The University of Sheffield
Russian and Slavonic Studies

Luděk Knittl

Ludek Knittl

BSc, MA (Sheffield)

University Tutor in Czech; Research Associate

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 7409

email : l.knittl@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography

I come from Moravia, the eastern part of the Czech Republic. Before I started teaching Czech at the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies in 2004, I had worked for a number of years as a translator, interpreter, tour guide, and facilitator/lecturer in the area of personal development. While at Sheffield, I have completed a Bachelor's degree in Human Communication Sciences and a Master's degree in Language Acquisition, and I am currently studying for a professional Master's degree in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.  

Apart from teaching at the university, I have also worked as a free-lance community interpreter in Czech and Slovak.

Research interests

I am interested in various aspects of second language acquisition. Previously, I have done projects on early acquisition of Czech phonology by English speakers, and on how biological motion events are encoded by advanced learners of Czech.

I have also collaborated with Professor Neil Bermel on a project exploring the acceptability of certain morphological features in Czech native speakers, and I am currently working as a Research Associate on a further similar project funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

My teaching-related research interests are centred around the use of technologies in language learning and teaching in Higher Education.

Teaching

My teaching at the Department includes oral practice and language classes, and modules in Czech history and culture at all levels.

In collaboration with colleagues at the department, I have been developing innovative teaching materials for all levels of our curriculum. These include Level 2 "Studies in Czech Culture", Level 1 "History of East Central Europe", both funded through CILASS (Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences) grants. I have recently completed an advanced course "Varieties of Czech", funded by CEELBAS (Centre for East European Language Based Area Studies) and a package of interactive online exercises for beginner learners of Czech.

For the innovative use of technology in teaching, and in relation to running a translation project called "Translating Czech Castles" in 2012-2013, I have received a student-nominated Academic Award for Innovative Teaching.

Seminar and conference presentations

Publications