What do you think about Nelta Choutari? What kinds of new materials would you like us to include in the future? These were questions that we asked our readers, writers, and well-wishers a few days ago. For supplementing to the responses that we received, Praveen Kumar Yadav, one of the most active participants in Choutari, kindly provided us with similar responses that he had collected last year. These responses highlight the importance of professional networking and knowledge-sharing in which we engage as a community. Enjoy!

What do you think about Nelta Choutari?

“For me, Nelta Choutari is a source of fresh ideas about ELT which helps me continue in my ELT journey better and faster.” – Hari Maya Sharma, Gorkha Campus, Gorkha

“I am currently teaching a compulsory subject in Hong Kong, and about half my students are of Nepali descent. Reading the blog makes me focus more on teaching them English as a foreign language.” – Carlos Soto, University of Hong Kong

“Nelta Choutari is a very special resource for professional development for me, because I use it for updating my professional understanding with new information in ELT theories and practices, finding lesson plans to teach various aspects of ELT, reading the wonderful stories of our friends’ experiences, reading the reflections and best practices of our friends from home and abroad, and expanding my network with colleagues at home and abroad. This forum has also given me some space to share my professional experiences and learn from NELTA colleagues while working in leadership positions.” – Ganga Ram Gautam, Immediate Past Present of NELTA, Kathmandu

“NELTA Choutari is a live platform for the ELT community from Nepal and abroad, providing excellent opportunities to teachers for sharing their practices with others from around the world. Of course, it is only available to those who have access to the internet.” – Prithvi Shrestha,  Lecturer in ELT, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

“A forum that inculcates your skills and knowledge required to be a professional English teacher.” – Mukunda Kumar Giri, Surkhet

“Nelta Choutari is a good platform for English language teachers and practitioners to share our experiences and learn from one another. It is an e- rendezvous for those who belong to English language/literature teaching and learning.” – Ishwor Kadel, Chitwan

“Professionalism is all about sharing and being updated with the emerging trends. Choutari helps us with professional development by allowing us to participate in professional conversations about ELT.” – Uttam Kumar Gaulee, Fulbright Scholar, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

“NeltaChoutari is an open forum for all those inclined to teach English and interested in sharing their ideas and experiences with others. It serves as a common platform with equal recognition of all participants, which I have found highly motivating. Choutari has the potential of bringing together English teachers, educators and students for highly productive conversations about different issues on English language teaching and learning.” – Suresh Shrestha, Zenith English Language Institute Birgunj

“NELTA Choutari is a professional blogging webzine that helps the ELT Practitioners all over the world get to know about recent trends and developments in the field of ELT.” – Eka Dev Adhikari, Jana Jagriti Higher Secondary School, Pithuwa, Chitwan

“It’s a forum for the professionals to write, read discuss and comment and become professionally stronger.” – Dinesh Raj Dahal, Janajyoti Higher Secondary School,  Sindhuli

“The monthly webzine of NELTA, NeltaChoutari is a powerful resource for whole ELT community of Nepal.” – Ashok Raj Khati, Gauri Shankar Multiple Campus, Ramechhap

What kinds of new materials would you like us to include in the future?

“Choutari is praiseworthy as it is, but it would be better if it could address real problems that we teachers face in our classrooms. Choutari should be the place where people share their ground realities and get ready to face them with domestic weapons next time.”  – Ishwor Kadel

“I would like to see additional materials of oral literature, sharing of best practices from home and abroad, links to professional development opportunities such as scholarships and fellowships, links to classroom materials for teachers of all levels of education etc. I sincerely thank the Choutari team for working so hard for the benefit of the Nepali ELT community, and I am sure that this forum will prove itself as an ELT antenna to help us develop as well as access the best ELT materials available worldwide.” – Ganga Ram Gautam

“Real case studies to let readers learn how students are improving their English language from their classroom activities. ” – Mukunda Kumar Giri

“NeltaChoutari has already initiated to encourage and connect more and more teachers and students of English. It can be more general and reach the grass-root level even better. It has not yet reached students of education in colleges and universities.” – Suresh Shrestha

“[To increase readership] Spreading the word through branches, coordinating with the ministry of education, department, district education offices and resource centers, advertising in national media, particularly in “Shikshak” magazine might be effective. Also, rewarding or recognizing the comments from readers such as “the comment of the week” could work. New contributors should be encouraged.” – Uttam Gaulee

“Choutari should continue to work in the development of ELT situation in the country by bringing out articles from across the world, discussing issues regarding ELT and asking the experts to comment and commend in the webzine and help foster the situation.” – Eka Dev Adhikari

“It should touch the reality of Nepalese ground. We are following others’ practices but not focusing on what our reality is. No doubt, it should update us on modern practices around the world, but it is far more necessary to look at what our fellow teachers at home are doing and help them when they are at crossroads of new challenges and confusions about teaching English in their situations.” – Hari Maya Sharma

“I am not local to Nepal, but I do get a sense in reading the blog about the local context. I also see conditions which are less bound in local context that I can relate to. The blog creates a strong link between teaching and research, which is important. [I recommend] More articles which explicitly link theory with classroom practice.” – Carlos Soto

“Choutari should increase readership widely, connect the ELT practices of remote parts of Nepal to the rest of the world, and support the teachers working in those areas” – Ashok Raj Khati

“Choutari should address the readers in rural and marginalized areas with the discussions and guidelines on practical issues.” – Dinesh Raj Dahal

“For increasing the readership of Choutari, NELTA should produce monthly or bi-monthly Choutari bulletins for students and teachers, teachers should encourage their students to visit the site, Choutari should create more space for young writers including university students, add interaction between students and teachers, and add articles that have direct relevance to teaching in the classroom in Nepal.” – Suresh Shrestha 

“Choutari already publishes a variety of articles, anecdotes and classroom tips, and continuing them in the light of the changing landscape of ELT including the influence of language learning technologies would be great. A minor suggestion is to minimise long articles for Choutari as they can be published in the Journal of NELTA.” – Prithvi Shrestha

“I would like to suggest Nelta to include the following in the coming days: 1. It should address the issues related to nepalese teachers of english language; 2. In the coming days Nelta Choutari should incorporate those issues which have been facing by Nepalese teachers along with their solutions.” Parmeshwar Baral, P. N. Campus, Pokhara