Recent past and possible future trends in applied linguistics

Lei & Liu’s recent article: “Research trends in applied linguistics from 2005 to 2016: A bibliometric analysis and its implications” (2018) is possibly one of the most revealing accounts of recent changes in the popularity of research topics, authors and publications in applied linguistics since the turn of the (albeit rather short) current century. Based…… Continue reading Recent past and possible future trends in applied linguistics

Drill tables

When we introduce new grammar, many of us like to use spoken drills to provide learners with controlled practice of the new language. For the last few years I’ve been using what I call ‘drill tables’ to do this. I’m not sure if other teachers do something similar, but I’ve found them a simple, engaging…… Continue reading Drill tables

Sentence pelmanism

Do you have difficulty getting your students to speak English in class? Perhaps they lack confidence, perhaps they don’t know much English, or if you teach large classes, perhaps it’s difficult to keep them using English when they get excited… If any of these are true for you, here’s a fun game  that your students can…… Continue reading Sentence pelmanism

ELT Journal Article: Affordance, learning opportunities and the lesson plan pro forma

My recent article for ELT Journal is available free online, here, as it was selected as Editor’s Choice article for July 2015. Oxford University Press also asked me to record a short introductory video, now posted on YouTube, where I can be seen doing my Tommy Cooper impression (not discussed in the article): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReNGZQ90YAo&list=FL_Ny_v5SlZ2aoD0Lljy0lng&index=1 If you…… Continue reading ELT Journal Article: Affordance, learning opportunities and the lesson plan pro forma