Prof. Dr. Torben Schmidt

Professor of English Didactics

Institute of English Studies
Faculty of Education

Prof. Dr. Torben Schmidt is Professor of English Didactics at the Institute of English Studies at Leuphana University Lüneburg. His fields of interest are foreign language learning and the digital media, self-directed learning and project work in the EFL classroom, teaching EFL in elementary schools, drama in education, and the teaching of listening and speaking. 

Vita

Education, Employment, and Positions

• winter term 2016/2017: visiting scholar at the University College of Teacher Education in Vienna
• since Jan 2012: Prof. of English Didactics at Leuphana University Lüneburg
• Apr 2011 - Jan 2012: Prof. (Jun.-Prof.) of English Didactics at Leuphana University Lüneburg
• summer term 2010: visiting scholar at the Saint Mary's University in Halifax (Canada)
• Dec 2008 – Mar 2011: associate, Giessen International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC)
• Jan 2007 – Apr 2008: research assistant, M.A. "E-LINGO – Teaching languages to young learners", Justus Liebig University Gießen, Germany
• Jun 2004 – Apr 2007: doctoral research project, topic of dissertation: "Gemeinsames   Lernen   mit   Selbstlernsoftware   –   Eine   empirische Analyse lernprogrammgestützter Partnerarbeitsphasen im Unterricht der Klasse  7"  (Cooperative  learning  with  language   learning  software), (advisor: Prof. Dr. Michael K. Legutke, Justus Liebig University Gießen, Germany), (graduation with highest honour)
• Jan 2003 – Jun 2006: research assistant, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
• Oct  2002  –  Jun  2004:  postgraduate  studies,  English  Literature  and Linguistics,   Goethe  University,  Frankfurt,  Germany  (graduation  with distinction)
• Oct 1998 – Jun 2002: teacher training studies, English Language and Literature,  Mathematics, Psychology, Educational Sciences, first state examination,  teaching  degree  for  secondary  schools,  Justus  Liebig University, Giessen, Germany (graduation with distinction)

Fellowships and Awards 

• 2016: Forschungspreis Best Fundraiser der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
• 2015: Deutschland Land der Ideen - Ausgezeichneter Ort 2015 für das Projekt "Going Green"
• 2013: Piepho-Preis für Ideen im kommunikativen Fremdsprachenunterricht – Sonderpreis der Jury für das US Election 2012 School Project, gemeinsam mit Joannis Kaliampos und dem gesamten Projektteam
• 2012: Prize for innovative teaching by the Leuphana University
• Oct 2008 – Mar 2011: Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Association of InterdisciplinaryResearch in the Field of Cultural Techniques and their Medialisation, funded by the Ministry of Science and Art, Federal State of Hesse, Germany
• Oct 2007 – Dec 2007: Junior Research Fellow at the InternationalGraduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, Member of the Graduate Centre
• Oct 2007: Hans Eberhard Piepho Price 2007 for the dissertation thesis
• Jul 2004 – Jun 2006: Doctoral Fellowship, Centre of Teacher Educationand Educational Research (ZLF), Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
• Oct 2004: Runner Up, Competition Best School Lesson 2004 in Germany, Award established by 'Teachers Online' and the German Ministry of Science and Education
• Mar 2003: Runner Up, Competition "Die Klasse Lösung" (Designing a concept for the integration of computers in the foreign language classroom), Educational Fare, Nurenberg

Current professional and academic association memberships 

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Amerikastudien (DGFA)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fremdsprachenforschung / German Society for Foreign Language Research
• Englisch und Mehrsprachigkeit, English and Multilingualism (German Association)
• International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)

Committees

• Member of the Advisory Board of "The English Academy" (since 2008)
• Member of the Editorial Board of the journal "Praxis Englisch" (2010-1015)
• Member of the Editorial Board of "American Studies Journal" (since 2013)
• Member of the Senate Commission "Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs der Leuphana Universität" (2011-2016)
• Member of the Research Commission of the Faculty of Education (2012-2016)
• Member of the Academic Commission of the Faculty of Education (since 2016)
• Co-founder and member of  the management team of Zukunftzentrum Lehrerbildung (since 2013)