Faculty & Staff

Vivian Lindhardsen, Ph.D. is a senior lecturer in Language and Education and the director of the Applied Linguistics and TESOL program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she teaches Second Language Assessment in PK-12, Pedagogical English Grammar, Educational Linguistics, and several PK-12 Methods courses. She holds a Ph.D. in TESOL and Applied Linguistics from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, and an M.A. in English Language and Literature from Copenhagen University, Denmark. Dr. Lindhardsen has more than 25 years of experience as a language educator, including teaching English and foreign languages at several levels of education, including intensive English programs for adults, PreK-12 as well as undergraduate and graduate levels. She has solid experience in educational administration and management, having served as a PreK-12 assistant principal, as the director of the Community Language Program and TESOL Certificate Program at Teachers College, as a founder of a Scandinavian school, and as the director of the International Center for Language Studies (ICLS), where she worked intensely with governmental agencies to provide foreign language training, assessment, and curriculum development. Dr. Lindhardsen is a former commissioner and a long-standing reviewer for The Commission of English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), and she an expert member of New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) and of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for TESOL standards. Dr. Lindhardsen has published journal articles and textbooks in writing assessment and in language pedagogy.

Dr. Yuna Seong is the Director of the Community Language Program and two advanced certificate programs, TESOL and Language Program Management Certificate Programs, at Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), where she trains and oversees language educators and language program professionals who aspire to teach and manage their own language programs. Prior to TC, Dr. Seong was a Clinical Assistant Professor and Assessment Coordinator at New York University (NYU). During her years at NYU, she designed and taught a wide array of specialized courses for English language learners from diverse language, academic, and professional backgrounds. In addition, she developed, administered, and managed the program’s English proficiency exams and successfully led a two-year project overhauling the curriculum. She is also a test development consultant for the Scenario-based Assessment Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University and a SAT/PSAT fairness reviewer for College Board. Dr. Seong earned her Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics with specialization in second language assessment and an M.A. in Second Language Studies from University of Hawai’i at Manoa with concentration on language assessment, measurement, and program evaluation. Her research interests include teaching and assessing second language speaking ability, scenario-based assessment, and metacognitive and cognitive processes in second language test performance. 

Talya Kahan is the Program Associate for the Language Management Program and the TESOL Certificate Program at Teachers College. She previously worked in research, communications strategy and operations for local non-profits and international organizations, before  moving into teaching. She currently tutors ESL students. Talya holds an MSc. in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and a BA in Politics and Sociology from Brandeis University. As a former student in the TESOL Certificate Program, Talya is excited to support  current students on their journeys and to help ensure that their experience at Teachers College is a positive one. 

Allie Hope King is a doctoral candidate in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has an Ed.M. in Applied Linguistics from TC, an M.Ed. in Foreign Language Education and TESOL from the University of Pittsburgh, and a bachelor’s in Modern Languages from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on classroom discourse, specifically what co-teacher interaction looks like through a conversation analytic lens. Prior to returning to New York for her current academic endeavors, she taught ESL in a number of contexts and locations around the U.S. While at TC, she has taught several courses in the Community Language Program, and has been a mentor and instructor for the TESOL Certificate Program.

Gabi Ferraris is the Program Associate for the Community Language Program at Teachers College. She has a BA in International Relations, focusing on Environmental Policy, with a minor in Mandarin Chinese, and extensive experience working for environmental NGOs and international organizations. After she finished her BA, she spent two years with the Peace Corps in Western China teaching English at the university level, gaining experience teaching in both classrooms and one-on-one settings. She was also a tutor for the CIFLTE program at Teachers College, teaching French one-on-one. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at Columbia University.

Farah Akbar is a doctoral student in the Applied Linguistics Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she previously earned an M.A. in TESOL. She also has an M.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. She has taught ESL/EFL for almost 15 years in Pakistan and the U.S. She has taught TESOL Practicum and Second Language Acquisition courses to graduate students at TC. Farah has also taught in the M.A. TESOL program and the International English Language Institute (IELI) at Hunter College, City University of New York. Her areas of interest include second language acquisition (SLA), interactional feedback, naturalistic L2 development, computer-mediated communication (CMC), and teacher education. Farah teaches the Pedagogical English Grammar course in the TESOL Certificate Program.

Kelly Frantz is a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also earned her MA. As a former Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, she has taught English as a second language in the US and abroad. Most recently, she has designed and taught speaking and writing courses for the English Language Institute at City College of New York and the TC Community Language Program. She is currently a Doctoral Teaching Fellow at the Community Language Program and a writing consultant for the TC Graduate Writing Center. Her doctoral research uses conversation analysis to examine interactions in various pedagogical settings. Kelly teaches the Intercultural Communication course in the TESOL Certificate Program.

Lal Horan is a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her MA in TESOL from Portland State University. Over the last ten years, Lal has taught English as a second language across 5 countries, including 2 years spent teaching English and providing teacher training workshops as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural China. Her doctoral research uses conversation analysis to examine how sign languages are taught and learned as a second language. Lal teaches the Second Language Acquisition course in the TESOL Certificate Program. 

Soo Hyoung Joo is a doctoral student in the Applied Linguistics Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught ESL and EFL learners since 2008. She worked as an item writer and editor for second language assessments. She served as chair for TESOL/AL Roundtable and worked as Program Associate for the Applied Linguistic and TESOL Program at Teachers College. She is a doctoral researcher in the scenario-based language assessment research lab at Teachers College. Her research focus is on second language assessment, in particular learning-oriented assessment, scenario-based assessment, and the use of technology in assessment. She teaches the second language assessment course in the TESOL Certificate Program.