Lesley Painter-Farrell (M.Sc. Aston University, EdD in progress at Bath University) worked as a teacher of English as a foreign language in Portugal, Poland, and many countries in Asia. She began teacher training when based in Poland for International House, the Soros Foundation, and Longman publications. She moved to New York to head a teacher training department and designed courses for teaching younger learners, teaching using new trends, and language development courses for teachers. She also ran CELTA courses. During this time, she became involved in the ESOL context, volunteering as a teacher to immigrants and refugees. While working on the MA TESOL program at the New School University in New York, she established the English Outreach program. The mission of the Outreach is to provide free English classes to refugees, immigrants, and migrants living in New York. Currently, she is the coordinator of the TESOL certificate program at a State university in New York- Westchester Community College- where she has established another free English program for refugees and immigrants. Her research focuses on reflective practice in teaching, international mindedness in education, and asset-based approaches to education. Her own published materials for ELT include The Role Play Book, Homework, and Lessons Learned: First Steps Towards Reflective Teaching in ELT. Currently, she is working on a book about teaching beginner language learners for Bloomsbury Press with Gabriel Diaz Maggioli.
