1. Building foundations

1.1 Why history? (1): Personal motivations

Blog post: 'Why History of ELT? An autobiographical view' (Richard Smith)

'Harold E. Palmer, IRLT and "historical sense" in ELT',Link opens in a new window by Richard Smith (2013). IRLT Journal 12: 1-8 (Journal of the Institute for Research in Language Teaching, Tokyo: Special issue to celebrate the Institute's 90th anniversary).

'An investigation into the roots of ELT, with a particular focus on the career and legacy of Harold E. Palmer (1877–1949)'. PhD thesis by Richard Smith (2004), Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, University of Edinburgh.

1.2 Why history? (2): Preliminary arguments

Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching by H.H. Stern (1983). Oxford University Press. (1983).

TESOL Techniques and Procedures by J. Donald Bowen, Harold Madsen and Ann Hilferty. (1985). Newbury House.

‘A matter of time’ by Alan Maley (2001). English Teaching Professional 18: 5–9.

1.3 Laying foundations (1): From Edinburgh to the Warwick ELT Archive

A History of English Language Teaching by A.P.R. Howatt. Published by Oxford University Press in 1984 / 2004 (2nd edition, with H.G. Widdowson).

4 sets (22 volumes in total) of reissued works with Routledge, on the late 19th-century Reform Movement (2000, 5 volumes), 19th-century innovators (2002), both sets co-edited by A.P.R. Howatt and Richard Smith; and on 'Pioneers of ELT' (2003, 5 volumes) and 'Foundations of ELT'Link opens in a new window (2005, 6 volumes), edited by Richard Smith.

The Warwick ELT Archive websiteLink opens in a new window

1.4 Laying foundations (2): Establishing an ELT (UK) 'tradition'

'The origins of ELT Journal'Link opens in a new window (OUP website, 2007) & 'A brief history of ELT Journal'Link opens in a new window (ELT Journal 75/1: 4–13), by Richard Smith

'The history of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, from a British and European perspective'Link opens in a new window, by A.P.R. Howatt and Richard Smith (2014). Language and History 57/1: 75-95.

A History of IATEFL: The First 50 Years of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, by Shelagh Rixon and Richard Smith). Faversham: IATEFL.

1.5 Laying foundations (3): HELT as part of HoLLT

Special issue of Language & History (57/1) on 'History of Modern Language Education in Europe'Link opens in a new window, co-edited by Nicola McLelland and Richard Smith (2014).

Special issue of The Language Learning Journal (46/1) on 'Histories of language learning and teaching in Europe', co-edited by Richard Smith and Nicola McLelland (2018).

The History of Language Learning and Teaching, 3 volumes (Vol. I: 16th-18th Century Europe Vol. II: 19th-20th Century Europe; Vol. III: Across Cultures), co-edited by Nicola McLelland and Richard Smith (2018). Legenda (for the Modern Humanities Research Association).

HoLLTnet: AILA Research Network on History of Language Learning and Teaching (website)

2. What is needed now

2.1 Mainstreaming history (1): Building HELT and Histories of English Language Education (in particular contexts) 'in their own right'

HELE in Japan-

'Lessons from the past: traditions and reforms'Link opens in a new windowby Richard Smith, with Imura Motomichi (2004). In Makarova, V. and T. Rodgers (eds.)English Language Teaching: The Case of Japan. Munich: Lincom Europa.

HELE in Germany-

e.g. Klippel, Friederike. (1994)Englischlernen im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert: Die Geschichte der Lehrbücher und Unterrichtsmethoden. Münster: Nodus.

See also Giesler, Tim (2019) 'Munich works: German perspectives on the history of language learning and teaching'.Language & History62/3: 265-269.

HELE in India-

Language Policy and Education in India: Documents, Contexts and Debates, co-edited by M. Sridhar and Sunita Mishra (2017). Abingdon: Routledge.

HELE-India research group: contact Prof. Amol Padwad, Centre for English Language Education, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Delhi.

HELE in Bangladesh-

Webinar series (27 May-10 June 2023): 'Appropriate methodology for Bangladesh and elsewhere: How appropriate are Michael West's ideas today?'Link opens in a new window

Organized by Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association (BELTA) in association with the A.S. Hornby Educational Trust and the Warwick ELT Archive.

Video of Webinar 1Link opens in a new window

2.2 Mainstreaming history (2): Towards stronger arguments

'Unpackaging the past: 'CLT' through ELTJ keywords', by Duncan Hunter and Richard Smith (2012). ELT Journal 66/4: 430-439.

Countering the dominance of 'method mythologies', e.g.:

Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2013). Techniques and principles in language teaching (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Harmer, J. (2014). The practice of English language teaching (5th ed.). Pearson.

2.3 History as critique (1): Countering scientism and coloniality through history

Keynote paper on 'The role of historiography in decentring ELT' by Richard Smith (2018). ELTAI National Seminar on 'English Language Education: Theory and Practice', University of Hyderabad, India.

2.4 History as critique (2): Engaging in grounded history (focusing on contexts and practice)

Policies and Practice in Language Learning and Teaching: 20th-Century Historical Perspectives co-edited by S. Doff and R. Smith (2022). Amsterdam University Press. Introduction: 'Valorizing practice in twentieth-century language learning and teaching' (pre-publication version), pp. 11–21.

Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: Historical Perspectives co-edited by Richard Smith and Tim Giesler (2023). Benjamins

2.5 History as critique (3): Focus on neglected voices

'HERstory of ELT: There are hordes of us but less loudly sung'.Link opens in a new window Blog post by Richard Smith (2021).

Women in the History of Language Learning and Teaching, co-edited by Sabine Doff, Giovanni Iamartino and Rachel Mairs, forthcoming). Amsterdam University Press.

3. Developing resources and activities for teacher education

Language Teaching: Learning from the PastLink opens in a new window (2021) – ​video-based materials, from a University of Nottingham / King's College London project supported by HoLLT.net and other partners.

Programme: Congrès International inter-associations - Histoire de l’Enseignement des Langues International / Inter-association Conference - History of Language Teaching: Enseignant.e.s de langues, méthodologies et formation dans une perspective historique / Language teachers, methodologies and teacher training in historical perspective - Universidade do Algarve, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais | campus de Gambelas, 28-30 junho 2023

HELT = History of English Language Teaching [ELT is conceived of here as supposedly 'global' ELT, as promoted from the UK]

HELE = History/ies of English Language Education [conceived of here as varying according to (e.g. national) educational contexts and requirements]

HoLLT = History of Language Learning and Teaching

IRLT = Institute for Research in Language Teaching (Tokyo), successor to IRET (Institute for Research in English Teaching)

For more information, see Prof. Smith's homepage

To get in touch: R.C.Smith@warwick.ac.uk