Tag: complex systems theory
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How can complexity inform ELT? (Video by Diane Larsen-Freeman)
Yesterday, I blogged about this symposium that aims to explore the ‘connectivities’ of English Language Teaching (ELT), i.e, how ELT bridges languages, cultures and disciplinary boundaries. The more I think of the symposium topic, the more interesting it seems; but at the same time, I am becoming increasingly conscious that ELT theory has perhaps failed…
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Tissue rejection in language education
Tissue rejection is a metaphor that helps explain why innovations in language education sometimes fail. Originally used by Holliday in the 1990s, it describes the way new methods are resisted when they do not align with the ecology of classrooms. This post revisits the metaphor to explore its relevance for AI, psychology, and teacher development…
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Intentional Dynamics in TESOL: An Ecological Perspective
The article “Intentional Dynamics in TESOL: An Ecological Perspective” describes intentionality in language education, offering a new way to define language education systems and providing a common theoretical frame for descriptions ranging from individual learners to nation-wide systems.
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Manchester Roundtable on Complexity Theory and ELT
About this post: This is a post advertising a workshop that took place in 2015. The information is no longer current, but I am keeping it here for archival reasons. You can read more about the Manchester Roundtable by visiting our website. You may also want to read about the TESOL Journal article that came…
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Complexity in ELT: What it is and what it isn’t
A definition of Complex Systems Theory, as used in language education and applied linguistics.
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How many components must a complex system have?
Dispelling the notion that a Complex System must have many components.
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Upcoming complexity MOOCs
A collection of MOOCs about Complex Systems Theory.
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BAAL LLT 2014: An overview
This is a long-overdue post about the BAAL Language Learning and Teaching conference, which I promised a week ago. It’s hard to do credit to such an intellectually stimulating conference in a single blog post, let alone one that I had to write in the midst of copy-editing my thesis for submission, so I’ll just…
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Tracing dynamics of intentions in Greek ELT
In 2014, I presented a paper in Leeds, talking about ‘dynamics of intentions in Greek ELT’. This eventually evolved in a theory of intentionality, as a core aspect of CDST in language education.