Ahead of this year's ELTons Festival of Innovation, Chia Suan Chong looks at the finalists for the ELTons Innovation Awards to bring you the top trends and innovations in English language teaching.
Our world is changing rapidly and so are the needs and wants of our learners. Mobile phones and social media have become staples in students’ daily lives. Many work from home and value flexibility in when and where they learn. English has become an essential tool for international communication, and so have many transferable skills that are crucial to our learners’ employability in a landscape where new jobs and tasks are constantly being created.
It can be tricky to define ‘innovation’ and often, when we talk about innovations, it is easy to only focus on technological innovations. However, innovations go beyond technological advancements. In the world of English language teaching (ELT), innovation introduces new and original elements in methodology, design, content, and, of course, in technology. However innovative technology shouldn’t be used for the sake of using the latest technology because innovation is about addressing and solving current challenges and offering fresh solutions. It is about adapting to changing needs and contexts and enhancing learning outcomes. It is about reimagining old ways of teaching and learning and attempting new pedagogies. In other words, innovation is about moving forward with the way we do things because it can make things more effective and more efficient for the educator and the learner.
So what are the most cutting-edge innovations in our industry and how can they help educators and learners? I have found that taking a deep dive into the finalists of the British Council ELTons awards can not only give us a clear indication of the latest innovations in ELT but also the direction in which we are heading.
Here are the top 10 latest trends and innovations in ELT as demonstrated by the ELTons finalists 2024:
1. Global citizenship and students as agents of change
Easy access to information via mobile phones has made our world so much smaller. While this could serve to solidify our identity as citizens of the world and draw our attention to the issues people in other parts of the world are facing, many of us find ourselves in an echo chamber, secure in being surrounded by information that fits our existing opinions and views of the world.
As we teach our students to use English as a tool to become international communicators, we need to also cultivate them as socially conscious citizens with the desire to contribute to positive change in the world they live in. One way to do this is by using the UN SDGS (Sustainable Development Goals) as a framework for developing students’ awareness of global issues, as seen by ELTons finalists Develop your English with UN Sustainable Development Guide (Sussex University), The Globals (Macenta Publishing), Cooperative Learning and the SDGs (Peachey Publications Ltd.), and Change Makers (Macmillan Education). This focus on reflecting on global issues and encouraging students to take an active role as agents of change is also shared by finalists Infinity (Learning Factory), TransFor.ME (EXP Educational Intelligence) and ICEPELL Open Access Resources (University Nova de Lisboa).
2. Inquiry-based learning and critical thinking
Skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making are some of the key transferable cognitive skills required in today’s largely project and task-based world of work. Critical thinking skills enable our students to sift through the deluge of information available to us whilst actively evaluating, analysing, summarizing and applying the relevant information to their needs. This goes hand in hand with the research skills needed to explore and achieve a deeper understanding of the topic.
Task-based learning and project-based learning are used in ELT, encouraging learners to discuss, investigate and solve non-linguistic problems all via the medium of the English language. Through an inquiry-based learning approach, the learner’s curiosity is cultivated, motivating them to find their own answers to questions while practising their English at the same time. We see such an approach with a focus on developing critical thinking skills in many of the ELTons finalists, including Critical Thinking (Niigata University), Digital [Literacy] ESL (Talley Caruso), LISTEN in Stories (Helbling Languages), The Globals (Macenta Publishing), Infinity (Learning Factory) and MemoChat (SuperMemo World).
3. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
It is said that at the foundation of all soft skills is the ability to self-reflect and be self-aware. By understanding ourselves and our emotions we can develop empathy for others and manage ourselves in our interactions. These are key skills that are inseparable from training our students to become better at communicating and mediating communication with those who are different from themselves. While finalists LISTEN in Stories (Helbling Languages) and TransFor.ME (EXP Educational Intelligence) focuses on developing such skills in young learners, Destination OET and Beyond (Klik2Learn) does this for adult healthcare professionals. However it is not only learners that can benefit from self-reflection and self-awareness. Noticing (Reflex Consulting), From Teacher to Trainer (Cambridge University Press) and Working with Emergent Language (Pavilion Publishing) see self-reflection as key to professional growth, encouraging teachers to reflect on their own practice.
