Have any of your learners been impacted by Long Covid? How is this affecting their language learning skills? More importantly, how can you best support them as they go through the process of recovery?
SLC are honoured to be hosting a free webinar on the subject this November, in collaboration with EALTHY, the European Association of Language Teachers for Healthcare. Speaking will be Professor Louise Cummings of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Professor Cummings works in the Department of English and Communication, and is an expert on clinical linguistics, communication disorders, and health communication.
Professor Cummings will analyse language data from a study of 92 adults with Long Covid. One third of the study are health care workers who contracted the virus at work. Difficulties with cognition and language – often known as ‘brain fog’ – have been a key factor in these individuals, severely affecting their return to the workplace.
You’ll discover more about the problems they’ve encountered, such as remembering vocabulary, speaking fluency, and their ability to give verbal information.
For Medical English teachers and institutions, an understanding of how the virus may affect your students linguistically is key. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to recognise the processing difficulties some might have. Whether it’s more time, or specific support, or even a gentle understanding, helping your learners to complete their studies effectively will benefit them, you, and your institution.
The webinar will take place on Thursday 24th November at 10 am UK time. It’s completely free, and you can sign up here. While the full impact of the virus is only starting to be understood, gaining knowledge in this area is vital for teachers working in a Medical English environment.
Professor Cummings is the author and editor of 20 books, her most recent being on Covid-19 and speech pathology. She has also written on dementia and language disorders.
