Thomas Jochum-Critchley
Senior Lecturer in German

Profile

Biography

I am a highly experienced languages educator having taught a wide range of courses in UK and other European Higher Education institutions in France, Portugal and my native Austria. Along the way, I have also gained extensive experience in the design and leadership of language curricula and programmes, as well as in quality assurance and in promoting professional development.

My expertise as German language(s) educator covers all levels, from Ab Initio (A1) to full proficiency (C1/C2) modules on UG German programmes, as well as courses in Institution Wide Language Programmes and adult learning contexts. I have also designed and taught a range of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) based modules on cultures and societies of German-speaking countries, with German-speaking film and cinema as my key area of expertise.

My scholarly interests are centred around learner autonomy, authentic projects, and the role and use of technology in language education which includes – but is not limited to – Artificial Intelligence. More recently I have become interested in developing and implementing plurilingual pedagogies into language education.

Career

• University of York  (from 2012)
  Senior Lecturer in German (from 2023)
  Lecturer in German (2018-2023)
  Associate Lecturer in German (2012-2018)
• University of Leeds (2009-2012)
  Teaching Fellow in German / OeAD Lektor,
  Director of German Language Teaching
• Leeds Metropolitan University (2010-2012)
  Part time lecturer in German
• Open University (2010–2012)
  Language Assistant
• University of Nottingham (2007-2009)
  Teaching Fellow / OeAD Lektor
• Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis (2001-2007)
  Lecteur d’Allemand / German lector
• Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (2001-2006)
  Tutor for German Language and Austrian Civilisation
• University of Vienna (1999-2001)
  Part time tutor for German as a Foreign Language

Departmental roles

• Deputy Chair of Board of Studies
• Programme Leader for Languages

Teaching

Undergraduate

Semester 1

• Plurilingualism, multilingualism and transnational languages: concepts, strategies & approaches (Module convenor)
• German Language and Cultures: Proficient (Module convenor)

Semester 2

• Contemporary German speaking film (Module convenor)
• Understanding German-speaking cultures & societies

External activities

Memberships

• FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• FLAME - Film and Media in Education
• ÖSD - Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (Qualified examiner)
• Approved UNILANG examiner

External examining

• London School of Economics
  UG German modules (2022-2026)
• University of Newcastle
  University Wide Language Programme (2022-2026)
• University of Keele
  Language Centre (2021-2025)
• University of Nottingham
  Language Centre - UK, China & Malaysia campus (2018-2022)
• King's College London
  Modern Language Centre (2017 - 2021)

Invited talks and conferences

• Session co-chair: Sektion C.3 (Innovative) Konzepte des Deutschlernens an Hochschulen weltweit. IDT 2025, 18. Internationale Tagung der Deutschlehrerinnen und Deutschlehrer 28. 07. – 01. 08. 2025. Lübeck, Germany.
• Plenary talk: "Déjà-vu or game changer? Language education and (generative) AI: affordances, challenges, and opportunities". Conference: Translation and Language Education in the Age of AI: Theoretical and Practical Frameworks. University of Manchester, 25. April 2025
• Presentation (with Elisabeth Wallmann): Promoting Plurilingualism and Multilingualism in the Anglosphere: A Practical Example. CERCLES 2024 Conference. Durham, 13-15 September 2024
• Presentation: Developing Plurilingual Pedagogies in Languages Programmes: Concepts, Principles and a Practical Example. AULC conference 2023: Language for All in Higher Education: Inclusion, Diversity, and Sustainability. Edinburgh, 27-28 April 2023
• Keynote: Machine translation literacy and language education: teaching, learning and using languages in the digital age. Online Workshop Digitales Lernen und die Bewertung sprachlicher Leistungen im universitären DaF-Unterricht in Großbritannien. University of Liverpool: Centre for Teaching Excellence in Language Learning, 20/1/2023
• Presentation: Raus aus dem Seminarraum – rein ins Leben: Authentische Projekte zum Thema Film im integrierten DaF-Unterricht vor, während und nach der Pandemie. IDT 2022 Wien, 15/8/2022
• Presentation: Assessing language proficiency in the digital age: principles, challenges and solutions.” AULC conference 2022: Envisage the Future: Reshaping Language Teaching and Learning. Nottingham, 25-27 April 2022
• Presentation: Was bedeutet Sprachkompetenz in einer zunehmend digitalisierten Welt. Online-Workshop Digitales Lernen und Unterrichten im universitären DaF-Unterricht in Großbritannien. University of Nottingham, 8/9/2021
• Presentation: Leaving the Ivory Tower: Public engagement through authentic projects on German speaking film – before, during and after the pandemic. Annual AGS conference 2021. Online University of Swansea, 2/9/2021
• Presentation: Language education as public engagement: designing authentic projects on German film. InnoConf 2020. Online University of Newcastle, 18/9/2020
• Presentation: Impact teaching: language, film and media education in the 21st century. Transmedia in Education International Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, 28/6/2019
• Presentation: Taking language and culture beyond the classroom. UK LINGUA 2019: Culture in the Language Classroom, University of Durham, 27/4/2019
• Presentation (with Nadine Saupe): Developing multi/intercultural learning abroad through ethnography.” Year Abroad Conference, University of Newcastle, 14/9/2018
• Presentation: Rethinking the Curricular and Extra-curricular Divide. ECAs 2018, University of Manchester, 1/6/2018
• Presentation (with Nadine Saupe): Developing multi/cultural learning through ethnography.” 3rd Languages in a Globalised World Conference, Leeds Beckett University, 23-24/5/2018
• Presentation (with Maria Muradas-Casas & Raffaele Zanotti): Joining researchers and practitioners. The Language Teaching Forum @ York. AULC Professional Development SIG Meeting, University of Reading, 185/2018
• Online presentation: Grammatiktraining am Handy. DaFWEBKON 2018, 3/3/2018. Available at: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/pe00x2q6v5vp/ (Accessed: 09/3/2018)
• Presentation: Squaring the circle: Developing accuracy and fluency through recorded speaking tasks. University of Leeds Language Learning and Teaching Conference: Developing Speaking Skills. Leeds, 16/9/2017
• Presentation: Deutsche Grammatik am Handy. IDT 2017, Freiburg (CH), 2/8/2017
• Session chair: Innovative Language Teaching and Learning conference 2016, University of York, 17/6/2016
• Presentation: Smart phones for German grammar learning and teaching. Using Fim and Media in the Language Classroom: Research-Led Teaching. Manchester Metropolitan University, 25/7/2015
• Presentation (with Cinzia Bacilieri, Maria Muradas-Taylor, Nadine Saupe): Diversity and mixed ability at modular and programme level. Supporting Ab Initio language students' transitions. University of York Learning and Teaching Conference 2015, 10/6/2015
• Presentation (with Cinzia Bacilieri & Dan Li): From teaching practice to SLA. Questions arising from grammar teaching and learning within a communicative framework. NISSLL workshop, University of York, 26/4/2014
• Presentation: Autonomous Blended Learning. Ein autonomes Sprachlernportfolio im Spannungsfeld von Individualisierung und Standardisierung. IDT 2013 Bozen, July 2013
• Workshop (co-organisation): HEA workshop "Digital media in the modern language classroom", Aston University, Jan 2013
• Presentation: Back to the future. Autonomous Language Learning Reloaded. Language Futures, Language in Higher Education Conference, Edinburgh, July 2012

