Dr Agni Connor

Biography

A warm welcome to my University staff page. I am the MSc in TESOL Programme Director, and I very much enjoy co-ordinating and teaching on the programme. Apart from teaching on the programme, I also enjoy engaging in lifelong learning. In terms of academic learning, I have degrees and qualifications in English Language Teaching (TESOL), English Applied Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, Statistics, Higher Education, Mindfulness, as well as Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health. I have studied at King's College London, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Aberdeen and other universities.

Let's talk about MSc in TESOL

MSc in TESOL programme website

Three things you didn't know about me

I have been training ESOL teachers since 2000 and have worked at a number of universities in Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe. I am interested in innovative and interactive ways of teaching and have been experimenting with the flipped classroom model. In 2016, I was nominated for the AUSA Teaching Excellence Award in the category Most Inspiring Teacher. In 2022, I was nominated for the Principal's Award for Excellence in Leadership.

I am also the School's Mental Health Officer. I care about staff and student well-being, and I am a keen supporter of anti-bullying and anti-harassment initiatives at the university and in wider contexts. I strongly believe in the power of kindness, care and respect.

My personal blog (read if you dare!)

My musings on kindness

Life motto: Breathe in deeply and let your life unfold.

"The Morning Sun" by Agni Connor - this is 7-minute recording of a short story. This story is a metaphor that represents challenges we experience in life how these challenges affect us. It see it as a story of hope and personal growth.

Research Overview

well-being in ESOL education; mindfulness training in second langauge learning; mindfulness training in langauge teacher education; positive psychology and second language learning (TESOL) and second language teaching; individual differences in second language learning (in particular memory, but also motivation and learning strategies); aptitude in second language learning; the learning of second language collocations