Keith Rogers is a Classicist in England and is fighting a kind of one man battle against the traditional approach to language teaching in the UK. He is kind of like Judy in France in that way. Keith had contacted me to address a colloquium over there in November and I just refused because I can’t handle that kind of presentation, although our own Bob went over there (as Dr. Robert Patrick, of course) and did this same conference a few years ago, for which he deserves a medal, bc those folks are TIGHT if you know what I’m saying, in the same way that the French are tight.
Anyway, below is a link to a newspaper article in England that Keith sent that calls attention to the problem and supports the fight being offered by Keith, Bob, and Blaine Ray, who has accepted the offer to present over there at Oxford and Cambridge in November. Sounds impressive, I know, but can you imagine trying to convince a bunch of people stuck in the 19th century listening to a presentation about something that is happening in the 21st century? It’s a lot to ask of them to stretch that far – 200 years! – in their thinking! That kind of work ain’t for moi!
I also put our own Judy in touch with Keith and since her Tesol presentation in France is in November I thought she might could go over to England for Keith’s conference and get involved with that. Bottom line is that it feels like there is actually a little bit of movement, some rumbling, there in England and France. Like, really a little movement, barely any, but hey, nobody said that this work was going to be easy!
Bob, any comments on your trop over there? And we want more updates!
Here is the link to the newspaper article link that Keith sent us, with the comment “It is getting tougher and tougher for language teachers to continually ignore the outcomes and look anywhere but at their own teaching. The latest exam results for 18 year olds in the UK has provoked the following headlines and reaction”:
and the link to Keith’s conference:
