Faculty of Education and Language Studies > People Profiles > Margaret Southgate

Margaret Southgate

Languages Staff Tutor

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

m.southgate@open.ac.uk +44 (0) 2920 471019
x 70161

Profile

As Languages Staff Tutor I am responsible for the presentation of the faculty's modern language courses, including the appointment, management and development of language tutors in Wales. My responsibilities also include liaison between the Faculty and The Open University in Wales in connection with academic and political issues.

Since 2001 I have been an active contributor to Beginners' German, as an author, critical reader and module team member. I am currently a contributing author and book co-ordinator for the remake of L193 Rundblick: Beginners' German.

I established the practice of offering introductory synchronous online sessions for language students new to Internet-based audiovisual conferencing, and have conducted research into language students' independent use of synchronous voice conferencing. During 2008 I worked with the Beginners' Welsh course team to develop a new course L196 Croeso, presented for the first time from November 2008. From 1st November 2008 to 31 July 2011 I contributed to the L196 team as Co-Chair of Croeso: Beginners' Welsh in presentation.

Teaching Interests

As a Staff Tutor I take responsibility for the appointment, briefing and staff development of all the languages tutors in Wales.

I have also taken a particular interest in developing and presenting induction events for new distance learners of languages, both in a face-to-face context and through the medium of synchronous voice conferencing.

I have contributed teaching and assessment material to the Open University’s course L193 Auftakt (Beginners’ German), and am currently an active member of the module remake team. In addition I am a tutor of Beginners' German in Wales.

I have made a major contribution to the adaptation of previously published materials and to the development of new materials for L196 (Beginners' Welsh).

Research Interests

Teaching and learning languages in open and blended contexts.

Preparing learners for independent language study.

Current Research

I am a co-editor, and co-author of six chapters, of "Language Teaching in Blended Contexts", published by Dunedin Press, Edinburgh, in May 2011.

http://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk/search/category/Communications,_Language_&_Linguistics

Publications

Book Chapter

Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret (2011). Language teaching in a changing world: introduction and overview. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh, U.K.: Dunedin Academic Press, pp. 3–12.

Nicolson, Margaret; Southgate, Margaret and Murphy, Linda (2011). Teaching in synchronous and asynchronous modes. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh, U.K.: Dunedin Academic Press, pp. 95–111.

Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret (2011). Present and future contexts. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh, U.K.: Dunedin Academic Press, pp. 245–252.

Southgate, Margaret and Murphy, Linda (2011). The nature of the 'blend': interaction of teaching modes, tools and resources. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh, Scotland: Dunedin Academic Press Ltd, pp. 13–27.

Amoraga-Piqueras, Maria-Rosa; Comas-Quinn, Anna and Southgate, Margaret (2011). Teaching through assessment. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, pp. 75–92.

Newcombe, Lynda and Southgate, Margaret (2011). Teaching Celtic languages in blended contexts. In: Nicolson, Margaret; Murphy, Linda and Southgate, Margaret eds. Language Teaching in Blended Contexts. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, pp. 203–216.