Professor
Dr. Heekyeong Lee is a Professor in the TESOL/TFL program, where she teaches courses such as Principles and Practices of Language Teaching, Second Language Acquisition, Applied Linguistics Research, Pedagogical Grammar in Foreign Language Teaching, and the Applied Linguistics and Practicum Capstone courses. She has also taught Public Speaking and Academic Writing for international Fulbright scholars pursuing graduate studies in the United States.
Before joining the Institute in 2009, Dr. Lee built a diverse career as a language teacher and teacher educator across multiple countries. She began her career in Korea as a high school English teacher, later moving to Canada where she designed and led in-service teacher training programs for the Canadian Foreign Service, supporting 43 foreign languages. In Italy, she worked as an English instructor and language tester at the University of L’Aquila, aligning her work with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). In the United States, she further expanded her expertise by teaching English in family literacy programs at the University Settlement Society of New York and academic listening and speaking skills to international students at the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey.
Dr. Lee is a widely published author. Her work can be found in TESOL Quarterly, Journal of Second Language Writing, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, and the TESOL Encyclopaedia of English Language Teaching, among others. She co-authored the fourth edition of Teaching by Principles (Pearson, 2015) with H. Douglas Brown, as well as the forthcoming seventh edition of Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (Routledge, 2025).
EDUC 8502
Principls/Practcs Lang Tchng ICourse Description
Principles & Practices in Language Teaching 1
Along with Principles and Practices 2, this course provides students with a foundational pedagogical training in preparation for careers in foreign/second language teaching. Topics covered include an introduction to the field and its expectations, course/syllabus design, needs assessment, and unit design. Students will engage in a variety of real-world performance tasks, such as creating needs assessment instruments, summative language assessments, and unit plans. Students will also deepen their understanding of course concepts by conducting classroom observations.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8503
Principls/Practcs LangTchng IICourse Description
Principles & Practices in Language Teaching 2
Along with Principles and Practices 1, this course provides students with a foundational pedagogical training in preparation for careers in foreign/second language teaching. Topics covered include (but are not limited to) skills-based lesson planning, authentic texts use, summative and formative assessment, differentiation, classroom discussion strategies, and oral corrective feedback. Students will engage in a variety of real-world performance tasks, such as creating curricular documents (e.g., unit plans, lesson plans, assessments) and performing teaching events.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8661
Language Teacher SupervisionCourse Description
This seminar provides language teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of becoming language teacher supervisors. It examines current models of, and research on, language teacher supervision. Students practice observing teachers and conducting post-observation conferences, developing their ability to provide professional feedback, differentiate between evaluative and developmental supervision, and examine the variables related to working with teachers in a variety of specific contexts.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8670
Practicum CapstoneCourse Description
The Practicum Capstone combines reflective practice and professional development in preparing students for a career in language education. Participants integrate theory, research, and conceptual foundations into a coherent and well-informed approach to planning and executing lessons. They also incorporate these three components when developing and deploying instructional materials and assessment instruments. Activities and products prepare participants for entering the language teaching professional and performing admirably therein.
Practicum Capstone Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
Articulate their approach to language learning and teaching with explicit reference to sound pedagogical principles
Demonstrate their expert knowledge of language, learning, and teaching
Select appropriate materials for effective language instruction
Plan productive instructional units and lessons to maximize second language learning in all skill areas
Assess student learning meaningfully using a range of formative and summative tools
Reflect critically on their teaching practice in order to build on their strengths and address areas for improvement
Terms Taught
LING 8531
Pedagogical Grammar in FLTCourse Description
This course is designed to provide teachers of different languages with opportunities to investigate and practice pedagogical subject matter knowledge and grammar teaching strategies in the language that they teach. There will be a number of different languages represented in the class, which will afford multiple opportunities to explore, investigate, and share a variety of pedagogical perspectives and linguistic experiences.
The course will combine a focus on recent theoretical approaches to grammar (cognitive grammar, construction grammar, systemic – functional grammar) with innovative and practical approaches to teaching and learning in an authentic, action-based and interaction-rich setting.
Terms Taught
LING 8630 Current
Second Language AcquisitionCourse Description
Surveys, in seminar format, research in second-language learning relating to language teaching and learning. Discusses the role of affective variables, interaction, learner strategies, and learner factors in the language acquisition process. Prerequisite: Language Analysis
Terms Taught
LING 8670
Applied Linguistics CapstoneCourse Description
The Applied Linguistics Capstone is designed to help TESOL/TFL students refine their skills as applied linguistics professionals. Course participants will develop either a curriculum project, a, empirical research report, or an assessment tool, using original data that they have collected and analyzed. The course also aims to induce students to reflect on their previous coursework, as well as explore and clarify their future plans for careers as language teaching professionals.
Applied Linguistics Capstone Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
Understand processes of inquiry relevant to language education
Plan research activities for designing curriculum and language instruction, assessment, or empirical investigation
Execute data collection procedures
Analyze data using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods
Synthesize and report findings clearly, convincingly, and creatively for a professional audience
Apply research skills in educational settings
Terms Taught
As a native of Korea with extensive international experience, Dr. Lee’s research is shaped by her perspectives as a learner, teacher, and researcher in multilingual and multicultural settings. Her work focuses on supporting second and foreign language learners’ academic literacy development by examining the challenges faced by both students and instructors. Her specific interests include learner identity and agency, language teacher development, cultural humility, transnationalism, and the socialization of North Korean refugee students in South Korea.
| by Mark C. Anderson
Two TESOL students completed their capstone practicum teaching at an alternative school in Korea that serves defectors from North Korea where their professor is developing the English curriculum.
| by Mark C. Anderson
Educator Kara Mollano is taking what she’s learning in her TESOL courses at the Middlebury Institute and not only putting them to work in her classroom, but sharing them in a learning circle with her colleagues.
