Areas of interest
My main areas of interest are course creation, materials development, and assessment. This includes professional development and the mediation of theory and practice through approaches such as reflective thinking. In 2018 on a project visit to China I presented in a number of locations to school leaders teacher trainers and teachers on attribution theory and mindset.
My doctorate research focuses on the trajectories, identity, and values of educational leaders from multiple cultural backgrounds, leadership processes and practices.
My work on Intercultural Communicative Competence focuses on developing employability skills through intercultural communication and building perspectives on organisational culture. I am an academic member of the British Council EMADA research team investigating critical thinking skills development through the teaching of English in Hubei, China.
Teaching
CSC Courses, Foundation in Academic Skills (both Home and International), Academic Skills, Pre sessional courses, Global graduate courses: Erasmus and Intercultural Communicative Competence
Research projects
Ongoing ethnographic project with CSC course participants. I am one of the main academic leads in the British Council EMADA research team investigating critical thinking skills development through the teaching of English in Hubei, China. I am currently in the fourth year of the University of Reading Doctorate in Education researching educational leadership.
Background
Prior to joining the university, I gained a breadth of EFL experience (over 16 years) in teaching, management, and teacher training for international students and staff in a milieu of locations. From teaching and co leading a small private English language school in Greece, which required the Greek leaving school certificate, to TESOL teacher training and course directing (TESOL, PTLLS and DTLLS) including EFL co-ordinating in FE. I completed a master’s in Applied Linguistics (Kings college, University of London in 2001) before first joining what is now ISLI on a summer TEEP teaching team in 2003. I became a full-time member of staff at the National Centre for Language and Literacy (UoR) in 2004. I am a UoR Doctorate in Education (Ed D) student in my fourth year. Although when I first joined the university in 2003 to teach on the TEEP I returned to pre sessional courses in 2020. I have taught and been Module Convenor on both the year-round and summer pre-sessional programmes and recently contributed to Pre-sessional and AEP materials development.
Academic qualifications
MA Applied Linguistics and ELT (Kings College, The University of London)
B.Ed. (Queens University Belfast)
Dip TESOL (The University of London)
Apolytirio (Greek school-leaving certificate)
Professional bodies/affiliations
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK, 2018
The Global Forum for EAP Professional (Baleap)
Selected publications
Zhang, X., McIlroy, S., & Li, D. (2020). Co-constructing intercultural development on a professional development programme for teachers from China. In M. Foster & D. Killick (Eds.), Learner Relationships in Global Higher Education: A Critical Pedagogy for a Multicultural World: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Learner-Relationships-in-Global-Higher-Education-A-Critical-Pedagogy-for/Killick-Foster/p/book/9780367271145
InForm Conference, Reading University: July 2022
The Cambridge EAP Conference: October 2021
The online BALEAP conference: April 2021 (Hosted by the University of Glasgow)
The Further and Higher Educational Strategy Forum: July 2021.
Recent conference presentations:
'Reflections on the use of Materials in co-constructing Academic Identity’. [Paper presentation]. 2023 UNNC EAP ESP Conference, University of Nottingham Ningbo China (jointly delivered with Devane, D.) May 2023.
'Co-constructed Identity: Reflections on how EAP Learning Materials can enhance the transition and development of the EAP Student and the EAP Practitioner’ (jointly delivered with Devane, D.) BALEAP Professional Issues Meeting, University of Sheffield, Nov 2022.
‘Collaborative Projects in Intercultural Communicative Competence’ (jointly delivered with Daguo Li, and Carrie Zhang) at Learning Teaching and Research Forum (LTRF), ISLI, Nov 2022
‘Intercultural Communicative Competence (both home and mixed nationalities)’ IntRef: Intercultural Reflection on Teaching Conference, online lead by Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, June 2022.
‘Developing Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) in an international professional development context through action research’ (jointly delivered with Daguo Li and Carrie Zhang) at Learning Teaching and Research Forum (LTRF), ISLI, 2017
‘Motivation and Mindset’ T&L Showcases (reading.ac.uk) 2017
