Languages and cultures in the regions: A tribute to Ruth Nicholls (1947-2024)

Susan  Feez; Elizabeth Ellis; Isabel Tasker; Zuocheng Zhang; Helen Harper

doi:10.21153/tesol2025vol34no2art2236

Authors

Dr Susan Feez University of New England, Armidale, NSW https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0977-2640
Dr Elizabeth Ellis University of New England, Armidale, NSW
Dr Isabel Tasker University of New England. Armidale, NSW
Dr Zuocheng Zhang University of New England, Armidale, NSW
Dr Helen Harper University of New England, Armidale, NSW

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2025vol34no2art2236

Keywords:

TESOL, languages and cultures education, applied linguistics, regional educational heritage

Abstract

Multilingual and multicultural Australia is typically represented in urban settings. This representation is challenged by half a century of languages and multicultural teaching and research originating in Armidale in the New England region of NSW. From the 1970s to the present, educational institutions in Armidale have been leaders in the multicultural, TESOL and languages education fields, a tradition recorded in a manuscript prepared by Ruth Nicholls (1947-2024), a lecturer in TESOL and Languages at the Armidale College of Advanced Education (ACAE) and at the University of New England (UNE) from the early 1970s until her retirement in 2013. This manuscript, which accompanies a carefully documented archive, records innovation in applied linguistics, TESOL, languages and cultures education over decades, as well as productive collaboration between Armidale-based specialists working in these fields. This paper draws on Ruth’s manuscript (Nicholls, ca. 2014) to trace TESOL, languages and cultures education and research in the New England region, extending the account up to the present and into regions beyond the New England.

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Author Biographies

Dr Susan Feez, University of New England, Armidale, NSW

Dr Susan Feez is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of New England (UNE). She has worked as a classroom teacher of English language, literacy, EAL/D and Montessori education, and more recently as a teacher educator and researcher specialising in these fields.
Dr Elizabeth Ellis, University of New England, Armidale, NSW

Dr Elizabeth Ellis is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of New England (UNE). She has extensive experience in teaching applied linguistics and English as a Second and Foreign Language, and in educating language teachers. Dr Ellis' research interests are in bilingualism, especially bilingual teacher cognition and bilingual family language practices, and in sociolinguistic perspectives on monolingualism.
Dr Isabel Tasker, University of New England. Armidale, NSW

Dr Isabel Tasker is Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of New England (UNE). She has extensive experience teaching
Mandarin Chinese in many contexts and has been involved in a wide range of curriculum development, assessment, evaluation and teacher-training initiatives at local and national level in Australia and UK. Her research is in Chinese pedagogy and long-term language learning.
Dr Zuocheng Zhang, University of New England, Armidale, NSW

Dr Zuocheng Zhang is Associate Professor in English, Literacies and Languages Education in the School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education at the University of New England. His teaching areas include TESOL education, disciplinary literacies and teaching for cultural diversity. His current research focuses on interdisciplinarity in Business English Studies, construction of prestige on top-ranking universities’ websites, and international students’ agency in transitioning from university to the workplace.
Dr Helen Harper, University of New England, Armidale, NSW

Dr Helen Harper is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of New England. Helen's working life has included roles as a language teacher, and as a researcher in linguistics and literacy education. Helen's current research centres on the design of pedagogic approaches that benefit marginalised students, including those with high levels of socio- economic disadvantage, First Nations students and English language learners from refugee backgrounds.