LAHORE, Sept 17: A confluence of English language practitioners from various parts of the world got an opportunity to share ideas and put forward proposals to improve their knowledge and understanding of the discipline.

The get-together was a part of initiatives the Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) had taken over the years for the development of teachers across the country. The three-day annual conference, which featured a blend of plenary and interactive sessions covering a wide range of topics, would conclude at a local institution on Sunday (today).

Change, said Teachers’ Development Centre director Abbas Husain, was vital for today’s academics to ensure intellectual enrichment and improve their language skills.

“It’s high time that the teachers realize the importance of doing away with conventional methodologies and slavish imitations. Only this approach can help expand their horizon,” he advised.

He believed that exposure to culture, promotion of creativity and understanding the concept of learning to learn could launch aspirants towards achieving the highest standards in English.

“Today English is truly recognized as a lingua franca, as more than eighty per cent of the world publications are in that language,” he said.

Underscoring the growing need for reflection (critical assessment and thought-sharing) for teachers, other facilitators suggested diarising daily experiences and writing an autobiography as gainful exercises.

Besides the event’s theme of “Teaching Learning, Learning Teaching”, issues like classroom management, innovative evaluation and teaching the apparatus of grammar also came under discussion.

Speaking at the inaugural session earlier, British Council director Dr Iftikhar Elahi gave a word about several educational and language programmes the organization had collaborated with seats of higher learning.

Referring to complaints about the British Council’s disappearance from the scene, he said: “Though we have closed our buildings (for security reasons), the council’s virtual contact (through website) with the people has proved all the more helpful.” —SALMAN KHAN