ESOL Research Community
Date: Thursday 22nd October 2026
Time: 16:00- 17:30
Location: Online via Teams
Speakers: Professor Richard Smith and ESOL teacher Nermen Kan
The next ESOL Research Community event will be held on Thursday 22nd October 2026, from 4-5.30pm BST. We are excited to announce that Professor Richard Smith and ESOL teacher Nermen Kanj will present their advice and ideas for teachers who would like to research their own classrooms.
Getting started with practitioner research (for teachers in ‘difficult circumstances’)
This presentation introduces Exploratory Action Research – an approach to continuing professional development which teachers in the ‘difficult circumstances’ of large-class, under-resourced Global South classrooms have experienced as useful in a number of British Council projects. Moving closer to home – the UK ESOL context – we provide a case study to illustrate how the approach has also been applied here, to help refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in their struggle to practise English beyond the classroom. Our overall aim is to provide initial guidance and resources to help participants take their own first steps in researching their classrooms.
Presenters:
Nermen Kanj works as an Integration Officer at the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre and as an ESOL Tutor for Coventry City Council. She has eight years of teaching experience at all levels, supporting young learners, adults, and visually-impaired students. She recently began work for a PhD at the University of Warwick, where she also gained her MA in TESOL, researching active and inclusive teaching for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
Richard Smith, Professor of ELT and Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick, has worked as a teacher educator with students from around the world for more than 30 years. He is particularly known not only for his pioneering research into the history of language teaching but also for his practical contributions, particularly the Exploratory Action Research and ‘Enhancement’ approaches to professional development for teachers in difficult circumstances. More information: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/people/smith/