1. Refining Academic Writing
Course Introduction

2. Name: George Elliott Koichi Whitehead
Nationality: Canadian
Country of Residence: South Korea
Occupation: Assistant Professor
Non- Academic Hobbies: Muay Thai Kickboxing

3. family

4. Education Associates of Arts BA (Linguistics)
Certificate for Teaching ESL Linguistics
(30 Credit courses + 30 hr. practicum)
MA (TEFL/ TESL)
PhD Education (in progress)

5. work
1999 & 2003
The beginning…

7. 2016-Present
2017-Present

8. Recent Publications
Whitehead, G. & Greener, V. ( in preparation). Beyond good teaching practices: Exploring learners' views of language teacher leadership.
Whitehead, G. & Ramos, I. (under review). Developing Effective Teacher Talk: A critical self-examination of an ESP syllabus designed for in-service teachers. The Journal of Asia TEFL.
Hiver, P., & Whitehead, G. (2018). Teaching metacognitively: Adaptive inside-out thinking in the L2 classroom. In C. Bjørke, M. Dypedahl, & Å. Haukås (Eds.), Metacognition in Language Learning and Teaching. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hiver, P., & Whitehead, G. (2018). Sites of struggle: The co-construction of language teacher agency and teacher identity through classroom practice. System [Special Issue] Interdisciplinarity in Language Teacher Agency: Theoretical and Analytical Explorations.
Whitehead, G. (2017). Teachers’ voices: Obstacles to communicative language teaching in South Korea. Asian EFL Journal, 18 (4), 5-31.
Whitehead, G. (2016). The rise and fall of the National English Ability Test: Examining Korean high school English teachers’ perspectives. Asian EFL Journal, 19 (4)
Greenier, V., & Whitehead, G. (2016). Towards a model of teacher leadership in ELT: Authentic leadership in classroom practice. RELC Journal, 47(1), DOI: /

9. Additional Publications
Gang, Y.S., Kim, H.D., Whitehead, G., Goo, Y.S., Gwon, H.Y., Han, G., & Hong, G.M. (2018). Middle School English 1. Seoul, South Korea: Darakwon.
Gang, Y.S., Kim, H.D., Whitehead, G., Goo, Y.S., Gwon, H.Y., Han, G., & Hong, G.M. (2019). Middle School English 2. Seoul, South Korea: Darakwon.
Gang, Y.S., Kim, H.D., Whitehead, G., Goo, Y.S., Gwon, H.Y., Han, G., & Hong, G.M. (2020). Middle School English 3. Seoul, South Korea: Darakwon.

10. Peer review & Editing
Asian EFL Journal - Editor/ Reviewer (
Asian ESP Journal – Editor/ Reviewer (
System – Guest reviewer (

11. Academic presentations
Whitehead, G. (2017). A Guided Analysis of Effective Language Teaching. Presented at Seoul KOTESOL workshop, Seoul, South Korea. June, 2017.
Whitehead, G. (2016). Analyzing Effective Teaching through Video Analysis. Presented at Yongin KOTESOL workshop, Yongin, South Korea. May,
  Whitehead, G. (2016). Setting the groundwork for student motivation: The role of the teacher. Presented at the Seoul National Conference, Seoul, South Korea. April, 2016. 
Whitehead, G. (2015). Motivated Learners: A Focus on the Teacher. Presented at Suwon KOTESOL workshop, Suwon, South Korea. October, 2015.
  Whitehead, G. (2015). Connecting with Young Learners: Relevance and Relatability. Presented at Gwangmyeong City elementary language teacher workshop, Gwangmyeong, South Korea. October, 2015.
  Whitehead, G. (2015). Sparking Students' Interest and Engagement through Contextual Connections. Presented at Yongin KOTESOL workshop, Yongin, South Korea. September, 2015.
Whitehead, G. (2014). English Today. Presented at Chodang high school student workshop, Yongin, South Korea. October, 2014.
Whitehead, G & Hwang.H. (2014). The ‘Double Iceberg’ model . Presented at Applied Linguistics Association of Korea (ALAK) international conference, Seoul , South Korea. September, 2014.
  Invited panel member: Facing the facts: Perspectives on the possibilities for change in Korean English language teaching. Gyeonggi Foreign Language Education Conference (GFLEC), Pyeongtaek, South Korea. November, 2013.
  Invited panel member: Considering the future of English language teaching in Korea.Gyeonggi-do International Teachers’ Conference (GITC), Pyeongtaek, South Korea. October, 2012.
Whitehead, G., & Hwang, H. (2012). Examining teacher talk in Korean English classrooms: Advocating the judicious use of L1. Paper presented at Gyeonggi-do International Teachers’ Conference (GITC), Pyeongtaek , South Korea. October, 2012.
  Whitehead, G. (2011). Evaluating the use of L1 in Korean English classrooms. Presented at Gyeonggi-do International Teachers’ Conference (GITC), Pyeongtaek, South Korea. November, 2011. .

