Teachers' Lift

Now, Darren Harbutt is not new to the teachers‘ Lift. Back in 2020, he featured in one of our early episodes when HKU hosts, Phil Smythe and Aditi Jhaveri, where he shared his expertise on blended learning with a focus on e-assessment. Now it's the turn of Dawn Gillis and Eric Tindall asking the questions, as we take a look in the rear view mirror of the last two years and ask whether there have been any silver-linings to all the hurdles we've faced since the days when zooming required a telephoto lens. In this illuminating discussion, Darren introduces us to the exciting new world of HyFlex, where in-class instruction meets on- and off-line learning, and leaves us asking the question, will this become the new normal.

Bilingualism in Hong Kong is often the product of learning English as a second language (L2) after Cantonese has been acquired as the first language (L1). Issues of code-switching (speakers alternating between two or more languages), interference (use of elements of one language while speaking or writing another) and translanguaging (with an emphasis on the interconnectedness of languages allowing learners to use the full range of their linguistic repertoire) often come up in most discussions pertaining to teaching English to bilingual learners. Yet, when confronted with these issues, many teachers express ambiguity, and anecdotal evidence suggests that language educators feel unsure about which side of the debate they are on. In this episode, Professor Stephen Matthews from the Department of Linguistics at HKU, clarifies some of our common misunderstandings and responds to certain criticisms and confusions surrounding bilingualism.

Now in this latest episode from the Teachers' Lift, we hear from Dave Gatrell, pedagogical consultant at PolyU's Educational Development Centre. Hosts, Dawn Gillis and Eric Tindall quiz Dave about his phd studies, and how video annotation software can help boost the communication skills learners for today's academic environment. Listeners keen to spice up their own classes can pick up a few tips and tricks from Dave as he waxes lyrical about his ongoing collaboration with teachers from the English Language Centre in an effort to add video annotation software to their ever-growing box of technological tools.

In this episode, our hosts Colin Tait and Levi Lam are chatting with Dr. Lisa Cheung about the work she has done in developing an English in the Discipline (ED) Course at the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU. Lisa reflects on her long experience of engaging with colleagues in the Faculty of Dentistry to create a course that can best serve the disciplinary communication needs using a needs analysis informed development process.

In this episode, Dr. Svetlana Chigaeva-Heddad invites us to imagine the future of English language teaching and talks to Aditi about why this is necessary. She describes Futures Literacy in terms of acknowledging the uncertainties we face, being aware of the constant state of flux we are in, and the capacity to act when we find ourselves dealing with the unfamiliar.

From Nina Simone to Bowie, the Velvet Underground to the Rolling Stones, taking in Cairo and Beijing along the way, this wide-ranging conversation with the PolyU's former Director of the English Language Centre, Bruce Morrison, looks back at his career and his thoughts on students teachers. Podcast hosts Dawn Gillis and Eric Tindall ask the questions (sometimes) and get a musical education at the same time.

What's the role of self-access language learning centres in today's online world? Do they still have a place? Can they be re-imagined? In this episode of Teachers' Lift, the tables are turned on host Eric Tindall as he is interviewed by Dawn Gillis and Jessica Xia from PolyU about how the ELC's Centre for Independent Language Learning is changing with the times.

We're always looking for ways to make our students more engaged and make teaching more engaging for us – one possibility is to incorporate design-based learning. But first, we need to know what this is, its benefits, its challenges, and how this can be applied to the courses that we teach in our respective centers. Listen to this episode with Mike Ladao to get some of these answers.

Why do Hong Kong university students learn German? What makes them interested in the German language and culture? And how do teachers build on students' skills acquired while learning a first and second language to help them learn a new foreign language? Tune into this episode with Tonja Fung to know.

As HKU prepared to return to face-to-face teaching and learning this semester after almost 2 years of being online, Dr. Alvin Wong from the Department of Comparative Literature and Dr. Brenda Allegre from Gender studies, gauge the mood of their students and talk about their own feelings and experiences after being back on campus.

In this episode Levi Lam interviews Dr. Melinda Whong, Director of the Centre for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, about two major initiatives she's spearheaded during her tenure- scholarship and competency-based assessment frameworks.

Mark Hopkins is a Lecturer in English and French for the Center for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he has led the 3rd Languages team for the last 10 years. Some of the 3rd languages include Spanish, German and French. Tess and Thomas are also Lecturers of English in the same center and have been regular hosts on Teachers Lift. In this episode, they discuss some of the challenges of implementing 3rd language programs, how learning a 3rd language impacts overall academic performance, and what lies ahead for 3rd language programs for local universities.

The goals of the Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC) are to help academic staff improve their teaching, to help students improve their learning, and to develop opportunities for conversation and reflection among faculty, students, and staff around topics of teaching and learning. In this episode, Dr Miranda Legg, Associate Director and Principal Lecturer at the CAES, HKU, explains as the Chair of the TLC at CAES, how her team strives to accomplish these goals.

