Online Information
Georgetown University
http://cied.georgetown.edu/casestudy/mark-dorr/
The United States Department of State wrote this piece about a few of Mark Dorr's professional successes http://elprograms.org/success_story/mark-dorr/
Book with Mark Dorr and all 30@30 EL Specialists (The article about Mark is on pages 25-27)
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mark-dorr-584a1b1_an-unprecedented-master-class-activity-6911751515086970880-ttU0?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
Mark Dorr 30@30
https://elprograms.org/story/mark-dorr-2/
A Sampling of Recommendations
International Projects Specialist
"Send us another Mark Dorr!"
Members of the Szczecin, Poland WOM (Methodology Center)
"Keep going to Romania, your influence and impact is wonderful!"
Simona Miculescu, Romanian Ambassador to the United Nations
"The senators and members of the staff will never forget the marvelous things they learned and express their unanimous desire to prolong this kind of course inviting, if possible, the same teacher: Mr. Mark Dorr."
Professor Victor Duculescu, Representing the Romanian Parliament
"I consider Mark's website with its wonderful resources to be very useful. First of all our teacher trainers use them at their sessions with great success. And, of course, Almaty City teachers investigate the website and choose the appropriate material for their pedagogical situation.
Moreover, I would like to express my gratitude for Mark's highly professional STEM teacher training sessions for Almaty City educators. It would be a really great chance for us to participate in Marks' methodological events some more times here in Almaty. Mark, thanks a lot!!!! We are waiting for you!!!
Larissa Petrova
Senior lecturer, Almaty in-City Institute for TPD, Kazakhstan
Educator
"One of Mark’s more unusual characteristics is his ability to step into unknown situations, work successfully with a variety of people—some of whom may not be as hospitable as they might—in areas where physical amenities are severely limited...In these situations, he gained a reputation for finding ways to facilitate understanding between ethnic groups, from rural teachers to government officials, and even succeeded in gaining cooperation from such institutions as the Romanian Senate and the Albanian Office of the Prosecutor... I recommend Mark Dorr...he is a mature teacher and colleague...and an insightful individual who respects his students and his colleagues alike.... I would hire him (Mark) again...and I would expect the same superior performance."
Joy Reid, Ph.D., Past President of TESOL, professor, author, and consultant
"I am very happy to recommend Mr. Mark Dorr, whether it be in the role of teacher...or program administrator...I have been very impressed with his professionalism, expertise in the field, and excellent rapport with his colleagues, students, and administrators...Mr. Dorr has extensive experience in the field of English language teaching including teaching, consulting, and teacher training.."
Michael Rudder, Ph.D., former Regional English Language Officer (RELO) for the United States Department of State
"Mark instantly engaged us all with his enthusiasm and friendliness. Thanks to Mark's classes I not only advanced my previously insufficient knowledge of English but also learned a lot of useful didactic methods. Mark always went the extra mile and showed great interest in our progress. All in all, I owe a great deal of my success as an English teacher to him. Taking all my later actions, like doing the post-graduate studies on teaching English or doing a degree of a diploma teacher, I felt encouraged by Mark Dorr: a really motivating educator."
Iwona Krasowska, language school owner and educator
"...it was a pleasure to receive Mr. Dorr in our programs. He was extremely helpful in every area that he assisted and was always willing to share his knowledge and experience with all the people around him...To me personally, he became an advisor and a dear friend who was always there when needed. He adapted very well to our culture and was extremely respectful in every aspect related to it...Mr. Dorr is capable of working in a team atmosphere, sharing responsibilities with his coworkers. He always showed a genuine interest for those around him, not only as coworkers but as human beings..."
Brenda Urizar de Arreaga, Food For Education Program Chief of Party for Catholic Relief Services and former Director of Instituto Guatemalteco Americano (IGA) in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
"Mark Dorr has a long lasting relationship with teachers in Kazakhstan. As a U.S. Department of State EL Specialist, he was a key speaker at the annual international conferences of the Association of English Language Teachers of Kazakhstan (KazTEA) in 2016 and 2017 and conducted trainings for STEM and English Microscholarship Access Program teachers with the topics related to communicative and STEM education. What makes Mark's presentations both comprehensible and memorable is his precise wording and stunning video clips that vividly reveals fundamentals of STEM pedagogies or application of cutting edge engaging techniques.
