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TESOL France Colloquium 2009The 28th Annual ColloquiumA Great Forthcoming Event |
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Theme: Young Learners & Learning Technologies
Friday, November 6th (17:00 - 18:00)
Video
This presentation explores the limitless potential of blogs in the language classroom in a highly visual way and gives some practical ideas on setting up a blog for use with your own classes in the light of a successful experience creating and maintaining a blog throughout an academic year with ninety-three 5th grade students in a private school in Turkey.
Burcu Akyol graduated from Hacettepe University, ELT Department in 2000. She holds a Master's degree in Educational Management. Her main areas of interest are teacher training and learning technologies. Currently, she works at Istek Schools as Foreign Languages Department, Education Coordinator.
Theme: Classroom Techniques & Pronunciation
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
France and India have a common problem: the native tongue influence hampers ELT. Drama is a great tool to overcome the issue. Drama techniques dispel inhibitions, encourage conversations and allow freer practice of accurate intonation, pronunciation and diction. Most ELT teachers are wary of this approach, however, due to lack of knowledge, or experience or both! This presentation aims to introduce both experienced and fresh teachers to the wonder and magic of using drama - and its techniques - in the Language classroom. The theory is tried and tested - and this presentation will prove it!
I run a very successful Speech & Drama Academy and Language centre - EXPRESSIONS UNLIMITED! -catering to non-native speakers (young learners and adults). Using drama as a tool for ELT is my forte. I also conduct extensive teacher training. Qualifications: B.A. (English) CELTA Certified Speech, Drama & Communication Skills Teacher.
Theme: Teacher Training and Development & English for Specific Purposes
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
This talk adds to the debate on the impact of CLIL on ELT. The speaker will outline a recent training programme she co-authored and taught for primary school teachers of maths and science in Qatar, highlighting some of the major skills teachers and students require. These include language skills and thinking skills closely linked to a range of process skills. She will also highlight some issues in the impact of CLIL on the role of the English teacher, such as the kind of curriculum and syllabus that could be developed.
Dr Brewster has trained teachers in CLIL for thirty years, most recently as team leader for a primary teacher- training project in Qatar for English-medium maths and science. With an M.Phil and PhD in content-based learning she has published several CLIL articles.
Theme: Corpus in the Classroom & Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30)
English Profile is a collaborative project developing language descriptors for the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). As part of this project, Cambridge University Press has sponsored research into A1-B2 vocabulary: the English Profile Wordlists provide reliable information at word and sense level, based on extensive corpus analysis and other relevant sources. The speaker will explain the research and compiling methods used and consider areas such as affixation, phrases and collocation, and polysemous words. What does it actually mean to "know a word"? Vocabulary acquisition is a cumulative process and reliable information on frequency and usefulness helps to establish priorities for teachers and students.
Annette Capel has been involved in the Cambridge exams as an item writer and examiner since 1990, and is co-author of textbooks for five levels of these exams (A2 to C2). Since 2007, Annette has been developing corpus-informed Wordlists for A1 to B2, as part of the English Profile project.
Theme: Business English & Classroom Techniques
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
This interactive, task based and practical workshop will demonstrate how to use the language produced by students to develop their English, show language development and reduce the use of commercial material in class. Suitable for students pre-intermediate and above. Used at the Executive Centre, International House London with adult professionals but also suitable for General English students. The session will demonstrate the technique and give participants the opportunity to practise it.
Alan Cargyl is the Assistant Director of the Executive Centre at IH London. He has worked there as a language trainer for 11 years and has delivered sessions at numerous international language conferences.
Theme: Classroom Techniques & Intercultural Issues
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
Language students and teachers today have unprecedented access to global media, and many turn to these as sources of authentic discourse. Although captivating as linguistic resources, media also embed multiple layers of meaning (social, political, gendered, etc.) in their imagery and rhetoric that merit discussion in our classrooms. Using newspapers, magazine advertisements, and film as examples, this presentation shows how critical media analysis and cultural studies approaches can be successfully merged as a pedagogical tool for addressing both linguistic and sociocultural issues in language classrooms. Activities for various ESL/EFL contexts and proficiency levels will be shared and discussed.
Carla Chamberlin-Quinlisk is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Communication at Penn State University. She has taught ESL/EFL and applied linguistics in France, South Korea, and the U.S. for over 20 years. Her research and teaching focus on the intersections among language, culture, communication and media.
Theme: Learning Technologies & Teacher Training and Development
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Video
Teachers are beginning to use blogs more and more to help their students. But how can this new medium help teachers to help themselves? In this talk I will take you on a tour of some of the top blogs by teachers for teachers and explore how these can aid in our development. We will look at what makes a good blog, how to get the most out of the blogosphere and some useful advice for those of you wishing to start your own blog for teachers.
Lindsay Clandfield is an award-winning author of books for teachers and learners. He is the series editor for the new Delta Teacher Development Series and the blogger behind the popular site www.sixthings.net.