13. Refining Academic Writing
with Prof. George E.K. Whitehead

14. The Refining Academic Writing course aims to…
…help you develop a richer understanding of various types of academic writing.
…increase your understanding and ability to write different sections of a thesis or academic journal article.
…help to increase the quality and clarity of your academic writing through participation in various task- feedback activities.
…develop your ability to knowledgeably review, and critique different genres of academic writing
…increase your confidence in your ability to write academically.

15. By the end of this course you will have…
…developed and refined various academic reading & writing skills
….created a variety of documents related to academic writing
…developed a deeper understanding of the topic you write about

16. Course Overview

17. Course Schedule Introduction to academic writing
The basics: Key concepts and considerations in academic writing
Reading academically: Searching for resources
Creating literature cards
Referencing
Writing introductions: A focus on moving from general to specific
Writing introductions workshop: In-class writing
Writing introductions: Feedback
Writing a literature review & organized literature card
Finish organized literature card
Begin writing literature review
Finish writing literature review
Literature review peer feedback
Revising introduction/ Literature review
Final portfolio preparation & Consultations

18. Topics
Assignments
Week 1
Introduction to academic writing
Student profile
Week 2
The basics: Key concepts and considerations in academic writing
Week 3
Reading academically: Searching for resources
Week 4
Creating literature cards
5-10 articles relating to a topic of interest
Week 5
Referencing
Literature card
Week 6
Writing introductions: A focus on moving from general to specific
Week 7
Writing introductions workshop: In-class writing
Week 8
Writing introductions: Feedback
Introduction
Week 9
Writing a literature review & organized literature card
Week 10
Finish organized literature card
Organized literature card
Week 11
Begin writing literature review
Week 12
Finish writing literature review
Week 13
Literature review peer feedback
Week 14
Revising introduction/ Literature review
Week 15
Final portfolio preparation & Consultations
Literature card, Introduction, Organized literature card, Literature review

19. Course Evaluation
Attendance: 20 points Participation, Professionalism, Excellence: 20 points Application tasks: 20 points Writing portfolio: 40 points Total: 100 points

20. Application Tasks 5 points each Literature card Introduction
Organized literature card
Literature review
5 points each

21. If you are going to be late or absent please send me a message before class if possible.
Attendance
*Attendance includes being here on time prepared for class.
Arriving 5 minutes or more after the start of class will be marked as late. For each late mark you will receive a 1 point deduction in attendance
Arriving 30 minutes or more after the start of class will be marked as absent.
For each absence you will receive a 2 point deduction in attendance
*Absences and lateness may be excused with a valid reason

22. Participation, Professionalism, Excellence
Participation includes all classroom tasks i.e. projects, performances, discussions etc., as well as attention, attitude.
Professionalism is the way you conduct yourself in class and with your professor.
5 Excellence points are reserved and rewarded for exceptional effort.
*If you receive no excellence points your maximum score in this area is 15/20
Always here on time for class
Outstanding effort during class
Helping others in class
Outstanding classwork or homework
Excellent attitude throughout the semester

23. Final Portfolio Final Versions Literature Card Introduction
Organized Literature Card
Literature Review
Feedback forms

24. How to succeed.. Stay on schedule
Do work outside of class (even though it is not mandatory)
Ask for help if you need it
The harder you work in class the easier it will be
WARNING: If you get behind it will be very hard to catch up

25. Contact Website: profgwhitehead.weebly.com