| . |
. |
. |
|
Each year the English Teaching Forum
receives more manuscripts than the previous year from EFL teachers around the world. The
days when the editor worried that there might not be enough articles to fill the magazine
are long gone. In fact for each article that is published in the Forum today, four
articles have been rejected.
|
|
|
As disappointing as it is to receive a letter of
rejection (and our rejection letters are much more cordial than the one Snoopy received in
the cartoon below), there are many options available to EFL teachers today for getting
their ideas into print; and these journals may be a more appropriate venue than the Forum
for sharing one's particular message or work.
|
|
|
This issue features two articles that deal with
EFL teachers writing for publication. In the first, Benson points out the importance of
writing for a specific audience. Some journals are written for the academic community and
prefer articles that treat theoretical issues in linguistics or report on research
relating to such subjects as multilingual education or language acquisition. Others may
have a more practical orientation. It is well worth the time that a potential contributor
might spend reading back issues of different journals to get an idea of the kind of
article that is appropriate for their readers. The marketing dictum "Give the public
what it wants" is just as true for the world of academic publishing. Narrowing the
horizon and staying "at home," Bunker looks at the pertinence of
"in-house" journals published by university departments and relating to local
concerns. Articles reporting classroom research with a specific L1 focus or different
teaching approaches to textbooks used in the program contribute significantly to the
evolution and implementation of an institution's EFL program.
|
|
|
From its beginning, the English Teaching
Forum has been "a journal of facts and ideas devoted to the interests of those
engaged in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language" ( English Teaching Forum
, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1963). It is the continuing aim of the Forum to maintain a balance
between descriptions of theory or research and a sharing of ideas of immediate practical
use. When the ideas from theory and research are assimilated and reflected in the practice
of teachers, it is then that they constitute the substance of a Forum article.
|
|
|
We have several excellent examples of this in
our current issue. Al-Arishi draws upon current language-acquisition theory and the ideas
of the philosopher John Locke (1632 - 1704) in making his case for promoting more
reflection in the EFL classroom. The Grammar Group of the English Language Teaching
Community in Bangalore, India, uses action research to raise questions about reported
speech and the way it is taught. Among the shorter features, we have articles describing
content-based English courses dealing with health care and geography; we have articles on
the use of background music, home-viewing of video, audio-recorded reports, and other
articles that are the products of teacher creativity, the basis for all articles in the Forum
.
|
|
|
We welcome articles from EFL teachers worldwide,
dealing with all levels of education, and addressing concerns that teachers universally
share. Students and teaching environments differ, but teachers are bound together by a
continuing drive to respond to their students' needs, utilizing new approaches and
resources. From reading, reflecting, and applying original ideas to the EFL classroom
arises the inspiration for writing an article and getting published.
|
|
|
. |
. |