Nigel A. Caplan, M.S.Ed., B.A. (Hons.)
English as a Second Language Specialist
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Coordinator, English Language & American Culture Services at the Writing Center
CB #5137, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Email: nacaplan@unc.edu
Webpage: www.unc.edu/writingcenter/elac
Professional blog: ESL on the Hill
Download CV as PDF
Education
Degrees
- M.S.Ed. (TESOL), University of Pennsylvania, 2002
- B.A.Hons. (Modern and Medieval Languages), Cambridge University (UK), 2000
Continuing Education
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, continuing studies graduate classes, 2009-
- TESOL Leadership Development Certificate, 2007
Professional Experience
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008-present
ESL Specialist: Coordinator of English Language and American Culture services for international students and scholars, campuswide - Michigan State University English Langauge Center, 2003-2008
- ESL Specialist (instructor and supervisor)
- Assistant coordinator, teacher-training programs
- Acting chair, curriculum committee
- Chair, textbook committee
- Chair, literacy committee
- University of Pennsylvania English Langauge Programs, 2001-2003
ESL Lecturer - Philadelphia University, 2002 Adjunct Faculty
- Sommerschule Wust, Germany, 1997-2001
English lanaguage, culture, and literature instructor - College Notre Dame, St. Saulve, France, 1998-1999
English language assistant
Publications
Textbooks and Material Development
- Step Up to the TOEFL iBT: Basic Level. University of Michigan Press, in preparation (expected Spring 2010).
Step Up to the TOEFL iBT for Intermediate Students. University of Michigan Press, 2009.
Forces of Nature, Wildfires: A Skills Review and Writing Text. University of Michigan Press, 2007.
Forces of Nature, Hurricanes and Floods: A Grammar Skills Text. University of Michigan Press, 2007.
Open Forum 1 Website (listening scripts). Oxford University Press, 2006.
Open Forum 2 Website (listening scripts). Oxford University Press, 2006. Open Forum 3 Website (listening scripts). Oxford University Press, 2007.
Everyday English for Hospitality Professionals with Lawrence Zwier. Seoul, South Korea: Compass, 2007- Everyday English for Young People: Teacher's Guide with Lawrence Zwier. Seoul, South Korea: Compass, 2004
- Essential Functions for Conversations: Teacher's Guide with Lawrence Zwier. Hong Kong: Asia-Pacific Press Holdings, 2004
Conference Proceedings
- Co-editor, Selected Proceedings of the 2007 MITESOL Conference with Christen Pearson and Kay Losey. Michigan State University Press, 2008.
- Lead-editor, Selected Proceedings of the 2006 MITESOL Conference with Christen Pearson and Carol Wilson-Duffy. Michigan State University Press, 2007.
- Co-editor, Selected Proceedings of the 2005 MITESOL Conference with Christen Pearson and Carol Wilson-Duffy. Michigan State University Press, 2006
Articles & Chapters
- Nigel A. Caplan, "Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay: A Content-First Approach." Effective Second Language Writing. Ed. Susan Kasten. Alexandria, VA: TESOL, in press.
- Carkin, Gary, Sarah Dodson-Knight, Alexis Gerard Finger, Silvia Spence, Nigel A. Caplan, and Judy Trupin. "Readers' Theater: Turbo-Charged Language Acquisition." Authenticity in Adult Classrooms and Beyond. Ed. Sarah Rilling and Maria Dantas-Whitney. Alexandria, VA: TESOL, 2009.
- L. Ruelaine Stokes, Nigel A. Caplan, and Andrew S. McCullough. "Beyond 'Help!': Diagnosing the L2 Writer's Essay." Proceedings of the 2007 MITESOL Conference. Ed. Christen M. Pearson, Kay Losey, and Nigel A. Caplan. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2008.
