In this issue

Welcome to the Spring 2011 edition of the ETAS Journal. We feel privileged to be able to present the proceedings of the 27th AGM and Convention held in the stunning city of Lucerne on 29th-30th January 2011. It was a stimulating event for speakers and participants since the myriad views on English teaching could be shared and analyzed from various perspectives. In this context, the true ethos of ETAS and its community of teachers gathering to learn new things about English teaching displayed itself in practice over the course of the Convention.

Speaking of AGMs, they are often a time for looking back, for taking stock of our achievements as a professional association — which are many and laudable — and to learn from them. For us at ETAS J, this is a time for looking ahead, a time to reexamine and reconsider, and we have chosen to breathe life to this issue in this spirit partly because spring is a good season/reason, after months of indoor life and wintry hibernation, to explore new directions. Refreshed by Ron’s new layout design, I prefer to look to the future and try to discern where ETAS J might be in the next few years, frequently questioning what should change and what should stay the same. The secret, of course, is to change what needs changing and strengthen what is good and strong. One thing is certain: ETAS J must strive to keep itself fresh and interesting so our members will continue to find it useful. To do this, we need to establish and assert the unique character of ETAS J in a way that distinguishes it from other ELT journals, and we have to make sure that every issue reflects the aspirations of our readership. Clearly, this is no mean task and I anticipate that the challenge will be enormous. But I believe, like Antoine de Sainte-Exupery, that “a rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bringing with him the image of a cathedral.” I have, of course, a more modest goal than building cathedrals, yet it is one that fills me with profound joy and, indeed, something which I look forward to with great excitement. That goal is building our very own ETAS J Articles Bank! Let’s start now!

Some things, though, remain the same, like commitment to highest quality publication. That, assuredly, will never change!