Page 14 - ELG2505 May Issue 494

NEWS

espearian reinventions: from “Glisters” to “Glow-ups”
The digital age may have accelerated linguistic creativity—bringing exp

Ri Willoughby, teacher portal manager, IH London. Photo by Charlotte Dyason.
Ri Willoughby, teacher portal manager at well-known language Industry perspectives
school IH London, was struck by how many people were talking about EL Gazette also caught up with some of the exhibitors to find out
working with emergent language in a range of different teaching more about standout trends and key takeaways for the EFL teaching
contexts. “It’s clear to me that as teachers we’re trying hard to move community and the companies that supply it. Painting a very accurate
away from coursebook-prescribed syllabuses towards a more responsive picture, Virginia Dooley, chief marketing officer for ELT materials
and emergent style and we’re experimenting with how this works best and digital resources producer, Express Publishing said: “Walking into
for us and our students. Books, tools, frameworks and practical tips that IATEFL 2025 felt like stepping into the future of ELT. There was real
help us to anticipate language or to integrate EL into our institutional energy in the air—educators from across the world buzzing about AI,
curricula were enthusiastically embraced and rightly so. We’re looking sharing tools they’ve used, and asking big questions: ‘Will this change
for freedom of choice, as are our learners, and this renewed sense of ‘can everything? Where do teachers still matter in all this?’”
do and here’s how’ is inspiring.” One session that really resonated with Dooley and the team was
In terms of “key take-aways,” Willoughby observed, “We’re over the Prof. Daniel Xerri’s plenary entitled ‘Teachers and Classroom Research:
covid slump of just surviving and back into the ‘How do we thrive?’ Ownership, Relevance, and Conceptualisations.’ At one point, he posed
‘How can we make this work?’ style of things. There’s a really good the question: ‘Why does research ‘mine’ classrooms for data rather than
balance between technology and innovation and the humane aspects act as a reciprocal process that benefits teachers and students?’ “It was
of teaching and learning right now and there’s a bit of a resurgence validating,” said Dooley, “like someone had finally voiced what so many
in looking at aspects of language – phonology, grammar, lexis – which teachers have been thinking. It reminded us why we say our mission
hasn’t been present for a while.” is ‘bridging the gap between research and everyday teaching’ and how

14 May 2025