FARAH AKBAR
A teacher's story is never complete without their students
Student Testimonials
Over the years, I have had the opportunity and the honor to work with many wonderful student-teachers. Whether a novice student-teacher, an in-service teacher, or a seasoned professional, the road to learning and professional development has always been a two-way affair for me. I consider myself very lucky and highly privileged to have worked with dedicated, accountable, empathetic individuals and communities. I strife for collaborative learning with a multi-faceted goal of helping them build on their content and pedagogical knowledge and skills in order to better serve today's language learners. I will always cherish and treasure my student-teachers!
Patrick Tso
TESOL Certificate Program
(Summer 2022)
"This past summer I had the pleasure of taking pedagogical English grammar with Professor Farah Akbar as part of a TESOL certification program at Teachers College, Columbia University. During my time in theclassroom Professor Akbar taught with enthusiasm and vast knowledge. She was apt to connect concepts and structures to various learner populations. I benefited greatly from her ability to discuss limitations with regards to new English learners and their learning habits. During the course, Professor Akbar kept me, and other students engaged through probing questions, meaningful reflections and activities that were designed to foster strong participation. It was an opportunity to learn in a relaxed atmosphere with many chances to apply her teachings outside of the classroom. Professor Akbar taughtwith grace and was always willing to help her students out. She created a classroom that wascomfortable and encouraged inquiry daily. Over the course of this class, I felt myself becoming astronger ESL teacher by executing mock lessons, reflecting on these lessons, and receiving meaningful feedback. Her classes were structured in a way that got the most out of our time in the classroom. I learned a lot from Professor Akbar and consider her a valuable resource going forward."
Mengxi Tian
MA in Applied Linguistics Course: Intro to Second Language Acquisition
(Spring 2020)
"I took the Second Language Acquisition course under Dr. Akbar in the Spring of 2020. Dr. Akbar is one of the most knowledgeable, passionate, and invested instructors that I have had. I was amazed by the depth and breadth of her knowledge in the field of second language acquisition. She could always provide thorough and timely responses to any questions that arose in class. The classroom ambiance she created was both constructive and comfortable. On one hand, I have developed a deeper understanding of SLA theories and improved my independent research skills through this course, since she was able to push us to learn and encourage us to do self-challenge. On the other hand, she was very personable and supportive to ease our concerns and stress, especially during the pandemic. Her passion for the course was so contagious and inspiring that has sparked my interest in language education and motivated me personally to pursue my Ph.D. Now I have started my research journey at the University of Cambridge, and I really appreciate her assistance and encouragement during my application process. I feel grateful to have Dr. Akbar as my instructor who truly cares about her students and is willing to take the time and effort to help each of them thrive and succeed inside and outside of the classroom."
Kitti Farkas
TESOL Certificate Program
(Summer 2021)
"Farah was one of my instructors during the TESOL Certificate Program at Teachers College at Columbia University. She taught me Pedagogical English Grammar, and she was also my mentor during the 6-week teaching practicum at Community Language Program at Teachers College.
Farah was one of the cornerstone teachers of the program, and as being both my instructor and mentor, I can say that I learned the most from her. I admired not only her knowledge about English Grammar, but also her delivery of the material and the high level of engagement of her classes. No grammar course is a students’ favorite; however, she made it easy and fun for us. Both her online and in-person lectures were well structured with clear and logical explanation, followed by many exercises and opportunities to practice. Farah showed me that teaching Grammar is not as hard as I thought it could be, and also that teaching and explaining it well earns the respect of the learners.
The teaching practicum was the highlight of my TESOL program. Under Farah’s mentorship I’ve grown tremendously as a teacher. Farah set the same high standards for her student teachers as what she follows for her own teaching. Her detailed and constructive feedbacks were eye-opening and invaluable. I still think about her advice as I prepare for my lessons, writing my lesson plans, facilitate the class and especially when I deliver my instructions. It’s rare to have someone that you feel had so much impact on you. Farah is one of those, a one-of-a-kind teacher and mentor. She made me challenge myself, push my limits and get out of my comfort zone, for which I feel grateful every single time I go into my classroom."
Gosia Montalbano
TESOL Certificate Program (Summer 2021)
"'Be clear, concise and correct': these are the words that are engraved in my memory and probably describe Farah’s style of lectures best. Her instructions were simple and expressed in language that was easily accessible to students, her teacher talk was minimized while authentic, communicative, student centered activities were maximized. After a clear and concise lecture that was perfectly organized on a powerpoint (and often supplemented with humorous pictures to illustrate the main idea), Farah moved on to student centered, interactive activities that were task and theme based. Her lectures were exciting and never boring.I was a very shy student at the beginning but thanks to Farah’s always positive, upbeat, encouraging attitude, I became more active in class. She motivated me and gave me courage to participate. In a very short time, Pedagogical English Grammar became my favorite subject which I was looking forward to every week. Time passed by quickly when we worked as a class or in small groups, or pairs. Farah was a master in online teaching techniques taking full advantage of zoom features, powerpoint and other online applications. I found her workshops on teaching with technology extremely enlightening and helpful. Unlike my experience with other teachers, with Farah I learned by participating and paying attention in her class, I learned “by doing”. I did not have to read and reread books and memorize material before taking tests or doing homework. Just by attending Farah lectures I was able to successfully answer test and homework questions. Complicated concepts with broad metalinguistic terminology seemed simple and made sense. She took extra time and effort not only to mark homework and tests as correct or incorrect but provided valuable comments, praises and encouragement. I was not only fortunate to attend Farah’s grammar lectures and technology workshops. After my mentor abruptly resigned, Farah enthusiastically took over this additional responsibility. Under her guidance my lesson plans and delivery improved dramatically. She taught me the importance of focusing on and presenting objectives of my lessons. Students noticed the change immediately and appreciated it very much. All of this took a lot of effort and time, and Farah was always easily available, always ready to help. Farah’s effective teaching style, impeccable organization skills, kind, affectionate personality, and ability to relate to students from different backgrounds and ages make her stand out among other teachers. She goes far and beyond to help her students succeed, and is an indispensable asset to any college and community."