Zuzana Tomaš
Assistant Professor of ESL/TESOL
Expertise: TESOL, ESL, Second language teacher education, Curriculum and materials development, Second language writing, Plagiarism, Academic service-learning, English language learners, Community-based ESL, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
About
Dr. Zuzana Tomaš earned her doctorate at the University of Utah. Since coming to EMU in 2011, Dr. Tomaš has taught graduate and undergraduate English as a second language (ESLN) courses for international students and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher preparation courses. Dr. Tomaš has also worked with in-service teachers and university faculty through various professional development workshops and seminars in the United States, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, China, and Syria.
In addition to peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on teaching second language academic writing and teacher education, Dr. Tomaš has co-authored three books entitled "Teaching Writing" in 2013 and "Fostering International Student Success in Higher Education" in 2014, with TESOL International Press and "Teaching Effective Source-Use" with the University of Michigan Press. She is currently working on her third collaborative book with the University of Michigan Press. While most of her published work so far is in the area of academic English, Dr. Tomaš is increasingly gaining recognition as a teacher educator, implementing academic-service learning courses that bring together EMU's preservice teachers in TESOL and immigrant and refugee students in the community. She has been recognized for her engagement in the community by the Office of Academic Service Learning, which awarded her the Dale Rice Award for Innovation in Academic Service Learning and Community Engagement in 2015.
Dr. Tomaš is also an awardee of a $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education focused on increasing the number of ESL credentialed teachers in Southeast Michigan. As part of the grant, she is also involved in a research study that examines the extent to which English learners benefit from engaging with a nationally implemented C3WP argument writing curriculum.
Dr. Tomaš mentorship of EMU students includes co-publication of numerous pedagogical activities, book chapters, newsletter articles, and peer-reviewed research articles, co-presentation at state and international conferences, help with preparation for Undergraduate Symposium and Graduate Research Fair, assistance with obtaining an international award in pedagogical materials and other opportunities.
