Plans for 2023

Image: the Sainte-Trinité church in Puyravault (Wikipedia)

Writing this little post at our house in France allows me to think through what my professional and personal plans are for this year, so here goes. 

In the autumn of 2022 I spent a good deal of time working on a second edition of The Language Teacher Toolkit, the book which began my writing collaboration with Gianfranco Conti in 2016. It's time to refresh that book to reflect our evolving reading and thinking, and to update the research references. The first redraft is complete, Gianfranco is reviewing it and I hope to crack on with the final draft in the weeks ahead for publication asap. The book has already undergone considerable changes, so it's very much a revised edition, not just a tweaked version of the original. New chapters have been written, some sections dropped, others reorganised. There is a greater emphasis on lexicogrammar, including EPI, lesson planning and intercultural understanding. 

Later in the year I hope to be supporting Gianfranco in the writing of a book about his EPI approach (Extensive Processing Instruction). Plans are subject to change, but currently our thinking is that a concise primer about EPI would be very useful and well received by teachers. Watch, as they say, this space.

By the way, I ought to give a little plug for the second edition of my book Becoming an Outstanding Languages Teacher. The second edition was published by Routledge in August 2022. The target readership is trainee and recently qualified teachers. The emphasis is strongly on practical lesson planning. There are barely any references to research in the book.

I'll continue to add lots of new resources to my frenchteacher.net site, but an issue I am faced with is that the site has become very large and a little cumbersome to navigate, so I shall have to consider removing some older material to make space for new stuff. To a small extent I have been doing that already. The site continues to be widely used by schools and tutors both in the UK and in countries such as Australia, the USA, as well as in international schools in various locations. I am grateful to all subscribers, but particularly to those who re-subscribe year after year. The price will remain the same at £30 per year. If you are a former subscriber, be assured that there are LOTS of new resources - over 250 posted during the last year alone.

I like to keep my informedlanguageteacher.com research links site ticking over. I set this up as a sort of free gift to language teachers and welcome any suggestions for new readings, videos or podcasts. The site reflects my own interest in reading about research and should appeal to teachers with a similar interest. Expect new links during the year. Recommendations are always welcome.

Although I haven't added much recently to my YouTube channel of professional development and teacher trainee screencasts, I have some ideas up my sleeve if the fancy takes me. I know teachers have found these videos, which focus on pedagogy supported by research. I have in mind, for example, something on how to exploit simple short written texts.

I occasionally do online or face-to-face professional development with schools and academy chains. I don't go seeking this work out, but if I can be of assistance just contact me on spsmith45@aol.com. I have one or two school events lined up. I am in the UK during February and March.

All of the above fits in between the travel plans my wife and I have for the year, as well as seeing friends and family as much as possible. Plenty of time will be spent here in Puyravault (near la Rochelle in Charente Maritime), After a recent six-week trip to Australia, we are contemplating a visit to Japan in the Autumn. Trains will be involved. We also have a short trip to Boston lined up in early June.

So, all being well, it should be a fruitful year ahead.

Wishing you very happy new year.