David McKeegan | ELT Materials Development

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Experience

Materials Writing

Most teachers are also materials writers, as preparing a lesson often involves producing original exercises, tasks and activities. In that sense, I started writing when I prepared my first lesson, back in 1987. However, it was not until I moved to Athens in 1991 to work at Express Publishing that I started getting paid specifically to produce teaching materials. In 1995 I moved back to England and turned freelance. Please refer to my Publications Page to see what I have been doing since then.

Teaching

Two years at a private language school in Oporto, three at Pagoulatou-Vlachou in Greece, a couple of summer seasons here at the local technical college, I have experience of teaching a wide variety of ages at all levels from beginner through to Proficiency and EAP.

Philosophy

As far as methodology is concerned, I take a pragmatic approach. While the ongoing debates over communication v. grammar, tasks v. exercises, lexical v. grammatical, student-centred v teacher-centred, product v. process, etc, are interesting and important, I believe that different students suit different approaches, and also that teachers cannot be steamrollered into using techniques which they are not comfortable with.

That is not to say that traditionally-minded teachers cannot be gently nudged in the direction of more progressive methodologies. But it is important to recognise that the market dictates the materials, and quality market research is essential to the success of any project. It is my role to provide an appropriately targeted product, whether that takes the form of an old-fashioned grammar/translation coursebook, or a task-based, lexically-driven learning experience.

Education

RSA Cert TEFLA, Grade B (Leeds Metropolitan University); BA (Hons) English Studies (Manchester Metropolitan University); 2 GCE A Levels, English and French; 9 GCE O Levels

Languages:

French (fluent)
Spanish (functional)
Portuguese (functional)
Greek (functional)

General Interests

I am a keen badminton player with an enthusiasm-to-ability ratio of about two to one, though what is lacking in finesse is counterbalanced by naked aggression. I play chess in much the same way, but less successfully.

Cryptic crosswords were, until a few years ago, of an interest that bordered on obsession, and I had a few published. Nowadays, however, I find the presence of two young children in the house to be sufficiently mind-bending, and the 15X15 grid at the back of the newspaper has been relegated to the position of occasional diversion.

I am a great believer in the power of the internet as a force for Good, as well as a source of time-wasting, and I enjoy dabbling in the murky world of HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It makes me feel part of the revolution.