TESOL Faculty
The following people are the primary faculty for the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) courses. This page includes faculty for all of our current programs, which are St. Louis, Uzbekistan, and online. Note that many TESL students also take courses from Communication Arts and other programs in the School of Education, and may have other instructors. Some instructors are not included here yet, but will be added once we have their bio to share!
Full-Time Faculty
DJ Kaiser, PhD, MATESL, MA
Professor & Director, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
314-246-7153
Courses taught: TESL 5030 Linguistics for Language Learning and Teaching; TESL 5730 Materials Development for Language Classrooms; TESL 5710 Teaching English Grammar; TESL 5740 English for Academic Purposes; TESL 5030 Language History, Planning, and Policy; TESL 5350 Language and Culture; TESL 5720 Teaching English Pronunciation; TESL 5040 Practicum in ESOL; TESL 5139 ESOL Methods; COMM 5344 Introduction to Linguistics; & TESL 5750 Seminar in Family, Parent, and Community Engagement
DJ Kaiser joined the Webster University faculty in 2011 having taught previously at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Barcelona, Parkland Community College, and the University of Illinois. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Linguistics and Spanish. He graduated with distinction and received the Mary A. Hussey Award for Excellence in ESL Teaching from the University of Illinois upon completion of his first master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language. Kaiser also has a master’s in Drama and a doctorate in Comparative Literature and Drama from Washington University in St. Louis and completed the graduate certificate in Translation Studies. He is a specialist in teaching English pronunciation with a vast background in phonetics, phonology, and applied linguistics. His research and teaching interests also include translation studies, adaptation studies, language planning & policy, general linguistics, World Englishes, pragmatics, second language acquisition, language pedagogy, and teacher training. In addition to teaching for Webster University, he has worked on a three-year Math and Science Partnership (MSP) grant (2011-2013) with the St. Louis Public Schools, Pearson Education, the Center for Applied Linguistics, the Magic House, and the International Institute and worked on a five-year U.S. Department of Education National Professional Development (NDP) grant (2012-2017) with Webster's TESL Program on the Kansas City campus working with the Kansas City Public Schools. He served as the Project Director for a $2.7 million U.S. Department of Education National Professional Development (NPD) grant (2017-2023). He has presented at numerous conferences and various institutions throughout the USA and in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In 2015 Dr. Kaiser was awarded a research grant to study the innovative English language instruction project Ceibal en Inglés in Uruguay. In 2016 Dr. Kaiser was awarded two more research grants to focus on projects of Videoconference Assisted Language Learning (VALL): a U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant in Uruguay to research Ceibal en Inglés in primary and secondary schools throughout Uruguay (March-June 2016) and a Faculty Research Grant to research Rio de Janeiro's EnglishWorks (June-July 2016). He also serves as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Links for Dr. Kaiser:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/djkaiser_phd or @djkaiser_phd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dj-kaiser-phd-492b703a/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dj.kaiser.7
Academia: https://webster.academia.edu/DJKaiser
Soheil Mansouri, PhD, MA (Foreign and Second Language Education)
Visiting Assistant Professor
314-246-7029
Courses taught and scheduled to teach: TESL 5139 ESOL Methods; TESL 5220 Curriculum Development; TESL 5350 Language and Culture; & TESL 5030 Language History, Planning, and Policy
Soheil Mansouri joined Webster University in 2018 having taught previously at Florida State University. He earned his master’s degree in Foreign and Second Language Teaching with the focus on TESOL, and his doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Foreign and Second Language Education from Florida State University. His research interests include TESOL methods, second language motivation, second language maintenance and motivation, heritage language learning, and motivational factors in maintaining heritage language. He has also served as a co-director, instructional lead, site visitor, consultant for the STARTALK program, which focuses on promoting the acquisition of critical languages in the United States. Dr. Mansouri has more than 15 years of teaching experience between the United States and Iran, including EFL instruction in elementary schools, ESL adult instruction at the university level, and TESL courses for both pre-service and in-service teachers seeking TESOL certification.
