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Faculty of Education and Language Studies > People Profiles > Helga Adams

Helga Adams

Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor

The Open University Faculty of Education and Language Studies Department of Languages


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Profile

I joined the Open University in 1997 as Staff Tutor for Languages, dividing my time between the Yorkshire Region and Region North which includes Continental Europe. My main responsibilities are the recruitment, selection and development of a team of Associate Lecturers in French, German, Spanish, Italian Chinese and  ELT.  Before joining the Open University, I was Senior Lecturer and Head of German at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Teaching Interests

My initial encounter with the Open University was as a consultant writer for the first ever German course, L 130. Since then I have written on the German beginners' course Rundblick ( L 193), been a course team member of the third level German course Variationen ( L 313) and contributed to other German courses as critical reader. I have taught at and course directed German Residential Schools in Jena. I have co-authored several chapters of the Routledge -OU publication Success with Languages.    

Research Interests

Language and identity. The impact of language teaching methodology on learner integration and identity. Language learning strategies. CDP for languages tutors in Open and Distance Learning.

Current Research

 

 

Publications

Book Chapter
Adams , Helga and Nicolson, Margaret (2011). Learner diversity. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy , Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, pp. 29–42.
Eardley, Annie; Adams, Helga and Nicolson, Margaret (2005). Getting Started. In: Not Set ed. Success with Languages. Routledge Study Guides. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 21–34.
Nicolson, Margaret; Adams, Helga; Furnborough, Concha; Adinolfi, Lina and Truman, Mike (2005). Becoming an effective learner. In: Hurd, Stella and Murphy, Linda eds. Success with Languages. London: Routledge, pp. 35–59.
Nicolson, Margaret; Adams, Helga; Furnborough, Concha; Adinolfi, Lina and Truman, Mike (2005). Becoming an effective learner. In: Not Set ed. Success with Languages. Routledge Study Guides. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 35–59.
Murphy, Linda; Hauck, Mirjam; Nicolson, Margaret and Adams, Helga (2005). Reflection and self-evaluation. In: Not Set ed. Success with Languages. Routeldge Study Guides. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 60–78.
Adinolfi, Lina; Pleines, Christine; Harper, Felicity; Beaven, Tita; Smith, Pete; Hassan, Xaviere; Adams, Helga and Nicolson, Margaret (2005). Developing competence in the language (2): Writing and speaking skills. In: Not Set ed. Success wtih Languages. Routledge Study Guides. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 110–139.
Conference Item
Adams, Helga and Nicolson, Margaret (2010). Getting the best out of speaking practice in language tutorials. In: BAAL Language Learning & Teaching Special Interest Group, 8-9 July 2010, King's College London.
Adams, H. and Nicolson, M. (2008). The Languages Classroom: comfort zone or obstacle course. In: BAAL, 2008, Greenwich University.
Journal Article
Adams, Helga and Nicolson, Margaret (2012). Feeling the difference in the languages classroom: explorations of teacher understanding of diversity. Language Learning Journal (In press).
Adams, H. L. and Nicolson, M. A. (2010). Biting the bullet: getting the best out of speaking practice in languages tutorials. Classroom Discourse, 1(2), pp. 104–120.
Nicolson, M. and Adams, H. (2010). The languages classroom: place of comfort or obstacle course? Language Learning Journal, 38(1), pp. 37–49.
Nicolson, Margaret and Adams, Helga (2008). Travelling in space and encounters of the third kind: Distance language learner negotiation of speaking activities. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), pp. 105–116.