Special Instructor
ESL Coordinator
322 O'Dowd Hall
(248) 370-2176
gaydos@oakland.edu

Fields of Interest

• Teaching English as a Second Language and as a Foreign Language, K-adult
• ESL and EFL Teacher Training
• Teaching ESL/EFL Special Needs, K-adult

Educational Background and Experience

I received my TESOL endorsement in 1999 from UCLA, my M.A.T. in 1990 from Oakland University, and my B.S. in elementary and special education from Ohio State University in 1971. Before coming to Oakland University in 2000, I taught English as a Second Language for Oakland Community College and Rochester Community Schools. I also taught special needs and visually impaired students at Clarion Manor Intermediate Unit VI in Clarion, Pennsylvania.

I hold a Michigan teaching certificate with endorsements in TESOL K-12, Reading and Language Arts K-12, Special Needs Visually Impaired K-12, Elementary K-6, and Social Studies K-9. Within the area of TESOL, I have particular interests in teacher training and professional development for K-12 and Adult Education ESL teachers, ESL and Special Needs, computer assisted language learning, post secondary English language learning, and English language learning for specific purposes. My most recent published article for TESOL, "Harvesting English Language Success", can be found in Essential Teacher TESOL, 2005 (vol. 2) 32-34. Currently, I am working on an article with the working title of "Teaching English Language Learners with Special Needs in the K-3 Classroom" and the book Classroom English, for use as an English language textbook in China.

At Oakland University, I teach courses in Applied Linguistics that support teacher training and professional development in teaching English as a second and foreign language. Participants in these courses can earn a TESL certificate or Michigan teaching endorsement in ESL.

My "extramural" interests include spending time with my granddaughter, studying Chinese, practicing taiqi, and writing children's stories.