Our People

PGDip (Aptitude for teaching of French) Alliance Francaise, French MOE 2005
MS (Science & Technics) University of Havre 1994
BA (Economics) University of Havre 1992

Jean François Ghesquière is a Senior lecturer in the Centre for Modern Languages at NTU, Singapore. He teaches French language courses and is also an official examiner, assessor and instructor for Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) and Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF) which are administered by CIEP (Centre international d'études pédagogiques) for France’s Ministry of Education. He has presented at international conferences in Malaysia and Taipei. His research interests include Francophilia in Asia and French in consumer discourse.

>> Research Profile

Estelle Bech
Senior Lecturer & French Language Coordinator
Tel: 6592 7828
[email protected]

Post-grad (French Teaching) University Lumiere 1998
Master degree (French) University Marc Bloch 1995
Master degree (French Liguistics) University Marc Bloch 1995

Estelle Bech is a French lecturer in the Centre for Modern Languages at NTU, Singapore. She teaches French language courses and is also an examiner, assessor and instructor for Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) and Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF) which are administered by CIEP (Centre international d'études pédagogiques) for France’s Ministry of Education. Her research interests include IT / web use in second language acquisition, blended learning (flipped classroom) and pedagogical approach (action/task based approach) in second language acquisition.

>> Research Profile

Chen Liandong
Senior Lecturer & Japanese Language Coordinator
Tel: 6513 7637
[email protected]

PhD (Jap Ling) Osaka University 2008
MA Saitama University 1989
BA Beijing Foreign Studies University 1982

Research Interests:
Japanese language grammar
Pragmatics focus particles in Japanese language
Syntax
Morphology

>> Research Profile

Cristina González Ruiz
Senior Lecturer & Spanish Language Coordinator
Tel:  6513 7640
[email protected]

PhD in Applied Linguistics to Language Teaching (2019 – ongoing)
MA in Applied Linguistics - University of Jaen (2010)
MA in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language - University of Leon (2007)
MA in Leisure & Tourism Management - University of Deusto (1998)
BA (Hons) in Leisure & Tourism Management - University of North London (1997)

Cristina is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Modern Languages at NTU, Singapore. She has been teaching and coordinating Spanish language courses since the language was first offered in 2002. She is also an accredited examiner for the DELE (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language), administered by the Instituto Cervantes and issued by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain.

She is a firm believer in integrating enabling technology into the curriculum with the aim of using it in the way that best supports students in achieving the course learning objectives and provides them with the best possible learning experience. Thus, she has developed blended learning courses that integrate technology into the curriculum design and assessment through the adoption of the Flipped Classroom model. She has published in the areas of oral learning strategies, oral presentation skills in language learning and technology enhanced language learning.

>> Research Profile

• Ph.D. in Linguistics, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2005
• M.A. in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign/Second Language, Jinan University, China, 2001
• B.A. in English Language and Literature, Hunan Normal University, China, 1994

Dr. He Xiaoling is a dedicated and passionate foreign language educator, equipped with a stellar academic background that has shaped her into a highly skilled teacher. She began with a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Hunan Normal University, renowned for its comprehensive and specialized training in education and teaching, including pedagogy, curriculum development, and educational psychology, teaching methodologies.

To further enhance her expertise, she pursued a M.A. degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language at Jinan University, a leading institution in the field in China. This program exposed her to a wide array of language teaching techniques, language acquisition theories, and intercultural communication, thereby enriching her ability to design engaging and effective language lessons.

Driven by an insatiable curiosity for language itself, she delved into the intricacies of language structure, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics through a Ph.D. in Chinese Linguistics. This rigorous doctoral program equipped her with a profound understanding of language fundamentals, enhancing her capacity to explain language concepts with clarity and precision.

With a fusion of these diverse training backgrounds, Dr. He stands as a uniquely qualified foreign language teacher, blending essential teaching expertise with a deep comprehension of language. This powerful combination empowers her to create a stimulating and nurturing learning environment, dedicated to inspiring genuine appreciation for foreign languages and cultures among her students.

Since 1994, Dr. He has embarked on an enriching teaching career across China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Her extensive experience has allowed her to teach students from various cultural backgrounds, honing her approach to cater to individual learning needs while fostering cross-cultural understanding.

Following the completion of her Ph.D. degree, Dr. He assumed a pivotal role as the Co-Program Leader and main instructor for a prestigious MA program in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In this leadership position, she showcased her proficiency in language pedagogy, ensuring the success of the program and mentoring aspiring language educators.

Since 2010, Dr. He has been serving as a Chinese language coordinator and a main instructor at Nanyang Technological University. Her dedicated contributions encompass designing Chinese language curricula and meticulously crafting teaching content for courses ranging from beginners to advanced levels and Chinese courses for specific purposes, such as Business Chinese, Chinese for Medical students, Chinese course for heritage students. Her adeptness in teaching students across all proficiency levels has earned her acclaim from students and colleagues alike.