Conference and seminar participants are impressed with his intelligence and extended technical experience that contribute to clear explanation of sophisticated notions and well-structured tips. EFL and STEM teachers acquire new knowledge and practices via comparing and contrasting basic features or structures, like the stages in scientific and engineering methods of teaching, studying and practicing teaching tips (e.g. directed dictation), analysing and creating (e.g. strip stories) in straightforward and simple way. His memory tips or predicting a content, word search and many other have become common practice for teachers in Kazakhstan.
Having trained teachers in diverse parts of the world, like Latin America and Europe, Mark is tolerant to cultural diversity and curious about traditions of peoples the country of whom he is visiting. His ability to employ cultural aspects, mentality of people and their traditions facilitates delivering key ideas of theoretical aspects in simple and comprehensible way. Teachers are inspired with his precise idioms or metaphors in his speech that make his explanation both eloquent and easy for comprehension."
We're looking forward to meeting Mark in Kazakhstan another time!
Tatyana Letyaikina
KazTEA President, Kazakhstan
"(Mark's) session on Integrating Language and Content was cited as one of the most useful sessions...They especially appreciated the practical and fun nature of the activities (Mark) presented."
Art Flanagan, Peace Corps Country Director in Dominican Republic
"Mark Dorr has been an outstanding professional with integrity and a strong sense of professional responsibility...Mark Dorr is a true leader who distinguishes himself among his peers from his record in program development, administrative effectiveness, and positive human interaction. Mr. Mark Dorr is not only extremely knowledgeable in international affairs but also very passionate in working with international students and his colleagues on campus. I have received many unsolicited compliments from his staff, faculty, and students about the quality of his leadership..."
Dr. Allen Huang, former Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School/International Admissions at the University of Northern Colorado
“From my point of view, Mark is the best foreign language teacher I ever had, and I speak 8 languages taught by more than 20 teachers…It is a tribute to his skills not only as a teacher but a man experienced in working with various groups at high levels of government that, in addition to teaching and advising, he was able to bring together members of the Senate, House of Deputies, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a first-ever gathering...Plus, he has had several successes with bringing opposing groups together including in Albania where he found ways to get the MOPO (Ministry of Public Order) and Office of the Prosecutor to collaborate to help multinational cooperation in human countertrafficking…”
Sorin Vasile, Consul General of Romania in Hong Kong and Macau
"...the lessons given by Mr. Mark Dorr made us feel involved in the process of learning....We came to know Mr. Mark Dorr as an excellent teacher with very strong communication skills. He managed not only to make his explanations very interesting but also make, in a short time, a team out of a people that had not known each other before."
Diplomats of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"I met Mark Dorr two years ago during our STEM workshops that our Foundation organized for local English Language educators. I was impressed then how one teacher is able to manage a big crowd of people and have them enthusiastically participate throughout a full working day. I think the most important and efficient part of his work, at least for me, was that not only he was doing some mini-projects with us, but also Mark making us reflect on our experiences and actively share our learning with each other. I’m also very thankful to Mark for his contribution to our Round Table (for English Teachers) magazine. His article HARNESS THE POWER: USING CELL PHONES FOR COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING gives some really interesting suggestions. I always hope to cooperate with Mark Dorr in the future and have him visit our country again for some new educational projects."
Gulnara Nazarbekova
Lingua Foundation for Innovative Education, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Replublic
Online/English for Diplomacy
"In terms of English language, this course has been my major learning of these past years.I have learned how to handle the challenges encountered when writing professional documents or in communicating within professional circles at the international level.
Due to the fact that English is not my first working language, I have loved taking a course which has actually equipped me with a technical approach to common difficulties in expressing oneself using a foreign language...Finally, I must confess that I feared a lot not reaching the pass grade for this course which is challenging and takes a lot to complete as it is the case with all high level courses. I am grateful to all stakeholders for the opportunity and special thanks to our teacher Mark!"
"Mark's advice derives from the vast and varied experience he has harnessed throughout life and a rich career. I am so privileged to benefit from that."
Bruno Menzan
Legal Officer, Political Affairs, African Commission on Human and People's Rights, African Union, Gambia
"This course has truly been helpful to me and my writing skills. I had no idea that there was and is so much that I need to learn and improve on in my writing. I can confidently say that it has exceeded my expectations. The most significant learning experience for me was the practical aspect of it. We had an opportunity to practice almost every task in all modules. This enabled me to learn faster and reflect on the power of practice in every work...Mark was incredibly helpful and patient, and I also learnt a lot from his warm and kind nature. He made the course interesting."
Chipiliro Kansilanga
Communications Officer, African Union, Malawi
"The course has indeed improved my writing skills significantly. The one important learning experience would be the skills I have learnt to avoid flowery language and convey my message directly without beating around the bush. The course will be instrumental in my day to day professional activities and I plan to share the skills I acquired with my junior colleagues."
