Roxana A. Matthews

Activist, Buddhist, Change Agent, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Global soul, Idea generator, Promoter, World traveler, Writer/Editor

SUMMARY OF MY PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES: Extensive training/teaching experience: cross-cultural training (AIESEC), EFL, IELTS, TOEFL, and Business Communication in different cultural environments: European, Asian & Middle Eastern. Trained in TESOL Teaching, Program Design and Management; Marketing Research Studies. Specialized in Educational Program Development, Brand Awareness, Marketing Campaigns, Sponsorship Activities, Media Relations. Proven ability in dealing with and teaching a multicultural client-base successfully;Proven ability to settle and work successfully within a culturally different environment carrying out tasks to their successful conclusion. CAREER HISTORY: 08/2012 Present * Global Education Graduate Assistant, Center for Global Engagement, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH, USA Coordinating and assisting international students’ event planning Tutoring international students at PSU In charge of the World in the Classroom project; Assisting International Office coordinator 08/2011 06/2012 * English Teacher, Royal Cats Canadian School, Hangzhou, China Prepared creative lessons plans using the Total Physical Response; Taught English to Chinese students between the ages of 3 and 12 Observed, evaluated and graded students' work Used interactive e-boards Trained the students for an English show 01/2011 - 06/2012 * Lead Business English and IELTS Professor, School of Foreign Languages, China Jiliang University Hangzhou, China Taught Business English to International Economics & Trade majors; Taught Advanced Viewing, Listening and Speaking to English majors; Prepared Computer Science majors for the IELTS exam the oral part; Evaluated and graded students' presentations, quizzes, tests and final exams; Created relevant extracurricular activities for students (field trips; workshops; guest speakers) 09/2010 - 01/2011 * ESL Lead English Teacher, Ivy Bilingual Schools, Ningbo, China Taught kindergarden bilingual children 2009 - 2010 IELTS/ESL One-on-One Tutor, Private Tutoring Business Oxford, UK Prepared Arab and Chinese students for the IELTS examination. Business English Instructor, ELS Language Centers, [International Training Institute] Muscat, Oman 2002- 2004 Program Facilitator/Instructor: Communications, Marketing Research, Business Strategy, EAP, ESL, Fuyuan British Educational Center Shenzhen, CHINA 2001- 2002 ESL Program Coordinator and instructor Tianmen Experimental School Tianmen, CHINA 1998-2001 Office Assistant; Marketing Coordinator and Sales Associate, TOTAL QUALITY BEVERAGE of NEW HAMPSHIRE, Inc. Keene, NH, USA EDUCATION; TRAINING 1994 - 1999 BS, Business Management, KEENE STATE COLLEGE, Keene, NH, USA 08/2003 TESOL Teaching Certificate TEFL International, Inc., Reene, France 03/2004 Project Design and Management Certificate, AMERICAN PEACE CORPS Sovata, Romania 04/2005 ELT Conference Participation Certificate, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman 03/2006 TESOL Conference Participation Certificate, TESOL Arabia Association Dubai, UAE 2007 - 2008 On-line Internship in Journalism Manchester, USA SKILLS: Program Design and Management skills Interpersonal skills; Developing people; Teambuilding spirit; Marketing, Advertising, Promotional and Sales skills; Customer Service Cross-cultural communication; a multicultural team player. Freelance translator and writer. Advanced Computer skills: MS 1995/97/98/00 Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, MS Publisher, MS Photo Editor; Adobe Photo Shop, Internet Research, email.

Exploring cultures, learning languages (bilingual: English/Romanian; Intermediate: Spanish, French, Italian); hobby-cat sailing, rock-climbing, hiking, activating my dynamic intelligence, poetry.

Neurodevelopmental Approaches to Teaching, Teaching Adults, teaching and learning with technology, teaching cross cultural communication skills, Teaching for "learning", Teaching Language, teaching reading and writing skills, Teaching the Whole Child vs. to the tests, Teaching Thinking Skill

I don't remember how I came across TED but I do remember that the first TED talk I've ever watched was that of Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity. I was hooked! :) From then on, it's history! :) Part of the history is that I have attended two TEDx events one in the UK at Kent University (TEDxKent) and another one in Hangzhou China called TEDxYouth@WestLake. The latter one came as an opportunity while being part of a group of expats and Chinese alike who got together every other week and discussed TED talks in different cafes around the city. One day Imogen Heap comes by seeking us out for a project she had come to China for. She asked us for help in coming up with ideas. We created a think-tank evening of "ideas worth sharing" and great fun.

Taking an abstract concept and putting it into practice for others to understand; also seeing the big picture of any situation and knowing how the parts work well together or how they COULD work well