>> Research Interests

Courses taught

• Chinese Language Level 1
• Chinese language level 1 Reading & Writing
• Chinese Language Level 2
• Chinese Language Level 3
• Chinese Language Level 4
• Advanced Practical Chinese
• Business Chinese

Hani Mustafa
Senior Lecturer & Malay Language Coordinator, Deputy Director of CML
Tel: 6513 8123
[email protected]

M.Ed (Malay Lang) Nanyang Technological University 2009
Post-Grad Dip in Edu (Malay Lang & Lit) National Institute of Education 2002
BA (Malay Studies & English Lang) National University of Singapore 1994

Hani Mustafa is a lecturer in Centre for Modern Languages, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research interests include areas in language teaching, learning and attitude. In the area of teaching, she studies the different approaches to teaching, the use of technology in teaching and alternative assessment. The impact of bilingualism and multilingualism on learning attitudes, social integration and policy making is another area which interests her as she looks at the pattern in language acquisition and its impact on society. She is also keen on the issue of language identity and is currently studying on what motivates a person to learn language and what are the perceived relationship between language and social, cultural and economic identity, especially in the context multi-cultural Singapore. She teaches Malay language level one, two and three and designs the curriculum for the teaching of Malay for medical students. She also teaches Malay for adult learners and conducts the summer exchange programme. Hani Mustafa has been a journalist with Singapore Press Holdings prior to joining the education industry. She joined NTU in 2014. She has published a book on Teaching and Learning of Basic Malay.

>> Research Interests

Sureenate Jaratjarungkiat
Senior Lecturer & Thai Language Coordinator
Tel: 6592 3706
[email protected]

PhD (Thai) Chulalongkorn University 2013
MA (Thai) Chulalongkorn University 2009
BA (Hons) (Thai) Thammasat University 2006

Sureenate Jaratjarungkiat has an undergraduate degree from Thammasat University and a doctorate from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Following a work at Google as part of Google Voice (Thai) team, she has been a lecturer and Thai programme coordinator of Centre for Modern Languages, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU.
With a commitment to make more accessible contents for all learners, she divides her time evenly between developing new teaching techniques and teaching others how to do things right and get the most out of technological advancements. Sureenate grew up in Thailand and made Singapore her home in 2014.

>> Research Interests

Narae Jung
Senior Lecturer & Korean Language Coordinator​
Tel: 6790 4895
[email protected]

M.A. in Korean studies, specialized in KFL(Korean as a Foreign Language), Korea
M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), USA
B.Ed. in Korea National University of Education, Korea

Narae Jung is a lecturer and the language coordinator of Korean in the Centre for Modern Languages. She teaches Korean Language Level 1, 2, and 3. Narae Jung's research interests are Motivation and Demotivation in Learning Korean, Second Language Acquisition and Korean for Specific Purposes.

>> Research Interests

Mariyam Bee
Lecturer & Arabic Language Coordinator
Tel: 6592 7533
[email protected]

MA in Teaching Arabic Khartoum lntl lnst. for Arabic Language 2008
BEd in Arabic Language International University of Africa 2006

Mariyam is a lecturer in Centre for Modern Languages, in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She obtained her first degree from the International University of Africa-Sudan in teaching Arabic language and her master's degree in teaching Arabic for non-native speakers from Khartoum international institute for the Arabic Language- Sudan. She has been teaching the Arabic language to non-native speakers of all ages and has designed curriculums/ syllabus for learning and teaching the Arabic language.

>> Research Interests

MA in TSFL - Complutense University of Madrid
PGDE - Complutense University of Madrid
BA (Hons) in English, American Studies & Linguistics. Minor in French - Complutense University of Madrid

Abel joins NTU after more than 12 years of experience lecturing at universities in Hong Kong, South Africa, The United States, the UK and Spain. He is an accredited examiner for levels A1-C2 of the DELE (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) issued by Instituto Cervantes. Occasionally, he has worked as a pedagogical advisor for a publishing house, providing workshops for teachers on didactics, motivation and culture in Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia and Instituto Cervantes in Greece. He was the recipient of a Fulbright-FLTA Scholarship in 2006 and he participated in the Sharing Words Project at the University of Manchester, winner of the 2005 European Award for Languages. His research interests include Sociolinguistics, Cognitive Linguistics, Sociocultural Studies and Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL).

>> Research Interests

Agnes Ryoo Hye Jin
Senior Lecturer & Korean Language Coordinator
Tel: 6513 8022
[email protected]

M.A. in Korean studies, specialized in KFL (Korean as a Foreign Language), Korea
M.A. in English Language and Literature, Korea
B.A. in English Language and Literature, KoreaLinguistics, Sociocultural Studies and Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL).

Ryoo Hye Jin Agnes is a Senior Lecturer and the Language Coordinator of Korean in the Centre for Modern Languages. She has taught Korean in NTU ever since she joined in 2009, having written textbooks for the Korean language learners.

>> Research Interests

Christiane Holch

Lecturer and German Language Coordinator

[email protected]

Christiane is Lecturer and Coordinator for German in the Centre for Modern Languages at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. She studied in Germany and Canada and graduated with a double Master Degree in German and English Literature from the from the University of Mannheim, Germany, and a Masters of Arts in German from the University of Waterloo, Canada. She then continued her education by doing a post-graduate DaF (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) certification for Teaching German as a Foreign Language.

Since then Christiane has taught in various countries and has a total of 19 years of teaching experience in German as a Foreign Language (DaF) and English.

Prior to her appointment she has been working at the Goethe-Institute, Singapore, a cultural institution and language school conducting internationally recognised CEFR exams.

When not teaching, Christiane enjoys hiking, photography and travelling – ideally a combination of all three. She is also actively involved in animal welfare and in fostering and re-homing cats.

Christiane is a firm believer that good teaching has to be informed by research in order to remain up-to-date with modern teaching pedagogy. As such, her key interest in research focuses on teaching pedagogy in foreign language acquisition. She is keen to explore the benefits of collaborative learning in the process of foreign language learning.

Other research interests are

• Learners as Partners
• Student Empowerment
• Blended Learning: including Flipped Classroom
• Cross-disciplinary content in foreign language learning
• Assessment Strategies

Sophie Sager

Lecturer and LG5001 German Language Coordinator

[email protected]