Annie McDonald | University of Chester

Annie McDonald is the English Language Test Design and Development leader in the EAP Testing and Assessment Team and lecturers on selected MATESOL module sessions for the Centre for Student Exchange & Language Development in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at the University of Chester. She has a range of responsibilities, including test design and the delivery of valid and reliable assessments created to measure competences at internationally recognised levels for the CELT (China English Language Test) and PSE (Pre-sessional English) end-of course assessments.

She also works with other members of the EAP assessment team to assess, collate and deliver results to stakeholders. Formerly, her work in test design and development included the development of UoCELT (the University of Chester English Language Test). Additionally, she designs teaching materials for post-graduate ISE (In-session English) for a range of subject areas.

Annie McDonald has been teaching at the University of Chester since 2016. She has taught English for Academic Purposes on undergraduate and postgraduate courses and currently teaches on selected sessions for MATESOL modules ML7208 (Advanced Methodology for TESOL) and ML7203 (Introduction to teaching ESP/EAP). She has provided ISE (In-sessional English) specialist guidance for levels 4, 6 and PG Business modules. She has also taught on International Exchange Programmes and given short bespoke preparatory courses for prospective University of Chester students applying at PhD level.

Annie McDonald is interested in analysing test data, using Item-Level Analysis to inform test reliability for item banking and test development. She is also interested in the application of underlying theories of foreign / second language acquisition to create English for Academic Purposes teaching materials for students with different subject specific and language learning needs. Her work in the teaching and testing of the listening skill is underpinned by linguistic and phonological analysis of authentic input material which allows her to work at the interface of ‘realia’, materials and task design. She has published articles in the field of motivation and teaching listening. She is also published in the field of course teaching materials for general English language learning, and more specifically, to develop learner listening skills using authentic L2 texts.

Books

Hancock, J.M., McDonald, A. (2015). Authentic Listening Resource Pack. Delta Publishing.

Hancock, J.M., McDonald, A. (2015). Out and About: Student’s Book 1. Cambridge University Press.

McDonald, A. (2015). Out & About: Teacher’s Book 1. Cambridge University Press.

Hancock, J.M., McDonald, A. (2015). Out & About: Student’s Book 2. Cambridge University Press.

McDonald, A. (2015). Out & About: Student’s Book 2. Cambridge University Press.

McDonald, A. (2015). Prepare! Level 5 Teacher’s Book. Cambridge University Press.

Hancock, J.M., McDonald, A. (2007 – 2010). English Result Student’s Books (4 levels: Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate). Oxford University Press.

McDonald, A. (2007 – 2010). English Result Teacher’s Books (4 levels: Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate). Oxford University Press.

Articles

McDonald, A. (2020). Decoding: The Nitty Gritty of Listening. Modern English Teacher 29/4.

McDonald, A. (2019). Listening: Problems from Learners Perspectives. Humanizing Language Teaching.

McDonald, A. (2013). Motivational Teaching: Value and Success-Expectation. Braz-TESOL.

McDonald, A. (2010). Keeping the vision alive: Maintaining motivation and promoting effective learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioural Sciences 3, 190–193.

McDonald, A. (2011-2). The European Language Portfolio: A Frame for Learning 1–3. ETp, 35, 36, 37.

Website

Co-founder of and contributor to Hancock McDonald ELT.

1996 MSc Teaching English, Aston University, UK
1991 Postgraduate diploma: RSA Dip TEFLA (Royal Society of Arts, Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
1978 B.Ed. (Hons) University of Liverpool