4. Interpersonal skills
In developing our students’ communicative competence, we need to go beyond linguistic competence (focusing on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation). We need to give them the skills to interact with other human beings. This includes strategic competence – the ability to spot and overcome communication breakdowns - as seen in Ideas in Action (Delta Publishing), discourse competence – the ability to understand what is really meant and to communicate appropriately depending on the context and the people they are communicating with – as seen in Practical English Skills for Lawyers (Natasha Costello), and sociolinguistic competence – the ability to understand the sociocultural rules and norms of communication – as seen in Critical Thinking (Niigata University).
After all, our students will be using English to communicate and build relationships with people in the real world. They therefore need interpersonal skills like communication skills, rapport building skills, active listening skills, and conflict management skills. These skills are even more important in a world where technology and AI can take over communicative tasks of basic information sharing, but cannot yet do the relationship-building on our behalf.
5. Global Competencies
As mentioned above, many of our students are learning English with the understanding that they are acquiring a tool for global communication. English will be their gateway to communicating with those from a range of different cultures and will require the knowledge and skills to do so.
The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) created a global competence framework based on the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study results of 2018, emphasising the importance of developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes that can be applied to intercultural situations. This includes the ability to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures (see ‘sociolinguistic competence’ above). It is, therefore, no surprise that the keywords ‘culture’ and ‘intercultural skills’ appear multiple times amongst the descriptions of the ELTons finalists, including The Hamilton House Interactive Talking Pen (Hamilton House Publishers), MemoChat (SuperMemo World), ICEPELL Open Access Resources (University Nova de Lisboa), Practical English Skills for Lawyers (Natasha Costello) and Virtual Remote Live (Sirhajwan Idek).
6. Learner autonomy
Not all learning can or should take place in the classroom. It is no secret that learners who are able to continually learn even when outside the classroom have the potential to improve and grow at a much faster rate. With the widespread availability of language learning resources and apps and authentic English language material online, learners can have access to learning anytime anywhere.
This trend of focusing on learner autonomy is two-fold: 1. Empowering learners to take charge of their own learning and help them develop the learning strategies necessary to learn independently – as seen in Ideas in Actions: Activities for developing learning strategies (Delta Publishing), and 2. Giving learners the resources and apps to engage in own-pace learning – as seen in Digital Learning Hub (Klik2Learn), Destination OET (Klik2Learn), The Hamilton Interactive Talking Pen (Hamilton House Publishers), MemoChat (SuperMemo World), Piingo (Piingo), and Speak Anywhere AI Interactive Speaking (Pearson).
7. The importance of real-world situations
We all probably remember the days of learning English through de-contextualised, and sometimes humorous sentences like ‘How many fingers have you got? I have four fingers and one thumb’ and ‘I am showering, You are showering, He/She/It is showering’. As the Communicative Approach gained popularity in the world of English language teaching, we have come to understand the difference between ‘knowing a language’ and ‘using a language’, and the role of meaningful interactions in developing students’ ability to use the language.
The emphasis on real-life communication and real-world situations through ELTons finalists like Colour Your English (Perceptia Press), The New English Student series (Lanmantchion with Cheou et al.), Isbar of Ingriska English Somali Phrasebook (Mohamoud Auke), Practical English Skills for Lawyers (Natasha Costello), Destination OET (Klik2Learn), and Digital [Literacy] ESL (Talley Caruso) all serve to refocus our attention on our students’ needs to use English in the real world, and not simply to demonstrate their knowledge in exam settings.
8. Speaking practice with speech recognition
When language learning apps first appeared, it felt like a backward step from the growing acceptance of the Communicative Approach and the emphasis on meaningful interactions in language learning. Although learners could now learn in their own time, languages were once again taught through flashcards with translations and decontextualised grammar drills, albeit this time via cute animations and gamified tasks. Many an English teaching professional could be heard complaining “But where’s the speaking? A language is not learnt by memorising vocabulary and grammar gap-fills alone!”
