Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Within-class differentiated instruction, whereby teachers prepare additional resources & multiple “mini lessons” for sub-groups of students in each class, is regularly promoted by initial teacher education & teacher CPD programmes to close achievement gaps. However, it has little evidence of efficacy & imposes substantial additional… Continue reading How to close achievement gaps without resorting to differentiated instruction
Category: Language
Rejecting Chomskian grammar for more meaningful & useful models
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Since the 1950s, linguistic theory has been dominated by the Chomskian model of grammar, in which syntax is treated as an autonomous system & the sentence is taken as the primary unit of analysis. While this abstraction proved useful for formalising aspects of grammatical structure,… Continue reading Rejecting Chomskian grammar for more meaningful & useful models
Learning to write from sources: Constructs, challenges, recommendations for English for General Academic Purposes contexts
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction Writing from sources (WFS) tasks are ubiquitous in higher education (HE) & student success is dependent on their mastery (Dovey, 2010; Fiorella & Mayer, 2020; Grabe & Zhang, 2016; Hirvela, 2026; Ramoroka, 2025; Spivey, 1990; Swales & Lindemann, 2002; Ye & Liu, 2023). Additionally,… Continue reading Learning to write from sources: Constructs, challenges, recommendations for English for General Academic Purposes contexts
Backward design vs. technology-first adoption, or why EdTech will not save you
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction In Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), curriculum design decisions increasingly occur in technology-saturated environments where platforms, tools, & analytics promise efficiency & innovation. Instructional designers are persistently bombarded with demands by pundits & the EdTech industry to adopt the latest buzzword technology or risk becoming… Continue reading Backward design vs. technology-first adoption, or why EdTech will not save you
Integrating extramural English: Developing stronger communicative proficiency in universities & colleges
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction As universities & colleges seek to internationalise, English is becoming established as the de facto common medium of instruction, communication, & participation. English language teachers in EAP departments frequently note that students have broad repertoires of vocabulary & can parse complex grammar structures with… Continue reading Integrating extramural English: Developing stronger communicative proficiency in universities & colleges
Why traditional EFL coursebooks fail to develop communicative & linguistic competence
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction Despite decades of development & innovation in language pedagogy, most commercial EFL coursebooks continue to present English through a linear, grammar-based syllabus organised around discrete structures introduced in a fixed sequence. This article argues that such materials are fundamentally misaligned with the actual nature… Continue reading Why traditional EFL coursebooks fail to develop communicative & linguistic competence
Explicit instruction vs. corrective feedback
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction Feedback is often portrayed as the pedagogical heart of writing instruction. Orthodox “process writing” practices encourage teachers to respond extensively to student drafts, conference individually, & guide students through multiple rounds of revision. However, this model implicitly assumes that learning happens primarily after students… Continue reading Explicit instruction vs. corrective feedback
Rethinking grammar instruction: Why usage-based, Construction Grammar-informed language learning outperforms skill-acquisition approaches
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction For decades, second & foreign language pedagogy has been dominated by skill-acquisition theory, which views learning as the gradual automation of explicit knowledge through repeated practice (Anderson, 1982; DeKeyser, 2006). According to this model, students first acquire declarative knowledge, “knowing that,” about grammatical rules… Continue reading Rethinking grammar instruction: Why usage-based, Construction Grammar-informed language learning outperforms skill-acquisition approaches
Rethinking error correction: More effective pathways for grammatical development
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction The role of error correction in second language (L2) instruction has long divided scholars & practitioners. On one side, researchers such as Dana Ferris (1995, 1997, 1999, 2012; Ferris & Roberts, 2001) contend that selective & focused corrective feedback can promote accuracy & aid… Continue reading Rethinking error correction: More effective pathways for grammatical development
Ensuring success for adult EFL students
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction In Spain & in many other countries, English language academies play an important role in supplementing the instruction pupils receive in schools. For children & adolescents, academies function largely as after-school “top-up” lessons. Since school-based English classes often amount to only 2-4 hours per… Continue reading Ensuring success for adult EFL students