Don Porter

Fri, 2 Oct 2020 15:32:49 GMT

Following British Council posts at universities in Syria, Poland and Egypt, Don joined the University of Reading in 1979 where he worked at CALS until his retirement. During his years there his enthusiasm and innovative thinking helped to increase and consolidate the reputation of the Centre for Applied Language Studies, and especially the Testing and Evaluation Unit in the 1980s. During that period, he developed a strong reputation for his teaching and international advisory work. In addition, he brought the Test of English for Academic Purposes, developed by Cyril Weir in 1983, to the University and undertook the first major revision of the test in the late 1980s; and encouraged another revision a decade later. This drive for modernisation and constant renewal typified his approach. Perhaps most importantly, he founded and edited the Language Testing Newsletter, which in 1984 morphed into the Language Testing Journal, which he co-edited with his Reading colleague Arthur Hughes.

In early 1991, at the Language Testing Research Colloquium meeting at Educational Testing Services, Princeton, Don was elected to serve as a member of the steering committee to draft a constitution for the yet to be formed association, which was to be called the International Language Testing Association. He went on to serve one term on the steering committee and two terms on the executive board of the association immediately after the founding of ILTA. He continued to support ILTA, offering to make Language Testing the official journal of ILTA.

Don was an extremely significant figure in the development of the British approach to communicative language testing in the 1980s, a very rich period of conceptual and practical advance in the field. The books of conference papers he-co-edited had a powerful influence, particularly on the testing of English in academic and work contexts (EAP/ESP), and on the testing of speaking, perhaps the greatest area of innovation in the communicative movement. His early research on the area of affect in tests of speaking had a significant influence on the field, underpinning later work on the effect on performance of characteristics of the interlocutor. This work in turn helped move the focus of test development on to the individual within the test event, an idea that lies at the heart of the socio-cognitive approach to test development and validation.

He also contributed to the pedagogy of aural comprehension, arguing for the systematic use of natural spoken English and authentictasksin a 1981 article later included in Long & Richards’ influentialMethodology in TESOL: a book of readings.

Don was also a hugely generous and supportive friend, colleague, supervisor and mentor. He was an ideas person whose influence on those he worked with was immense. He is remembered for his boisterous good humour, originality and insightful and challenging questions during presentations, lectures and tutorials, which forced speakers and listeners to think deeply into issues, especially those of ethicality. Many responses to the news of his death commented on his humour and humanity, while his former colleagues agree that they looked forward to going to work when Don was there, for the same reason.

Following his retirement from the university Don and his late wife Jan continued to study, both taking undergraduate degrees in Archaeology. Displaying his usual focus, drive and intellect, he graduated with a First! While Don’s interest shifted from the language testing world to that of Roman sewage systems and how Romans citizens knew a slave when they saw one, his erudition, sense of invention, mischief and humour never left him.

Professor Barry O'Sullivan OBE FAcSS FAALA| Head of Assessment Research & Development | English & Exams

British Council | 10 Spring Gardens | London | SW1A 2BN | United Kingdom

Advisory Professor Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Visiting Professor University of Reading, UK