Jeannette Rissmann

Head of Languages for All, Teaching Fellow (German)

Biography

Background

Ever since I started learning first Russian and then English in school in Fürstenwalde/Spree, a small town near Berlin, I have been passionate about languages. No wonder then that I went on to study Russian and English at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena which allowed me to both develop my language skills and deepen my understanding of the cultures. At the same time, I trained to become a teacher of German as a Foreign Language. Having completed my studies, I went on to teach German at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (USA), at Technická Univerzita v Liberci (Czechia) and at the University of Hull, followed by Newcastle, Portsmouth and Napier Universities.

I joined the Centre for Open Learning in 2010 as Teaching Fellow and have been teaching German for the community from beginners to advanced level. I have also taught credit courses for matriculated students in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.  From 2010 to 2023, I was Course Organiser for German at the Centre for Open Learning and I continue to develop German courses and course materials. Since October 2015, I've been Head of Languages for All and am currently responsible for our language provision in Arabic, General English, German, Japanese, Modern Greek, Russian, Swahili, Turkish and Ukrainian.

I still learn languages and enjoy exploring their cultures.

 

Qualifications

PhD Drama Translation (Dialect, drama and translation - a socio-cultural investigation into the factors influencing the choice of strategies in German-speaking Europe), Warwick University, Coventry)

MSc Translation and Conference Interpreting, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

MA Creative Writing, University of Northumbria, Newcastle

MA English and American Studies, Russian Studies and Teaching German as a Foreign Language, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena (incl. Certificate Teaching German as a Foreign Language in higher and adult education)

 

Responsibilities & affiliations

Head of Languages for All (with responsibility for Arabic, General English, German, Japanese, Modern Greek, Russian, Swahili, Turkish and Ukrainian)

Teaching Fellow (German)

External Examiner for German, University of Portsmouth

Member of the ESOL Providers Forum of Edinburgh

Research summary

At the Centre for Open Learning, more than 20% of language learners have retired. Research on bilingualism and cognitive aging by, amongst others, Thomas Bak and his colleagues at the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences explores the positive impact language learning may have on brain health and cognitive function. I have taken training courses on dementia and looked at the teaching and learning of foreign languages at an older age. I presented a paper on age-appropriate teaching and learning of German as a foreign language at COL at 26. International Congress of German Teachers in Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland, in 2017. I am looking forward to revisiting the research and contribute to the continued discussion.

 

As a dialect speaker, I have always been interested in regional language variation both in language teaching and learning and in translation. I was fascinated by a series of Scots productions at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh of Quebecois plays by Michel Tremblay, translated by Martin Bowman and Bill Findlay. This led me to explore how dialect can be represented on stage in a different language and culture and the sometimes very political reasons for doing so. My PhD dissertation focused on three English-language plays that have been translated into both standard German and a dialect. I continue to be fascinated by regional language variation, which, in German, I regard as an important part of my identity and I am interested in integrating aspects of dialect in my language teaching.

I am currently teaching German as a Foreign language at Beginners and Advanced levels to learners of our Languages for All Short Courses provision.

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