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"Services Optimisation for ‘Customer’ Satisfaction" within the ‘ELT Methodology for All’ Open Seminars of Our English Studies Department
The most recent event in the series of the "ELT Methodology for All" seminars organized by the English Studies Department was of an interdisciplinary nature. The guest speaker, Dr Dimitris V. Nikolaidis, is the Head of Business Administration & Economics Department, and the audience composed mostly of ESD students and staff, but also students of the Business Department and external guests. Dr Nikolaidis delivered a talk entitled "Services Optimisation for Customer Satisfaction." Although the majority of the audience is involved in foreign language teaching and the choice of a business-oriented topic may have surprised some, Dr Nikolaidis managed to convince everybody present of the importance of service quality not only in the corporate world, but also in academia and educational environments. Dr Nikolaidis talked about reasons for which ‘customers/clients’ leave and referred to the ways to make them stay, which can be translated into the context of foreign language teaching, and therefore the audience could identify themselves in the scenarios presented by the speaker. Just the way customer satisfaction is a major concern of every entrepreneur, student satisfaction is the concern of every teacher and educator. Some of the core messages the audience carried away with them were: make a difference by providing augmented products; do not make promises you cannot keep; constantly upgrade and improve your product or services; ask your customers and clients what they need and develop a genuine relationship with them; and be passionate about what you do! Dr Nikolaidis finished his session on a positive note reminding the audience to think positive, because opportunity can be found even in the most turbulent times. Watch Dr Nikolaidis' seminar
27/05/2016
Workshop on “How to publish a paper” offered to the English Studies MA Students by Professor Kefalas
The month of May 2016 marked the inaugural “Young Researchers’ Days” event including but not limited to the annual Students Spring Symposium, Career Day and a host of workshops aimed at helping young researchers to develop necessary skills, pose their insightful questions and receive useful guidance. One of the Workshops organised within the framework of “Young Researchers’ Days” offered additionally to the English Studies Department students of the MA program in Applied Linguistics with TESOL on Saturday, May 21st, was conducted by the Vice Principal and International Faculty Director for Learning and Teaching, Professor Petros Kefalas, titled “How to Publish a Paper.” The aim of the workshop was to focus on how Postgraduate students and PhD candidates can be successful in publishing papers across various platforms including journals, conferences, workshops, newsletters, magazines and online platforms. A detailed timeline and a useful check list were presented, making young researchers aware of the steps involved, either as an individual researcher and author or co-author. Through self-reflexive questions, Professor Kefalas managed to make young researchers think of why publishing is important, what it offers to a researcher individually as well as to the wider community and what are the benefits of publishing papers, findings and research. The workshop emphasised the formal procedures that must be followed when publishing, thus highlighting skills that our students acquire throughout their studies, such as: time management and effective organization, collaboration, draft writing, publishing ethics, as well as receiving and responding to reviews and being critically reflective. Overall, within a friendly, welcoming and supportive atmosphere, Professor Kefalas successfully drew researchers’ attention to issues related to the benefits, difficulties and pitfalls one may experience when publishing. More importantly, the workshop as well as the wider context within which it was situated, demonstrated the willingness and guidance of Departments and Faculty members to inform and guide students of all levels, raising their awareness of what is to follow in their future academic and career endeavors by offering them the tools and insight that will guarantee a higher success rate.
24/05/2016
Workshop on 'Digital Literacy' co-organised by the English Studies Department and the Hellenic Association for American Studies
On Saturday May 14th, our English Studies Department, the Hellenic Association for American Studies (HELAAS) and the Multimodal Group (School of English, AUTH) joined forces and delivered a Workshop on “Digital Literacy in the Humanities: Media Explorations and Creativity in Education.” The event was addressed to undergraduate students of the English Studies Department, who actively participated in it with great enthusiasm. The four speakers of the event were Dr. Tatiani G. Rapatzikou (Assistant Professor at the Department of American Literature, School of English, Aristotle University, and President of HELAAS), Dr. Despoina N. Feleki, Ms. Katerina Marazi, and Mr. Thomas Mantzaris. The objectives of the workshop were to introduce students to certain key terms and issues pertaining to media and identity, visual narratives, print and digital convergence, transmedia, and participatory culture, and well as to practically engage them with a wide range of activities, involving physical and online material. Through this workshop, students were exposed to further directions of intellectual inquiry, broadening their research awareness and horizons, and enhancing their critical thinking skills. This Workshop marked the beginning of the collaboration between the English Studies Department and the Hellenic Association for American Studies, which undoubtedly opens up opportunities for student, academic and professional development in the future.