Lagizaber Beyene Bekele
Legal Officer of the Office of Legal Counsel, African Union, Ethiopia
"The most significant learning experience for me was paraphrasing, use of commas, and avoiding flowery languages. I always make mistakes in using commas and sometimes I am not sure where to use them. This course helped me to clear this confusion and I will refer to the course materials to master my skills.I will try to share what I have learned from this course by reviewing the work of my colleagues.
"The best part of this course for me was the (African Union) flagship projects. Reading the discussions helped me to deepen my understanding of the flagship projects and encouraged me to learn more...I would like to use this opportunity to thank our instructor Mark for his dedication, guidance, follow-up, and patience throughout the course duration. His follow-up encouraged me to try my best to work on the course and finalize it in this busy quarter of the year."
Selamawit Mussie
Policy Officer, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
"I will organize a training session with the staff responsible for writing reports. I will share the course documents and related videos with the staff so as to improve their writing skills for better communication the public, partners and Member states.The best part of the program for me is the use of flowery language, which is a common practice within our settings. I now understand the use of flowery language as inappropriate in diplomatic writings and this will help a great deal moving forward."
Hussain Usman
Procurement Expert, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
"Keys to Diplomatic Writing course proved to be beneficial. It was a great experience having to step back and remember rules of the language. Although English is my third language, I have been communicating in it for many years. What was revealed by the course was the fact that I was now taking it for granted and never really thought about best practice."
Chedza Molefe
Archivist, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
Subject Matter Expert for Television and Radio
"My experience of working with Mark was fantastic. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of American history and treasure legends and there’s no doubt he was the ‘go to’ man for my documentary. His input and suggestions were invaluable to helping the project toward its final objective. In interview, his personality shines through on camera as he delivers with a first class authority and presence rarely found among subject matter experts. I found Mark to be good-humored, responsive to taking direction and a master at maintaining a consistently high performance to ensure his delivery was always absorbing and clear – even after filming for several hours.
Mark is one of the most professional and skilled subject matter experts I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing and his contribution to the documentary has been invaluable. I am very much looking forward to working with Mark again in the future should the opportunity arise."
Stuart Rose, Television Producer/Director
Professional recommendations are available.
Georgetown University
http://cied.georgetown.edu/casestudy/mark-dorr/
The United States Department of State wrote this piece about a few of Mark Dorr's professional successes http://elprograms.org/success_story/mark-dorr/
Book with Mark Dorr and all 30@30 EL Specialists (The article about Mark is on pages 25-27)
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mark-dorr-584a1b1_an-unprecedented-master-class-activity-6911751515086970880-ttU0?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
Mark Dorr 30@30
https://elprograms.org/story/mark-dorr-2/
A Sampling of Recommendations
International Projects Specialist
"Send us another Mark Dorr!"
Members of the Szczecin, Poland WOM (Methodology Center)
"Keep going to Romania, your influence and impact is wonderful!"
Simona Miculescu, Romanian Ambassador to the United Nations
"The senators and members of the staff will never forget the marvelous things they learned and express their unanimous desire to prolong this kind of course inviting, if possible, the same teacher: Mr. Mark Dorr."
Professor Victor Duculescu, Representing the Romanian Parliament
"I consider Mark's website with its wonderful resources to be very useful. First of all our teacher trainers use them at their sessions with great success. And, of course, Almaty City teachers investigate the website and choose the appropriate material for their pedagogical situation.
Moreover, I would like to express my gratitude for Mark's highly professional STEM teacher training sessions for Almaty City educators. It would be a really great chance for us to participate in Marks' methodological events some more times here in Almaty. Mark, thanks a lot!!!! We are waiting for you!!!
Larissa Petrova
Senior lecturer, Almaty in-City Institute for TPD, Kazakhstan
Educator
"One of Mark’s more unusual characteristics is his ability to step into unknown situations, work successfully with a variety of people—some of whom may not be as hospitable as they might—in areas where physical amenities are severely limited...In these situations, he gained a reputation for finding ways to facilitate understanding between ethnic groups, from rural teachers to government officials, and even succeeded in gaining cooperation from such institutions as the Romanian Senate and the Albanian Office of the Prosecutor... I recommend Mark Dorr...he is a mature teacher and colleague...and an insightful individual who respects his students and his colleagues alike.... I would hire him (Mark) again...and I would expect the same superior performance."
