MIGS Doctoral Researcher
Dr Ahmad Al Shahma
Applied Linguistics researcher and educator
About Me
Dr Ahmad Al Shahma is an Applied Linguistics researcher and educator whose work explores the intersections of language, pedagogy, and mobility in multilingual and intercultural contexts. With over 9 years of teaching experience across the UK, the Middle East, and higher education, he focuses on equitable language education, critical pedagogy, and the lived experiences of migrant and multilingual learners.
Research
Dr Al Shahma earned his PhD in Applied Linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, funded by the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP). His research examines ESOL learners’ communicative resources through an ecological and multimodal translanguaging lens, providing insights into linguistic agency, linguistic citizenship, and the social realities of migrant learners navigating everyday communication.
Research Interests:
- Translanguaging and multimodality
- Participatory and critical pedagogies
- Linguistic citizenship and language rights
- Language, migration, and social justice
- Intercultural communication
- Refugee resettlement, integration, and community language practices
He has presented at international conferences, including the Institute for Research into Superdiversity (University of Birmingham) and the Conference on Social Justice in Language Classrooms and Teacher Education (Dortmund University).
Teaching & Professional Experience
Dr Al Shahma has extensive experience teaching ESOL/EAL/EFL across universities, language schools, and community-based settings, working with learners from newly arrived refugees to international students and adult community learners. He has co-taught undergraduate courses such as Second Language Acquisition and Global Society at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has also co-developed online learning content for the OfS-funded course Languages in the Community.
Alongside his teaching, Dr Al Shahma has worked as a Research Support Assistant at the Manchester Institute for Global Studies (MIGS), managing communications, events, and research activities. These experiences inform his inclusive, learner-centred philosophy, emphasising care, equity, and learner empowerment.
Publications:
- Ecological understanding of ESOL learners’ communicative resources: Covert and overt multimodal translanguaging. Manuscript under consideration at The Language Learning Journal, Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
Contact Ahmad: ahmadshahma@yahoo.com
