Dr Willy A Renandya
NIE-NTU, SUSS and RELC, Singapore
Dr Willy A Renandya is a language teacher educator with extensive teaching experience in Asia. He currently teaches language education courses in Singapore, including at NIE-NTU, SUSS and RELC. He is also a visiting professor at Chulalongkorn University and Wuhan University. He has given numerous keynote presentations at international ELT conferences, including AsiaTEFL, IATEFL, KOTESOL, SEAMEO RELC and ThaiTESOL. He has published extensively in the area of second language education and second language acquisition. His publications include Language Teaching Methodology: An anthology of current practice (2002, Cambridge University Press) and Student-centred cooperative learning(2019, Springer International). He maintains a large teacher professional development forum called Teacher Voices:https://www.facebook.com/groups/teachervoices/.
Pedagogy First, Technology Second: Fostering Proficiency in ELT
Technology is now a common feature in language classrooms, from mobile apps to virtual and augmented reality tools. While it offers clear benefits in areas like pronunciation and increased language use, its overall impact on language proficiency remains unclear. Some studies report strong gains in vocabulary, writing, and speaking, but closer analysis often reveals weak research designs. For example, improvements seen in AI-supported tasks, Wiki-based writing, AR-supported speaking tasks (as reported in recent meta-analysis studies) are often due to collaborative learning or interactive practice, not the technology itself. This presentation argues that the use of technology must be guided by key ELT principles such as meaningful input and output, fluency practice, learner engagement, form-focused instruction and a commitment to prolonged language practice. Without grounding in these core ELT principles, technology alone is unlikely to lead to significant or lasting language learning gains.