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: Meaning
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
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
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
How Language Students Really Learn: What Construction Grammar (CxG) can teach us
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction As language teachers, we all want our students to become confident, fluent speakers who use language appropriately & effectively. But too often, we watch them struggle to apply the grammar rules we’ve taught, e.g. mixing up tenses, forming awkward sentences, or sticking to the… Continue reading How Language Students Really Learn: What Construction Grammar (CxG) can teach us
Making It Stick: Towards more effective vocabulary practice in language learning
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction Vocabulary is foundational to language competence. Yet the ways learners practise & internalise new vocabulary often fall short of the complex demands of actual language use. Traditional techniques such as pre-taught vocabulary, memorisation of decontextualised word lists, or single-sentence definitions neglect the fact that… Continue reading Making It Stick: Towards more effective vocabulary practice in language learning
Reconciling task-based & genre-based approaches in language teaching
Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español (Google Translate) Introduction Much of the pedagogical discourse in English language teaching has positioned Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) & Genre-Based Instruction (GBI) as separate, distinct, & sometimes competing theoretical & instructional views. However, this dichotomy may be misleading. In practice, both approaches address different, yet complementary dimensions… Continue reading Reconciling task-based & genre-based approaches in language teaching