This is the latest of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, Mira Bekar introduces her talk. For more details about the event, click here. When I heard about the ELTAM−MaWSIG conference on materials design, I was excited – at that time […]
This is the latest in our series of previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, Elena Ončevska Ager discusses film as an inspiration for materials writing. For more details about the event, click here. In this talk I will discuss the process of […]
This is the next of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, Margarita Kosior and Despoina Sarantidou introduce their talk. For more details about the event, click here. According to the Global Slavery Index 2016 report, 45.8 million people are enslaved in […]
This is the second of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, MaWSIG Coordinator Rachael Roberts introduces her talk. For more details about the event, click here. You’ve probably all heard of Generation X, Y and Z? But what about Generation V, […]
This is the first of several previews of talks to be given at the upcoming ELTAM−MaWSIG conference in Skopje, Macedonia, on 30 September, 2017. Here, MaWSIG Publications Coordinator James Styring talks to author John Hughes talks about his presentation. For more details about the event, click here. Like many teachers, John learned to write classroom […]
Here, Katherine Bilsborough offers new insights on a theme she first discussed on the MaWSIG blog last autumn – the topic of principles for materials writers. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Since writing a blog post called ‘Emerging principles […]
Our latest blog post is by Chris Mares, who shares his experiences writing short stories for use in class. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Throughout my career I have always found there to be a dearth of short, engaging reading material that speaks […]
In the previous blog post, MaWSIG interviewed Jane Spiro about training teachers on the Oxford Brookes MA module in materials development. In this follow-up post, we hear from two teachers who took the course. They talk about their experiences of learning to write materials with extracts from their final materials. Yolanda Hartshorne was an online […]
In this post, John Hughes meets Jane Spiro, a lecturer on the MA TESOL at Oxford Brookes University and TESOL programme leader until 2016. John interviews her about the new module in ELT Materials Development. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Writing materials […]
In this post, Nik Peachey introduces his upcoming webinar with MaWSIG. I had been thinking about writing a book for years. A few times I put together proposals for books and expectantly sent them off to publishers, only to be disappointed. Even more times I started to write my book and then just lost momentum […]
This week’s blog post is the second in our series of posts based on talks given at the MaWSIG PCE in Glasgow. Here, Penny Hands shares the results of her research into the relationship between authors and editors. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like […]
The 2017 MaWSIG Pre-Conference Event was held in Glasgow on 3 April. This post, by Daniel Barber, is the first write-up of several talks given in the PCE. Here, Dan talks about the process of writing and describes his experience of working with a coach to increase his productivity. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts […]
Blog posts by the MaWSIG Pre-Conference Event speakers will be appearing on our site in May, but for those of you who weren’t able to attend the April 2017 PCE, this post by MaWSIG member Sandy Millin is a brilliant recap of the day’s talks.
Our latest blog post is by Richard MacAndrew, who urges readers not to lose hope if a project takes a while to find a publisher. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Seventeen years ago I started writing graded readers. At the very […]
Rhiannon Sarah Ball describes her approach to writing materials for NGOs. At a time when ELT is dominated by learning technologies, solutions, outcomes and meta-tables, it’s easy to forget that sometimes education can’t be measured. Working with ELT in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is harder to quantify, but it is no less impactful. However, finding suitable materials […]
Following last week’s blog post on Writing to promote gender equality, we turn our attention this week specifically to writing Business English materials. Claire Hart shares her experiences working with Business English materials and outlines the shortcomings she found. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to […]
This blog post is the first of two pieces on the topic of gender equality in materials writing. Here, Emily Hird discusses the need for awareness of gender issues in materials writing and gives some advice to writers. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write […]
Our latest blog post is a piece by Clare Maas, in which she describes the MaWSIG Meetup she hosted in Trier, Germany. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Please also contact us if you are interested in hosting a Meetup in your […]
This post is an abridged version of an article by Peter Viney. It first appeared in Modern English Teacher in July 2006 and was subsequently posted on Peter’s own website. It was a reply to an article in MET by Neil McBeath, ‘How to Write Really Rotten Materials’, in which Neil complained about the process […]
The online event on 18th February at 1600 GMT is a chance for you to ask a panel your materials development questions. You can add your questions here. Here are details of the four panelists: Vanessa Reis Esteves Vanessa Reis Esteves has been teaching EFL in Portugal for the past 20 years and has been involved […]
To find out more about the panelists and how to put your questions to them, click here.
