The Interplay between attention, experience and skills in online language teaching

The demand for online teaching is growing as is the recognition that online teachers require highly sophisticated skills to manage classrooms and create an environment conducive to learning. However, there is little rigorous empirical research investigating teachers’ thoughts and actions during online tutorials. Taking a sociocultural perspective, this study explores the interplay between the attention focus of language teachers during synchronous online tutorials and their reflections on their own teaching practices. Eyetracking data show that patterns of attention focus on different areas of the screen (representing technical facilities, social interaction and content) are related to practitioners’ experience in online teaching including familiarity with a particular platform. In particular, those with less online teaching experience display greater attention to technical areas than their more experienced colleagues. These findings are confirmed in the teachers’ reflective interviews, stimulated by watching gazeplot videos of their online tutorials. Their reflections also yield deeper insight into reasons for particular actions. Thematic analysis was used to relate the reflections on teaching strategies to the levels of online teaching skills (Hampel & Stickler 2005, New skills for new classrooms: Training tutors to teach languages online. Computer Assisted Language Learning 18(4). 311–326). Our research has extended Bax’s normalisation (2003, CALL – past, present and future. System 31(1). 13–28. doi: 10.1016/s0346-251x(02)00071-4) of the use of technology in face-to-face classroom learning into online learning environments. Mirroring the ontogenetic development of increasing digitalisation, teachers in online environments appropriate the skills necessary to free cognitive resources for attending to social and pedagogic aspects of their teaching

A Survey of Beginner's Language Teaching in UK Classics Departments: Ancient Greek

A survey of beginner's language teaching in UK, looking at aspects such as pedagogy, teaching arrangements and teaching materials across 24 university departments

A Survey of Beginner's Language Teaching in UK Classics Departments: Latin

A survey of beginner's Latin teaching in UK, looking at aspects such as pedagogy, teaching arrangements and teaching materials across 27 university departments

Possible geopotential improvement from satellite altimetry

Possible geopotential improvement from satellite altimetr

A double continuum hydrological model for glacier applications

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Review of Causes of Mortality in an Acute Medicine of the Elderly and Acute Stroke Service

The information recorded in medical certificates of cause of death (MCCD) can influence population-based mortality and statistical reviews. Data retrieved from MCCD based studies can inform certain aspects of public health planning, health service delivery and evaluation, and could potentially impact health resource allocation. This study retrospectively reviews a total of 173 consecutive MCCD counterfoil records. This included 71 deaths from an acute stroke unit/ward (ASU), and 102 deaths from acute medicine of the elderly (acute MoE) wards of a tertiary referral hospital in a developed country. Disease/condition classification was based upon the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (Tenth Revision) (ICD-10, WHO). We describe the top five ICD-10 categories of diseases/conditions documented in Parts 1 and 2 of the MCCD during the study period. We also describe the top five underlying primary medical conditions recorded on the MCCD. A review of some other notable diseases/conditions recorded during the study period is also presented.Keywords: Cause of Death; Death Certificate; ICD-10; Medicine of the Elderly; Mortality; Strok