| Q: | What do you enjoy most about writing? |
| A: | The chance to come up with a creative and appealing solution to a specific problem, such as writing a low-level listening or speaking text. It is also wonderful to have the resources of a publisher like Oxford behind me, which helps me shape the texts to the best possible standard of design, production, and pedagogy. |
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| Q: | What research projects are you currently involved in? |
| A: |
While I was at the University of Auckland from 1996 to 1997, I completed two research projects, one a needs analysis of international students at the University of Auckland, and the second a study of beliefs about foreign language learning held by New Zealand students. I hope to be able to get involved with some new research projects when I am in Singapore. |
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| Q: | What do you enjoy most about your job as a teacher trainer? |
| A: | Helping teachers with their own professional development. |
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| Q: | What advice can you give to new teachers? |
| A: |
Get involved with the ESL/EFL profession through joining a professional organization in your area. Attend conferences and workshops and discover the diversity of options available in language teaching. |
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| Q: | Springboardbegan with very intense classroom research. What did you find most challenging about the research process? |
| A: |
Trying to identify what teachers and students really wanted from a conversation text. |
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| Q: | Do you have a favorite Springboardunit? |
| A: |
Unit 6: Dating in Springboard 1is one of my favorites. The activities are fun and it allows for lots of interesting information sharing. |
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| Q: | What did you enjoy most about writing Springboard? |
| A: |
Finding novel ways of dealing with familiar topics. Taking familiar themes and developing interesting activities around them. |
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| Q: | Many people predict that the Internet will contribute to the status of English as a World Language. Some predict that English will see some changes in grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary due to wide use among non-native speakers. Please comment. |
| A: |
English seems to be the lingua franca for Internet communication worldwide. There is already evidence that an informal written code of communication is preferred when Internet users communicate, one in which there is little concern for grammatical accuracy. More research is needed on the long term implications of this, if any. |
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| Q: | Please comment on the current use of the Internet in English Language Teaching. |
| A: |
We are really only at the beginning stages in using the Internet for
language teaching. It will take some time for the potential of the medium to be well understood and well exploited. We need good documentation and description of the extent of its use and the ways it is being used by teachers and students. |
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| Q: | You spend about twelve weeks a year traveling. With so much time traveling, how do you manage to be so prolific? |
| A: |
I'll have concentrated periods of writing, during which I manage to get quite a lot done, and other periods when I write very little. I am usually working on several different projects at the same time, completing perhaps just one new one a year. Generally, travel and writing occupy the first six months of a year and teaching the latter six. |
Jack C. Richards