WLS faculty

Hi! 你好! My name is Li Xu, and I’m a Chinese language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach Chinese classes for the undergraduate program at DKU. My first language is Chinese and I also speak English. I am here to support your Chinese language learning at all levels. I look forward to working with you and helping you meet your language learning goals.

Hi! My name is Lee Shelmerdine, and I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at DKU. I’m from the UK, but I have lived in China for many years. I am here to support your English language learning and writing. I am particularly interested in coaching academic writing, but I have a lot of experience in all areas of language teaching. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals.

Hi! My name is Layla, and I’m a writing and language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach graduate academic communication skills at DKU. I’m from the United States but have been living in China for 10 years. My first language is English and I also speak some Mandarin. I am here to support your English language learning and writing. I am particularly interested in graduate degree-specific writing and developing students’ ability to give peer feedback. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals.

Hi!Ni Hao! ¡Hola! My name is Prof. Laura Davies, and I am a writing and language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at DKU. I am from England, UK, but have been living in China since 2009. My first language is English and I also speak some Spanish and Chinese. I am here to support your English language learning and writing, specifically, your academic writing and reading skills. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals.  

Hi! 你好! ¡Hola! My name is Kevin Sprague, and I’m a writing and language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach Academic Writing, Public Speaking and Debate at DKU. I’m from the United States but have been living in China for almost 10 years. My first language is English and I also speak Chinese and Spanish. I have learned a little Thai and a little Russian and would like to learn more. I am here to support your English language learning and writing. I am particularly interested in how culture influences language learning, developing students’ pronunciation and developing students’ reading skills. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals. 

Hi! 倷好! ¡Hola! My name is Junyi Li, and I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at DKU. I was born and raised in Suzhou, then spent most of my time exploring and studying in other parts of China and overseas since I was 13. My first language is Mandarin, and I also speak English and a little bit German and Japanese. I am here to support you with your writing, English language learning, and Mandarin learning (or even Suzhounese if you’re interested). I am particularly interested in student engagement and motivation in language learning, inclusive language teaching, and professional development for teachers, and I have a lot of experience in educational counseling. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals!  

Hi! 你好! ¡Hola! My name is Joe Davies, and I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach Academic Communication Skills and Academic Writing for the graduate programs and an undergraduate course in language teaching here at DKU. I’m from the UK but have been living in China for over ten years. My first language is English and I also speak Mandarin Chinese and some Spanish. I am here to support your English language learning and writing. I am particularly interested in how culture influences language learning, and in developing students’ academic presentation skills. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals.

Hi! 你好! My name is John Noonan and I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach English for Academic Purposes at DKU, and journalism and news writing elective courses. I’m from the United States but have been living in China for about 15 years, teaching English-language media and communications at Shantou University in Guangdong province. My first language is English and I also speak some Chinese. I am here to support your English language learning and writing. I am particularly interested in how culture influences language learning, developing students’ professional-level writing and speaking abilities — and teaching the much-overlooked strategy of reading out loud as a tool for students to better edit their own work. I look forward to working with you and to helping you meet your language learning goals. You can contact me at john.h.noonan@dukekunshan.edu. I will be happy to meet with you face-to-face in my office, CC 1061. 

Hello! 你好! こにちは! My name is Ian McNally and I am an English writing and Japanese language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I’m from the east coast of the USA and just moved to China at the beginning of 2023. My first language is English, and I also speak Mandarin and Japanese. I’m here to support your English writing and Japanese language skills. I’m a huge fan of fantasy novels and love writing them in my free time. I am also a martial artist and have been practicing the Chinese kung fu style 八卦掌 (Baguazhang) for the last 12 years. I look forward to working together with you to reach your writing and language learning goals!

你好！¡Hola! My name is Su Hang, or you can call me Lisa. I am here to help you with Writing, Mandarin, and English language learning. I got my MAs in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages and International Higher Education. Before moving back to China, I taught Mandarin in Thailand and the United States for two years. I also speak basic Thai and a little bit of Japanese. I am currently learning español on my own and would love to work and learn something new with you together!

I have been an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for over 15 years including time in South Korea, the U.S. and of course China. I hold MA degrees in both ESL Teaching and Conflict Transformation. I have taught many types of writing courses, as well as a wide variety of other English skills courses. I am available to coach English writing and any other type of English language skill.

Hi! 你好! Hallo! שלום Shalom!  My name is Danielle Chang, and I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I currently teach EAP courses at DKU.  I’m from the United States but have been living in China since 2019. I have also lived in Germany and Israel for quite a few years. My first language is English, I also speak German and Mandarin. I am here to support your English language learning and writing. If you need advice on improving or learning German, I could also be of help. I am particularly interested in how culture influences language learning, developing students’ pronunciation and developing students’ reading skills.  I look forward to working with you in reaching your language learning goals.