Steven has been teaching within the Japanese EFL context since 1989. Having over 30 years teaching experience at the elementary and secondary school level, he is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Kyoto Notre Dame Women’s University.
He is a founding director of iTDi, a global online teacher development institute that is owned and staffed by dedicated teachers internationally. iTDi’s mission is to provide quality professional development that is meaningful, accessible and affordable for all teachers. The iTDi community brings together teaching professionals working at every level — newcomers and veterans; native and non-native teachers, all from a wide range of contexts, all sharing a common belief that being a teacher means a never-ending commitment to growing and learning.
He also co-founded MASH Collaboration in 2007, an online community devoted to professional development through collaboration. He is an avid user of Skype and can often be heard saying, “Collaboration creates just the right amount of tension to get lots done.” He also spends time editing numerous articles, academic volumes and proceedings, and leading teacher training seminars for various companies throughout Japan.