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Dr Simon Webster, SFHEA

Dr Simon Webster, SFHEA

  • Position: Lecturer in EAP
  • Areas of expertise: teacher cognition; teacher education; academic literacy; English for specific academic purposes; learner autonomy
  • Email: S.J.Webster@leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 1110
  • Location: 2.29 Clothworkers Building North

Profile

I have been an English language teacher and teacher trainer for over 25 years, holding teaching posts in the UK, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, Japan, China and Taiwan.

My teacher training experience includes several years teaching on a BEd TESOL programme for the University of Edinburgh and teaching on a BA TESOL programme in Oman for the University of Leeds. I have also taught on the MA TESOL and MA TESOL Studies programmes at Leeds.

For several years, I taught and contributed to modules on the Master's in Professional Language and Intercultural Studies (MAPLIS) programme and supervised students' dissertations.

I have held a number of roles at the Language Centre, including that of director of in-sessional EAP programmes, when I coordinated academic language and literacy provision for undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research students across the University.

Research interests

My main research area is that of teacher cognition and my doctoral research involved in-depth longitudinal research into the practical knowledge of teachers engaged in teaching English language speaking skills to adult migrants. I have also recently conducted research into EAP practitioners' cognitions regarding scholarship writing and am currently exploring teacher cognition in the context of a professional development intervention for English Medium Instruction lecturers.

I am interested in models of academic language and literacy provision at university level and have researched and published on a semi-embedded in-sessional model which I introduced at the University.

An additional research interest is the discipline-specificity of academic writing and I have recently written a book chapter entitled ‘The written discourse genres of digital media studies’, which is due to be published in December, 2020 by Bloomsbury Press. The chapter appears in the publication ‘What is good academic writing? Insights into discipline-specific student writing’ edited by Whong, M. and Godfrey, J. 

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • SFHEA
  • PhD (Leeds)
  • MEd TESOL (Edinburgh)
  • PGCE (Cardiff)
  • BA (Liverpool)

Student education

I have a seconded role within the School of Media where I am responsible for academic literacy provision across taught postgraduate programmes. This activity includes the design and delivery of discipline-specific in-sessional courses and programme-embedded workshops within the School.

I also contribute to the pre-sessional programme for students who will be undertaking Master’s-level study in the School of Media and Communication.

Research groups and institutes

  • Language Centre