Heather DeSmidt

510-301-3301
hrdesmidt@gmail.com

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION

Certificate of Proficiency in Online Teaching, Merritt College, Anticipated Fall 2015
M.A., TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), San Francisco State University, 2012
B.A., Cultural Anthropology and Latin American/Latino Studies, UC Santa Cruz, 2006
Education Abroad Program, Universidad de Barcelona, Spain, 2004-2005

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Contra Costa College, San Pablo, CA
2014- Present
ESL Instructor
Teach credit ESL courses to racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse student population
from mainly Central/South America, South/Southeast Asia, and China.
Teach beginning to advanced reading, writing, and grammar courses focused on developing ability to
comprehend and identify the main idea in a variety of texts, summarize and respond critically to
readings, develop well-supported opinions, use high and low frequency vocabulary and proofread.
Develop innovative and communicative materials, activities, and assessments in line with department SLOs.
Meet with students during office hours to provide individual feedback on progress in the course.
Provide detailed feedback on process-based writing assignments.
Participate in the reading and scoring of midterm and final writing exams.
Use Desire 2 Learn (online learning platform) to facilitate forum discussions, provide external learning
resources, and record students grades.
Provide academic advising mid-semester to guide students in choosing appropriate ESL courses.
Help students register for courses and orient them to helpful on-campus resources (tutoring,
counselling, student services).

ESL Tutor
Tutor students of all levels and skills individually at the ESL Tutoring Lab.
Guide students to understand how to complete assignments, identify and address grammar or writing
trouble spots, and develop critical study skills for success.
Develop students ability to summarize and respond to readings, reflect critically on a topic with a wellsupported opinion, and edit their writing.

Continuing Professional Development and Education

Collaborate with faculty across the district through readings, discussions, practice, and reflection
around multilingual students and academic literacy in the Teaching Academys professional
development course, Teaching and Learning with Multilingual Students.
Participate in ESL departments peer collaboration program. Address how to give effective feedback
and develop communicative materials and activities in advanced reading and writing classes.
Develop detailed course outline for a hybrid ESL writing course.
Participated in grammar curriculum revision meeting. Incorporated new teaching strategies informed
by readings discussed with faculty.
Shared useful materials and best teaching practices for conducting oral histories with faculty at ESL
department meeting based on my participation in Voice of Witness Oral History for Community
Educators training.

Golden Gate University (Preparation in Language and University Studies), San Francisco, CA
Fall 2013
Adjunct Instructor
Taught advanced content courses in an academic-preparation program for international graduate
students.
Developed students ability to:
o Use academic writing style and vocabulary to write unified paragraphs with topic sentences and
supporting details.
o Conduct academic research and write a research paper using a variety of paraphrasing techniques to
avoid plagiarizing.
o Identify and use appropriate research sources (articles and web documents) for university or
academic work. Cite sources correctly using APA documentation.
o Identify and reduce the frequency of common grammar errors and organizational problems. Solve
word choice problems to improve fluency in writing.
Met frequently with course developers to discuss teaching methodology and revise curriculum.
Met as needed with individual students regarding progress on assignments and provided personal
support during challenging transition into graduate school.
Provided detailed feedback on process-based assignments (summary-response, position papers, etc.)

San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA

American Language Institute
Academic ESL Instructor
2012- 2013
Taught academic, integrated skills courses in an Intensive English Program for international
undergraduate and graduate students.
Prepared students for the university through:
o Practice in strategic, critical reading and research methods and in developing, focusing and
organizing ideas in the writing process.
o Explicit instruction on appropriate language and discussion strategies to express an opinion,
strategies for listening to academic lectures and taking notes effectively.
Used iLearn (learning management system) and Turnitin.com for writing assignments and forum
discussions to facilitate community building and academic technology skills.
Participated in a semester-long teacher training internship which focused on effective pedagogy and
best practices for communicative English teaching.
Contributed to weekly level meetings with staff and 1:1 conferences with advisors to discuss teaching
strategies and approaches.
Participated in professional development workshops every semester (e.g., Academic Technology
Summer Institute).
Conducted outreach for the conversation partner program, co-led the international student
orientation, and individually tutored at-risk students.
Conducted an action research project on useful awareness-raising activities for teaching oral
communication. Presented findings at the M.A. TESOL conference at SFSU in 2012

