Dr Judit Kormos

National Teaching fellow 2013 Ever since gaining her degree in teaching English as a foreign language in Hungary in 1994, Dr Judit Kormos' approach has been to inspire students and equip them with the skills to enable them to become independent life-long learners. Despite having gained all her qualifications outside the UK, Judit adapted to the challenges of incorporating technology and of teaching culturally diverse groups of learners when she took up a lecturer position at Lancaster University in 2008. Her research focuses on the basic question of what foreign language learning involves, how learners differ in their approach to language learning, how students can be motivated to learn and how students with learning differences can be fully included in the language classroom. The knowledge obtained from her research, and from previous work experience as a foreign language teacher, has helped her to create a supportive distance learning environment in which students can work as members of a cohesive group. As one of her students testifies: "Undoubtedly without the support and inspiration given to us by Dr. Kormos I do not think that all of us would have continued our studies. Her attention not only to the course, but to individual students, and her ability to bring whatever topic she was teaching to life, stimulated and inspired us all to continue." Judit designed a distance and web-based Masters-level teacher training programme which is characterised by the application of enquiry and task-based learning and a reflective approach. She creatively adapts and uses a wide range of technological tools to enhance students online learning experience and to promote interaction among the students. She has initiated change in current pedagogical practice in the field of foreign language education, where the needs of dyslexic students are often neglected and language learners with specific learning needs are not fully included in classroom teaching. She co-ordinates the Dyslexia for teachers of English foreign language project, funded by the European Commission. The project contributes to raising awareness of the difficulties of dyslexic students in foreign language learning and to disseminating good pedagogic practice.