Thomas Chaurin

Director of Languages for All

Biography

Background

Thomas Chaurin is a French language teacher with more than 25 years in managing language education programmes and teams.  He holds a Master’s degree in French as a Foreign Language from the University of Rennes 2. 

Prior to joining the Centre for Open Learning, Thomas was a Research Associate at Moray House School of Education and Sport taking part in a research project analysing the factors of successful language learning in Scottish schools. He was previously the Scotland based Education Attaché of the French Embassy in the UK (2014-2018), the Executive Director of the Alliance Française of Washington DC (2010-2013) and of the Alliance Française of Calgary (2007-2010). Thomas has also held academic roles in France, Spain, Chile, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Slovakia.

Responsibilities & affiliations

Within COL, CAHSS and the University of Edinburgh

  • Member of COL Executive Committee
  • Member of CAHSS Extended Leadership Group
  • Member of the Student Discipline Committee
  • Member of the British Sign Language Plan Working Group
  • Member of the Gaelic Plan Working Group
  • Member of the Edinburgh branch of Bilingualism Matters

Other affiliations

  • Member of UNA Europa's Language Centre Directors group
  • Member of the Edinburgh Community Learning and Development Partnership
  • Treasurer of the the Association of University Language Communities in the UK and Ireland 
  • Treasurer of FLEUR, the Association of French Teachers in Further and Higher Education in the UK 
  • External Examiner for the Certificate of Higher Education (Languages) in Lifelong Learning at Cardiff University 
  • Extern Examiner for Global Language Elective Modules at UCD Centre for English and Global Languages
  • Board Member of the French Film Festival UK 

Undergraduate teaching

Thomas teaches French Lifelong Learning courses: French | Centre for open learning

He collaborates with the French language team for the assessment and moderation of Access Languages and Cultures 1 and 2 and of French Language Stage 1 for IFP courses

Project activity

Thomas contributed to TILES, a self-evaluation tool designed to drive improvement in languages learning and teaching in schools: https://www.tiles.education.ed.ac.uk/

Thomas co-authored Complete French, with Ana de Medeiros and James Fowler: Complete French | Teach Yourself UK

He contributed to various AULC and FLEUR reports:

 

 

 

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