 jack
richards @ relc
The Regional Language Centre (RELC) is a project of the Southeast
Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). SEAMEO
sponsors a number of regional centers, each focusing on a
different area of specialization. The center in Singapore
is devoted to language teaching and language teacher education,
and has been recognized as a leader in the field of language
teaching and teacher education since its inception in 1968.
RELC provides members of the SEAMEO organization (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) with expertise, training
facilities and training programs for upgrading the knowledge
and skills of language specialists and educators. It also
assists member countries in co-operating on programs, projects,
and activities in the interests of improving language education
in the region.
 RELC offers both full time specialized course for language
specialists, as well as tailor made language training courses.
Teacher Education courses include the Master of Arts in Applied
Linguistics, the Diploma in Applied Linguistics, as well as
specialist certificate courses. RELC is located in Orange
Grove Road, just minutes from Orchard Road, which is the heart
of the tourist belt in Singapore.
 Participants in RELC teacher education courses are language
teachers and specialists in language teaching from SEAMEO
member countries. The courses are residential and full time
and bring together a rich mix of faculty and students drawn
from member countries as well as other parts of the world.
Professor Richards has had a long association with the Regional
Language Centre. In the 1970s, shortly after completing
his
Ph.D, he was a specialist in applied linguistics at RELC,
sponsored by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Following an active academic career in a number of Universities
in the Asia Pacific Region, in 1997 he returned to RELC
and
to Singapore (one of his favorite places in the world) to
take up an appointment as Adjunct Professor at RELC. From 2006 Dr. Richards is at RELC on an occasional basis, teaching on the Post Graduate Diploma and MA in Applied Linguistics courses.
 Dr. Richards serves on the editorial board of RELC Journal
(a leading refereed journal of applied linguistics), and is co-editor of an exciting
new series of publications recently launched by RELC - the
RELC Portfolio Series. These are booklets that provide practical
advice on many important classroom issues and can be used
as the basis for in-service courses as well as providing
useful ideas for classroom activities.
For information on RELC, on RELC courses and activities,
and RELC publications, please visit www.relc.org.sg
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