English language teaching methods and language learning styles have changed dramatically over the past decade in Asia and the surrounding regions. Huge efforts are being made by teachers from the K-12 system, as well as at the tertiary level, to move away from the traditional Grammar-Translation Method towards more communicative approaches to teaching and learning, including the use of project- and task-based learning and technology-enhanced language learning, just to name a few of the more frequently used methodologies. In this book, the authors shed light on the changes in ELT in Asia and the region over the past 10 years or so as seen in the wider context of language policy, which puts greater value on the acquisition of English and the new directions in learner-centered classrooms which encourage student autonomy and voice and place students as active decision-makers in the learning process. With the title of Departing from Tradition: Innovations in English Language Teaching and Learning, this book showcases some of the innovations in ELT that are currently happening in this rapidly growing field. Given the growing importance of English and the enormous energy and enthusiasm in the region for learning the language in both formal and informal contexts, ELT will continue to flourish. This volume will offer insights into the tremendous changes that have been made in secondary and university English language classrooms across the region.
About the Author: Dr Evelyn Doman is Associate Professor of TESOL in the School of Education at the University of Guam. Evelyn received her doctorate in Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, and has taught ESL and EFL for the past 20 years at various universities in Korea, Japan, the United States, Macau, and Guam. Her research interests include learner autonomy, Processability Theory, focus on form instruction, and, most recently, the flipped language classroom. Jay Bidal has been teaching EAP and ESL for more than 20 years in a variety of contexts, including Japan, Turkey, Canada, the UAE, and, currently, Macau. He possesses extensive material writing experience, having been a co-writer on four different locally-produced textbooks, and having served as the project manager and editor of an innovative EAP e-textbook published in 2014. He is interested in writing instruction, curriculum and materials development, grammar pedagogy, and the integration of technology in teaching.