- Nigel A. Caplan, "Writing Workshops that Work" in Caplan, Pearson & Wilson-Duffy, Selected Proceedings of the 2006 MITESOL Conference (2007)
- Nigel A. Caplan, Andrew S. McCullough, and L. Ruelaine Stokes, "Beyond the Writing Textbook" in Pearson, Caplan, & Wilson-Duffy, Selected Proceedings of the 2007 MITESOL Conference (2008)
- Nigel A. Caplan, " Revisiting the Diary: Re-reading Anne Frank's Re-writing." (2004) The Lion and The Unicorn, 28(1)
- Jack Sullivan & Nigel A. Caplan, " Beyond the Dictgloss" (2003). Penn Working Papers in Educational Linguistics, 19(1)
- Nigel A. Caplan, " How Are You Smart? Multiple Intelligences in the Form-Focused Language Classroom." PTE Voices, 2002
Conference Presentations
National/International Conferences
- Navigating the Discipline: Writing Groups for ESL Graduates and Postdocs (2010, March). Accepted proposal for the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Louisville, KY.
- Playing Games, Creating Writers (2009, March).* Experimental session at the 43rd TESOL Convention, Denver, CO. (Handouts)
- Diagnosing the L2 Writer’s Essay: A Strategies-Based Approach (2009, March).* Workshop at the 43rd TESOL Convention, Denver, CO. (Handouts)
- Writing Workshops that Work (March 2007). Workshop at the 41st TESOL Convention, Seattle, WA.
- Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay (2006, March)*. Workshop at the 40th TESOL Convention, Tampa, FL.
- Effective Uses of Drama in ESL/EFL (2006, March). TESOL Post-Convention Institute, Tampa, FL.
- Reducing Drama-Phobia in the ESL/EFL Classroom (2005, March). 39th TESOL Convention, San Antonio, TX.
- From Page to Stage to Real Life (2004, April). 38th TESOL Convention, Long Beach, CA.
- Beyond the Dictogloss (2004, April). 38th TESOL Convention, Long Beach, CA.
Regional Conferences
- Graduate Student Writing (2009, September). Invited discussion leader at the SETESOL Regional Conference, Atlanta, GA
- ESL from Scratch: Developing Services for International Students and Scholars (2009, February) with Gigi Taylor. TESOL/Appplied Linguistics Graduate Students Conference, Greenville, NC.
- Beyond "Help!": Diagnosing the L2 Writer's Essay: A Strategies-Based Approach (2007, October).* Workshop presented at the MITESOL Conference. Ypsilanti, Michigan.
- Beyond the Writing Process (2006, October)*. MITESOL Conference, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
- Writing Workshops that Work (2006, October). MITESOL Conference, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
- A Rough Guide to British English (2006, April; 2007, Apr; 2008, April). Workshop at World Languages Day, Center for Language Education and Research, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
- Beyond the Writing Textbook (2005, November)*. MITESOL Conference, East Lansing, MI.
- Effective Uses of Drama in Foreign Language Teaching (2005, January). Workshop for Chicago Public Schools World Languages teachers, Chicago, IL.
- Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay (2004, November)*. MITESOL Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.
- From Page to Stage to Real Life (2003, October). MITESOL Conference, Ann Arbor, MI
- Creating an ESL Book Club (2002, November). Penn-TESOL-East Fall Conference, Philadelphia, PA
- Taking a risk: Understanding ESL Learners' Responses to Literature (2002, April). Penn-TESOL-East Spring Conference, Philadelphia, PA
- Drama, Multiple Intelligences and Form-Focused Instruction (2002, April). TESOL Graduate Student Forum, Salt Lake City, UT
- Focusing on Multiple Forms of Language Through Drama (2001, December). Penn-TESOL-East Fall Conference, Philadelphia, PA
* with Ruelaine Stokes and Andrew McCullough
Affiliations
- TESOL (Co-founder, TESOL-Drama e-group)
- Conference on College Composition and Communication (NCTE)
- Carolina TESOL
- North Carolina Association of International Educators
- South Eastern TESOL (SETESOL)
Links
- English Language & American Culture
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center
- ESL on the Hill (grammar and language-learning blog)
- Michigan State University English Language Center
- Town Hall Players, Stockbridge, Michigan
Updated 8/13/09