Sylvia Warnecke

Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor in Language: The Open University in Scotland

Sylvia Warnecke came to Scotland from East Germany after the fall of the Wall in 1995 and has since worked promoting language learning and teaching at the Goethe Institut Glasgow as well as various universities in Scotland and England, before becoming Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor in Languages at the Open University in Scotland in 2016. She currently holds the position of Associate Head of School Students and Nations in the OU’s School of Languages and Applied Linguistics with a specific remit for external engagement in the UK Nations. Following on from her work on social presence in online language learning and teaching, her current research and Knowledge Exchange focus on the connections between bilingualism, language learning and wellbeing in people with degenerative brain disease. Sylvia has co-developed pioneering online professional development curriculum with third sector organisations for social care staff, teachers as well as members of community organisations, all with an emphasis on the importance of languages for people’s access to and inclusion in society and education.