1School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600 Wellington New Zealand.

12 May 2011

Tel: 64 4 463 5628 Fax: 64 4 463 5604 E-mail: Paul.Nation@vuw.ac.nz http://www.vuw.ac.nz/lals/

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Irvin Pezhman was a student in one of my courses, Teaching and learning vocabulary, at Temple University Japan in Osaka in 2010. I have not seen him teach, so cannot comment on his teaching. However, I am able to comment on his academic skills. Irvin participated well in class. He was active in seeking clarification of the ideas presented and did this in a thoughtful way that showed engagement with the content of the course. He also worked well with others in groups, and while taking an active part in group work, he sought and respected the ideas of others. His tasks and the assignment were handed in on time, and the tasks were particularly well done. His assignment focused on an area of interest that he had chosen to research, and was very competently done. He gained a respectable grade for the course. Irvin is clearly interested in the profession he has chosen and is an engaging person. I am sure that his teaching experience and the academic knowledge he has gained in his Masters course will serve him well as a language teacher. I am happy to recommend him for the position he seeks. Yours faithfully,

Paul Nation Professor in Applied Linguistics