This paper argues that contemporary English language teaching (ELT) must be reconceptualized in light of profound shifts in how learners actually acquire and use language. Traditional classrooms, long treated as largely self-contained learning environments, face structural constraints of time, exposure, and opportunity that limit attainable proficiency. In contrast, successful learners typically progress through extensive informal, digitally mediated practices which form a parallel “learner curriculum” that is often more sustained and goal-driven than classroom instruction. The paper demonstrates how digital technologies, mobile devices, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) are collapsing the boundary between formal and informal learning spaces, enabling participatory tasks, personalised pathways, and new forms of interactional practice. At the same time, it cautions against uncritical optimism. AI can streamline workload and expand opportunities for practice, yet it also risks oversimplifying pedagogy and obscuring the relational and interpretive dimensions of teaching. The paper concludes that the future of ELT depends on strengthening teachers’ capacity to design, mediate, and critically evaluate human–AI learning ecologies.
Richards, J., & Cheng Lin, K. (2026). The Future of the Past in Language Teaching. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 14(2), 1-21. doi: 10.30466/ijltr.2026.122009
MLA
Jack C Richards; Keith Cheng Lin. "The Future of the Past in Language Teaching", Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 14, 2, 2026, 1-21. doi: 10.30466/ijltr.2026.122009
HARVARD
Richards, J., Cheng Lin, K. (2026). 'The Future of the Past in Language Teaching', Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 14(2), pp. 1-21. doi: 10.30466/ijltr.2026.122009
VANCOUVER
Richards, J., Cheng Lin, K. The Future of the Past in Language Teaching. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 2026; 14(2): 1-21. doi: 10.30466/ijltr.2026.122009
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