Daniel Studholme

Walking into the classroom in Dharavi, Mumbai for the first time last November, I stopped mid-step. Shoes off, as per local custom, I felt the cool tiles beneath my feet and immediately sensed this was going to be a very different teaching experience. Barefoot in a classroom wasn’t just a culture shock; it was a literal reminder to leave preconceptions at the door. My outlook adjusted, not just to the unfamiliar feeling under my soles, but to the vibrancy of the teacher trainees around me – wide eyed, curious, ready to learn. The teaching centre in the middle of...

In the realm of adult ESL education, the practice of reading aloud is often met with scepticism. I have even worked in institutions where it is completely banned. Critics argue that it induces anxiety, disrupts class dynamics or is perceived as infantilising. However, upon closer examination, reading aloud emerges as a powerful tool that enhances pronunciation, rhythm and confidence. This article delves into the merits of reading aloud, the advantages of incorporating rhyming books – such as those by Julia Donaldson into the EFL classroom – and offers practical strategies for educators to implement these techniques effectively. The case for...

A field of fashions Language teaching has always been a field of fashions. Each decade seems to bring a new ‘answer’ to the question of how best to teach a second language: one method is hailed as revolutionary, another declared outdated, only for the cycle to repeat again. Teachers swap stories, academics publish papers and institutions cling to whatever approach promises measurable success. Yet after decades of debate and experimentation, one thing remains remarkably consistent: no single methodology has been proven superior across all contexts (Chang et al., 2011). I’ve lived through several of these swings first hand, both in the...

Every one of us is a teacher-researcher, we just didn’t know it. As educators, we come up against anomalies and beguilers all the time – those students or classes that don’t fit the stereotype or do things in a way we’d like or expect (something I believe is magnified in the multicultural classroom). Opportunities to carry out research these days has probably increased too, as neurodiversity and learning styles become more varied and understood, and a more diverse range of people join the ELT classroom. While trying to find the best way to help Renata retain vocabulary, learn the...