Editorial

The place of English in today’s world – and the implications for language teaching – are topics that teachers and researchers come back to again and again. Several contributors to this issue examine our perspectives on the language and the classroom, and those of our students and trainees. Roby Marlina counters attempts to identify a single ‘correct’ accent by opening his teacher trainees’ eyes to the diversity of English around the world and even within individual countries. Katie McCann similarly wants to widen teachers’ horizons when they make decisions about what is or is not ‘correct’ English. Other contributors find that moving outside the classroom brings a new perspective to teaching and learning. Catherine Leuz describes her experience of entering the corporate world and training business English students in the workplace. Elvira Carralero ensures that her students speak English outside class by setting speaking homework to be recorded by the students themselves. Christie Murphy finds that the virtual environment of e-learning provides more opportunities for students to practise English and to form a supportive learning community as they do so. Mark McKinnon and Sophie Acomat teach students who have been out of the classroom for quite a time – some for many years. They examine teaching and learning English from the perspective of older learners, and look at the adjustments that need to be made to make the language classroom more inclusive.
Adnan Tahir examines the viewpoint of people outside the classroom who look at teachers and assess their role. He argues for seeing teaching as a profession rather than a job, but points out that the onus is ultimately on individuals and the institutions that employ them to work towards achieving the status of English teaching professionals.

Helena Gomm
Editor

MAIN FEATURE
THE RISE AND RISE OF THE INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD
Pete Sharma traces the triumph of new technology

FEATURES
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY
Kimberly Sanford is reminded of the value of an old technique
GETTING TO KNOW A WORD
Isobel Fletcher de Téllez gives her students a checklist to get them properly acquainted with vocabulary
SENIOR SERVICE 1
Mark McKinnon and Sophie Acomat make accommodations for older learners
KEEP THEM TALKING
Elvira Carralero encourages her students to do speaking tasks at home
FROM JOB TO PROFESSION
Adnan Tahir ponders the proper status of teachers
COMICS IN THE CLASSROOM
Thom Kiddle celebrates cartoons across the world
PHRASAL VERBS? THEY’RE EASY! 5
John Ryan puts across across and goes through through
OVER THE WALL
Alan Maley recommends reading books that demonstrate off-the-wall thinking
DUAL LANGUAGE TEACHING
David Warren discovers the benefits of bilingual classes

TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
GAMES: WHY, HOW, WHEN AND WHAT?
Justyna Walczak suggests a systematic approach to playing games
INTEGRATED LANGUAGE EXPERIENCES
Shaheen Subhan practises all four skills through stories
BUSINESS ENGLISH PROFESSIONAL
THE CORPORATE DOMAIN 1
Catherine Leuz leaves the classroom to train students in their place of work

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
THE WORLD OUTSIDE
Katie McCann thinks teachers need to see English in a global context
TEACHERS OF ENGLISHES
Roby Marlina addresses linguistic diversity and tackles the topic of accent
IN PRAISE OF CREATIVITY 1
Chaz Pugliese has it that we all have it in us to be creative

TECHNOLOGY
FRIENDLY FORUMS
Christie Murphy discusses the advantages of e-learning
WEBWATCHER
Russell Stannard describes online tools which make excellent resources
FIVE THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT: GENERATION Y
Nicky Hockly looks at a new generation of learners

REGULAR FEATURES
ACTIVITY CORNER: PERFORMING FUNCTIONAL ROLEPLAYS
Jon Marks
PREPARING TO TEACH ...
Non-finite constructions
John Potts
THE TEACHING OF WRITING
Rose Senior
IT WORKS IN PRACTICE