John Liontas

Dr. John Liontas serves as a tenured Associate Professor of ESOL in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, where he has been faculty since Fall 2010. His expertise spans second language acquisition, teaching methodology, and program development.

His academic credentials include:

• B.A. in Germanistic studies and Education (1985), University of Siegen
• M.Ed. in Secondary Education/Foreign Languages (1989), University of South Carolina
• Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (1999), University of Arizona

Research centers on figurative competence, multimedia-based learning, and curriculum design for second language classrooms, with extensions into bilingual education, psycholinguistics, and cultural norms in language teaching. His work integrates theoretical frameworks with practical program administration across K-12 and higher education contexts.

Notable honors reflect decades of teaching excellence:

• 2011 Superintendent Partnership Award
• 2008 APAMALL Researcher Award
• 2000 ASU Professor of the Year Finalist
• 1998 University of Arizona Teaching Assistant of the Year
• 1997 University of Arizona Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award
• 1997 Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society Award
• 1992 Golden Apple Award (featured on WBTW TV-13)
• 1993 North America Global Classroom Teacher Award Finalist

Dr. Liontas has taught language courses in English, ESL, German, Spanish, and Modern Greek while directing academic programs nationwide. His service includes editorial roles, committee leadership, and evaluation for academic bodies across local to international levels, emphasizing curriculum innovation and multilingual education infrastructure.