The unexpected advent of a global pandemic and, in the UK, as part of the government response to control the spread of the virus, the closure of schools with just 48 hours' notice, meant many English teachers were faced with entirely new pedagogical, curricular and technological demands. This article reflects on the experiences of five English…

Ernesto Macaro is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, UK. He was the founding director of the EMI Oxford Research Group (formerly the Centre for Research and Development in English Medium Instruction) in the Department of Education. His research focuses on second language learning…

It is six years since NIACE published the findings of its Committee of Inquiry on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Its report, "More than a language," made significant and wide-reaching recommendations aimed at addressing the quality of provision, unmet demand and the structure of ESOL teaching qualifications. The…

This interdisciplinary paper is about applying Adult Education methods of learning and teaching to higher education. I argue that higher education students need to be stimulated via interactive methods that improve their motivation and lead them to question the value system/s that exist around them. A Freirean approach as used in the teaching of…

Using the British "Index to Theses", we found forty-seven Ph.D.s relating to second and foreign language learning and/or teaching defended in English universities in 2006. Objective criteria led us to fourteen theses which had investigated both teaching and learning. Over half of these adopted a process-product research design with the…

In England more is spent on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for adults than is spent on literacy and numeracy put together, an estimated 323 million pounds for 2007-2008. This may well be the biggest investment in Europe for national language learning for adults. It is argued that ESOL is central to several social policy streams.…

Looked at from a certain distance, the "Languages Review" (Dearing & King, 2007) was seen by some in the foreign language (FL) education community, when it first came out, as a major disappointment because the authors had decided not to opt for the one measure that would reverse the falling numbers of students studying a foreign…

Traces developments of English as an additional language in state-sector schools in England. Argues that the current conceptualization of EAL is linked to a particular view of the social integration of a linguistically and ethnically diverse society. Suggests that current thinking has led to questionable perceptions and practices associated with…

Argues that the cultural content of a course derives from official language policies and national educational ideology, and that cultural studies in the classroom center on a balanced relationship between foreign and native cultures and include the management of attitudes towards foreignness and the construction of a new perception of learners'…

Describes the forms of foreign language learning in adult education in England and a selection of the more common teaching, learning, and organizational factors and problems associated with them. (JOW)

Discusses the responses to a questionnaire concerning the use of computers in modern language teaching and learning sent to secondary schools in England. Notes that the response raised issues related to facilities and ease of access, school planning for the use of computer hardware, and support levels and training needs. (Author/CK)

Reports on the success of a second-language learning program designed to develop a European awareness in students in a school in England in the hope that it will serve as an inspiring example to promoters of similar programs. Notes that the effort in setting up a European program of development offers the advantages of working closely with…

Socio-cultural models offer great scope for scope for theorising the complex processes involved in teaching and learning, and of capturing the nature of the co-constructions, which are important factors in success for both teachers and learners. But the implications of this theoretical stance are perhaps, not fully recognised in the attendant…