Interview
Alan Maley
Page 1 | Page 2
On Teaching (cont'd)
How will EFL be taught in 10 year's time? Do you see technology such as the Internet,
CD-ROMs and DVD playing a big role in ELT?
How will English be taught in 10 years time? Who knows? Probably much like it is now - mostly
badly. The advent of hi-tech does not of itself guarantee major changes, still less changes
for the better. Junk in, junk out! Finding appropriate uses for existing technology should be
a major concern, rather than becoming mesmerized by the technology itself. We should start
from the point: "Here is a pedagogical problem; how can we solve it using technology?"
Rather than "here is a wonderful new piece of technology; let's see what we might use it
for." I grew up in the heyday of the language laboratory, and that probably colors my
thinking somewhat. But I am in no way a pedagogical Luddite!
On Writing
When did you first think about writing an EFL text? How did you approach the publishers?
I didn't approach my first publishers; they approached me. This was while I was working in
Ghana in the 1960s. They were called Thomas Nelson (anyone remember them?)
You are the Series Editor for OUP's Resource Book for Teachers and Primary Resource Books
series. How did you get involved with the series?
I got involved in the OUP resource book series by accident too. Yvonne de Henseler, who was
then the commissioning editor asked me if I'd be interested in getting involved back in the 80s.
It fitted with my feelings about resource books as a counterbalance to sourcebooks, so I did it.
Originally there were to have been a maximum of 12 titles in the series, but, like Topsy, it
'jes growed and growed' and there are now over 30 titles with more in the pipeline (including
a super one on using Film by Barry Tomalin and Susan Stempleski, and a delightful new young
learners title by Andrew Wright, Art and Craft with Young Learners.) There seems no end to
the good proposals, which keep rolling in.
What advice would you give to potential course writers?
Advice? Don't do it! Unless you have grit, imagination and endless patience. If you have never
published anything and would like to, my advice is to get a bit of experience first by writing
book reviews, articles for teachers newsletters, etc. But being a writer is hard and lonely at
times. And you don't see the fruits of your labors (if indeed you ever do) until long after the
initial effort.
On Professionalism
How do you think the various teachers' associations around the world serve the ELT field?
I think the growth of professional associations like IATEFL and TESOL, both in numbers and in
the scope of their action, is one of the most encouraging developments I have seen in my
professional life. My advice to young teachers would be, "Join a professional association,
and get involved with it."
What changes, if any do you want to see happen in the ELT field?
What changes would I like to see? I'd like to see a re-equilibration of the power relationship
between the academic research/theorizing community (which has most of the power and prestige)
and the classroom teaching community (where most of the work gets done.) What academics do is
fine and perfectly valid in their community. But most of it is mistakenly taken to be relevant
for a completely different community, with different needs, goals and aspirations.
On Alan
Away from ELT, how do you spend your time?
How do I spend my non-ELT time? Procrastinating mostly. Drinking wine, reading, writing
unpublishable poetry, and thinking about death.
Finally. What has been your greatest satisfaction from working in the ELT profession?
Most satisfaction? The people I have met (from the great and the good to so-called 'ordinary'
teachers) and the range of cultural experiences I have had. As Queen Anne is rumored to have
said on her deathbed, 'It has all been very interesting.'
Page 1 | Page 2
<<Back Number | Top |
Recent Issue>>
|
