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About Dr Lesley Harbon

Lesley’s passion has remained focused on the teaching and learning of foreign and second languages since the time of her own experiences of learning Indonesian as a foreign language in a Sydney secondary school in the early 1970s. During her university undergraduate career, Lesley added German as a foreign language to her repertoire and then began a teaching career which saw her teach Indonesian and German at primary, secondary and tertiary level in a number of states and territories during the 1980s and 1990s. Her work with language teacher education developed through positions she has held in teacher education faculties at both the University of Tasmania and The University of Sydney since the mid 1990s. For 15 years during the 1980s and early 1990s, Lesley edited Pelangi, a publication for the teaching and learning of Indonesian in Australian schools published at The University of Southern Queensland Press. From 2002 until 2006 Lesley edited Babel, the journal of the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Assocations. Lesley continues to research in the areas of language teacher education, intercultural languages education, bilingual immersion education and study abroad short term programs for language teachers.

Lesley Harbon researches language teacher education, intercultural languages education, bilingual immersion education and study abroad short term programs for language teachers.

Lesley’s research work is closely aligned to her professional activities in languages education at the state and national scene. Lesley has been elected President of the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations for a three year term from July 2008. Lesley has consulted to the New Zealand Ministry of Education regarding her work on study abroad short term programs for language teachers, and sits on a number of language education and language teacher education advisory committees and project teams at state and national level.

Lesley teaches undergraduate and postgraduate language curriculum and method units, as well as postgraduate units of study in the areas of TESOL, bilingual education and intercultural language education. She is currently supervising honours, masters and doctoral research projects in the areas of language teacher professionalism, language teacher knowledge, e-language learning, kanji learning, bilingualism and identity, language education policy evaluation, and intercultural language education.

 

Selected publications

  • Paltridge, B., Harbon, L., Hirsh, D., Phakiti, A., Shen, H., Stevenson, M., & Woodrow, L. (2008, in press). Teaching Academic Writing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  • Harbon, L. (2008, in press). Chinese learners’ reactions to the teacher’s use of song: one teacher’s discoveries about Chinese learners’ style of learning. Evaluation and Research in Education (Special issue on Chinese Learners).
  • Harbon, L. (2007). On the need to mediate culture: Do college English textbooks pass the test? Chapter 5 in D.L. Qiu & J.G. Cai, (eds). The Exploration and Prospective of College English Textbook, (pp. 110-131). Shanghai: Fudan University Press.
  • Harbon, L. (2007). Short term international experiences and teacher language awareness. International Education Journal, 8 (1), 229-243.
  • Harbon, L. & Browett, J. (2006). Intercultural languages education: challenges for Australian language teacher educators in the professional development of language teachers. Babel, 41 (1), 28-33,37.
  • Harbon, L. (2003). Internationalising the curriculum through languages: teachers’ “in-country” professional development. In A.J. Liddicoat, S. Eisenchlas & S. Trevaskes, (Eds.). Australian Perspectives on Internationalising Education. (pp. 117 – 128). Melbourne: Language Australia.
  • Harbon, L. (2002). Languages curriculum policy: Teachers’ perceptions of policy implementation. In V. Crew, C. Davison & B. Mak. Reflecting on Language in Education. (pp. 195 – 225).
  • Harbon, L. & Atmazaki, A. (2002). Stories of raw green chillies and unlocked cupboards: The value of in-country experiences for languages teachers. Babel, 36 (3), 23 – 29.
  • Harbon, L. & McGill M. (2002). The art of unpacking: Using flexible delivery materials for teachers preparing to learn in overseas contexts. Journal of Information Technology in Teacher Education, 11 (1), 63 – 75.
  • Harbon, L. (2000). Teaching and researching: One academic’s welcome to the world of initial teacher education. Teacher Education Quarterly, 27, (2), 97 – 103.