Sarah Young from the Center For Applied Linguistics has developed a fascinating PowerPoint presentation A Brief History of Adult ESL Instruction. In order to access the PowerPoint you have to go to Center For Adult English Language Acquisition and then click on the link to the presentation.

I was particularly struck by slides number 38 and 53. The first one highlights recommendations in 1919 for time allotments during classes (very little for direct phonics instruction; teaching reading by using high-interest content). The second one is a great 1918 list of “Suggestions To Teachers” (Hide your chair when you enter the room and walk about among your pupils; Don’t be a slave to the textbook).