Business engagement

• PTI Education Ltd: Lecture on “Plurilingualism in education: unlocking language learners’ potential for communication”. MFL Enrichment Residential. 13-15 July 2024, University of York.
• National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy (NCELP): Audio recordings (2019-2023)
• Department for Education (DfE): Quality assurance services for review of subject content of GCSE Modern Foreign Languages. (2019)
• Ofqal: CEFR consultant for study on GCSE MFL Standards (2018)

Publications

Selected publications

• Jochum-Critchley, T. (In print). Öffentliche Filmvorführungen auf Deutsch: "authentische Projektarbeit“ an einer britischen Universität. In: Baumbach, Stefan; Siebold, Kathrin; Thaller, Florian & Voerkel, Paul (Hg.): Projektarbeit in Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache: Theoretische Verortung und innovative Ansätze in empirischer Forschung und unterrichtlicher Praxis. Göttingen, Universitätsverlag Göttingen.
• Jochum-Critchley, T. (2024). Squaring the Circle: Developing Accuracy and Fluency in Speaking. In B. Hermoso-Gomez, S. Martinho and C. La Sala (Eds.), New Trends in the Learning and Teaching of Second Language Speaking Skills in Higher Education (pp. 113-132). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• Jochum-Critchley, T. (2022). Language education as public engagement: designing authentic projects on German-speaking film.  In C. Hampton & S. Salin (Eds), Innovative language teaching and learning at university: facilitating transition from and to higher education (pp. 45-55). Research-publishing.net. 2022, https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2022.56.1372.
• Jochum-Critchley, T. (2022). Developing learner autonomy in German ab initio programmes. In U. Bavendiek, S. Mentchen, C. Mossmann, & D. Paulus (Eds.), Ab Initio Language Teaching in British Higher Education. The Case of German. UCL Press. 2022, 183-192.
• Jochum-Critchley, T. (2011). With Piroska Lorinczi, Hamish Gillespie: LTC8 2011 review in: Student Education Bulletin. Issue 1 (http://www.lts.leeds.ac.uk/Student_Education_Bulletin/SEB_index.php?PAGE=137&SUBPAGE=138.
• Jochum-Critchley, T. (2009). Österreichische Filmgeschichte als interkulturelles Experiment. In: Magali Laure Nieradka, Denise Sprecht (eds.): Fremdkörper? Aspekte der Geisteswissenschaften in der Auslandsgermanistik und im DaF-Unterricht. Berlin, Münster: LIT,153-171.
• Jochum-Critchley, T. (2004). Von der Produktivität der Fremderfahrung. Betrachtungen über das Lehren und Lernen an französischen Universitäten. In: Theorie und Praxis. Österreichische Beiträge zu Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Nr.8, 185-196.