences

Mr Leow Kok Siang has more than 20 years of teaching experience in the Ministry of Education, Singapore. Prior to joining RELC, he taught students from diverse backgrounds and conducted sharing sessions for teachers as well as parents. At the National level, he was a co-facilitator for Teacher-led workshops. He also facilitated small group dialogues for beginning teachers. In his teaching  career, he was a leader of his Professional Learning Circle team which looked into innovative ways to improve students’ oral skills. He was a co-author of an oral guide book entitled ‘Master Oral’ published by Marshall Cavendish.

Major Interests

TESOL, Language Acquisition, Speaking and Writing

Qualifications

M.A. Applied Linguistics, Nanyang Technological University

B.A. (English and Sociology), National University of Singapore

Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Nanyang Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

CELTA, University of Cambridge

WSQ Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP), Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore

Professional experiences

Ms Janelle Foo has more than 20 years of teaching experience in the Ministry of Education, Singapore. As an instructional mentor, she has supported and guided her mentees towards pedagogical excellence. As an English Representative, she has facilitated sharing sessions for colleagues and designed curriculum and activities for students. In addition, she has prepared students for national and international competitions in areas of speaking and writing.

At SEAMEO RELC, she teaches a wide range of customized English language and professional communication skills courses for university students and working adults from Southeast Asia and beyond.

Major Interests

Teaching training and mentoring, Reading and Speaking, Sociolinguistics

Qualifications

Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics (TESOL), Singapore University of Social Sciences

Graduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics (TESOL), Singapore University of Social Sciences

Bachelor of Arts, National University of Singapore

CELTA, University of Cambridge

Professional experiences

Linda has been teaching English to learners from diverse backgrounds in Singapore and Japan since 2008. She has taught general English, English for academic purposes (EAP), and workplace literacy courses in continuing education and training (CET) programmes. In her most recent role prior to joining SEAMEO RELC, she was a course coordinator in a university pathway programme, where she taught EAP to international students and created a suite of blended learning activities for asynchronous learning.

Major interests

English as a global language, language testing and evaluation, sociolinguistics.

Qualifications

M.Ed., University of Melbourne, Australia

B.A. (English Language), University of Melbourne, Australia

Diploma in Education, NIE, Nanyang Technological University

CELTA, University of Cambridge

Professional Experiences

Grace has over 25 years of teaching experience with the Ministry of Education, Singapore, having taught both primary and secondary students.

As a former Senior Teacher of English Language, she possesses expertise in curriculum development and pedagogical leadership. She has worked collaboratively with colleagues to design materials that cater to the diverse needs of learners, enhancing language proficiency.

In her role as an instructional mentor, Grace has guided younger teachers and beginning teachers, supporting their professional growth and refining their teaching practices.

At RELC, she teaches a wide range of English language and professional communication skills courses to adult learners from across Asia.

Major Interests

Teacher training and mentoring, Reading and Speaking, Sociolinguistics