KARACHI, Nov 2: The 23rd Annual SPELT (The Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers) Travelling Conference opened on Friday to a sizeable audience of teachers gathered at Habib Public School from across Pakistan and abroad.

The three-day conference, a forum for debate on teaching theories and practices in the classroom, will include papers, presentations and workshops covering themes of classroom practices, learner-centered approach, research in language teaching/learning and the relationship between language teaching and learning.

The UK Deputy High Commissioner, Hamish St Clair Daniel, who was the chief guest, said teachers needed to be armed with the latest teaching tools and techniques in the rapidly changing world. “This is possible only if teachers are made aware of the ongoing ELT research and innovations worldwide,” he said. The networking and sharing of ideas with teachers from around the globe was made possible through the SPELT conference, he said, and expressed hope that it would provide excellent opportunities to the participants for their professional growth.

In her presentation on Books cross borders, Jane Hoelker of the Qatar University, Doha, who was the keynote speaker of the day, said multicultural literature could expand learners’ understanding of a language and culture, thus opening new vistas. She highlighted the importance of reading, saying that this helped learners to expand their pool of vocabulary, enjoy mastery of structure and command of formulaic expressions.

“A further benefit of multicultural literature is that it is frequently through multicultural books that young readers discover the common ground shared across borders such as the concern for pets, the environment or issues of morality,” she added.

She said a reader could become more open to exploring differences and others’ perspective once the shared value was recognized and perhaps he moved beyond tolerance to an anticipation and enjoyment of diversity.

Wing Commander (retired) Qazi M. Saleem, the principal of Habib Public School, said his school sought to provide the best education, not only to its students but also to the faculty, in terms of building skills and providing academic resources to further streamline the educational process.

“This has been one of the primary driving forces behind such activities at the school on a regular basis,” he said, while referring to the conference which will continue till Nov 4.

Conference Coordinator Huma M. Thaver, Programme Coordinator Khalida Sa’adat and Oxford University Press Managing Director Ameena Saiyid also spoke.