Russell J.

About Russell

Having been trained as a Vietnamese linguist and communication specialist by the U.S. Navy in the early 70s I've spent a fair amount of time in Asia visiting several countries and learning enough of the languages to get around. Not being in a position to travel at the present time, I would like to help others who have come here to learn our language and culture.

My vocabulary is fairly extensive. I have a diploma from La Salle Extension University in Chicago for Law Training for Business Leadership and a diploma from the Ohio School of Broadcast Technique for Radio and Television Broadcast and Production.

In the early 1980s I worked with the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) under the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) at a resettlement camp established by the first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, as a Cultural Orientation/ESL instructor for Asian refugees to resettle in the United States. Course curriculum in survival English included subjects such as food and lodging, transportation, directions, money and shopping, communications (telephone usage), and emergency services such as police, fire, and EMS.

In the early 90s, I worked with Project Learn teaching adult literacy, reading and writing.

As course aids I use pictures from magazines. I also use a board game which I have created based on Encyclopaedia Britannica's Great Books of the Western World, used to improve enunciation, pronunciation and diction. I also use question and answer discussions to help expand vocabulary in subjects of interest to the student.

My aim is to help students learn to communicate effectively in the English language. Having been trained as a Vietnamese linguist and communication specialist by the U.S. Navy in the early 70s I've spent a fair amount of time in Asia visiting several countries and learning enough of the languages to get around. Not being in a position to travel at the present time, I would like to help others who have come here to learn our… Read more

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