Date: 19 February 2016
Venue: Assembly Hall, Block II
Time: 9.30a.m. - 4.30p.m.

Mapping Recent Trends in ELT was a successful endeavor of the Department of English, CHRIST (Deemed to be University). The workshop aimed at the active participation of the students in discussions, debates and activities.
The workshop commenced with the introductory speech by SahilRathod, the emcee of the day, for the session. The welcome address was given by NidhiChadha, wherein she introduced the two esteemed guest speakers of the day ProfessorRajagopal, Retired professor EFLUand
Dr. Tabitha, Assistant professor, Mahindra Ecole, Hyderabad.

The session commenced with the basic, yet significant question: “Why should we learn English at all?” The students wereimbued to introspect about the answer. Professor Rajagopalinferred that English language enjoys a privileged status of an “associate official language” in the Constitution. Hence, the class collectively reached the conclusion that “there is no escape from English at all”.
Prof.Rajagopalalso introduced the concept of L1 and L2. The former represents the native or the mother tongue whereas the latter denotes “any language which is not one’s L1”. L1 and L2 in the context of ELT differs from ‘first language’, ‘second language’, and ‘third language’ as used by the State Language Policy. The relevance of ESL(English as Second Language) and TESL (Teaching of English as a Second Language) in the Indian context was accentuated.
Dr.Tabitha directed the attention of the session to‘Paradigm Shifts’ in ELT. The students were asked to write five random words that spring to one’s mind when one thinks about ELT. The students wrote a variety of interesting answers like LSRW, Wren & Martin, Srujana(a service learning initiative of the Department of English, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), in collaboration with CSA)and even Chomsky! Dr. Tabitha then defined ELT succinctly in three expressive terms “fluid”, “dynamic”, and “not rigid”.

The session then progressed to the discussion about the different theories of ELT, namely:
1.  Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence
2.    Chomsky’s Theory of Transformational Generative Grammar
3.   Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition
4.   Asher’s Theory of Total Physical Response

After an engaging discussion about the idiosyncrasies of the above methods and their respective contributions to the field of ELT, the session introduced an intriguing area of debate – “Human teachers versus Computers”.
The arena dealt with was Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL). The students, guided by Dr. Tabitha, collectively arrived at the conclusion that language today is a “meaning making process”. Hence the shift that was highlighted was Knowledge Transmission to Knowledge Construction.

The session primarily focused on raising and developing answers to the following questions:
1.    Why is it necessary to learn the different approaches to ELT?
2.    Is a human teacher needed in the times of computer aided teaching?
Prof. Rajagopaldiscussed how ELT categorizes as a skill based subject as opposed to “Content” subjects like Physics, Economics and History which usually deals with collections of data.DrRajagopal discussed the importance of Higher Order Skills, emphasizing on Study Skills.
The chief focus of this session was on the acquisition of SKILLS (which, as agreed upon by everyone in class, is the ability to do something well).
Prof.Rajagopal explicated the distinction between language skills at two levels:
1.    Basic language skills
2.    Advanced Language Skills
The advanced language skills were further categorized into the following:
i.    Literary skills
ii.    Study skills
iii.    Communication skills
Dr. Tabitha dealt with the Emerging Trends and Research in ELT. This included:

Trends	Significance/Applications
Networking	Special Interest Groups (SIG), support groups, discussion/chat room
Method eclecticism/Anti method era	Elements of various methods to find those practices which best support effective learning. No method has been a panacea for all the problems/issues in ELT
Strategopedia	Learners learn how to learn
Student centredness	Language teachers play the role of facilitators in the classroom, not authorities
Reflective Practice/Action research	Systematic curiosity about going beyond the edges of what is already known, and to find out how things could be done differently or better
Rethinking aim	An approach to language education that aims at fostering a sense of social responsibility in students
Grammar Process vs product	Grammar lessons are no longer about knowing the Language system (declarative knowledge) but also knowing how to use language (procedural language)
Updating	Academic qualifications once acquired are not enough for teachers to teach language effectively forever
Locally produced materials	To suit the learner’s roots, culture and values
Gap - Theory v/s Practice	Everyday teaching may not always follow trends

During Session IV, the class was divided into eight groups. Each group was asked to sit in closely formed circles and know each other by their short names. Prof. Raju handed a copy of the picture below to each group and asked them to decide, as a group, on the medium and mode of writing they would prefer to express their views about the picture.

The choices varied from short stories to journalistic reports, autobiography to book cover, poems to police reports. At the end of the session, the students were asked to assess the objective behind such an activity, to which they answered:

•     communication skills
•     team work in heterogeneous groups
•     ideation, adherence to time limit
•    application of the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing (LSRW)

And indeed, just like Prof. Rajagopal had promised at the beginning of the workshop, the students were “all over the place” as opposed to the normal linear manner of class setting!