Adjunct Faculty
Dilafruz Abdumajidova Izzatullaevna
Adjunct Faculty for the the Tashkent TESL Program
Courses taught: TESL 5230 Second Language Acquisition; TESL 5139 ESOL Methods; TESL 5311 Principles and Practices of Language Testing
Dilafruz Abdumajidova joined the Webster University in 2018. She has an MA in English and French Language Linguistics from Uzbekistan State World Languages University and has been working as an EFL teacher and teacher trainer for more than 16 years. She is a State Testing Centre expert in testing and assessment, and conducts workshops for EFL university teachers at teacher training courses. She completed several teacher training courses on Academic Writing of University of Leeds, Advanced Trainer Trainer course at the NILE Institute, “Critical Thinking in English as a EFL Curriculum” course with University of Oregon, Linguistic Department and other webinars and MOOCs. Moreover, she has participated in various local projects (PreSETT, DUET, TTT, EFA) on enhancing foreign language teaching in Uzbekistan. She is the co-author of a ‘Communicative Grammar’ book for Year 1-2 university students.
Kamola Alimova
Adjunct Faculty for the Tashkent TESL Program
Courses taught: TESL 5230 Second Language Acquisition & TESL 5220 Curriculum Development in Language Classrooms
Ms. Kamola Alimova has been working at Uzbekistan State World Languages University for 15 years. Besides teaching, she works as a curriculum developer, and has participated in developing PRESETT program (Pre Service English Teacher Training) by writing syllabi and assessment specifications on courses such as Integrated Skills, Language Learning, Classroom Language, and Teaching Different Age Groups. She developed a module on Discourse Analysis including face-to-face and distance sessions for the EfT (English for Teachers) program. She wrote the guidebook for trainers and course book for trainees Becoming a Teacher. She also participates in the IMEP (Internalization and Modernization of Education and Processes in Education of Uzbekistan) project as a researcher by conducting surveys among teachers, writing materials for continuous professional development, and delivering training seminars for teachers. She is married and the mother of 3 children.
Svetlana Khan
Adjunct Faculty for the Tashkent TESL Program
Courses taught: TESL 5139 ESOL Methods & TESL 5040 Practicum in ESOL
Ms. Svetlana Khan holds a Master’s of Education in Teacher Training Development from Exeter University, UK. She is a specialist in teaching young learners with a rich experience in developing textbooks and other teaching aids for young learners. She has been working on developing textbooks for secondary school pupils in Uzbekistan. She has been heavily engaged in developing and implementing teacher training courses as well as coordinating team of course developers, teacher trainers and trainer of trainers. She coordinated the work of an assessment team, which developed testing and assessment protocols covering all language skills for primary and secondary school graduates in Uzbekistan: A1 and A2 levels for the National Testing Center. She has also worked as a consultant for various national and international projects: Basic Education Textbook Development Project (The British Council Manchester, ADB), Textbook Development Project in Tajikistan (Open Society Institute), Student-Centered Teaching Across the Curriculum (British Council, Tashkent) and other projects related to EFL teaching. She has participated and presented at various national and international conferences and institutions throughout Uzbekistan, and in the USA, the UK, Romania, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, and Turkmenistan. She was awarded an Innovation Fund grant by the U.S. Department of State to develop an innovative toolkit for assessing young learners in Uzbekistan. She initiated and coordinated several projects and international conferences supported by the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan.
Muhtasarhon Mamatvaliyeva
Adjunct Faculty for the Tashkent TESL Program
Courses taught: TESL 5139 ESOL Methods & TESL 5311 Principles and Practices of Language Testing
Muhtasarhon Mamatvaliyeva has been working in Webster University MA in TESL Program since Fall 2018 as a TESL Instructor. She conducts ESOL Methods, Principles and Practices of Language Testing and Language and Culture courses. She received her MA in Linguistics at the National University of Uzbekistan and since then she had worked in different national and international educational establishments. She worked as an English teacher for the Central Asian Free Exchange U.S. organization in 2004–2006, Uzbekistan State Institute of Art in 2006–2008, Management Development Institute of Singapore in 2010–2015. She worked as a teacher trainer in Uzbekistan Teachers of English Organization in the years 2015–2016. Currently she is employed as a TESOL/TEFL Instructor in New York International TEFL Training Institute in Tashkent as a TESOL Instructor.
