Chris received a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas State University, as well as a Master’s Degree specializing in the field of International Relations. He is a CELTA certified instructor (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and has over 10 years of experience in teaching English to non-native speakers of all ages. In 2008 he was selected as recipient of the Wilson Fellowship from Texas State University and served as a guest instructor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Since 2015 Chris has lived and worked in Hong Kong, where he has focused on teaching young learners and developing educational materials to suit their needs. In his time teaching at Monkey Tree, he has moved countless students from Chat Room, through all three levels of Phonics, and into the more academically focused courses of Reading & Speaking and Grammar & Writing. In addition, Chris has prepared well over one hundred to sit and pass their exams for Trinity GESE (Grades 1, 2, and 3) and Cambridge YLE (Starters, Movers, and Flyers).
As a Curriculum Developer for Monkey Tree, Chris has written numerous lesson plans and workbooks, developed homework packs to supplement the majority of Monkey Tree’s courses, co-authored a second series of readers (66 storybooks in total) to accompany the Phonics Jungle phonics program, and produced 22 textbooks for courses currently in development. Chris has devised 2 new courses exclusive to China, from the early planning stages all the way to implementation and enrollment. Chris has guided the development and progression of the games currently in use on Monkey Tree’s interactive learning platform, Monkey Town.
As the Director of Curriculum Development, Chris regularly engages with the Teacher Development Teams to ensure that best training practices are in use and course knowledge is up to date for all teachers. Chris collects real-time feedback from teachers and parents to augment and refine curriculum as it is being developed in order to circumvent and avoid common mishaps that students encounter in the classroom. Chris keeps abreast of pedagogic news and trends to ensure that Monkey Tree’s curriculum reflects the latest developments in early childhood education.
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