Peter Sturman

Peter Sturman (born March 1959) was formerly professor of Linguistics and Communication at Chiba University, Japan. Before the post he was an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher in countries such as Sudan, China, and Portugal. He speaks French, some Japanese, has a knowledge of German and Arabic, and is currently learning Turkish.

Early life and education

Peter was born on 1 March 1959 to Joyce and Leslie Richard Sturman in Coventry, England. He is the younger brother of David Sturman (born 1946) and Andrew Sturman (born 1948). He attended Sheffield University from the years 1977 to 1981, and completed a BA in Geography. He then spent a year in France working at a vineyard and improving his French language skills. In 1981 he also received a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate from Trinity College, London at Eaton Hall International. Between the years of 1982-1983 he studied at the University of Manchester to achieve an MA, during which he spent many months teaching in Portugal. In 1990, Peter returned to the UK to study Educational Technology and Management at the University of Wales (College of Cardiff), and in 2005 he also completed an HND in Computing at Dumfries and Galloway College.

Career

After gaining his TEFL qualification, Peter spent several years (1981-1983) in Sudan teaching EFL and ESL. Placements included the Sudanese Ministry of Education (Northern Province and Khartoum) and the International Catholic Migration Comission.After leaving Sudan, he spent one year teaching EFL at St. Patrick's International School in London. In 1985, Peter spent 6 months as an EFL teacher in the PRC, at Wuhan University, and also at the University of Fishing, Forestry and Mining.In 1986 he departed from China after an unexpected incident, and started work in Tokyo, Japan. Although he held many notable posts during the years of 1986-1993, it was his position at Chiba University that brought him merit. There he was offered the position of Professor of Linguistics and Communications, and in this post he offered a wide range of courses to the University. These courses included:
* Phonetics, Phonemics and Phonotactics;
* Introduction to Linguistics;
* Linguistic Communication;
* Dialects of English;
* Cross-Cultural Communication.
* Spoken English and Discourse;
* Intermediate and Advanced Spoken English;
* Academic Writing and Research;
* Written English;
* The Testing & Assessment of English;
* Children’s Literature;
* British and American Literature;
* Drama

In early 2001 Peter Sturman resigned his position of Professor to return to the UK with his wife and children. For the next two years (2001-2003) he was the co-owner of Hartfell Guesthouse in Moffat, Scotland. In 2003 he sold Hartfell House and moved to another location in Moffat, at which he took up more casual work, including tutoring and technical consultancy. During this period he also accepted a job as a postal worker for Royal Mail.

Publications

Peter Sturman has contributed many articles on English teaching throughout his career, amongst which are:
* [http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521559049 Registration and Placement: Learner Response ] (1996) [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=O8xqiBcmojwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=peter+sturman+chiba&sig=ACfU3U1jljFrsnU7-fKxPBuF5l94B3-eCA&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=1_1#PPA353,M1]
* [http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521427010 The Koto-Ku Project: A Case Study From Japan] (1992)

Both articles were published in the Cambridge University Press.

Personal life

Peter Sturman now lives with his wife Mary (a fellow EFL teacher) and his two daughters in Scotland.

Further reading

* [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=O8xqiBcmojwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=peter+sturman+chiba&sig=ACfU3U1jljFrsnU7-fKxPBuF5l94B3-eCA&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=1_1#PPA341,M1 Voices from the Language Classroom]

Notes