Dr Karen M. Ludke studied English and French at the University of Michigan before moving to Scotland to investigate the effects of using songs and singing to support foreign language learning at the University of Edinburgh.
She worked with an international team on the three-year European Music Portfolio – A Creative Way into Languages project, developing pedagogical materials for teachers to use in the primary classroom to teach music and language through an integrated approach.
Karen currently works as a Senior Lecturer in English Language at Edge Hill University, where her research interests include language development, educational psychology and early years education and care. She has been an important part of the Child’s Curriculum group as a conference organiser and researcher, including on the Sustaining the Ambition project, with a particular interest in early language development through the arts.