Teacher / teacher trainer: University of Westminster. Writer: National Geographic Learning. 60s music nut. Arsenal fan. Father of two!
1. What do you do?
Teach, train, write coursebooks, give teacher development sessions, blog and so on. Also getting involved with apps and YouTube lessons.
2. Why do you do it?
It beats having a real job, doesn’t it! I do it all for the only reason anyone should ever do anything – because I love it!
3. What’s the most interesting thing happening in ELT right now?
The rethinking of traditional British ELT with its emphasis on doing things at the expense of teaching – and the growth of the tech sector.
4. What do you think the developments in EdTech mean for learners of English?
A real mixed bag, but at present mostly a lot of learners wasting a lot of time on sites that promise the earth and deliver very little!
5. What do you think the developments in EdTech mean for teachers?
The lure of magic bullets. Yet another thing to take on board. Further pressures. Less time to focus on language development.
6. What does EdTech mean for publishers?
The mad dash to the future digital utopia is wreaking havoc on publishing. Mass redundancies. Disgruntled writers. Uncertain outcomes.
7. Gamification: a fad or the future?
Certainly a part of the future, and an area that will expand. Personally, I avoid claiming anything is THE future with a definite article!
8. How will mobile learning transform ELT?
Not sure it will. Teachers around the world will continue to teach well in low- / no-tech classrooms. Mobile learning aids some self-study.
9. What next for online learning?
Plenty of chancers out to get rich quick. Explosion of online snake oil. Teachers struggling to keep abreast. The odd great piece of kit.
10. How will ELT be different 5 years from now?
In most ways, of course, it won’t! The vast majority of teachers will still be teaching grammar plus words. Proliferation of tech tools.
