14 Jul 2011
It will be a homecoming of sorts next month for Victoria University’s 2011 Ian Gordon Fellow Professor Jack Richards, an internationally renowned specialist in second and foreign language teaching.
Speaking in three public lectures in Wellington in August, Professor Richards will address the topic of English language teaching.
Professor Richards was educated at Victoria University and has since gone on to bean applied linguist and educator with a distinguished international reputation. He is the author of numerous professional books for English language teachers, and the author of many widely used textbooks for English language students.
His visit to Victoria University is courtesy of the Ian Gordon Fellowship, which was set up to support and promote the study of English language and linguistics at Victoria. The Ian Gordon Fellow is hosted each year by Victoria’s School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.
Earlier this year Professor Richards was made an honorary Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney, where he teaches part time. In December he will be conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by Victoria University in recognition of his contributions to English language teaching and the arts.
He is also a generous patron of the arts and education, having sponsored numerous projects over the years, both in New Zealand and overseas. He is an active supporter of the Tairawhiti Museum in his home town of Gisborne, and has provided scholarships to students in the Toihoukura programme at Tairawhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne.
Professor Janet Holmes of Victoria’sSchool of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies says Professor Richards’ significant contribution to the teaching of English make him an outstanding Ian Gordon Fellow.
“Professor Richards has worked tirelessly to promote excellent language teaching, and his classroom textbooks have helped millions of students around the world learn English.”
The Ian Gordon Fellowship was established through an endowed gift of $500,000 made by the late Professor Ian Gordon to the Victoria University Foundation in 2003.
Professor Gordon held the Chair of English Language and Literature at Victoria from 1936 to 1974. He was instrumental in establishing at Victoria the study of the structure, history and use of English, and the teaching of the English language. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of New Zealand from 1947 to 1952, Chair of the New Zealand Literary Fund from 1950 to 1974 and was made a CBE in 1971.
Free Public Lectures
English in the world. Public Lecture by Professor Jack Richards, 2011 Ian Gordon Fellow.
- Where: Maclaurin Lecture Theatre MCLT102, Victoria University of Wellington
- When: 6pm, 2 August 2011
The world of English language teaching. Public Lecture by Professor Jack Richards.
- Where: Maclaurin Lecture Theatre MCLT102, Victoria University of Wellington
- When: 6pm, 4 August 2011
The language teacher’s world. Public Lecture by Professor Jack Richards.
- Where: Maclaurin Lecture Theatre MCLT102, Victoria University of Wellington
- When: 6pm, 9 August 2011
All the lectures are free and open to the public.
For more information about Professor Jack Richards visit www.professorjackrichards.com
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