The FINANCIAL — A leading lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Aston University has been awarded a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship (NTF) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to higher education.
Dr Sue Garton is one of only 55 academics across the UK to be given an NTF by the Higher Education Academy this year. The award is considered the most prestigious accolade acknowledging excellence in higher education teaching and support for learning.
Each winner will receive £10,000 which will be used to support their professional development in teaching and learning or aspects of pedagogy, according to Aston University.
Starting her academic career teaching English to students in the Universities of Parma and of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Dr Garton joined Aston in 2000 as a Teaching Fellow in the School of Languages and Social Sciences. She is now a Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and the Director of Postgraduate English at the University.
On a daily basis, she teaches a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate modules and is currently supervising a number of PhD students in the field of classroom interaction and teacher education and development.
Aside from directly teaching classes herself, Dr Garton is a passionate and committed advocate of improving the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has been the Chair of the International TESOL Association Standing Committee for Research and a Member of the Association’s Research Task Force, monitoring and evaluating the development of research-related informational and educational activities.
Currently, Dr Garton is leading a consortium of ten institutions across the EU and partner countries as part of a major EU-funded TEMPUS project aimed at modernising the teaching of languages in Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Dr Garton said: “I am thrilled to be awarded a National Teaching Fellowship. It really is an honour to be named among the distinguished academics given the award this year and to be given such prestigious recognition for doing what I enjoy. Teaching my students is the most rewarding aspect of my job and I hope to continue to evaluate and improve the provision of English language education across the higher education sector both in the UK and internationally.”
Professor Stephanie Marshall, Chief Executive of the HEA, said: “The NTF Scheme celebrates outstanding achievement in learning and teaching in higher education. Each year when I read about our new National Teaching Fellows what stands out for me are the comments made by their students, who describe them as Innovative, engaging, entertaining, genuine, and passionate about teaching. This year is no exception.”
The NTF awards will be formally presented at a celebration event to be held at Liverpool Cathedral in October.
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