Dr Martin Wedell

Senior Lecturer in TESOL - Head of International Education

Photo of Martin Wedell

Tel: +44 (0)113 3434531
Fax: +44 (0)113 3434541

Room: HP LG.09

Email: M.Wedell@education.leeds.ac.uk

Educational change planning and implementation, qualitative research methodology, IC&T in teacher education, moving beyond multiple choice in the "objective" testing of grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing.

Member of Centre for Language Education Research.

Interests

I am currently Head of International Development in the School of Education, and so closely involved in developing and managing many of the School's links with institutions in China and the other countries of East Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa. Between 1977-1998 I worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, trainer trainer, test designer and materials writer in UK, Portugal, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, China and Hungary. Some projects my local colleagues and I were involved in included:

  • designing and implementing new M.A degree courses in TEFL/English and ELT at Beijing Normal University and Beijing Foreign Studies University in P.R.China.
  • editing and communicative test writing for the Communicative English for Chinese Learners (CECL) textbook series at Guangdong Foreign Studies University. P.R.China.
  • designing, implementing and managing a new B.Ed in ELT for initial language teacher training at Kossuth Lajos University, Debrecen, Hungary.
  • designing a distance learning, degree-level, upgrading programme for diploma level teachers in Hungary
  • examining, test writing and moderating for national English exams at primary,secondary and university level in Kenya, China, Hungary and the UK.

Research

Top down educational change/reform initiatives  whose objectives are to alter classroom practices remain a frequent feature of education systems everywhere. Evidence suggests that they are often unsuccessful in significantly altering what happens in classrooms. One common reason for this lack of success is insufficient consideration (on the part of educational planners) of existing contextual realities; in particular who will be affected by the proposed change and how tthey can be helped to  experience the change process positively.  My research tries to identify the types of questions about the macro and micro contexts of change that  change planners and implementers anywhere need to ask, and what answers imply for the planning / implementation process. 

Other areas of interest

  • The content and process of initial and in-service TESOL teacher education curricula
  • The management and potential role(s) of online asynchronous discussion tasks as part of  distance teacher development  programmes
  • Alternatives to existing multiple choice 'objective' testing of grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening.

I welcome research applications from people interested in studying any aspect of educational change,in particular

how teachers experience educational change, 

the systems needed to  help teachers, their learners and others who are affected through a change implementation process.

I am currently working with students researching:

    • The influence of  national, provincial, and local levels of context on the washback effects of the NMET English exam in rural and urban schools in China. 
    • The potential role of asynchronous CMS as a bridge for the development of oral proficiency  in a Saudi Arabian ESP context .
    • Teachers beliefs about CPD in Oman and what these imply for the planning and management of educational reform. 
    •  What is learned by Kenyan trainee English teachers during their school based practicum.
    •  Beliefs about the learning of Arabic among learners and teachers at ITANA, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
    •  The effects of a short study abroad immersion programme on the language anxiety of Taiwanese vocational university students.
    • The process of planning for excellence in teaching and learning in Higher Education in Bahrain and the UK .
    • Exploring ones teaching context through the use of Exploratory Practice 

I have taught most areas of the English Language Teacher Education curriculum at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. At present I teach Planning and Managing the TESOL change process, TESOL Materials Evaluation and Design, Testing and Evaluation and Contexts and Approaches in TESOL on the home and China Masters programmes.

Links

Selected Publications

PAPERS

Wedell,M. (2009). "Innovation in ELT". ELT Journal, 63(4), 397-399.

Wedell, M (2008). "Developing a capacity to make "English for Everyone" worthwhile : reconsidering outcomes and how to start achieving them.". International Journal of Educational Development, 28(6), 628-639.

Wedell ,M (2005). "Cascading training down into the classroom : the need for parallel planning.". International Journal of Educational Development, 25(6), 637-651.

Wedell, M (2005). "Enhancing staff and educational development ( book review)". International Journal of Educational Development, 25/3, 359-360.

Wedell, M (2003). "Giving TESOL change a chance : supporting key players in the curriculum change process". System, 31/4, 439-456.

Wedell,M and Gibson, G (1995). "Trying to Apply a New Methodology: Can Classroom Observation Help?". The Polish Teacher Trainer, 3 (4), 17-22.

BOOKS

Wedell,M (2009). "Planning educational change : Putting people and their contexts first.". London. Continuum.

Angi Malderez and Martin Wedell (2007). "Teaching Teachers: Processes and Practices". London: Continuum.

Wedell , M and Gibson, G ( Eds) (1997). "Future Directions: Proceedings of the 2nd ELT conference on Teacher Training in the Carpathian Euro-region". London. British Council.

Wedell, M (1996). "Teaching and Learning Languages: Putting theory into practice". Higher Education Press, Beijing, China.

CHAPTERS

Wedell, M (2002). "Virtual discussion in distance language teacher education: Time well spent?" in: Alan Pulverness (Ed.) Proceedings of the York IATEFL conference. Interantional Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language.

Wedell, M (2001). "ELT curriculum changes in the 21st century: planning to support implementers in the wider and local context" in: Hu WenZhong (Ed.) Proceedings of the 3rd International ELT Symposium. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Beijing, China..

Extended list of publications.

This page last updated by Martin Wedell on 15th September 2009