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Sirpa Tuomainen

Sirpa Tuomainen, copyright 2005, UC Regents
Sirpa Tuomainen

Sirpa Tuomainen, a native of Finland, has taught Finnish at Berkeley for eight years and English as a Second language for over twenty — she is an expert in language acquisition.

Her recent publications have focused on the use of technology — the internet, email, and distance learning video instruction — and creative writing in the service of language acquisition.


Says Professor Tuomainen,

'I have been interested in different languages and cultures since elementary school. Fortunately this interest developed into a career in language teaching. I work in various areas of second language acquisition: teaching Finnish and ESL (English as a Second Language), as well as training ESL teachers. This allows me to implement theories into practice and use my creativity to develop innovative materials.

'I would describe my courses as integrated skills classes with communicative competence as a goal. Cultural components such as cinema, cooking, music, poetry, etc., are tied in with language, and the students end up with an interactive, holistic class (having fun together while learning the language).'

Sirpa Tuomainen
Lecturer, Dept. of Scandinavian
Huk, Jyväskylä University
M.A. San Francisco State University


Teaching and Research Interests
Intercultural Communication, Second Language Acquisition, Integrated Curriculum, Teacher Training, Bilingualism / Biculturalism, Dual Identity.

Current Projects
Distance-teaching first-year Finnish to UCLA, Dual identity of Finnish women living abroad, Mystery-writing as a class project.

Selected Publications
'Tool to Motivate Foreign Language Learners: CSCL - The Finnish Application.' ReCALL 15:1, 51-67, (with Tuija Lehtonen). 2003.

'Trial, Tribulations and Triumphs in an ESL-Classroom.' Good News Publication. Laney College, Oakland. May 2003.

'Muu Maa Mustikka.' Kodin Kuvalehti, August 2001. Helsinki, Finland.

'Sinulle on Postia! Using Global E-mail to Enhance Students' Mastery of the Finnish Language.' Berkeley Language Center Publication. Spring 2000.

 

Color Photograph: Sirpa Tuomainen © 2005 UC Regents.
Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved.

Website Copyright © 2005 UC Regents. Last update January 30, 2005.