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Get to Know.... Catriona!
Get to Know.... Catriona!
I’ve been a Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at the University of Bristol since 2018, where I’ve taught on the International Foundation Programme, widening participation courses and the In-sessional provision. In my current role, I work with colleagues across the university to design and deliver workshops for UG and PG students from a range of disciplines to develop their academic language and literacy. I also design and facilitate CPD sessions for EAP tutors in the In-sessional team.
Before moving into Higher Education, I worked in ELT in Italy, Spain and the UK, where I spent 9 years at International House London teaching EAP and General English, as well as working as a teacher trainer on CELTA and Delta courses.
I have always been interested in inclusive pedagogy and teacher development, but my current areas of interest also include dialogic assessment, discipline-specific critical thinking and the design of teaching materials drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory.
Why did you join the TEd in EAP SIG?
I was looking for a way to connect with EAP practitioners interested in teacher development outside of my institution. I’d like to help shape the exciting CPD events organised by the SIG and bring back some of these ideas into my own department, where I facilitate teacher training workshops. I’m really looking forward to being part of such a vibrant network!
How did you start your career in EAP?
I first had a taste of EAP while working on the University Foundation Programme at IH London, where I discovered the joys of helping students achieve their Higher Education ambitions. Relocating to Bristol with my family in 2018 seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a more permanent career move into EAP, so I applied for a tutor role at the University of Bristol. After teaching across EAP provisions, I am now leading some of the In-Sessional courses, with a particular focus on material design and teacher development.
What development ‘trick’ can you share with us?
For me, development often starts with those small pedagogical puzzles that play on your mind after teaching a class, such as a lack of student engagement in a particular activity. I like to view these teaching challenges as opportunities to explore my own practice and collaborate with others as I try to find solutions. In my experience, investigating these puzzles through action research sometimes turns into larger projects that have helped me discover new areas of interest and work across disciplines.
We are a Teacher Development in EAP SIG. If you could work collaboratively with another subject, what would it be and why?
I really like the idea of joint events with other BALEAP SIGs and would like to collaborate with both the Testing and Feedback SIG and the Academic Literacies SIG, as these relate to my areas of interest. I’m fascinated by the different ways EAP assessment is changing in response to AI and the impact that this has on teaching practice, e.g. a greater focus on preparing students for dialogic assessment. I draw on academic literacies when designing materials for In-sessional workshops and would like to explore how to help tutors develop their own understanding of this approach when teaching academic language and literacy.
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