17/05/2016
Violence through the lens of our English Studies Bachelor's students: A Poster Exhibition
The United Nations have established May 4th as the World Day against Bullying. In this direction, the English Studies Department has launched a Poster Exhibition on the theme "Wide-ranging forms of violence in the 21st century." The posters constitute the product of students' creativity in the 'Language Mastery' module, and offer diverse and valuable perspectives on the implications of violence, through visually engaging material. For the needs of this assignment, students are expected to select one form of violence, critically examine it and present it to their class, in the form of an oral presentation also aided by a poster they have crafted. We would, therefore like to invite students and staff members of the College to view the selected Posters in the Information & Learning Commons venue! The posters will be on Exhibition for the next 10 days. Special thanks are due to Mr. Thomas Mantzaris, the ESD Lecturer in charge of the specific assignment, as well as to the ILC Staff for hosting the Event.
11/05/2016
Sheffield Undergraduate Research Scheme: The first Application of our English Studies Department gets selected for funding!
Ms Maria Gourmou The English Studies Department is pleased to announce that Ms. Maria Gourmou, Undergraduate student in the BA Programme English Language and Linguistics, has been offered a Funded Undergraduate Summer Research position and a bursary of 1080 GBP, in order to conduct a real-life research project entitled "Semantic and Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution in English Foreign Language Learners." The Research Project Proposal has been set up in consultation with Dr Paschalia Patsala, Head of the English Studies Dept., who will supervise the study during a 6-week summer period, undertaking the responsibility for the project development and its outcomes. The findings of this research project will be disseminated to the International Faculty and the University as a whole in September 2016. SURE offers the University of Sheffield's Undergraduate students an opportunity to become directly involved in research activity, promoting applications of the highest quality. The SURE scheme enables students to gain valuable experience for their studies, and also for life and work beyond University. Successful applicants are able to develop a deeper knowledge of a subject that they are passionate about, enhanced skills in research, transferable skills in areas such as project management, collaboration and communication, awareness of the academic research environment, and enhanced their employability profile.
25/04/2016
An Intercultural Communication Event by Our English Studies Department
Within the framework of the ELT Methodology for All seminar series, our English Studies Department (ESD) was pleased to present an open seminar on “Intercultural Communication in the ELT Classroom” on April 18th. The event featured Dr. Giorgos Dimitriadis, Part-time Lecturer at ESD, and our Guest Speaker Dr. Theodore Maniakas, State School ELT Advisor. Students and staff from ESD attended the seminar along with external guests; like all open seminars of the series, the event was open to the public, offering the opportunity to attend in person, as well as online via live streaming. The seminar addressed the issue of Intercultural Communication offering both an introduction to its theoretical foundations and practical tips on how teachers can handle such issues in the ELT classroom. Dr. Dimitriadis opened the seminar with his talk titled “From Confusion to Fusion: The Challenges of the Contemporary Intercultural ELT Classroom.” Approaching the classroom as a microcosm of all aspects of students’ social life, the talk focused on language teaching in general and ELT in particular as elements being at the core of ICC issues, due to the nature of the discipline and the cultural as well as social parameters that it is infused with. It was stressed that language teaching should adapt accordingly in ICC situations, so that it becomes an opportunity rather than a challenge. In this respect, the wider social implications of ICC were linked to its specific dynamics inside the classroom, as well as to the role that the English language has been called to play in a globalized world. In the second part of the seminar, Dr Maniakas took over with his talk titled “Everything Is Culture, Even My Classroom!” in which he steered the discussion towards more practical activities that teachers can find useful when they are called to teach English in an ICC classroom. More specifically, Dr. Maniakas suggested various solutions such as classroom activities or projects that teachers may use with their own students so that they make the best of their available classroom time and resources. The aim of Dr. Maniakas’ talk was to enhance the sensitivity of ELT teachers towards a more humanistic approach to developing critical thinking and life skills, as well as to stress the importance of the expanded role that teachers are called to play as guides, mentors and parents within socio-economic and, therefore, also cultural changes. The events of the ELT Methodology for All series of open seminars are aimed at current and prospective foreign language teachers, postgraduate and undergraduate students, the ELT community in the wider area of Northern Greece, and online viewers able to access the sessions through live streaming or by watching the recording of each seminar. Watch the seminar:
22/04/2016
ELT Methodology Seminar: 'Intercultural Communication in the ELT Classroom'
Tuesday, 19 April 2016 FREE ENTRANCE Seminar Overview (PDF) Online Participation Form Join and share! Watch the seminar live Information: T: +30 2310 224421 E: mkosior@citycollege.sheffield.eu
13/04/2016
ESD Students and Dr Paschalia Patsala on the stage of the 23rd TESOL Macedonia-Thrace Convention in an inspiring performance!
