Theresa Summer

Prof. Dr. Theresa Summer is a leading academic at the Department of English Didactics, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. Appointed as a Jr.-Professur in 2021 and promoted to full Professor in 2025, she specializes in technology-integrated language pedagogy, sustainable education, and critical approaches to taboo topics. Her work bridges theory and practice through interdisciplinary seminars and global collaborations.

• Key Research Themes: Global Citizenship Education, Virtual Reality/AI in ELT, Pop Culture Literacy, Mental Health Integration, Critical Environmental Literacy, Grammar Instruction.
• Leadership Roles: Speaker of ZLB (Center for Teacher Education), Co-Leader of DiSo-SGW project (digital sovereignty in teacher education), Co-Editor of Englisch 5-10 journal.

Academic Contributions include 15+ recent publications on immersive technologies, taboo topics in ELT, and eco-pedagogy. Notably, she co-edited Mental Health in English Language Education (2024) and Taboos and Controversial Issues in Foreign Language Education (2023). Her ELT Survey project compares learner perspectives across Germany, Norway, and Poland.

• Scientific Honors: Recipient of the Bildungsforschungspreis (2012), Hochschullehre certificate (2018).
• Teaching Philosophy: Focuses on multimodal texts, pop culture, and grammar instruction, emphasizing theory-practice integration.

Interdisciplinary Collaborations span digital literacy, environmental justice, and social-emotional learning. She leads symposia on taboo topics and co-organizes international conferences like WorldCALL2023 and the TEFL Lecture Series. Her SchulPrax project (with Prof. Barbara Drechsel) redefines practical teacher training in Bavaria.