–Intercultural mediation skills for tour guides– A little over a year ago, I began a small research project for my institution on the skills required to work as a tour guide in Oaxaca, Mexico. The results will inform our new course offered to trainee tour guides and the accopmanying certification process. Below is a quick…
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Social Justice in English for Academic Purposes
It’s more than two years now since I was invited to contribute a chapter to this edited volume. This is my first published chapter and I’m immensely proud of the text I put together with Mónica Sánchez and Mario López-Gopar. Paul and Michele have been incredibly encouraging and patient with me on the road to…
Pedagogy of the Assessed
—Using Blackout Poetry & Theatre of the Oppressed for user engagement with research— Last year, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach a group of trainee teachers at the language faculty of a public university in Oaxaca, Mexico. The objective of our course was to introduce the students to the ‘Theatre of…
Comicbook Launch
I’m delighted to announce the launch of the comicbook version of ‘False Friends’! For more information about how the project came about, check my previous post on the Participatory Theatre which led to its production. You can view the comicbook here.
Weinventing the Real
—Incorporating creative community collaboration in refining my research methods— The main three campuses of the Universidad del Mar are located at a six hour drive from the nearest major city of Oaxaca. The road largely consists of hairpin bends through the tropical rainforest of the Sierra Sur mountain range. Common obstacles include fog, flooding, landslides,…
Can Tests be Empowering?
—Is it the role of assessment to nurture confidence, competence, and a sense of identity?— In June, I was offered a British Council studentship to head to Helsinki and attend the annual conference of the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA). EALTA can claim something entirely unique in the field of language assessment:…
False Friends
—Exploring the impact of standardised language assessment on relationality in Indigenous-rooted contexts— I was keenly aware after my first cycle of ‘participatory action research’ of two of its major shortcomings: One, no action was ultimately taken; two, the more respectably research-like it seemed, the less participatory it became. The research project ruffled many feathers. I…
A Conversation with Dermot Bryers
—Using Forum Theatre in the Language Classroom— I have known Dermot for about eight years now and his work has always been a source of great inspiration. We first met during the early stages of what would become the rather brilliant ACT ESOL project at an event in Serpentine Galleries. Dermot is best known for…
A Thief at the Secret Policeman’s Ball
–Discussing Washback at the UKALTA 2022 Language Testing Forum– An important part of any person’s academic journey is identifying disciplines and sub-disciplines with which you feel most affinity. It seems something of an anomaly to think there are sometimes folks dedicating their entire working lives to contradicting or undermining others with whom they share the…
UKALTA 2022 Poster
I’m excited to say that my poster at this year’s UKALTA 2022 conference in Bristol won ‘Best Poster Award’! Many thanks to those whoImagined Competencies – IOE 2023 took the time to share anecdotes and advice on washback and alternative assessment practices. You can download a high-definition copy of the UKALTA Poster here. If you want…