Dr. Winnifred Tang

Ph.D. Special Education (Learning Disabilities), University of British Columbia

M.Ed. English Language Education (TESL), University of British Columbia

B.A. History of Fine Arts, University of British Columbia

Education

Dr. Winnifred Tang holds a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of British Columbia; she specialized in the diagnosis and intervention of dyslexia. Dr. Tang focused on teaching academic reading and writing to ESL/EFL college students in her Master of Education degree; as such, she has an in-depth understanding on how non-native English speakers learn to read and write in English. This has helped her tremendously in her present work where she has to diagnose learning-disabled ESL students who are dyslexic and therefore not able to benefit from regular ESL instruction in school.

Professional Experience

Dr. Winnifred Tang has had extensive experience in doing teachers’ training for academic institutions. She has taught pre-service elementary and high school teachers at UBC in courses dealing with learning disabilities; as well, she has trained ESL teachers in China for post-secondary institutions.

In the 1980’s, Dr. Winnifred Tang lived in Hong Kong, working in various higher education institutions, recruiting and training English teachers, as well as designing English language programs. Dr. Tang’s expertise in the recruitment and training of teaching staff for academic institutions is an asset for her present work. She regularly recruits and trains tutors to deliver special education intervention to her clients according to the specifications of her unique intervention designs.

Why Dr. Tang Specialized in LD

For Dr. Winnifred Tang, becoming an expert in learning disabilities (LD) happened by sheer serendipity. It was through setting up an after school ESL program in her church that she realized there was a difference between a second language acquisition problem and a language-based learning disability. Without the ability to read and write effectively, many children are robbed of a chance to fully enjoy their school experience. This is why Dr. Tang has devoted her professional life to helping school-age children with language-based learning difficulties.

Life and Work as an Integrated Whole

Dr. Tang believes in life-long learning. As such, she keeps current on research in her field and in related areas through the UBC library on a daily basis. She also uses high-tech learning tools to assist clients in maximizing their access to knowledge.

Dr. Tang’s background in Art History and her love of music have a profound influence on her approach to special education intervention. She believes in training students’ minds to operate on multiple levels and tries to engage students in “multi-sensory learning” as much as possible. She prides herself in cultivating students with the ability to entertain ideas from different perspectives.

Having a wide and varied network of professional friends gives Dr. Tang an advantage in recruiting tutors for her clients. As a rule, she chooses multi-talented individuals of character to train as tutors for teaching assignments with clients.