This episode of Teachers' Lift has Lillian Wong and Ashley Hazell tell us all about how they prepared for the originally planned face-to-face HKCPD Hub International Conference 2021 for English teaching professionals to be changed into an online academic conference within a few months' notice.

Dr. Nora Hussin is an Associate Director for the Center for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Levi Lam is a Lecturer at the center. One of Dr. Hussin's many responsibilities includes designing and implementing a teaching observation program that would result in meaningful reflection and professional development, while being approachable for both observers and observees alike. This podcast explores how observations can be distinguished from evaluations, how observations are just a start to professional development, and how certain technologies may play a role in observations.

May Liao is a Lecturer of English for the Center for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Levi Lam is also a Lecturer at the center. One of May's roles is to organize "socials" for first-year students in an English core course that focuses on English for academic purposes. This podcast explores some the challenges of organizing these socials, the many benefits for these students as they transition into their first year of university, and what the future holds for learning communities at HKUST.

In this episode of Teachers' Lift Eric Tindall and new host Dawn Gillis, both from PolyU, interview Fridolin Ting. Frid is a teaching fellow in the Maths department at PolyU. What you might ask, is someone who teaches maths doing on Teachers’ Lift? Well, as Fri explains in the podcast, both English and maths are languages and teaching involves communication whether it is through English or maths. Frid has been very active in designing different applications to help teachers teach better, and in this episode he shares why he developed the apps and how they can help teachers, as well as some exciting plans for the future.

As the Coordinator of English-in-the-Discipline Social Sciences programme at the Centre for Applied English Studies in HKU, Dr. Eleanor Kwan talks to us about addressing the academic and professional literacy needs of students by familiarizing them with different spoken and written genres. She also shares her own tips for running her team and ensuring that teachers on the programme are best equipped to teach the courses on offer.

In this episode we have Dr. Parco Wong from HKU and Dr. Linda Lin from HKPolyU talking about the considerations that go into the planning, design, delivery, and management of an 'English for Academic Purposes' course; the joy it brings them, the challenges they face, and the way they deal with a big teaching team and thousands of students enrolled in this course. One thing's for sure - this isn't a job for the faint of heart. Listen to know why!

In this episode, Clarence Wang from the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU, tells us about the roles and responsibilities of a programme coordinator in English Language Centres in universities. From leading a programme team, designing curriculum, updating materials to liaising with faculty - there's a lot on their plate. Yet, they seem to manage it effortlessly and efficiently. Let's find out how!

This episode is unlike any other because in this show we have Connie Poon share her experiences of being a teacher of Chinese language at HKU. She talks about teaching Chinese in the discipline courses, which are aimed at enhancing students' practical and professional communication skills. We found her insights into pronunciation, style and register considerations especially interesting and valuable.

This unique episode has four language teachers tell us about their experience of developing Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) on language and communication topics. It entails details about how they went about preparing SPOCs on impactful presentations, concise writing, intercultural communication, and creative writing, and the student needs and responses that guided their decisions.

In this episode from HKUST our hosts Tess Hogue and Levi Lam talk to Sean McMinn about what is digital literacy and why it is relevant to language teaching.

This episode features Albert Wong from the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU who elaborates on the unique but very specific set of skills needed for one-on-one and small group language advising. He emphasizes the need for a dialogic approach that can take into account students' affective needs during advising sessions.

In this episode, Lowana Phillips from the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU, talks about the powerful role of works of art (such as paintings and sculptures) in helping students learn. She says, engagement with art does not only enable students to make meaning but can also enhance their ability to articulate and convey complex ideas and thoughts to audiences.

While online learning has been around for a long time, a confluence of events, including restructuring of universities which affect modes of delivery, pandemics and in the case of Hong Kong recent protest movements have resulted in a boom of innovations including blended learning. As we know, blended learning is a combination of face to face and online delivery of courses. These courses are the future as they address a number of needs. These include flexibility and efficiency in terms of resources, classrooms for example; flexible use of time for both teachers, academics and students and finally the use of technology both in terms of devices e.g. mobile phone and online resources. As with anything, there are problems and challenges, for example, keeping students motivated to do the online work and logistical issues. Today we have Rebecca Farmer and Kin ( Tang Kin Hun) from the Centre of Language Education,HKUST. They are part of a team, the E core team headed by Liza Yew and they have been charged with the very big job of introducing 4 new courses, specifically using blended learning. These courses will eventually replace the existing 1st year, undergraduate core courses, the bread and butter courses of CLE.

Teachers’ Lift is back with a brand new episode as well as a new host this semester. In this episode, Aditi and Colin talk to Dr. Michelle Raquel about Communication-intensive Courses (CiC) - what they are all about, how they benefit teachers and students, and how courses get CiC badged at HKU.

