Addressing the Vocabulary Gap - with speakers Amanda Patten and Ela McSorley (Rush Hour Research)

#RushHourResearch – Addressing the Vocabulary Gap: How can schools and universities co-create projects with impact?

You're invited to join the Rush Hour Research series at the University of Birmingham School where academics from the School of Education will share their current research. Light refreshments will be provided.

The University of Birmingham School is excited to welcome speakers Amanda Pattern from the University of Birmingham and Ela McSorley from Nishkam Multi-Academy Trust.

This session examines the mechanics of a recent partnership between the Nishkam Schools Trust and the University of Birmingham, as one example of school and university collaboration. Our project utilises academic research in language description and acquisition to inform school approaches and pedagogic practices to support students (predominantly with English as an Additional Language) by addressing gaps in vocabulary and lack of coherence in written expression. In this session, we explore the development and evolution of this partnership over a matter of months, identifying key components towards achieving genuine and enduring impact.

Dr Amanda Patten is a lecturer in the Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics at the University of Birmingham. In her academic research, she analyses English grammatical constructions, and explores the relationship between words and grammar. She is interested in how linguistic description can inform language pedagogy.

Ela McSorley is the Director of Learning and Teaching at Nishkam School Trust, and also a teacher of English. She supports schools within the Trust to develop and improve their practice, through using research and evidence informed approaches, as well as student voice. She is interested in the teaching of reading, vocabulary acquisition and the process of writing from Early Years through to Y13 and has created a subject hub within English, connecting teachers from different phases and schools to work together to create an impactful and seamless curriculum.

16:15 Refreshments and networking

16:30 Talk and questions

17:15 End

We look forward to seeing you at an event which we hope will provoke interest and debate but at the same time be very applicable to classroom practice. 

Please register for this event online.