WLS faculty

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.

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.

Hi! 你好! My name is Chenxi Li. You can call me Cecilia or Chenxi laoshi. I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach EAP 101 and EAP 102 at DKU. I’m from China and I had seven years of postgraduate and doctorate study in the UK. My first language is Mandarin and I also speak English. I am here to support your English language learning and academic writing. Research-wise, I am interested in online English language teaching and learner interactions through video-conferencing. For coaching writing, I am keen on helping you to find the answers by yourself and become a better writer in the future. I am also very happy to help you with presentation and speaking skills.  If you have questions on some specific essays/presentations, please make sure you have the course professor’s assignment instructions, marking rubrics, and/or a clear understanding of your professor’s feedback for a more effective coaching session. 

Hi! My name is Brandon, and I’m a language learning coach in the Writing and Language Studio. I also teach Academic Communication Skills at DKU. I’m from Los Angeles but have been living in China for six years. My first language is English, and I also speak a bit of Spanish. I am here to support your development in oral communication and academic writing. I am particularly interested in feedback in writing, students’ motivation in learning English, and developing students’ listening skills. I look forward to working with you and helping you meet your language learning goals.

Hi! Привет! 你好! My name is Kris Hiller, and I direct the Writing and Language Studio, so you can often see me at WLS events. I also teach academic writing. I’m from the USA, but I’ve also lived in Russia, Korea, and China. I speak English, Russian, and a little Mandarin, which I’m trying to work on. I love learning about—and helping others learn about and develop skills in—languages and intercultural communication. When I’m not busy with other work for the WLS, I can help you with any area of English language learning, though I’m particularly interested in vocabulary development, reading, and pronunciation. I can also help with beginning and intermediate Russian. Come talk to me about your language learning!

Hi! 你好！My name is Yuanyuan Feng, you can call me Freya. I am here to help with you Mandarin. I am the Coordinator for Writing and Language Studio. I am interested in language learning though my learning background is Science. I am learning Korean now. I am looking forward to work with you and helping you with your Chinese language learning.