Dear HLT Readers and Friends,

Welcome to the February issue of HLT. First of all in Pilgrims News Jim Wright’s colleagues, work friends, associates past and present, and language teachers he met on his path remember him through shorter or longer texts, poems and  photos. One of the authors called our contributions  ‘texts we would've never wanted to write’ and this is one side of what we all must have felt, but at the same time so many of us felt the need to share our grief as well as our appreciation  for Jim’s unique personality and the realisation what a loss we have all suffered. So choose a quiet moment and read Remembering Jim  Wright, Principal of Pilgrims or watch Interview for the C Group Website by Jim Wright and Chaz Pugliese.

In this issue we also remember two other important figures in ELT who are no longer with us; through a competition outlined in The Simon Greenall Award, and in an interview on the phenomenon of a pivotal ELT figure in Michael Lewis Tribute by Leo Selivan and Ken Lackman.

As usual you will find a lot of inspiring practical ideas for lessons in: Let’s Build a Tent and Learn byJoanna Czeredys, Using Movies in Teaching Creative Writing to EFL Student by Zeineb Haider, Introducing Brain Gym Into Language Classes by Maja-Barbara Kokot,  and Tips for Cambridge Exam Preparation: How to Keep the Focus on Learning and Learners by Matt Adams and Ethan Mansur.

You will also find texts on teaching vocabulary, metaphor and mediation, reading, and writing, but what stands out is the focus on speaking: Does Conversational Interaction Really Matter? by Ali Maskari, Constructing Conversations: The Viability of Student-centered Pedagogy in Confucian Heritage EFL Classrooms by Ian Roth, and Maximizing Speaking Opportunities with Mastermind Topics by Hall Houston.

There are also reflections on classroom practice, among others in: How Do We Teach 21^st Century Skills in Classrooms by Melisa Marzett, and Which Aspects in a CLIL Class Can help Students Become Plurilingual and Pluricultural  Communicators ?: An Erasmus+ Paradigm by Konstantina  Zavalari, and The Effectiveness of Using Film Extracts in Literature Classes by Raluca Sarghie.

Those of you who would like to take a broader look at language teaching and teacher education will surely enjoy: Rethinking Language Teacher Training and Professional Development by Maria Heron, Alan Maley and Rod Bolitho, ELT Today: Action, Motivation, Effectiveness by  Mariya Neykova, Empowering the Language Learner Through Language Coaching in a Workplace Environment by Gabriella Kovács, and Organic Learning And Its Place In The ESL Classroom, byMark J Stoneburgh and Anthony Page.

There is a wealth of information on new titles and publishing initiatives in: Book Review: Creating an Inclusive School Environment by Marina Marinova, Short Book Reviews by Hanna Kryszewska, Leading Multimedia and Electronic Publisher Mrs Wordsmith Launches Interactive Video Game to Improve Children’s Vocabulary, and To the Pedagogical Activists of the World.

There are some lovely poems in this issue: 2019 by Mija Selič, Life's a Poem by Carol Griffiths, Poems by Phuong Le.

Enjoy the February issue of HLT. The  2020 issue is intended as a Polish issue or at least to have a strong Polish flavor. So if you are Polish or if you think you have a Polish connection of some kind please get in touch with me and contribute .

I look forward to hearing from you

 

Best

Hania Kryszewska

Email: hania.kryszewska@pilgrims.co.uk