Teaching, testing, and researching: 'the good, the bad, and the ugly' dimensions of ELT?

This paper explores the relationships between and among English language teaching, testing and researching. Teaching is often viewed as the "fun" part of ELT; testing as a "necessary burden." Researching, on the other hand, is usually seen as beyond the teacher's domain and, therefore, an "unwelcome intrusion" in the classroom. Good teaching nurtures learning and good testing provides useful feedback on that learning. Good researching improves both teaching and testing. Thus are good teaching, testing and researching inextricably linked. This paper probes the discontent that many teachers feel about language testing and research, and suggests that disinterest in either domain can have detrimental consequences for language learning. Testing that generates positive washback and classroom-based action research that leads to informed teacher intervention are highlighted as two critical links in the teaching, testing and researching "model" and, indeed, as "good practice" in ELT whatever the international setting.