About the Instructor

Dr. Dawn Furushima has had extensive experience teaching English across the United States and abroad.  While living in Japan, she taught English as a foreign language (EFL) to K-12 students and adults learning English for specific purposes (e.g., business, trade industries).  In New York, Washington, and Hawaiʻi, she taught English as a second language (ESL) to international students and other non-native English speaking students enrolled in college, as well as adult immigrants and refugees.  She is experienced in teaching academic English, business English, English for specific purposes, and English for daily living.

 

Having lived abroad, Dr. Furushima knows what it takes to learn an additional language in order to function in daily life.  For that reason, she is aware that learning a language involves more than just another grammar lesson or relying on an electronic translator.  It involves getting to know the student as a whole person and acknowledging their strengths while addressing their specific challenges. 

 

Currently, Dr. Furushima is a lecturer at a four-year accredited university.  One of the courses she teaches is an instructional and assessment method course for teacher candidates preparing to teach multilingual learners.  Dr. Furushima stays abreast on current research involving second language acquisition.  She believes in using evidence-based teaching methods to prepare customized English lessons for students based on their abilities, learning styles, pace of learning, and goals.