In this episode Phil and Aditi talk with Prof. Alessandro Benati about his research interests. They discuss how his research interests and management experience led him to Hong Kong. Prof. Benati will become the Director of the Centre for Applied English Studies at HKU in September.

In this episode Tess Hogue (HKUST) and Phil Smyth (HKU) interview Rick Glofcheski from the HKU Faculty of Law. Rick talks about his work in authentic assessments and how his interest in this area developed.

Episode 17: Digital Storytelling: A literacy movement for the 21st Century with Joe Lambert by Teachers' Lift

Welcome to episode 16 of teachers lift. Over the past year we have all been strugglign to identify best practices for teaching remotely - in this episode our hosts from poly u chat with their colleague, Ryan Hunter, about the lessons that he's been able to carry lessons learned from his online postgraduate studies into his online teaching practices. Now I will pass things over the Jessica and Eric at PolyU We hope you have enjoyed this episode of the teachers lift. Teachers lift is a growing collaborative project created to help give teachers a space to share professional experiences and practices. This podcast is created by colleagues from the English Language Centre at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, , the Centre for applied English at the University of Hong Kong and the Centre for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of Science and technology. We hope that you can support this effort by letting us know you're listening - just log into teachers [lift.com](http://lift.com) and to find our links on most social media platforms where you can like and subscribe. If you subscribe to this podcast using the app of your choice, you will be notified when we post new episodes. This episode was recorded on May 22, 2020

Over the past year we have all been challenged with 'emergency remote teaching'. In this episode we chat with Susan Bridges, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Education to make sense of where we have been and help us consider how language teaching units could position themselves into the future. This episode is hosted by Aditi Jhaveri and Phil Smyth.

In this episode our hosts from Poly U, Eric and Jessica take a deep breath and reflect on the challenges that they have faced during the past semester which was taught entirely online due to social unrest and the pandemic.

In this episode our hosts from PolyU chat with Tim Birkett from Hong Kong City University about issues with assessment and how colleagues at CityU have managed under the pressures of the past year.

The Hong Kong university community has faced a series of challenges over the past year beginning with social unrest in the territory and now the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode of the teachers lift our interviewers, Thomas and Levi explore how teachers new to the profession are handling the uncertainty of starting a teaching career in these uncertain times. Their guest is May Liao.

In this episode our hosts chat with Patrick Desloge, one of the original creators of the Teachers' Lift podcast. The episode gives a sense of why Teachers' Lift was formed in the beginning and discusses how a podcast might play a role in teachers' professional development.

In this episode our hosts, Jessica Xia and Eric Tindall chat with their Poly U colleagues Christine Burns and Jane Robbins who share their stories about the undergraduate course they developed called Storytelling for Life: Sharing Personal Narrative. https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/subjects/Syllabi/ELC1A07.pdf

In this episode our PolyU hosts, Jessica Xia and Eric Tindall chat with Andy Jarvis about the challenges that they have faced in adapting assessments as teaching has gone abruptly online due to social unrest and the covid-19 pandemic.

Episode 8: Teaching and learning in online communities with David Nunan by Teachers' Lift

In this episode we welcome two new hosts, Eric Tindall and Jessica Xia from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. They are talking to Bee Dy, an Instructional Designer at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology about her experiences helping teachers go online and her advice for teachers being forced to jump online overnight.

Guests: Nick Noakes from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Grahame Bilbow from the University of Hong Kong. Forming communities of practice has been a major part of efforts in Hong Kong to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. In this special inter-institutional episode we are fortunate enough to hear from the directors of units working to improve T&L across our institutions. They reflect on how their background in language education enabled them to move into larger roles at their universities and the importance of creating professional communities of practice, especially in the challenging times we are facing in a time of social distancing. Hosted by Sean McMinn and Aditi Jhaveri

Episode 5: Service and experiential learning in uncertain times with guests Anna Ho and Carly Ng. by Teachers' Lift

In this episode Phil and Aditi chat with Sean McMinn from the Centre for Language Education at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Sean has years of experience teaching online and he has recently developed a new common core course in Digital Literacy. The conversations focuses on how to maintain student engagement when teaching online.

Darren is a Co-Project Leader of the Blended and Online Learning and Teaching (BOLT) Project at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In this episode, Darren discusses how the recent events in Hong Kong have impacted the need for online learning support. He also gives insights and advice about assessment in an online learning environment. https://www.bolt.edu.hk

In this episode of Teachers' Lift our hosts, Aditi Jhaveri and Phil Smyth chat with Ken Ho, Programme Coordinator of the English for Engineering Programme at the University of Hong Kong about the challenges and solutions to the need to shift abruptly to online learning.

In this episode of Teachers' Lift Aditi Jhaveri and Phil Smyth interview Tanya Kempston. Tanya is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong where she is involved with training English teachers. She specializes in Drama and runs an common core class at HKU in making and appreciate drama. In this episode Tanya shares some of the exciting practices she's been using to teach online in recent months.