Dr Huw Bell

Academic and professional qualifications

2002 PhD in Applied Linguistics (Using Frequency Lists to Assess L2 Text): University of Wales, Swansea.

1991 RSA Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Hilderstone College, Kent.

1988 RSA Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Angloschool, London.

1987 BA (Hons) 2:1 in History: University of Kent.

Previous employment

I was part of the Department of Languages, Information and Communication at  Manchester Met from 2006-2017. I have previously worked at Leeds University and University of Swansea, as well as a number of private language schools in the UK, France and elsewhere. My roles have included teacher training (CELTA), lecturing in TESOL and applied linguistics, and English language teaching (mostly general English / exam classes). I have been an examiner for IELTS and Cambridge main suite exams.

Why study ?

Postgraduate supervision (completed/in progress)

I am currently working with PhD students in research areas including:

• vocabulary learning strategies
• use of mother tongue in ELT classes
• lexical error
• supplementary schools in the UK
• teaching observations

External examiner roles

University of Swansea (UG and PG TESOL) - from 2015.

Nottingham Trent University (PG TESOL) - from 2016.

Research expertise

My currrent research focuses on teaching and learning L1 grammar in primary and secondary schools in the UK, teachers' attitudes to and beliefs about grammar and their impact on teaching, and the implementation of the National Curriculum.

I have worked closely with a number of primary and secondary schools across the North West, delivering CPD in language awareness to staff.

I am also interested in the acquisition and development of first and second language lexis.

Publications

• Featured Works

• Journal articles

  HM. Bell, PM. Meara (2001). PLex: A Simple and Effective Way of Describing the Lexical Characteristics of Short L2 Texts. Prospect: an Australian journal of TESOL. 16,

• Chapters in books

  H. Bell (2012). Core Vocabulary. In: The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Oxford UK: Wiley,

  H. Bell (2009). 9. The Messy Little Details: A Longitudinal Case Study of the Emerging Lexicon. In: Lexical Processing in Second Language Learners. Multilingual Matters, pp.111-127.

  H. Bell (2009). The Messy Little Details: A Longitudinal Case Study of the Emerging Lexicon. In: Lexical Processing in Second Language Learners: Papers and Perspectives in Honour of Paul Meara. pp.111-127.

  HM. Bell (2009). ‘The messy little details: a longitudinal case study of the emerging lexicon’ in T. Fitzpatrick and A. Barfield (eds.) Lexical Processing in Second Language Learners. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. T. Fitzpatrick. In: Lexical Processing in Second Language Learners.. UK: Multilingual Matters,

Invited papers

IATEFL, Birmingham  (2016) Choosing the right words. Vocabulary efficiency for language proficiency.
(with Veronica Benigno, Pearson Ltd)

NATESOL (Northern Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) (24th June 2014) Spaghetti Junction: unpicking grammar for teachers.

A Day in Qualitative Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (May 2012) Dyadic  interpretation of interview data. (with Angelo Benozzo, University of Valle d’Aosta, Italy)

Learners and Networks Conference (2011) Swansea: A very slow-growing tree? A case study in the adult L1 lexicon.

BAAL, Bristol (2011) How do we decode opaque formulaic sequences? (with Alison Wray)

BAAL, Aberdeen (2010) Vocabulary Colloquium: re-assessing the measurement of lexical density from 1972 to the present.

BAAL, Leeds, UK 2017: Seeing the managed woodland for the trees: developing grammar knowledge amongst primary teacher trainees (with Steph Ainsworth)

Expert reviewer for journals and publishers

Language and Education

Grants

UKCISA (2012) Enhancing Communication: Understanding the needs of non-native speakers in Higher Education (with P. Wake and J. Wright, Manchester Met) £10K

Projects and initiatives

My research has a strong public face and considerable impact in the region. I set up the Primary Grammar Project in 2014. Through this I have developed excellent links with primary and secondary schools in the North-West, and have provided grammar CPD and training to 350+ teachers and 200+ pupils in 40 schools in the last three years, both at MMU and in school. 

Prizes and awards

2014 Manchester Met Student Union 'You're Brilliant' award.

2015 Manchester Met Student Union 'Best Overall Teacher' award.

Membership of professional associations

BAAL (British Association for Applied Linguistics)

BERA (British Educational Research Association)