Mónica Aguilar is a teacher trainer working for Instituto Guatemalteco Americano IGA, where she currently leads the Teacher Training Course, a professionalization program for English teachers. She has a background in sociology and holds national and international teaching certificates. Mónica has over a decade of experience as an ELT teacher and more than 5 years of experience in teacher training and coordinating educational programs. Her main areas of interest are identity, culture, language acquisition and how they impact learners and educators in varying contexts.

A Century of ELT: Reflective Insights for Modern Educators

The one language that unites us as educators is English, the world’s lingua franca. Its status as such began consolidating in the early 20th century, and as the demand for English speakers grew, the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) emerged. This session invites participants to explore the evolution of ELT over the past century.

The key milestones and influential approaches in the field will be examined under the light of the three phases proposed by Dr. B. Kumaravadivelu: the traditional methods phase, the modern approach phase, and the post-method phase. In essence, the field has moved beyond traditional instruction that focuses only on the form of language, and a need for embracing cultural and contextual understanding has set a new standard, enabling learners to develop a more nuanced and functional use of English.

As these phases are revisited, their relevance in today’s world will be assessed. The session will also address the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in ELT, recognizing that we are experiencing history in the making, particularly in the area of teaching and learning.

The goal of the session will be to analyze what has made different approaches successful and to identify principles that will help us continue progressing. Importantly, these lessons will be thought of within the context of Guatemala. As a developing country, we face unique challenges, and not all the strategies or methodologies used elsewhere can be directly implemented here. However, by learning, reflecting, and making thoughtful adaptations, we can ensure that our students also benefit from these global advancements.