Helen Sadig

Profile

An alumna of the University of Leeds, I examined IELTS for UCLES, and taught general English and EAP in Italy, Greece and Poland before joining the university in 2000. I have led credit-bearing modules as well as in-sessional, pre-sessional and bespoke language courses, teaching at UG, PGT and PGR levels, and held external examining positions at SOAS (2015-19) and Queen Mary University of London (2018-22). I was awarded an Excellence and Innovation Fellowship by the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) from 2018-19, and I was a Reviewer and Mentor on the University of Leeds Professional Recognition in Student Education (PRiSE) scheme (2020-24).

Responsibilities

• Director of Student Education (2019-22)
• Excellence & Innovation Fellow (2018-19)
• Programme Leader for ELU (2015-17)

Research interests

Following a LITE Fellowship developing linguistically informed language pedagogy training for students and teachers working with EAL learners, my interests include exploring the use of metalinguistic approaches in EAP methodologies, and the extent to which parallels can be drawn between EAL and EAP paradigms to develop academic literacies in language learners. In addition, and as part of a recent collaboration with the Library learning development team, I am also co-leading a project investigating embedded partnership working approaches to supporting the development of students’ academic literacies in the (LCS) School PGT curriculum on MA programmes in Linguistics, MAPLIS and Translation & Interpreting.

Qualifications

• HEA Senior Teaching Fellow
• MA in Linguistics and English Language Teaching
• Licentiate Diploma in TESOL & Certificate in TESOL
• BA Hons in Linguistics with Education Studies
• OCN Dyslexia Awareness

Professional memberships

• British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP)
• Association of University Language Centres (AULC)
• International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)
• Northern Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NATESOL)
• Community of Practice on Internationalisation of Teaching and Learning (CoP-ITL)

Student education

I teach English for Academic Purposes to international students in the Language Centre and insessionally in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies. I have also taught language teaching methodology and practice on the MA Linguistics & ELT Programme. I have designed and led bespoke language training courses for a wide range of student cohorts including trainee teachers and lecturers, international GPs preparing for their Clinical Skills Assessment examination, and English as an Additional Language workshops for students on the Students into Schools scheme.

Research groups and institutes

• Language Centre
• Language at Leeds