Challenging Assumptions in Language Teaching

Might coursebooks and methods learned on popular training courses lead teachers to make faulty assumptions about the language learning process? In this talk, we'll take a critical look at some assumptions that might exist in modern language teaching. Using findings from second language acquisition research, we'll see how well these assumptions stand up to scrutiny.

Key take-aways

• Understand how published teaching material and popular training courses might lead to faulty beliefs about language learning

• Familiarise yourselves with what some of the research says in relation to how languages are (and are not) learned

• Alternative approaches to language teaching which are more evidence-based

Matt Done has been involved in language teaching for about 20 years, and has worked in the UK, Malta, Italy and Spain. During this time he has worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, examiner and director of studies. He is CELTA and DELTA qualified and holds an MA in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Matt is interested in all aspects of language teaching, but is particularly interested in how insights from Second Language Acquisition research can inform our practice and make us more evidence-based teachers.