The annual ELTons, a ceremony created and hosted by the British Council to celebrate innovation in the design and delivery of English language teaching, once again put the ELT industry on a world stage this week; helped by a live feed so that viewers around the world could also watch the ceremony.
Since last year, UK and international ELT professionals have competed alongside each other in the same categories – in recognition of the increased mobility and globalisation in the sector.
And in a nod to the evolution of the profession of English language teaching and the origins of specialised teacher training for ELT, the Lifetime Achievement award went to Brita Haycraft, co-founder of International House.
Brita Haycraft accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award
In a moving introduction given by renowned ELT writer Liz Soars, she noted that so many of the professionals working in the sector have had some connection with International House; set up by John and Brita Haycraft, IH is now a global brand and was the pioneer of TEFL as a profession.
When presenter Anna Searle of the British Council who in the room had not had some contact with IH and its teacher training programmes, there were relatively few hands in the air.
Other awards were in five categories: Excellence in Course Innovation, Innovation in Learner Resources, Innovation in Teacher Resources, Digital Innovation, and Local Innovation, as well as The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing.
And the winners were:
The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing:
CLIL-Biology Towards IGCSE: Content and Language Integrated Learning towards International Science standards – Y.L. Teresa Ting
Excellence in Course Innovation:Hooray! Let’s play! – Helbling Languages
Innovation in Learner Resources:
DVD Readers – Mary Glasgow Scholastic
Innovation in Teacher Resources:
Film English – Kieran Donaghy
Digital Innovation:
Cool Speech: Hot Listening, Cool Pronunciation – Speech in Action/Firsty Group
Local Innovation:
English in Action: Teaching and Learning Programme – English in Action, Bangladesh.
