SUSAN HOLZMAN (BEIT BERL ACADEMIC COLLEGE RETIRED )

LET'S PUT RESEARCH IN ITS PLACE: IN OUR CLASSROOMS : ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC/SPECIFIC PURPOSES

Teaching and learning will never be the same. Teaching and learning SHOULD never be the same. Technology, beginning with computers and the Internet and now on the frontiers of artificial intelligence (AI) available and accessible to all, has changed our world. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is an educational strategy that empowers students to guide their own learning through exploration, questioning, and discovery. Our education system is at a crossroads, and inquiry-based learning offers a path forward that nurtures curiosity and an active learning environment and constructively uses the tools almost universally available. Where to start? Although there are numerous possibilities for research activities at all levels, I strongly suggest starting at the top. We have to discard the idea that we can take our knowledge of the language and transfer it to our students using one method or another –the latest method, the method that provides the most fun, the method that is suitable for visual learners, or the method used in Britain or India or China. We have to become the learners—we have to explore, question and discover. In this session, we will explore the possibilities for teacher research, looking at where to start, what methods are available for data collection and analysis, and what can be done to publish our work.

Susan Holzman has represented Israel on the Executive Council of Asia Tefl since its founding. She is a past president of ETAI, the English Teachers Association of Israel. Although retired, she continues to pursue her research interests of English for academic purposes and teacher research.