| EDITORIAL |
| The articles in this issue of novELTy are not linked thematically,
but each of them can be characterised by the author's concern for professionals
or professionalism. Professionalism, that is, "great skills and high standards"
(Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary p.1146) is what all teachers
strive for both when working with their students and when developing themselves.
The authors of the research articles in this issue look at three aspects
of professionalism in EFL.
In our feature article Kiszely Zoltán compares the writing of professionals, that is, journalists of English and Hungarian quality periodicals. Those who have ever taught Hungarian learners to write in `the English way' know how difficult it can be. Kiszely analyses the differences between English and Hungarian texts on the same topics so that he can draw conclusions applicable when teaching professional writing for advanced EFL students. A new voice from the private sector comes to you from a language school that has always prided itself on professionalism in the best sense of the word. Vanja Smoje Glavaski looks at mentoring and supervision as a means of teacher development, team building and quality assurance. Make sure to check out the appendices for useful forms and charts. The topic of `Student research' presented in this issue could not be any more relevant to novELTy and its readers: its novELTy itself! About a year ago Gaálné Vörös Judit decided that for her MA thesis she would examine the content and style of novELTy and would survey EFL professionals about their reading habits and their opinion of the journal. She was particularly interested in "what the audience think of the journal and to what extent they perceive it as a relevant and teacher friendly publication addressed to a largely non-academic audience" (novELTy 9 (2), p. 89). Now we are pleased to make her results public and are grateful to her for soliciting useful feedback. Our international contributors enrich the My Classroom section this time. Violeta Janulevièienë and Galina Kavaliauskienë from Vilnius describe a writing-reading-writing sequence that they successfully apply in skills development classes with Lithuanian students of English. The suggested procedure is easy to use in any ESP or general English course, and many teachers will like its naturally learner-centred approach. The Book Reviews offer something for theoreticians and practitioners alike. The publications introduced in this section comprise research on young learners, a grammar of spoken English, an edited volume of studies on ESP, and a course book for exam preparation. Those of our readers who are interested in some recent publications should turn to page 79 for a brand new list of complimentary copies of books to be reviewed. Colleagues not attending the Brighton IATEFL Conference might regret it when reading Szabó Valéria's account, however, it is not too late to apply to IATEFL-H for a grant to get you to next year's conference in the beautiful city of York. The testing course Benke Eszter reports on perhaps was less fun than the IATEFL Conference, but if the idea of finding out how to do your own statistics wets your appetite, she knows just the place to go to. As usual, we close the issue with information from IATEFL-H and the British Council on a number of exciting events, workshops and upcoming conferences. Please do not skip the Bulletin Board which has a very important posting this time. We are looking forward to receiving new and revised submissions for Vol. 9, and if you are hesitant and have questions, queries or doubts, please come and meet us at the "Meet the Editors" session at IATEFL-H, Nyiregyháza. Looking forward to meeting you in person: Edit H. Kontra and Kormos Judit Editors |