English tips from Oxford

“My visit coincides with the centenary of Oxford University Press India. I’ve spent the day in Kolkata conducting a workshop for 50 teachers of English on Dictionaries in the Classroom: Past,Present and Future and I covered topics such as What Makes a Dictionary Special,and shared ideas for ways that a dictionary can be used in the classroom in order to promote independent learning,help students avoid mistakes,increase vocabulary and improve writing skills,” said Joanna.

She has been working at OUP since 1998,dealing mainly with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. The eighth edition of the dictionary,published in 2010,was the focus of the workshop.

The workshop demonstrated how a dictionary can be used as an effective classroom tool,especially to help improve students’ writing skills. “We looked at how the dictionary has evolved in order to respond to the challenges and opportunities of a changing world — the ways words are used,the places where English is used,and the new media (online or mobile phones) through which people now get so much of their information. Teachers attending the workshops had their chance to influence the future development of Oxford ELT dictionaries as we asked for their views on current dictionaries and where they should go next,” Joanna,who began her India visit with an address at a conference in Chennai,followed by a workshop in Lucknow before coming to Kolkata,said. She then travelled to Pune for the final workshop.

The managing editor of one of the most prestigious English dictionaries available,who currently lives with her family near Oxford,has studied French and English at St Anne’s College,University of Oxford. She has also taught English as a foreign language in France,Japan and the UK.

And she was really impressed with Kolkata. “The response of the teachers here was overwhelmingly positive. They were enthusiastic and knowledgeable participants and we had a mutually beneficial session. As well as presenting the background to the dictionary and suggestions for activities,I also asked the teachers to give me the benefit of their experience of using dictionaries,and information about the particular difficulties their students have with English. This information will feed into our continuing research programme,and will be invaluable in informing future developments in Oxford dictionaries. As this is my first visit to India,it has been a wonderful experience to taste authentic Indian cuisine,and I have found it delicious,especially Kolkatar mishti doi!” Joanna exclaimed with a smile.