- 200 years
- Study
- International
- Business and employers
- Research
- About us
https://webcdn.mmu.ac.uk/profiles/img/profile-images/avatars_0000s_0045_Stephanie-Aldred-resize-100x100-528f63ee5c266.jpg
I’m a Senior Lecturer in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. My main research interests are the learning process and how to evaluate experiences of learning and teaching. I also focus on teacher training. I design my curriculum to be inclusive and reflective following a basically social constructivist theory of learning and teaching. Training also is carried out in a constructivist and humanistic framework for example at the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching where I seconded currently. I lead the Units of Becoming Multilingual and Introduction to Language, Culture and Linguistics (foundation year) as well of teaching on TESOL.
With 30 years of teaching experience I am very interested in the underlying theories of learning and language which inform our practices and working towards more reliable approaches to education evaluation.
I see myself as a link between what students seek in a degree course and what we academics feel should be on the courses. I aim at a style of teaching which is structured with regard to planning content but which is also flexible and engaging in delivery. I’m most satisfied with my job when I can see students being drawn deeper and deeper into a topic that’s grabbed their attention. I believe like Dewey that a truly educative experience leads students to further experiences which will impact positively on their intellect and their future lives.
Always remember that learning a foreign language is not like cracking a code – you need to learn about the people and their culture as well. And like learning a musical instrument, or training for a 10K run, it's practice that counts!
My approach is varied, with high levels of interaction within the classroom. I use a great variety of techniques and approaches. I design study to be inclusive and multi-disciplinary in order to appeal to different learning styles, experiences and backgrounds within the class. This encourages engagement and learning.
The main message I want to communicate to students is that I very much enjoy working with them.
BA in English Language and Literature
Post Graduate Certificate of Education
Master of Arts (General Linguistics)
Master of Arts (Novel Writing)
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Currently reading for PhD in language teaching
Currentlly working towards Diploma in teaching music
University of Naples: English language lector
Manchester Language School (1997-2004) Director Of Studies)
University of Manchester (2004-2008) Italian language tutor
Stephanie Aldred leads the Uniwide Languages programme.
She is also seconded to the Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching of Manchester Met.
Fluent Italian; French (advanced); German
TESOL is a highly employable subject; there are many opportunities to practise in a vast range of settings and countries of the world. TESOL training is highly transferable since many creative, analytical and communicative skills are involved. TESOL teaching often leads to other opportunities since it puts the practitioner in touch with businesses and institutions of many kinds.
I teach on the Foundation Year Introduction to Language, Culture and Linguistics course.
I teach on Becoming Multilingual (level 4)
I teach TESOL (level 5)
I supervise UG dissertations (level 6)
I have taught Cambridge, IELTS and Pearson English tests and directed year-long and short courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages, and on Uniwide EFL.
MA TESOL (Teaching Engish to Young Learners)
MA in Academic Practice (CELT), DAPP and ILTA
Continuous and Professional Development programmes for teachers, including CLIL and TKT and the Trinity Certificate of TESOL.
I have supervised a number of MA dissertations (Young Learners)
Currently external advisor for Manchester Language School
I am currently reading for my doctorate on the evaluation of learning and teaching, working on the realisation of reliable and valid observation processes for staff particularly in high-stakes situations such as for qualification, accreditation and evaluation. My areas of research to date have been in the field of language learning and teaching particularly TESOL, but I have also worked on Internationalisation (HEA report 2011).
Collaborated with Alicia Prowse in the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching MMU 'Internationalisation of the curriculum' (HEA 2011).
Post graduate symposium 2014 'Observation is harder than you think'
Presentation to IATEFL conference 2016 'Seeing isn't believing - Observation'
Presentation to GRETA conference 2017 'Observation frameworks'
IATEFL 2018 'From theory to practice'
O. McCabe, S. Powell, S. Aldred (2021). Aldred, S. McCabe, O. & Powell, S. (2021) ‘I don’t want to talk about it’: The role of Dialogue in virtual observation. Educational Developments. Educational Developments.
O. McCabe, S. Aldred, S. Powell, P. Gossman (2022). Building communities through reflective dialogue: Relational approaches to observations of practice. Manchester,
Kobe international storytelling conference 'Repositioning literature in English language teaching' 2014.
Post graduate symposium May 2015 'Towards reliable observation processes'
NATESOL conference June 2015 'Observation in learning and teaching'
CELT Festival of learning and teaching June 2016 'The unreliable observer'
NATESOL conference June 2017 'Inclusivity stragegies in the language classroom'
'The Trouble with Teams 2011' NATESOL conference at MMU
Stylistic editor Communicar journal 2015 till present