Dr Jennifer Smith

  • Dr Jennifer Smith

Find Jennifer Smith on

Doctor of Education (Queensland University of Technology), Master of Education (TESOL) (Queensland University of Technology), Graduate Certificate in Education (TESOL) (Queensland University of Technology)

Jennifer spent 12 months living in Japan and attending high school as a Rotary Exchange student after finishing school in Australia. This experience began Jennifer’s fascination with language learning. Returning to Australia after her exchange, Jennifer completed a double major in Japanese at the University of Newcastle and her Diploma of Education at the University of Queensland. She started her teaching career as a Secondary teacher of Japanese at an Independent school on the Sunshine Coast. Over time she moved around the state of Queensland while working as a primary school teacher of Japanese in Cloncurry, Cairns and Brisbane. After 20 plus years of teaching, Jennifer decided to return to study at QUT gaining her Master of Education (TESOL) and Educational Doctorate. Her thesis was about rethinking homework for primary school foreign language teaching and learning. Presently, she is enjoying teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students at QUT.

Additional information

Experience

Over almost 30 years, Jennifer has gained experience teaching in primary, secondary and tertiary settings. Most of her school experience is with catholic and independent schools. She has taught in regional, remote and major city schools. During this time she has been responsible for developing curriculum, supervising and mentoring pre-service and beginning teachers, and running Japanese Departments. As a Japanese Language teacher, Jennifer is passionate about developing connections between Australian and Japanese students through using collaborative technology in the classroom such as Skype. She has experience with teaching intercultural understanding through using authentic materials in the classroom and facilitating opportunities for reflection. Working in an all-boys school for over 10 years, she also has experience with boy-friendly pedagogy. Jennifer has a keen interest in how second languages are acquired and second language teaching and learning. Drawing on her own experiences as a Rotary Exchange student who had no understanding of Japanese before she landed in Japan, Jennifer understands what it is like to be a second language learner in an educational institution. Combined with her Master of Education (TESOL) qualifications and experience teaching in mainstream classrooms, Jennifer has been teaching about English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) learners to undergraduate and postgraduate students at QUT since 2016. She also has experience teaching second language teaching methodology in the Master of Education (TESOL) course. Jennifer regularly contributes to her field through conference presentations such as: Rethinking homework: What Japanese language teachers need to know about homework, Japanese Network (2019) Languaging: A mediational tool for foreign language homework, ALAA (2018). Languaging: How foreign language students get their homework done when they are home alone! BNU (2018). Methodology: Using iPads to collect video data with children, HDR RECON, QUT (2018). Investigating foreign language homework:

Using iPads to collect video data with primary school children, SPARK, QUT (2018). Scaffolding primary school Language homework for Language learning, MLTAQ (2018). TV as a tool for intercultural understanding, AFLMTA (2017). Skyping in the foreign language classroom, MLTAQ (2014).

Awards

Type
Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
Reference year
2020
Details
Faculty of Education Outstanding Thesis Award
Type
Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
Reference year
2018
Details
Faculty of Education Sessional Academic Award
Type
Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
Reference year
2017
Details
Faculty of Education Real World Teaching Award
Type
Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
Reference year
2015
Details
Faculty of Education Master's High Achievement Award

Publications

Current Supervisions

  • A DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON TEACHER AND LEARNER UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE IN THE ADULT MIGRANT ENGLISH PROGRAM
    PhD, Associate Supervisor
    Other supervisors: Dr Lynette May
  • Developing a reading and writing programme to assist Secondary EAL/D students in mainstream classes
    Professional Doctorate, Associate Supervisor
    Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor Margaret Kettle, Professor Annette Woods