British Council Announces Winners of 2024 ELTons Awards for Innovation in English Language Teaching

2024-11-25 02:52:14 Education

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November 25, 2024, New Delhi:The British Council, UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities is delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 ELTons Awards for innovation in English language teaching (ELT) and learning, revealed at the ELTons Festival of Innovation, celebrating pioneering achievements in English language education from around the world.

This year, the awards attracted a record-breaking 200+ entries from 60 countries, demonstrating the global interest in advancing ELT. The awards honour exceptional innovations in teaching, learning, and assessment across five categories, recognising outstanding products and services that empower educators and learners worldwide.

This year’s ELTons Awards celebrated outstanding contributions across five categories, with Klik2Learn’s Destination OET and Beyond (UK) winning for Innovation in Learner Resources for its immersive course simulating hospital routines and supporting OET preparation with interactive 3D tools. ICEPELL – Open Access Resources, a collaboration between six European institutions, claimed the Innovation in Teacher Resources award for empowering primary educators to integrate intercultural learning through picture books. Noticing by Reflex Consulting (North Macedonia) secured the Innovation in the Use of Technology award for its AI-powered tool offering personalised teacher development.

The ELTons award for Outstanding Achievement winners includes:

Prof. Rama Mathew, the only Indian to receive this prestigious award, was honoured for her outstanding contributions to education, with over 40 years of experience as a teacher, educator, and researcher across India, Bangladesh, and Sierra Leone. The judges lauded her empowering approach to teacher development and assessment, highlighting her work in helping educators conduct research, understand their classrooms, and foster continuous professional growth.

Prof. Mathew is an ELT consultant and retired as Professor of Education from the University of Delhi where she was also Dean of the Faculty of Education. She taught at the EFL University (Hyderabad) for several years. She was Head of the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of English in Action project in Bangladesh. She has been involved in several teacher development and assessment projects, and published articles and books in the area. She was a lead mentor for ARMS (Action Research Mentoring Scheme) and for ELTRMS (ELT Research Mentoring Scheme), both British Council funded schemes. She has just completed work on a project in Sierra Leone where she supported teachers to carry out classroom-based research. Her research interests include language assessment, teaching English to young learners, CPD of teachers, multilingual education and making English accessible to learners online.

Scott Thornbury, Rod Bolitho, and Okon Effiong are among the other recipients recognised for their outstanding contributions to English language teaching. Thornbury was honoured for his work bridging research and practice, Bolitho for his over 55 years of influence across 30 countries, and Effiong for founding Africa ELTA, which supports more than 3,000 members in 94 countries.

Alison Barrett MBE, Director India at the British Council says, “The ELTons Awards, established by the British Council, recognise and celebrate the innovative contributions that are shaping the future of English language teaching worldwide. It gives me immense pride to see Prof. Rama Mathew, an esteemed educator from India, honoured with this prestigious recognition. With over 40 years of experience, Rama has made a profound impact on English language teaching across India, Bangladesh, and Sierra Leone. Her work empowering teachers and fostering professional growth has left an enduring legacy in the field, and this award is a testament to her dedication and influence in advancing the profession.”

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022–23 we reached 600 million people.