Webinar on Fostering Common Sense in ELT: A Way Forward

Organizer: English Language Teachers' Association of India (ELTAI) 

About the Webinar

• When: 24 M 2026 (Sunday) at 4.30 PM IST
• Platform: Google Meet
• Free Registration
• E-Certificates will be issued only to School, UG, and PG Students, ELTAI Members, and Foreign Nationals

Speaker: Prof. Rob Waring, Thammasat University, Thailand

Host: Dr. Saradha Devi, Assistant Professor, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Chennai

Moderator: Dr. Aghil Komban, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Cultural Studies, Christ Deemed to be University, Bengaluru

ELT has adopted many methods, yet no single method ensures long-term success. In many contexts, the textbook has become the curriculum, giving learners too little meaningful input, practice, recycling, and consolidation. This may explain why many students study English for years but still struggle to communicate. This talk argues for a return to common sense principles of language learning, grounded in research and classroom reality. It introduces seven key principles needed for proficiency, highlights the role of extensive reading, and shows how an intensive vocabulary course paired with extensive reading can provide the depth, recycling, and scaffolding often missing in EFL programs.