We’re pleased to announce the speakers and sessions for our pre-conference event in Glasgow in April. You can register for the PCE and conference here: http://conference.iatefl.org/my_conference.html Nuts and bolts: practical considerations for the ELT materials professional 10.00 Introduction and Opening Daniel Barber: How to become a lean, mean writing machine I wasn’t always such a staggeringly prolific […]
Members will be receiving a copy of our annual eBook compendium in the next few weeks. It brings together 2016’s guest blogs from this website in one smart volume. So you know what to expect, here’s an extract from the foreword to the book by James Styring, our Publications Coordinator. In 2016, the blog featured […]
We are excited to announce our line-up for the IATEFL Conference PCE on 3 April 2017: Nuts and bolts: practical considerations for the ELT materials professional. Writer and editor Penny Hands delves deep into the author−editor relationship. Chris Lonsdale, Reader in Procurement and Supply Management at Birmingham University Business School, spills the beans on negotiation […]
In this final post of 2016, Tania Pattison reflects on her year as a freelance ELT writer and editor and looks ahead to 2017. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. For those of us who are freelance ELT writers and […]
Whether you missed the MaWSIG strand at BESIG Munich conference, or you want to relive every moment once again, MaWSIG’s events co-ordinator Rachel Daw has compiled every tweet here for you to enjoy: https://storify.com/racheldaw18/mawsig-at-besig-4th-6th-november-2016
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here until the Conference. John Hughes is speaking at the BESIG Munich conference on Saturday 5 November at 10.45. The […]
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here until the Conference. Christina Rebuffet-Broadus is speaking at the BESIG Munich conference on Sunday 6th at 9.30. YouTube is […]
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here over the next three weeks. Mandy Welfare and Dale Coulter are speaking on Sunday, 6th November at 10.45am. […]
In preparation for the MaWSIG strand of talks at the next BESIG conference (click here for full details and registration), we’ve invited each of the speakers to give us a preview of their session. These previews will be appearing here over the next three weeks. Jeremy Day is speaking on Saturday November 5th at 3.15pm. My talk at this […]
In this post, Katherine Bilsborough discusses the need for principles in materials writing and outlines some of her own principles and those of others. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Put your hand up if you write ELT materials, either […]
This post is by Genevieve White, who describes her experience writing a Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, for the British Council. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Since setting out as an ELT materials writer, I’ve worked on a […]
In this post, Canada-based writer Tania Pattison describes her experiences writing an EAP coursebook for a specific regional market. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Three years ago I received the welcome news that a coursebook I had proposed to […]
This month Kathryn Aldridge-Morris outlines the specific language-learning needs of refugees and asylum seekers. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. Around June, online ESOL forums start buzzing with requests for advice about teaching materials for September, and the same frustrations […]
MaWSIG is planning to publish an annual peer-reviewed academic journal entitled ELT Materials Review. The journal will seek to publish fair, well-researched, pedagogically informed reviews of English Language Teaching materials and empirical or theoretical articles on the development and implementation of educational materials. We are looking for volunteers to join an Advisory Board of teachers […]
In this post, Moundir Al Amrani, a writer from Morocco and OUP/MaWSIG scholarship winner, shares his thoughts about getting started in materials writing. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. As a novice ELT materials writer who has experienced confusion about […]
This month’s post is by Phil Bird, who imagines the perfect authoring tool for digital content. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us. An authoring tool wishlist It takes a skilful writer to produce great digital content (to find out more […]
This month Fiona Mauchline looks at writing for teenagers and the topics they prefer. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us.
This month we’re pleased to publish a second guest post from John Hughes, who looks at ways to help teachers to use your materials. The MaWSIG blog features guest posts by members – please get in touch if you would like to write for us.
This year’s BESIG Conference in Munich, Germany, will include a MaWSIG thread. Thank you for all the proposals we have received.
