Page 7 - ELG2503 March Issue 493

OBITUARY .

Brita Haycraft

(May 1931-December 2024)

Friends reflect on the life of Brita Haycraft, who was known for her
important work in pronunciation and teacher training.

Brita winning the Lifetime Achievement award at the British Council ELTons (with Liz Soars).

rita Haycraft, who with She met John Haycraft while city turned into a lifetime of There are now 2,800 approved
her husband John, can attending a summer literature innovation and creativity, and CELTA course centres in 130
claim to be among course at Oxford University, where they soon realised that the countries.
Bthe most important John was in his final undergraduate teaching of English needed to Brita will also be remembered
innovators in the field of English year. They married in 1953 and change radically, and that they for her belief in the importance
language teaching and training, spent their honeymoon in the had some excellent ideas to of pronunciation practice,
died on 27 December 2024 at the south of Spain in Córdoba, a place influence that change. specifically for the inclusion of
age of 93. they enjoyed so much they decided They re-located to London individual sounds and connected
She was born in Stockholm, to stay on and offer English classes in 1959 and opened the first speech practice in every lesson,
Sweden in May 1931, and in a room at a pensión, eventually International House school and even every activity. Although
studied languages at Uppsala finding larger premises and in Covent Garden. Three pronunciation might not be
University, where she earned opening a school they called Casa years later, after moving to ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ in the
a first-class honours degree in Internacional. large, labyrinthine premises precise way that grammar and
French and English, in which she What began as an excuse to on Shaftesbury Avenue, they vocabulary could be, it was
was fluent. spend more time in a beautiful started the two-week intensive nevertheless of equal importance.
teacher training course that Her approach was based
would revolutionise ELT on self-expression and the
teacher training. The course enjoyment of making sounds,
was designed to share their energising syllables and
insights into lively, engaging experimenting with intonation.
and principled teaching, and When she first started making
also provide teachers for their waves about the importance of
expanding empire of schools. pronunciation work, she was
The course had significant concerned that ELT publishers
novel features, including putting ignored these crucial aspects of
theory directly to work in daily the language, particularly stress
teaching practice and having and intonation. It’s very much
that practice observed, followed because of Brita’s persistence that
by constructive feedback and modern ELT course materials
discussion with the trainer and include aspects of pronunciation
other trainees. The enhanced as core content, and she was
version of the course would the author of several influential
eventually become the basis of books on the topic.
the Cambridge CELTA course, Over the years, Brita’s direct
New Statesman: ad for the first of the groundbreaking teacher the Certificate in English involvement in teaching and
training courses. Language Teaching to Adults. teacher training reduced, but her
editorial@elgazette.com 7