Introduction

The Badlands

This blog was originally created a couple of years ago in order for me, Alan Clipperton, to demonstrate the things I’ve done and learned while studying and teaching at Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN.   I am now the ESL Coordinator at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota and  I would like to encourage anyone who is interested in our Intensive English Program at Northern to please visit us online at www.northern.edu/iep.  I am currently not updating this site, but I think I will keep it around in case I can actually find the time to post once in awhile.  I would like to point out some of the content highlights included in this blog.  First, my recently published thesis, The Design and Implementation of a Newcomer ESL Program in South Central Minnesota (see Blogroll), is my largest accomplishment to date and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in newcomer ESL programs/schools and/or immigration in the United States.  Second, the multi-genre project is a big part of this site and it includes both the final genres included in the project as well as rough drafts and journal entries related to the genres, so you can all see the genre development process.  Second, the site also includes teaching reflection posts.  The posts were written every week after teaching ESL 202 at MSU.  Last, I also have posted several of my different lesson plans, projects and papers on this site that I have produced over the past years.  Some of them I plan on trying to publish later on and some of them are just interesting.  I hope you enjoy the site and please feel free to comment or ask questions.

Thanks!

Alan Clipperton