About the webinar
Whereas some think that research can be a powerful way to assist teachers in their decision making, others argue that research lacks practical relevance since it is usually distanced from classroom practice. It is true that classroom practices can be influenced by many sources, among those knowledge, experiences and sometimes intuition. These are usually shaped by years of trial and error and collegial discussions which do not seem to relate to the kind of abstract knowledge that research produces. In addition, much of the research carried out is hardly accessible or comprehensible to teachers and more often than not, it is based in contexts which differ from those where most EFL practice takes place. However, there is also some truth in the fact that research-based evidence ‘could’ assist teachers in shaping the principles for any effective EFL lesson if minimum conditions are in place. I will discuss these conditions and also address the who and what issue; who does it, who he/she does it for or with and what for. To sum up, in this talk I would like to argue both sides and provide examples of ways in which both views can meet.
About the speaker
Dr Paula Rebolledo holds an MA in TESOL for Young Learners and a PhD in Education from the University of Leeds. She has taught at primary and secondary school levels and has worked as a teacher educator for professional development programmes in Chile and the UK. Currently, Paula is the coordinator of professional development at the English Open Doors Programme (EODP) at the Ministry of Education in Chile. Her research interests include young learners, teacher education, professional development and teacher-research. She has been mentoring teacher-research on the APTIS Action Research Award Scheme and the Champion Teachers project funded by the British Council and co-edited the book Champion Teachers: Stories of Exploratory Action Research. She is the co-founder of RICELT, the first Chilean network of researchers in ELT.
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