Co-Chair, Treasurer: M.A. TESOL Conference

Fall 2012
Coordinated and supervised planning and day-of execution of the graduate student conference.
Managed the budget, booked vendors, and conducted outreach to local English language institutions.
Supervised the website, publicity, and program book committees in designing and disseminating materials.

Composition for Multilingual Students Program

Teaching Assistant
Fall 2011
Assisted in a first year composition class for multilingual undergraduate students.
Developed and implemented expository writing workshops, held student-teacher conferences,
tutored at-risk students, and assessed and responded to students' writing.
Conducted an action research project on the effects of peer feedback on revision and presented my
findings in the CSU Graduate Research and Creative Works Showcase at SFSU in 2012.

Learning Assistance Center

Reading, Writing and Study Skills Tutor
2010-2011
Tutored multilingual undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines to be independent,
academic-English writers, utilizing all stages of the writing process.
Developed and implemented expository writing and grammar workshops.
Participated in multiple in-house training workshops and a 2 unit semester-long tutor education
seminar.
Researched and reported on the significance of understanding learning styles and the implications for
utilizing learning styles for tutors of university level students.

SEIU UHW-West & Joint Employer Education Fund, Oakland, CA

ESL Tutor
2011-2012
Tutored early literacy to high intermediate level ESL students from the Phillipines, Korea, and Mexico
at community colleges (Chabot, Laney, College of Alameda, etc.).
Instructed students on beginning grammar, reading and writing skills in order to help them
comprehend coursework, communicate better at work, and achieve goals of getting nursing degrees.

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Pacific Paper Tube, Oakland, CA
Vocational ESL Teacher
2014
Designed and implemented a vocational ESL curriculum for on-site classes for Spanish-speaking
employees at a manufacturing company in order to build basic conversation and grammar skills and
confidence to communicate more effectively at work.

Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Oakland, CA

Volunteer English Conversation Partner and Tutor
2011
Collaborated with the ESL teacher in the English for Professional Purposes program at a non-profit
that serves Latina immigrant women from Central America that are survivors of domestic violence.
Supported a female staff member from Mexico to become an independent and confident English user
through conversation practice and targeted tutoring.

Alameda Unified School District, Alameda, CA

Substitute teacher and Paraprofessional
2008-2010

Oversaw students and implemented curriculum for Special Education, English, and Spanish classes.

PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENTS & AFFILIATIONS

Member, T.E.S.O.L, CAT.E.S.O.L, since 2010
TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo, 2013
Presenter-Tapping into the Artists Identity with Collaborative and Motivating Activities
The CATESOL Journal, 2013
Co-author-Curriculum Development 101: Lessons Learned From a Curriculum Design Project
San Francisco State University, MATESOL Conference, 2012
Presenter- May I Have Your Attention? Awareness-Raising For Oral Skills
CSU Graduate Research and Creative Works Showcase, 2012
Presenter-The Effects of Peer Feedback on Revision: Student Writers in an Introductory ESL
Writing Class

LANGUAGES
SpanishNear-native speaker/writer
PortugueseHigh-intermediate speaker/writer

TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS & TOOLS

Online course design/management (Moodle, Desire 2 Learn, iLearn)
Collaborative Word processing (Microsoft Office, Google Docs)
Instructional training video design (Screen recording software)
Website/blog publisher design (Wiki Sites, Tumblr, Weebly, Wordpress)
Multimedia tools for classroom use (OER Commons, Lynda.com, TedEd, Merlot.org)