the round takes shape

This is a post we’ve really been looking forward to writing. It’s the one where we reveal the projects that are already taking shape in the round.

As soon as we got the idea for a publishing project, we started talking to people about book ideas – and people started talking to us. It’s fascinating to see the first fruits of those conversations, because what we’re sharing today isn’t the result of a masterplan. It’s just how things shaped up.

And it’s interesting to see what kind of pattern is emerging: one that features activity books, methodology and teacher development books and – reflecting the impact of technology in our field – how-to guides.

Because it’s still early days, this blog post is as much about the authors as the titles. And we asked everyone who’s working on a project for us to answer the same question: ‘Can you tell us what your project is about?’

Here (in alphabetical order) is what they said.

Author: Mark Andrews

Project: Teacher development book based on the blog, ‘Classrooms on the Danube’

Mark says: ‘Exciting ideas are born through the cross-fertilisation of ideas from different disciplines. This is what characterised Viennese coffee houses at end of the 19^th century, and the project I’m working on is to place ELT within a wider cultural context. I believe that connecting ELT with literature, architecture, painting, science and design can deepen our understanding of teaching and provide a fresh perspective on classrooom life.’

Author: Mike Harrison

Project: Activity book with sound effects

Mike says: ‘It’s a collection of activities based on and using sound effects in the class. I think sound is such a powerful resource, yet it doesn’t seem to me something that is exploited to the full. I want to put sound at the teacher’s fingertips so they can use it in their classroom.’

Author: Nicky Hockly

Project: Guide to running Webinars

Nicky says: ‘My project is about how to run great webinars and online classes, using text chat and video conferencing tools. In essence, it’s about how not to bore your audience or students to death!’

Authors: Özge Karaoglu and Jennifer Verschoor

Project: Guide to using web tools with young learners

Özge and Jennifer say: ‘What tools should a teacher of young learners know before graduating from a teacher training college? This is the question that we asked ourselves after years of using web-based tools with our students. With this project, we aim to give a jump-start to teachers of young learners who are eager to start integrating technology in their lessons and explore different web tools to foster creativity and innovation in and out of the classrooms.’

Author: Shelly Terrell

Project: Guide to leveraging social media in education

Shelly says: ‘Social networks are a powerful way for educators to connect and collaborate with parents, learners, the media, administrators and other educational stakeholders to transform education worldwide. However, many educators do not have training in PR, marketing, and presenting. This project is a guide for educators that will support them in creating positive digital footprints and help them use social media tools to spread messages effectively to a wider audience.’

Author: Scott Thornbury

Project: Teacher development / methodology book based on the blog, ‘An A-Z of ELT’

Scott says: ‘For over a year now I’ve been blogging regularly on subjects related to ELT – often with a strong dogme subtext. With nearly 100 postings notched up, plus a wealth of amazing ‘conversations’ that they’ve triggered, I’d like to synthesise some of the reflections that have been generated by this experience into a series of questions on key issues on second language teaching. It’s the book of the blog, really.’

Author: George Woolard

Project: Methodology book that goes beyond the lexical approach

George says: ‘The approach I describe in this book stays true to the spirit of a lexical approach – meaning still drives learning – but it proposes a change from a word focus to a message focus. I want to look at ways of streamlining learning, making it simpler and more efficient. I’ll also be suggesting changes to current coursebook design and lesson structure – and making a case for the constructive reintroduction of some forms of translation into the ELT classroom.’

We hope you’re as excited about that line-up as we are, and that there’s at least one title you can’t wait to read.

We aren’t setting publication dates for these projects just yet, but the fact that we’re sharing them here means that we can look forward to reading and experiencing them in 2012.

The next stage in the process is when a project moves onto our ‘Labs’ page, where you’ll be able to find out more, and even look at sample pages ahead of publication.

Our first book will be appearing there in a week’s time: it’s called 52, and it’s being written by the round founders.

Authors: Lindsay Clandfield and Luke Meddings

Project: a book of critical, subversive and unconventional activity for language teachers

Lindsay and Luke say: ‘Our book features 52 activities that use minimal stimulus and require little preparation – but which encourage learners and teachers to think critically about the world around them while improving their language skills. We’ve drawn on several other activist fields of education in putting this together, from anti-racism and peace workshops to the kinds of educational activity going on around the Occupy Wall Street initiatives.’

But more of that in our next post!