Joy Reid, Ph.D., Past President of TESOL, professor, author, and consultant
"I am very happy to recommend Mr. Mark Dorr, whether it be in the role of teacher...or program administrator...I have been very impressed with his professionalism, expertise in the field, and excellent rapport with his colleagues, students, and administrators...Mr. Dorr has extensive experience in the field of English language teaching including teaching, consulting, and teacher training.."
Michael Rudder, Ph.D., former Regional English Language Officer (RELO) for the United States Department of State
"Mark instantly engaged us all with his enthusiasm and friendliness. Thanks to Mark's classes I not only advanced my previously insufficient knowledge of English but also learned a lot of useful didactic methods. Mark always went the extra mile and showed great interest in our progress. All in all, I owe a great deal of my success as an English teacher to him. Taking all my later actions, like doing the post-graduate studies on teaching English or doing a degree of a diploma teacher, I felt encouraged by Mark Dorr: a really motivating educator."
Iwona Krasowska, language school owner and educator
"...it was a pleasure to receive Mr. Dorr in our programs. He was extremely helpful in every area that he assisted and was always willing to share his knowledge and experience with all the people around him...To me personally, he became an advisor and a dear friend who was always there when needed. He adapted very well to our culture and was extremely respectful in every aspect related to it...Mr. Dorr is capable of working in a team atmosphere, sharing responsibilities with his coworkers. He always showed a genuine interest for those around him, not only as coworkers but as human beings..."
Brenda Urizar de Arreaga, Food For Education Program Chief of Party for Catholic Relief Services and former Director of Instituto Guatemalteco Americano (IGA) in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
"Mark Dorr has a long lasting relationship with teachers in Kazakhstan. As a U.S. Department of State EL Specialist, he was a key speaker at the annual international conferences of the Association of English Language Teachers of Kazakhstan (KazTEA) in 2016 and 2017 and conducted trainings for STEM and English Microscholarship Access Program teachers with the topics related to communicative and STEM education. What makes Mark's presentations both comprehensible and memorable is his precise wording and stunning video clips that vividly reveals fundamentals of STEM pedagogies or application of cutting edge engaging techniques.
Conference and seminar participants are impressed with his intelligence and extended technical experience that contribute to clear explanation of sophisticated notions and well-structured tips. EFL and STEM teachers acquire new knowledge and practices via comparing and contrasting basic features or structures, like the stages in scientific and engineering methods of teaching, studying and practicing teaching tips (e.g. directed dictation), analysing and creating (e.g. strip stories) in straightforward and simple way. His memory tips or predicting a content, word search and many other have become common practice for teachers in Kazakhstan.
Having trained teachers in diverse parts of the world, like Latin America and Europe, Mark is tolerant to cultural diversity and curious about traditions of peoples the country of whom he is visiting. His ability to employ cultural aspects, mentality of people and their traditions facilitates delivering key ideas of theoretical aspects in simple and comprehensible way. Teachers are inspired with his precise idioms or metaphors in his speech that make his explanation both eloquent and easy for comprehension."
We're looking forward to meeting Mark in Kazakhstan another time!
Tatyana Letyaikina
KazTEA President, Kazakhstan
"(Mark's) session on Integrating Language and Content was cited as one of the most useful sessions...They especially appreciated the practical and fun nature of the activities (Mark) presented."
Art Flanagan, Peace Corps Country Director in Dominican Republic
"Mark Dorr has been an outstanding professional with integrity and a strong sense of professional responsibility...Mark Dorr is a true leader who distinguishes himself among his peers from his record in program development, administrative effectiveness, and positive human interaction. Mr. Mark Dorr is not only extremely knowledgeable in international affairs but also very passionate in working with international students and his colleagues on campus. I have received many unsolicited compliments from his staff, faculty, and students about the quality of his leadership..."
Dr. Allen Huang, former Associate Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School/International Admissions at the University of Northern Colorado
“From my point of view, Mark is the best foreign language teacher I ever had, and I speak 8 languages taught by more than 20 teachers…It is a tribute to his skills not only as a teacher but a man experienced in working with various groups at high levels of government that, in addition to teaching and advising, he was able to bring together members of the Senate, House of Deputies, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a first-ever gathering...Plus, he has had several successes with bringing opposing groups together including in Albania where he found ways to get the MOPO (Ministry of Public Order) and Office of the Prosecutor to collaborate to help multinational cooperation in human countertrafficking…”
Sorin Vasile, Consul General of Romania in Hong Kong and Macau
"...the lessons given by Mr. Mark Dorr made us feel involved in the process of learning....We came to know Mr. Mark Dorr as an excellent teacher with very strong communication skills. He managed not only to make his explanations very interesting but also make, in a short time, a team out of a people that had not known each other before."
