Theory in ELT

LAN6271 Teaching ESL Learners

Read the quotation and consider the questions below:

“Theory alone is often considered useless to teachers, but research has found that theory
can provide a means to help teachers to critically investigate their own teaching and
students, and a language with which to engage in dialogues with one another about their
students’ language acquisition” (Kerekes, 2001).

Kerekes, J. (2001). How can SLA theories and SLA researchers contribute to teachers’ practices. Research
and practice in language teacher education: voices from the field, 17-41.

Questions
Is there anything true for you in the quotation above?
What role has theory had, if any, in influencing how you teach a language?
Have any theories helped you to teach?
Do you consider theory to be important in language teaching?

Post your thoughts

Share your thoughts and reflections. It is fine to reflect on why you do not consider theory
to be important. There are no "right" responses to this activity.