All talks/papers listed are by Richard Smith, unless otherwise stated:

2022. ‘Insights for English Language Education from Historical Research’. Inaugural webinar for the History of English Language Education – India Research Group / AINET Association of English Teachers, 22 July 2022.

2022. 'HERstories of linguistics and language teaching'. Invited lecture at the University of Udine, Italy, 12 April 2022.

2021. 'Unity and diversity in European language education: perspectives from historical research'Link opens in a new window, Featured speaker talk in symposium on Foreign/Second Language Education in Europe: Post-war History and Crosslinguistic Perspectives, 19th AILA World Congress of Applied Linguistics, 19 August 2021

2019. 'A trumpet blast for applied linguistics?: The nature, origins and impact of Wilhelm Viëtor's (1882) Der Sprachunterricht muss umkehren!. Paper in colloquium on 'The Reform Movement' at the Henry Sweet Society Colloquium, Edinburgh, September.

2019. 'Historical fact, fallacy and fiction: The elusive Direct Method'. Plenary paper at SIHFLES International conference on 'The Direct Method', University of Granada, Spain, May.

2018. ‘From optimism to despair – and now what? 50 years of language education in Britain’. Invited paper at symposium on Foreign Language Didactics and Foreign Language Education since 1945: A Comparative Diachronic Discourse Analysis, University of Augsburg, December 2018.

2018. ‘Languages Britain – The Leathes Report (1918) in its time, and in ours'. Invited paper at the Languages Memory conference (AHRC Open World Research Initiative, Language Acts and Worldmaking project), King's College London, June 2018.

2018. Keynote paper on 'The role of historiography in decentring ELT'. ELTAI National Seminar on 'English Language Education: Theory and Practice', University of Hyderabad, India (also presented as an invited lecture at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Delhi).

2017. Invited public lecture on 'Beyond myths and methods: historiography in language teaching', National University of Cordoba, Argentina, May 2017.

2016. Paper on '19th century innovators and reformers revisited: a challenge to historiography from innovation theory?' at the SIHFLES International conference on 'Innovations pédagogiques dans l’enseignement des langues étrangères: perspective historique (XVIe-XXIe siècles)', University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal, July.

2016. Invited one-day workshop (with Prof. Friederike Klippel): 'Researching ELT history: A hands-on workshop'. IATEFL Research SIG Pre-conference event, IATEFL International Conference, Glasgow, April 2017.

2016. Keynote paper on 'The history of language teaching in Europe, 1970-2015'. Conference on 'Insegnamento delle lingue straniere in Italia tra passato e presente (1970-2015)', University of Milan, Italy, April 2016.

2015. ‘British language-in-education policy and diplomacy in India: from company to colony to Commonwealth’ Invited paper (with D. Graddol). Conference on ‘The Linguistic and Cultural Foreign Policies of European Countries (18th-20th Centuries)’, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics / SIHFLES (International Society for the History of French as a Foreign and Second Language), 25-26 June 201

2015. ‘Teaching and learning French in England a hundred years ago’. Invited talk (with Nicola McLelland) at centenary conference on ‘The spread of French in English contexts: enthusiasts, challengers and rivals / La diffusion de la langue française dans le context anglais: volontarisme, obstacles, rivalités’. Institut francais du Royaume Uni (London, South Kensington), 21 May 2015.

2015. ‘After methods, what then?’. Plenary presentation, IATEFL Teacher Educators SIG International Conference, Gaziantep University, April 2015.

2014. 'Applied Linguistic Historiography'. Invited Foundation Day lecture, Department of English Studies, University of Hyderabad, India, September 2014.

2014. 'Applied linguistic historiography'. Paper in Symposium on ‘Innovative Research Methods in Applied Linguistics’, 47th BAAL Annual Meeting, University of Warwick, 6 September 2014: pptsLink opens in a new window; handoutLink opens in a new window.

2014. Position paper on ‘Developing the History of English Language Teaching’ at ‘Connecting Cultures? An International Conference on the History of Teaching and Learning Second/Foreign Languages, 1500-2000, 2-5 July 2014, University of Nottingham.

2014. ‘ELT, Linguistics, applied linguistics and ELT research: History and autonomy’. Keynote paper ‘ at 1st International Conference on Applied Linguistics and ELT, organized in Antalya by Cukurova University, Turkey, March.

2013. ‘The global [ELT] coursebook in historical perspective’. Invited keynote paper at APHELLE – APEF International Conference ‘O livro pedagógico em língua estrangeira Do século XIX ao século XXI’, Escola Superior de Educação e Comunicação, University of Algarve, December 2013

2013. Panel discussion on 'History of EAP and of BALEAP'Link opens in a new window organized and chaired by Richard Smith. Panellists: John Swales, Andy Gillett and Meriel Bloor. BALEAP Conference 2013: ‘The Janus Moment in EAP: Revisiting the Past and Building the Future’, University of Nottingham, April.

2012. ‘Internationalism in practical language study before World War I, and the roots of ELT’. International Conference on the History of Foreign Language Teaching: ‘French, German and English: Three Languages in Competition between 1850 and 1945’, University of Duisburg-Essen, September.

2012. ‘The (re)emergence of applied linguistics in the UK’. Paper in symposium (convened by Andrew Linn) on ‘The History of Applied Linguistics’ at 45th Annual meeting of BAAL, University of Southampton, September.

2012. ‘Phonetics at the source of ELT’. Invited lecture for the University College London Summer Course in English Phonetics, August.

2012. ‘A short history of ELT’.Link opens in a new window British Council Symposium series, Cardiff, June.

2012. 'A very brief history of ELT coursebooks'. Paper in symposium on ‘ELT coursebooks: Past, present, and possible’ (convened by Richard Smith and John Gray). 46th Annual International IATEFL Conference, Glasgow, March.

