Dear HLT Readers,

Welcome to the August issue of HLT which is hosted by Westminster International University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and the participants of the conference who have contributed articles to this issue.

First check out some Pilgrims news in A Manifesto for Humanistic Teaching: Choose Growth by  Chaz Pugliese, Director of Education and Teacher Training, Pilgrims, and Interviews with Pilgrims Trainers: Hania Kryszewska, Editor of Humanising Language Teaching Magazine,  and Chaz Pugliese, Director of Education and Teacher Training, Pilgrims – IATEFL 2022.

Please note the contributions from the C Group: Memories of Mr H. by Jamie Keddie, Learning from Teaching: A Life in ELT by Freda Mishan, (Writing a Novel Harnessing the Power of) Naivety by Chris Walklett, Review of The New Normal ed. by Alan Maley reviewed by Jayashree Mohanraj,  and In Favour of Content-enhanced Language Teaching by Aleksandra Zaparucha.

In the Publications section there are two titles that stand out: Lila and the Dragon Helps Students Discuss Complex Issues by Brandon W. Wallace and  Calmsie, and The Wolf was Not Sleeping (Police Care UK edition): Supporting the Children of First Responders with a Heart-warming Bedtime Story by Avril McDonald. Both of them deal with difficult issues children have to cope with and how stories help them to deal with them; they show the healing powers of stories.

Now I would like to hand over to Saida Radjabzade who has coordinated the work of the team, and has done a great job as the host editor. Saida, working with you has been a great pleasure and a big thank you. So now over to Saida who will introduce the August issue of HLT from Uzbekistan.

Enjoy

Hania Kryszewska
HLT Editor
Email: hania.kryszewska@pilgrimsteachertraining.eu

 

Dear HLT Readers,

I am delighted to introduce you to the articles in this issue, which come from the 3rd International Conference on Education and Linguistics (ICEL), which was held on May 12, 2022, at Westminster International University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The event focused on "Enhancing the Effectiveness and Quality of Teaching and Research". Dr Daniel Melzer and Dr Mandana Arfa-Kaboodvand were invited to be keynote speakers. Their speeches informed us about the new ways of effectively responding to students’ writing and the value of research in becoming autonomous teachers. This International conference brought together 200 local and international teachers and academics, curriculum and materials developers, testing and assessment organisations, government officials and international organisations to enhance current knowledge and practice in language education.

The conference participants mentioned that raising the effectiveness and quality of teaching and research has always been relevant in any educational system. It was highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has recently demonstrated the system's downsides and pointed to the lack of research on teacher effectiveness. Thus, the current language teaching system and research practice must be modernised and adapted to the rapid change, given specific stress on both online and offline modes of education.

 

The outcome of the conference brings eighteen papers with a different focus into this issue of HLT. For example, the article How to Teach Active Vocabulary with Four Effective Steps by Nodira Dadabaeva and Albina Tadjibaeva highlights four simple and effective steps in learning new words and enriching English vocabulary in a short period.

The section EAP includes articles on the essential features of abstract writing titled Abstract Writing: Challenges and Suggestions For Non-English Researchers by Irina Tverdokhlebova and Liliya Makovskaya; and fundamentals of academic writing in the article Academic Writing by Mahmoud Sultan Nafa.

The next speaking section focuses on improving students' speaking skills using a mind mapping strategy in distance learning titled Enhancing Speaking Skills Integrating Mind-Mapping During Blended Learning by Lazizakhon Abdullaeva. Another article, Principles of Teaching Karakalpak Students English Speech Etiquette, by Zernegul Uteshova and Zoya Sarsenbaeva recommends following a lingua-cultural approach to establishing Speech Etiquette in English lessons.

The autonomy and creativity unit includes various articles on making the lessons more effective. The paper, The Role of Learner Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning by Marhabo Avazmatova suggests six strategies to create an autonomous learning environment which can motivate students to actively participate in class activities. Kholida Begmatova stresses the importance of instructional rubrics in students' engagement and the benefits of practical assessment tasks in her article The Role of Rubrics in Self-and Peer Assessment at the University.

The 21st-century skills section reminds us of the challenges and gains during the pandemic in ESL classes. Gunjan Jain, Iroda Saydazimova and Maftunakhon Artikova share their research findings in The Strategies Used by EAP and ESP Teachers in HEIs to Motivate Learners During Online Lessons. In Asynchronous Distance Learning During Pandemic Due to Covid-19: Experience of Bucheon University in Tashkent, Inna Khan compares two types of online learning based on teachers' and students' experiences and recommends one over the other. In the article, Enhancing Gen Z Student Collaboration Using Web 2.0 Tools in Offline, Hybrid and Fully Online Classes, Nigina Rustamova introduces the most effective technologies to make the learning process more fun, visual and collaborative. Mukhammadkhon Soliev and Parviz Subkhankulov review the literature by emphasising the immense value of technology in teaching and learning processes in the education system, including language classes in Investing in Technology in Language Education and Beyond.

The lesson ideas unit highlights creative thinking and activity modification techniques in EAP and ESL lessons. In the article, Stimulating Students' Creative Thinking During a Primary Research Task in the Academic English Module, Aisulu Kinjemuratova and Dildora Tashpulatova write about several activities to improve students' creative thinking in student-centred classes. Gulbakhor Mamadiyeva, Dilrabo Babakulova and Malika Kasimova share their experiences and strategies in adapting activities based on their students' needs and skills in Effective Activity Modification Techniques For EFL/ESL Teachers.

The Golden Classics section includes articles about social and emotional intelligence and individual differences in ESL and EFL contexts. Armen Kassabian describes three methodological approaches educators can adopt to improve their students' social and emotional intelligence skills in The Role And Importance Of Social And Emotional Intelligence In The Classroom. Kamila Ikramova writes about the methods that can help in dealing with students' personal differences in Methods and Approaches in Teaching Foreign Language Learners Considering Their Individual Differences.

In the article Is Strictness More Important Than Freedom During Teaching Language? Zulfiya Atabekova encourages educators to inspire their students to become lifelong learners.

You will also enjoy reading about the value of teacher-created humour and students' hands-on experience in creating fun assessment tasks in the humour section. Teacher Initiated Humour as a Means of Stress Relieving for Teachers During the Classes by Aziz Kholmatov describes research findings and provides recommendations about the usage of humour in the lessons. Alim Asanov, in his Designing an Effective Assessment Strategy for "What's so Funny?" Module shares his ideas to build practical assessment tasks following students' opinions to make the learning process fun and productive.

Last but not least, I would like to thank Hania Kryszewska for her endless support and guidance in putting these articles together. It has been a great pleasure working with you. I am sure the HLT will have more contributions from the teachers of Uzbekistan in the following issues as well.

I believe this issue offers much food for thought which will be beneficial in your teaching in the new academic year.

All the best,
Saida Radjabzade, on behalf of the ICEL conference team
Westminster International University in Tashkent
Email: sradjabzade@wiut.uz

Saida Radjabzade is a lecturer of Academic English module at Westminster International University in Tashkent. She has been involved in several international projects to investigate the role of English in HEIs in Central Asian and South Caucasian countries. Her research interests lie in EME, ESP, EAP, Language Policy and Planning, Language Acquisition and Language Assessment.