Mamatvaliyeva has earned teaching qualifications from International Teacher Training Institutes. She has completed TESOL for Test Preparation, an advanced diploma program in Vancouver International College in Canada, TESOL: Training of Trainers from TESOL International Association, and received a Foreign Language Teaching Assistant scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. Mamatvaliyeva earned “Teaching English in International Context” Postgraduate Certificate from Texas Tech University in the USA in 2008–2009. Her research interests are communicative language teaching, material development for synchronous and asynchronous online education, and material development for proficiency tests in IELTS and CEFR.
Heather McKay, EdD (TEFL), MA (Applied Linguistics)
Adjunct Faculty for the Webster Groves Main Campus and Online Programs
Courses taught: TESL 5230 Second Language Acquisition, TESL 5139 ESOL Methods, TESL 5311 Testing & Assessment, & COMM 5340 Teaching Languages and Language Issues
Dr. Heather McKay first joined the Webster program as an adjunct instructor in 2013.
She has been a teacher of English as a Second/ Foreign Language for more than 30 years and has taught and trained teachers in a variety of countries including: Costa Rica, England, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Zambia. She has been both an English Language Fellow and an English Language Specialist for the U.S. State Department. She also served as an ESL Professor and ESL Program Coordinator at St Louis Community College and as an adjunct instructor at Washington University in St Louis.
As well as co-authoring a number of books for ESL/EFL teachers including Teaching Adult Second Language Learners published by Cambridge University Press, she has been a frequent presenter on ESL/EFL issues at national and international conferences.
Her primary interest is in understanding the teaching/ learning context and what makes for successful learning. Most recently this has led to an interest in teaching with technology and examining the ways in which assessment can be used to enhance learning.
Klara Nazmutdinova
Adjunct Faculty for the Tashkent TESL Program
Courses taught: TESL 5220 Curriculum Development in Language Classrooms
Ms. Nazmutdinova joined Webster University in the Fall 2018 and is currently a faculty member at the Tashkent location and has taught TESL 5220 Curriculum Design. She received her MA in English Language Linguistics at the Uzbekistan State World Languages University and had been teaching there since 2007. She joined the Republican Research Center for Developing Innovative Methods in Teaching Foreign Languages in 2017 and is currently a senior researcher at the Center. She was recently awarded a U.S. Department of State grant and studied the best practices on the topic “Implementing National Curricula for Multilingual Societies.” Ms. Klara Nazmutdinova is a member of various international projects that are aiming at improving teaching and learning of the English language in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Her teaching and research interests include second language acquisition, communicative competence, English language teaching methods, sociolinguistics, teacher training and materials design.
HeeGyoung Song, PhD
Adjunct Faculty Kansas City Metropolitan Campus and Online Program
Courses taught: TESL 5030 Language History, Planning, and Policy, TESL 5311 Principles and Practices of Language Testing, TESL 5350 Language and Culture, TESL 5040 Practicum in ESOL, EDUC 5461 Curriculum and Creativity, COMM 5750 Grammar for ESL/EFL Teachers, ESPY 5510 Psychosocial Aspects of Migration, EDIN 5624 Transformative Learning, COMM 5230 Foundations in Reading Instruction, EDIN 5622 Restorative Justice: Learning Communities, EDIN 5650 Design Thinking, TESL 5230 Second Language Acquisition, TESL 5139 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Methods
HeeGyoung Song joined the Webster University faculty in 2015 as an adjunct faculty member. She has been teaching for Webster University since then. She graduated from the University of Central Missouri completing her MA-TESOL degree and earned her Ph.D. emphasizing on Urban Leadership and Policy Studies and Curriculum and Instruction in education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The title of her Ph.D. Dissertation is English Language Learning and Trends of Social Inequality. She received the Chancellor's Doctoral Fellowship from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2007 and 2008. Her research interest is in literacy development for immigrants and children of immigrants through investigating the structural and dispositional barriers to the acquisition of English language and literacy by ESL students and English Learners (ELs). Her published article will be found in the international online journal of The Reading Matrix titled Engaging English learners and their families: The power of non-fiction text and the participatory approach. Dr. Song is also a full-time ELs teacher in public schools in Kansas City, Missouri. She lives in Warrensburg, MO with her dog, Pi (13 year-old German shepherd).
