Earlier this month, TIRF Trustee Prof. David Nunan provided a presentation for language education teachers, researchers, and administrators throughout China, who are members of Chengdu Duoweimingju (DWMJ) Institute of Education’s organization. David’s talk was the first of three sessions for DWMJ in its fall 2021 Speaker Series line-up.
Via his talk, “Research Matters,” David discussed issues related to conducting research, publishing, and mentoring. He framed the basis of his presentation by offering two interpretations of what the title of his session could mean. In the first iteration, he suggested, that research matters, or should matter, when the idea pertains to “to providing insights into the changing conceptions of language, learning, and teaching, to guide policymakers, to inform curriculum developers, materials writers, teacher educators, and all other stakeholders in the enterprise of language education.”
The second interpretation of the title lent itself to the idea that research should be an issue of concern and interest to language teachers. He positioned his ideas around the concept that “each time [teachers] step into the classroom, they are confronted with issues and questions that academic researchers often overlook.” Therefore, teachers are in a position to identify opportunities to enhance their pedagogy in their classrooms, conduct research, and ultimately seek to publish their work.
The next session for DWMJ will take place in November and will delivered by Neil Anderson, Professor Emeritus of English Language Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at Brigham Young University–Hawaii. The title of his presentation is “Reading Effectively to Write Successfully.” The talk is aimed at helping colleagues increase their ability to develop their students’ English language reading and writing skills.
TIRF-delivered presentations for DWMJ will eventually be posted to TIRF’s website and promoted widely via its newsletter and social media channels. Be sure to follow future updates from TIRF for further information on its Speaker Series for DWMJ!
