A Short History of ELT: This talk provides an informative overview of ELT history which counteracts some common myths and raises issues for critical reflection.
The Secret History of Methods: It is regularly asked “What’s the latest method?” suggesting that the concept of method persists, despite recent attempts to bury it. Drawing on a collection of old textbooks and training manuals, Scott Thornbury review the history of language teaching methods, both to critique it, and to draw some lessons from past practices. He will also show how methods can be described in terms of certain key parameters, and address the question as to whether “Dogme ELT” (a new kid on the block) is in fact a method.
An A – Z of ELT: An incredible online research for professional development, with materials written and maintained by Scott Thornbury.
40 Things to Do with a text: An excellent article written by Dominic Braham and Anthony Gaughan and originally appeared in English Teaching Matters, the English Language Teachers’ Associations journal.
EAP: How is it different from other forms of ELT?: Trained and experienced ELT teachers sometimes report feeling deskilled when they first teach EAP. They may be unaware that the criteria they normally apply to identify needs or evaluate lessons are not necessarily the same in EAP. In this workshop Olwyn Alexander and Sue Argent show how EAP is different from ELT by comparing how the two approaches would deal with the same topic using different texts and tasks, thus contrasting the ways in which the two approaches specify needs, formulate aims and judge the effectiveness of a lesson.
Learning from learners – practical approaches to EAP writing development: This video workshop presents a genre/corpus informed EAP writing programme for MA students. Following a brief overview of the theoretical and practical bases of the writing development programme Chris Tribble and Ursula Wingate share examples of the teaching materials they are using and give participants an opportunity to experience how the programme is delivered to students. The workshop finishes with a discussion of practical issues related to the design and implementation of this kind of writing development programme.
