Dr Alan Suter

PGCE PCET in ESOL (Birmingham City University)

Cambridge CELTA with PTTLS (Brasshouse Language Centre, Birmingham)

PhD in German Literature (University of Birmingham)

MPhil in European Modernisms (University of Birmingham)

BA (Hons) German Studies (University of Birmingham)

I came to Birmingham as an undergraduate in 1998 and, aside from one year studying and teaching in Germany, I have remained here ever since. After completing my first degree, I continued at university with my postgraduate studies while also gaining some experience as a small group tutor and translator. Since 2010 I have taught ESOL and German to both adults and sixth formers at different colleges in the city, where I would like to think that I have learnt as much from my students as they have from me. In 2019 I returned to the University of Birmingham to teach on the summer Presessional Programme, which I continued to do annually until joining the BIA on a full-time basis in 2023. I am particularly interested in communicative approaches to learning, understanding critical thinking, and the role of digital technology in both sustaining and placing competing demands on students’ attention.

In addition to teaching on the Foundation Pathway and the Presessional Programme, I have also taught a small number of Insessional courses.