Karen is a passionate linguist and experienced secondary Modern Languages teacher.
Following her graduation in Interpreting and Translating (French and Spanish) she gained her PGDE and taught for many years in schools in Angus and Midlothian, teaching French and Spanish at all levels from S1-S6.
During her teaching career, Karen was involved in a number of professional learning opportunities and helped promote and develop languages in the school and at local and national level. She was an SQA exam marker and then team leader in Spanish and was PT Modern Languages for a time before becoming Angus Confucius Hub Coordinator.
In 2014 Karen took part in the Scottish Teacher’s Immersion Course in Beijing and further increased her enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture.
She completed the SCILT and Education Scotland Language Leaders Programme and gained GTCS Professional Recognition in 2018 with her research project on the challenges of developing a Confucius hub.
As a Professional Development Officer, Karen facilitates and delivers professional learning for a variety of Mandarin teachers, including pre-service and in-service teachers, both here in Scotland and in China. She works closely with hub staff to support them with all aspects of running a hub including funding, staffing and projects.
Karen leads several programmes and projects, including the popular Virtual Exchange Teacher programme and Eco Learning Partners project.
Contact:
The Ramshorn
98 Ingram Street
Merchant City
University of Strathclyde
Glasgow, G1 1EX
karen.liddle@strath.ac.uk