Teresa P. Pica (26 September 1945 – 15 November 2011), also known as Tere Pica, was a professor of education at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

Graduate School of Education, a post she held from 1983 until her death in 2011. Her areas of expertise included

second language acquisition Second-language acquisition (SLA), sometimes called second-language learning—otherwise referred to as L2 (language 2) acquisition, is the process of learning a language other than one's native language (L1). SLA research examines how learners ...

, language curriculum design, approaches to classroom practice, and classroom

discourse analysis Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse studies, is an approach to the analysis of written, spoken, or sign language, including any significant semiotic event. The objects of discourse analysis (discourse, writing, conversation, communicative sy ...

. Pica was well known for her pioneering work in

task-based language learning Task-based language teaching (TBLT), also known as task-based instruction (TBI), focuses on the use of authentic language to complete meaningful tasks in the target language. Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an interview, or cal ...

and published widely in established international journals in the field of

English as a foreign or second language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...

and

applied linguistics Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education, psychology, Communication stu ...

Early years

Before entering the field of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Pica was a speech and language pathologist, working at the Child Development Center in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Moun ...

, where she established a pre-school language stimulation program.

Education

Pica graduated from Trumbull High School in 1963, and then attended the

College of New Rochelle The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline Order as the first Catholic women's college in ...

, where she graduated in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in English and speech communications. She received her master's degree in speech pathology from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1969. She earned her Ph.D. in educational linguistics from the

University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, commonly known as Penn GSE, is the education school of University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formally established as a d ...

in three years, graduating in 1982.

Teaching

In 1983, she took over the position of her advisor, Michael Long, who left Penn in 1982. Pica supervised more than 50 doctoral dissertations at Penn and at universities abroad. Some of her best-known advisees include her first two doctoral students, Jessica Williams (1987) and Catherine Doughty (1988), as well as Richard Young, Valerie Jakar, Joanna Labov, and Shannon Sauro. Pica's last doctoral student to complete was Elizabeth Scheyder.

Personal life

Dr. Pica was married to Robert Hamilton. She died in 2011 at her home in Philadelphia of

viral encephalitis Viral encephalitis is inflammation of the brain parenchyma, called encephalitis, by a virus. The different forms of viral encephalitis are called viral encephalitides. It is the most common type of encephalitis and often occurs with viral meningiti ...

Select publications

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References

External links

Pica's research while affiliated with University of Pennsylvania and other placesTeresa P. Pica's profile at the University of Pennsylvania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pica, Teresa P. Educators from Philadelphia Linguists from the United States Applied linguists 1945 births 2011 deaths University of Pennsylvania faculty University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education alumni College of New Rochelle alumni Mercy University alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni American women academics 21st-century American women