A group of Level-2 students in the BA in English Language and Linguistics Programme—Alexandros Agathangelidis, Maria Gourmou, Evanthia Kanonidou, Iro Sapouna, Despina Sarantidou and Persefoni Tyfliori—together with Dr. Paschalia Patsala, Head of the English Studies Dept., passionately delivered a presentation at the 23rd TESOL Macedonia-Thrace Northern Greece International Convention, held on 26-27 March at the American College of Thessaloniki. The team presentation was entitled “Aspiring to inspire! From teaching to … educating” and covered a wide range of ELT topics. Founded on the distinction between teaching and educating, the presentation aimed at presenting the attributes of an inspiring EFL teacher, as well as raising participants’ awareness of the barriers that could impede inspirational teaching. Hoping to motivate Foreign Language teachers and their learners, the team shared various innovative ideas and suggested practical techniques that can actively contribute to inspiring teaching practices. The most positive outcome though of this presentation was that students with different educational backgrounds, diverse experiences and future aspirations, joined forces and created a memorable presentation! This presentation would have not been so exciting without the support and ideas of Mr. Thanos Hatziapostolou, Senior Lecturer of the Computer Science Dept., whose contribution proved to be valuable! “This will be an unforgettable experience for us! We combined our studies with professional development and not only did we bond as classmates, but we felt new professional pathways opened up for us as well. We would definitely do it again!”
30/03/2016
Dr Patsala and Ms Lampreli from the English Studies Department participate in the LIF2016 International Conference in Turkey
Dr Paschalia Patsala, Head of the English Studies Department, and Ms. Anastasia Lampreli, postgraduate student in the MA in Applied Linguistics with TESOL, delivered a Presentation on a Sociolinguistic study with teaching implications in the Language in Focus - LIF2016 Conference entitled “From Theory to Practice: New Directions in ELT and Applied Linguistics”. The Conference’s organization was a joined effort by the University of Ḉukurova, Adana, Turkey and the State University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland. The Conference was held in Istanbul, Turkey (10-12 March) and its aim was to provide a forum for linguists, researchers and ELT teachers. Dr. Patsala’s and Ms. Lampreli’s presentation titled “Just Call me ‘Ms.’! A Corpus-based Sociolinguistic Research” investigated the use of sexist language in American and British English, focusing on the use of the honorifics ‘Ms.’ and ‘Mrs.’, through both a diachronic and a synchronic study about the time period these gained linguistic popularity, and it received complimentary comments from renowned participants of the Conference. Dr Patsala and Ms. Lampreli with Regent’s Professor of Applied Linguistics Douglas Biber, Northern Arizona University The present research constituted a case-study on how teaching and learning a Foreign Language can build on developments in various areas of Applied Linguistics, such as Sociolinguistics and Corpus studies, offering innovating directions and exquisite tools in the area of ELT.
23/03/2016
Ms Kosior from our English Studies Department participates in International Conference in Slovenia
Ms. Margarita Kosior represented the English Studies Department of the University of Sheffield International Faculty, CITY College at the 23rd International IATEFL Slovenia Conference "Where Inspiration Is Born" organized in Terme Topolsica, Slovenia (3-6 March 2016). During the presentation entitled "Re-Negotiating the Basics: Learner Autonomy", Ms. Kosior first elaborated on the origins of the term "learner autonomy" and explained the rationale behind moving away from teacher-centered classroom to more student-centered learning environments in which students are granted more autonomy and assume responsibility for their own learning. During her session, Ms. Kosior presented a range of techniques used by the instructors both at the English Studies Department and the English Language Support Unit, ranging from involving in self-reflection within an academic context, but also at a personal level, to the use of technology (YouTube, TED Talks and the TED-Ed platform, Clickers). All these techniques result in increased engagement and motivation of the students. The presentation was well-received and created a lot of interaction after the session. Special thanks are due to Dr Zoi Tatsioka and Mr. Thomas Mantzaris for their contribution during the preparation of the presentation and to one of the participants, Michael Harrison, for the sketch visualization of the session.
18/03/2016
Christmas Event by the English Studies Department
The English Studies Department, listening to the students' voice in the Student Staff Committee, organized a Christmas Event on Thursday, December 10th, in the ESD premises at Koromila building. Students were actively engaged in the organization of the event, and contributed to its success with homemade sweets, ornaments, live music, and their biggest smiles! They all together decorated the ESD Christmas tree as well as the floor, adding a more 'personal' touch to the premises. On that day, students and staff had the opportunity to mingle, enjoying a festive atmosphere. This bonding experience reinforced everyone's sense of belonging to the ESD family.
17/12/2015
The English Studies Department hosts presentation on Corpus Linguistics by Dr Gabriel Ozon
Dr Gabriel Ozon, from the School of English University of Sheffield, delivered a very informative Presentation on Corpus Linguistics hosted by the English Studies Department during his visit at the International Faculty for the Graduation Ceremony 2015. His presentation, which took place on 20 November 2015, was entitled “Building a corpus of an unwritten language: Methods and challenges” and focused on the application of quantitative (corpus linguistics) techniques in order to extract patterns and conditions of use from authentic data. Dr Ozon’s teaching and research have engendered a keen interest in linguistic variation, and along with Melanie Green (Sussex) and Miriam Ayafor (Yaounde I), he is conducting a Research Project, supported by a British Academy/Leverhulme Grant, aiming to build a corpus of Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE). The event was attended by a great number of postgraduate and undergraduate students and staff of the English Studies Department, and was followed by a vibrant discussion with the audience.
08/12/2015
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