Teaching

Ever the rebel, and wanting to forge my own career path, I used to insist I wouldn't work in education as my mum was a teacher in a Further Education college. Whilst at university studying International Development and planning a future in the Third Sector, I volunteered teaching conversational English with Student Action for Refugees. I feel in love with both the cultural exchange and using my skills to help others on their learning journeys, so trained as a teacher after graduating. 

Fifteen years' later, I am experienced with teaching English as a Foreign Language and English to Speakers of Other Languages, as well as English for Academic Purposes, English for Special Purposes, and Content and Language Integrated Learning. I have also taught undergraduate classes on human rights education, refugee education, and sociology of education. 

I have mostly worked with in higher education, community-based settings, or language schools, with 2 years spent in secondary school. Across these institutions I relished in creating or adapting class materials that would be relevant, interesting, and engaging. Over the years I developed my teaching practices from amassing a plethora of 'go to' games to wake up any sleepy classroom, to using the arts to deepen learning and connection to language and culture/s, to understanding how to build the kind of classroom environment that allows for difficult, but important, discussions and debates about the social, political, and economic realities that affect our lives.

I'd love to hear from you if you would like support such as training on critical pedagogies, trauma-informed teaching, or helping you think through arts-based approaches such as photovoice and participatory poetry workshops. Contact me to discuss how we can work together to enhance classroom culture and practices that ensure students learn about the 'word and the world' in a way that boosts both student and teacher satisfaction.

L: Presenting at IATEFL ESOL SIG, 2025, Edinburgh. R: Presenting at TESOL Greece, 2024, Piraeus.

L: Modelling interactive teaching techniques with ESOL teachers (drilling game pictured). C: Adult ESOL students using a kinaesthetic matching game to learn new vocabulary. R: Teen students experimenting with sketching techniques eg. drawing without looking at the paper, or taking their pen of the page in a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) course.