2012. ‘Building a picture of ELT research – in the UK and in India’. Invited lecture at British Council Delhi and EFL-University, Hyderabad, India, February.

2011. Historical background input for panel discussion on ‘The state of ELT research in the UK’ (convened by Richard Smith). 44th Annual meeting of BAAL, University of West of England, Bristol, September.

2011. ‘Applied linguistic impact and influence: Historical perspectives’. 44th Annual meeting of BAAL, University of West of England, Bristol, September.

2011. ‘How “natural” are natural methods? Crusoe, Rousseau, “my man Friday” and Sophie (“ou la femme”)’. Plenary talk at 2nd Conference of the Research Network on the History of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in Europe (‘Women and Foreign Languages in Modern Europe’), Department of Language Studies and Comparative Literature, University of Milan / CIRSIL, June.

2011. ‘Applied linguistics and ELT: Some historical perspectives’. Keynote paper (and associated workshop) at conference on ‘Multiple Perceptual Frames on English Language and Research’, Centre for Applied Linguistics Research (CALR), Arab Open University – Lebanon, Beirut, March.

2010. ‘Crisis, what crisis? The critical value of a bit of local history’. Paper in symposium on 'ELT in existential crisis?' (convened by Robert Phillipson(, BAAL conference, Aberdeen, September.

2010. ‘Traditions in TEFL training’. Invited talk at British Council / Accreditation UK Annual Inspectors’ Conference, Moreton-in-Marsh, April.

2010. ‘Teaching English in difficult circumstances: A new research agenda’Link opens in a new window. 44th Annual International IATEFL Conference, Harrogate, April.

2009. 'ELT teacher education and research training in UK universities: Of what value, and to whom?'. Keynote paper at QuiTE [The Association for the Promotion of Quality in TESOL Education] Annual Seminar 2009, London, November.

2009. ‘Innovation and reform in language teaching: Legacies from the past’. Invited speaker for University of Cambridge Faculty of Education Second Language Education Research Group, June.

2008. ‘Histories of ELT’. Invited speaker for University of Reading Applied Linguistics Circle, November.

2008. ‘Approaching cultural contents critically: Insights from teachers’. Paper in Symposium on ‘Critical Approaches to Coursebooks’ (convened by Richard Smith) at 42nd Annual International IATEFL Conference, University of Exeter, April.

2007. ‘Teaching textbooks critically’. Workshop at ‘Stretching Boundaries’, the 11th International INGED ELT Conference, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey, September.

2007. ‘The ELT Journal: Years of change’ (with D. Hunter). Conference on Keyness in Text, Certosa di Pontignano, Siena, Italy, June.

2006. ‘Claude Marcel (1793–1876): A neglected applied linguist?’. BAAL/IRAAL Annual Conference 2006, ‘From Applied Linguistics to Linguistics Applied: Issues, Practices, Trends’, University College, Cork, Ireland, September.

2006. ‘The history of learner autonomy’. Keynote paper at the 9th Nordic Conference on Developing Learner Autonomy in Language Learning and Teaching, Copenhagen, August-September.

2006. ‘Identifying keywords and charting their development: Methodological issues in corpus-based historical research’ (with D. Hunter). Paper at the BAAL Corpus Linguistics Special Interest Group Conference on ‘Text Analysis Using Corpora: Methodological Issues’, Open University, Milton Keynes, April.

2006. ‘Valuing tradition in a context approach to teacher education’. 41st RELC International Seminar (‘Teacher Education in Language Teaching’), SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, Singapore, April.

2006. ‘A.S. Hornby and the construction of ELT’. 40th Annual IATEFL Conference, Harrogate, April.

2005. ‘Stepping back to move on: Roles for history in TESOL teacher education’. IATEFL Teacher Trainers & Educators Special Interest Group Conference on Teacher Education (‘Quantum Leaps in Education?’), Vienna, March.

2004. ‘Unity of ELT and/or local diversity? Lessons from the pioneers’. INGED International Conference, Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey, September.

2004. ‘The roots of ELT’. Invited staff seminar series presentation, University of Northumbria, Newcastle, March.

2003. ‘ELT roots and critical current issues’. Symposium on ‘(Re-)locating TESOL in an age of Empire’, Aston University, Birmingham, December.

2003. ‘ELT history and war: Some reflections’. Invited staff seminar series presentation, Department of English Language and Linguistics, University of Sheffield, 20 March.

2002. ‘History and myth in ELT: The case of Direct Method’. IATEFL, York, March.

2001. ‘Teaching in difficult circumstances, revisited’. 27th JALT International Conference, Kita Kyushu, Japan, November.

2001. ‘Neglected roots of ELT and present-day professionalism’ IATEFL, Brighton, April.

2000. ‘Building on “traditional teaching”: An appropriate approach to innovation?’, The 8th IALS Symposium for Language Teacher Educators, IALS, University of Edinburgh, 15 November.

2000. ''Harold E. Palmer's "alternative" applied linguistics'. Paper at Henry Sweet Society for the History of Linguistic Ideas Annual Symposium, University of Edinburgh, 23 September.

2000. Introduction to Panel Discussion on ‘Developing the history of applied linguistics’, Henry Sweet Society for the History of Linguistic Ideas Annual Symposium, University of Edinburgh, 21 September.

1999. ‘The work of Harold E. Palmer' (Richard Smith and Imura Motomichi). Paper in Symposium on ‘Change and Adaptation in Language Teaching: What can be learned from the past?’, moderated by H.G. Widdowson, AILA ‘99 (12th World Congress of Applied Linguistics), Tokyo, August.