But the great thing about innovation is that it adapts to what is needed and attempts to solve the problems presented. And the solution? Incorporating speaking practice into online asynchronous learning with the use of speech recognition technology. Speech-to-text software enables students to check their pronunciation of words and phrases but by incorporating this technology with programmed BOTs and in some cases, AI, students can now have interactive experiences and practise speaking in simulated roleplays and conversations. The usefulness of speech recognition technology in language learning is demonstrated by its prevalence in finalists Piingo (Piingo), Destination OET (Klik2Learn), Digital Learning Hub (Klik2Learn), Speak Anywhere A.I. Interactive Speaking (Pearson) and MemoChat (SuperMemo World).
9. Artificial Intelligence
The hottest and most talked about topic in every ELT conference is probably AI (artificial intelligence). At the mention of the term AI, it is noticeable that educators, writers, publishers and the various stakeholders in our ELT world have varied and often strong reactions to it, ranging from the negative ‘AI is taking over our jobs!’ and ‘My lazy students are using AI to write their essays for them!’ to the positive ‘AI saves me time and can help me do less work!’. But love it or hate it, AI is here to stay and will keep developing to meet the demands of those who need it.
As seen in the previous point, the use of AI in apps that provide speaking practice means the technology learns how to interact with students realistically. As teachers, AI can be used to generate lesson materials, such as listening and reading articles and tasks based on the student level and interests; it can personalise the lesson content to the individuals in the class; it can provide the teacher and the educational institution with updated data about each student’s needs, lacks and wants; it can support reflective practices of the teacher, helping in continuing professional development. And we see different innovative uses of AI in ELTons finalists Wext.ai (Smart Education), Destination OET (Klik2Learn), Digital Learning Hub (Klik2Learn), MemoChat (SuperMemo World), Noticing (Reflex Consulting), Speak Anywhere A.I. Interactive Speaking (Pearson), Piingo (Piingo) and LearnCube AI Teacher Assistant (LearnCube).
10. Embracing Diversity and Collaboration skills
When using English, our students are likely to converse with people who are different from themselves. We saw from our discussion above on global competencies and intercultural skills that it is important for learners to be able to understand and appreciate different perspectives and world views. These differences go beyond those of national cultures – students might have to interact and collaborate with people from different age groups, different industries and expertise, different socioeconomic backgrounds, and those who belong to different interest groups. Students might have to work and build relationships with people who have unfamiliar beliefs and values, abilities and life experiences. While there might be different expectations and different communication styles to manage, working in diverse teams can offer a high potential for learning and innovation as members of the team are constantly faced with new insights and approaches.
The ELTons finalists demonstrate a range of ways to embrace and celebrate diversity in the world of ELT, from raising awareness about global issues (see point one of this article) to catering to the needs of older learners – as seen in Digital [Literacy] ESL; students with different abilities – as seen in Bloomers Learning Initiative (Bloomers Learning Initiative); students with limited access to English speakers – as seen in Virtual Remote Live (Sirhajwan Idek); communities with a lack of learning resources and qualified English teachers – as seen in Ishbar of Ingriska English Somali Phrasebook (Mohamoud Auke); and students from cultures not often represented in global course materials – as seen in The New English Student series (Lanmantchion with Cheou et al.).
One way of practising collaboration skills is through learning cooperatively with fellow learners who might have different opinions, attitudes and experiences, and ELTons finalist Cooperative Learning and the SDGs (PeacheyPublications Ltd.) provide concrete practical ideas of how educators can do this. But ultimately, prioritising cooperation in the language classroom requires a shift from a top-down (teacher instructing students) structure to a space for bottom-up (teachers giving students a voice) learning; a shift from seeing the teacher as a knowledge giver to viewing the teacher as the facilitator of learning, of inquiry and of collaboration, and many of this year’s ELTons finalists have demonstrated this in one way or another through their innovations.
It is in this spirit that the new format of the ELTons features a series of panel discussions, lightning talks and on-demand videos that have been co-created with the finalists themselves as well as experts and practitioners with first-hand knowledge of the ongoing changes to the climate of ELT. This year’s ELTons festival aims to engage and interact with the educators, the learners as well as the education managers and policymakers in the live sessions on the 19 November 2024, giving everyone a voice and a chance to participate in the discussions. To find out more about these trends and innovations, join us at the ELTons Festival.