1. Introduction to Thesis 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. Introduction to Thesis Writing
with Prof. George E.K. Whitehead

14. The Introduction to Thesis Writing course aims to…
… help you develop a richer understanding of thesis writing. 
… increase your understanding and ability to write different sections of a thesis. 
…help you increase the quality and clarity of your writing through participation in various task-feedback activities. 
…help you develop the ability to knowledgeably review, and critique different sections of a thesis.
… help to boost your confidence in your ability to write a thesis.
But most importantly… Make thesis writing an easier process for you

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 sections of a thesis
…developed a deeper understanding of the topic you write about

16. Course Overview

17. 1st
Introduction to thesis writing  The basics: Key concepts and considerations in thesis writing
2nd
Engaging with literature : Searching for resources & creating literature cards
3rd
Creating literature cards (in-class workshop)
4th
Writing introductions: A focus on moving from general to specific
5th
Writing introductions workshop: In-class writing
6th
Writing introductions: Peer-feedback workshop
7th
How to write a literature review  Creating an organized literature card
9th
Writing literature review
10th
Writing a literature review: Peer-feedback workshop
11th
Methods section: Overview of sections and content
12th
Methods writing
13th
Working with data: Presenting and discussing results/ findings
14th
15th
Discussion & Implications: Key points and features
16th
Conclusion writing  Reference list
8th
Writing literature review

18. Course Evaluation
Attendance: 15 points Participation, Professionalism, Excellence: 15 points Application tasks: 30 points Writing portfolio: 40 points Total: 100 points

19. Application Tasks/ Final Portfolio
Literature card
Introduction
Literature review
Methods
Discussion
Implications
Conclusion,
Reference List

20. 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

21. 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.
Always here on time for class
Outstanding effort during class
Helping others in class
Outstanding classwork or homework
Excellent attitude throughout the semester

22. Final Portfolio Final Versions of… Everything we have done in class
This will vary depending on our progress
Literature card
Introduction
Literature review
Methods
Discussion
Implications
Conclusion,
Reference List

23. Contact Website: profgwhitehead.weebly.com