Diplomats of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"I met Mark Dorr two years ago during our STEM workshops that our Foundation organized for local English Language educators. I was impressed then how one teacher is able to manage a big crowd of people and have them enthusiastically participate throughout a full working day. I think the most important and efficient part of his work, at least for me, was that not only he was doing some mini-projects with us, but also Mark making us reflect on our experiences and actively share our learning with each other. I’m also very thankful to Mark for his contribution to our Round Table (for English Teachers) magazine. His article HARNESS THE POWER: USING CELL PHONES FOR COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING gives some really interesting suggestions. I always hope to cooperate with Mark Dorr in the future and have him visit our country again for some new educational projects."
Gulnara Nazarbekova
Lingua Foundation for Innovative Education, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Replublic
Online/English for Diplomacy
"In terms of English language, this course has been my major learning of these past years.I have learned how to handle the challenges encountered when writing professional documents or in communicating within professional circles at the international level.
Due to the fact that English is not my first working language, I have loved taking a course which has actually equipped me with a technical approach to common difficulties in expressing oneself using a foreign language...Finally, I must confess that I feared a lot not reaching the pass grade for this course which is challenging and takes a lot to complete as it is the case with all high level courses. I am grateful to all stakeholders for the opportunity and special thanks to our teacher Mark!"
"Mark's advice derives from the vast and varied experience he has harnessed throughout life and a rich career. I am so privileged to benefit from that."
Bruno Menzan
Legal Officer, Political Affairs, African Commission on Human and People's Rights, African Union, Gambia
"This course has truly been helpful to me and my writing skills. I had no idea that there was and is so much that I need to learn and improve on in my writing. I can confidently say that it has exceeded my expectations. The most significant learning experience for me was the practical aspect of it. We had an opportunity to practice almost every task in all modules. This enabled me to learn faster and reflect on the power of practice in every work...Mark was incredibly helpful and patient, and I also learnt a lot from his warm and kind nature. He made the course interesting."
Chipiliro Kansilanga
Communications Officer, African Union, Malawi
"The course has indeed improved my writing skills significantly. The one important learning experience would be the skills I have learnt to avoid flowery language and convey my message directly without beating around the bush. The course will be instrumental in my day to day professional activities and I plan to share the skills I acquired with my junior colleagues."
Lagizaber Beyene Bekele
Legal Officer of the Office of Legal Counsel, African Union, Ethiopia
"The most significant learning experience for me was paraphrasing, use of commas, and avoiding flowery languages. I always make mistakes in using commas and sometimes I am not sure where to use them. This course helped me to clear this confusion and I will refer to the course materials to master my skills.I will try to share what I have learned from this course by reviewing the work of my colleagues.
"The best part of this course for me was the (African Union) flagship projects. Reading the discussions helped me to deepen my understanding of the flagship projects and encouraged me to learn more...I would like to use this opportunity to thank our instructor Mark for his dedication, guidance, follow-up, and patience throughout the course duration. His follow-up encouraged me to try my best to work on the course and finalize it in this busy quarter of the year."
Selamawit Mussie
Policy Officer, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
"I will organize a training session with the staff responsible for writing reports. I will share the course documents and related videos with the staff so as to improve their writing skills for better communication the public, partners and Member states.The best part of the program for me is the use of flowery language, which is a common practice within our settings. I now understand the use of flowery language as inappropriate in diplomatic writings and this will help a great deal moving forward."
Hussain Usman
Procurement Expert, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
"Keys to Diplomatic Writing course proved to be beneficial. It was a great experience having to step back and remember rules of the language. Although English is my third language, I have been communicating in it for many years. What was revealed by the course was the fact that I was now taking it for granted and never really thought about best practice."
Chedza Molefe
Archivist, African Union Commission, Ethiopia
Subject Matter Expert for Television and Radio
"My experience of working with Mark was fantastic. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of American history and treasure legends and there’s no doubt he was the ‘go to’ man for my documentary. His input and suggestions were invaluable to helping the project toward its final objective. In interview, his personality shines through on camera as he delivers with a first class authority and presence rarely found among subject matter experts. I found Mark to be good-humored, responsive to taking direction and a master at maintaining a consistently high performance to ensure his delivery was always absorbing and clear – even after filming for several hours.
Mark is one of the most professional and skilled subject matter experts I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing and his contribution to the documentary has been invaluable. I am very much looking forward to working with Mark again in the future should the opportunity arise."
Stuart Rose, Television Producer/Director
Professional recommendations are available.
