Shelley Fairbairn, Ph.D., is a veteran English as a second language (ESL) teacher and an associate professor in the Drake University School of Education in Des Moines, Iowa.
Dr. Fairbairn’s international experience includes three years of teaching English as a foreign language in Jakarta, Indonesia and one year of teaching ESL and ESL certificate courses at the Regional Language Centre in Singapore. More recently, she has conducted teacher professional development sessions and workshops in China, Canada, and across the U.S., often with Stephaney Jones-Vo, co-author of "Differentiating Instruction and Assessment of English Language Learners: A Guide for K-12 Teachers" (Caslon Publishing) and "Engaging English Learners through Access to Standards" (Corwin). Her scholarly work has focused primarily on effective assessment and instructional practices for ELLs, but is moving into the realm of equine-assisted learning.
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Fairbairn's teaching foci include preparing pre-service teachers to design effective lesson plans and assessments for K-12 students and empowering both pre- and in-service teachers to meet the needs of English language learners through linguistically and culturally responsive practice. Prior to joining the Drake University School of Education faculty, Dr. Fairbairn concurrently taught English as a second language courses for the Drake University International Center and served as a K-12 ESL teacher in two Des Moines area school districts.