Theme: Higher Education & Intercultural Issues
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Presentation
Handouts
The title of this talk proposes that Englishes of diverse regions of the World, authored by local users of the language, may provide the foundation for a new art form conveying ideas and images of significance to both native and non-native users. Illustrative examples will be presented taken from three commercially available anthologies, websites and an international touring exhibition, all based on the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC], originating at Zayed University Dubai which has spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and Far East. A PowerPoint will explain how the ESSC is having an impact on EFL/ESL learners and the wider milieu in these regions.
Maggie is an on-line Editor/Representative for the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC] now living in France. She has lectured extensively in EAP/ESP in Singapore and in recent years used the ESSC as a valuable part of the writing course at Dubai Men's College (DMC), Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE. Peter Hassall, of the Academic Bridge Program Zayed University Dubai, is originator of the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC] and Principal Editor of 3 ESSC anthologies: Emiratia; Pearls of Emirati Wisdom; Facets of Emirati Women. He judges the ESSC Japan and regularly contributes to Asian Englishes and World Englishes.
Theme: Classroom Techniques & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
Translation is sometimes seen as rather old hat but it can bring insight into how language works, even for lower level students. As someone who combines the careers of teacher and translator, I have used translation in different ways with different groups of learners, and have learnt many things from it myself which have been useful in my teaching. I would like to share some of my expereinces in this area with you.
Anna Daley is a teacher, teacher trainer, and translator . She has been living and working in central France for the past 16 years. She is interested in all aspects of teaching and learning English, and particularly in bilingual education.
Theme: Testing and Assessment
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
Presentation
ETS Global vient de lancer la première édition de "l'Observatoire TOEIC des niveaux d'anglais en France". Cet observatoire a pour objectif de dresser un état des lieux complet des niveaux en anglais professionnel des candidats français tout au long de leur vie :
Dix années d'expérience internationale dans la mise en place de dispositifs de recrutement, formation et évaluation en milieu académique et professionnel. Diplômé de l'Ecole de Management de Lyon en 1995, Monsieur Daumas a fait ses classes dans les métiers de la vente, du marketing et de la formation interne chez Procter & Gamble de 1996 à 2000. Il prend ensuite la direction commerciale européenne du Groupe Auralog, spécialiste des formations linguistiques en E-learning. Depuis 2006 il est Directeur France d'ETS Global, filiale internationale d'Educational Testing Service, créateur des certifications TOEIC & TOEFL.
Theme: Adult Learners & Global Issues
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Presentation
Handouts
That language is highly formulaic seems widely accepted. However, there's been much debate as to the relevance of this for non-native speaker teachers (NNSTs) teachers of English. It's been claimed that lexis is more culturally-rooted than grammar and that a lexical approach will leave NNSTs in danger of being caught out by students. However, NNSTs have the upper-hand when it comes to teaching lexically. I will outline why whilst also addressing the flexible cultural positions language can be utilised in, the lunacy of demonising translation and the wonders of local knowledge - all with reference to classroom realities!
Hugh Dellar is a teacher and teacher trainer at the University of Westminster. He is also the co-author of the Innovations series of coursebooks, as well as the forthcoming OUTCOMES series, published by Heinle Cengage.
Theme: Business English & Intercultural Issues
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
This presentation is based on the proposition that the ELT industry's focus on language and identified professional communication skills needs to shift. Those in business need support beyond the traditional mix of English language, training for specific "moments" (presentations, meetings, negotiations) and cultural knowledge in the form of country culture briefings. This presentation outlines a new approach for ELT with an introduction to an alternative syllabus of core international leadership challenges and associated communication skills tied to a model of intercultural competence.
Bob Dignen is a director of York Associates. He specialises in delivering international team seminars. His titles include 50 Ways to improve your international presentation skills and 50 Ways to improve your intercultural skills published by Summertown. He is co-author of Developing People Internationally, a multimedia international team training resource.
Theme: Learning Technologies & Teacher Training and Development
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
Presentation
Handouts
Video
This is a talk about new digital literacies, about the differences between 'digital illiterates' (mostly teachers!) and learners under the age of about 20 who are fluent in 'digital as a second language'. It's fairly light (or can be) in terms of theory, but looks at practical examples of new literacies, why they're important and where teachers can start acquiring the skills they need. Really it's an up-to-date look at where the gap lies between teachers and learners in terms of their ability to use technologies.
Gavin has worked in education since 1988, as a teacher, materials developer, IT manager and web/user interface designer. His blend of pedagogical and technical skills has taken him around the world - primarily for the International House World Organisation, but also for the British Council and other entities - helping them to bridge the gap between their training and teaching portfolio and their technical needs. Gavin has published How to Teach English with Technology (Longman, 2007) with Nicky Hockly. He is also the author of other books and numerous print and online articles.
Theme: Higher Education & Global Issues
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
Presentation
Today, due to both a growing interconnectedness of the world and a myriad of economic, environmental and human rights challenges that currently present themselves to us, facilitating student awareness of these pressing global issues is a task that many educators are feeling more compelled to engage in. This presentation will look at strategies and resources that will not only help to increase our students' awareness of these issues, but help to empower them and give them a sense of agency over their futures.
Robert Emigh received a Master's in Teaching (ESOL) from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. He has taught in Thailand, Brazil and New York City. He is currently an Associate Professor of ESL at Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
Theme: Learning Technologies & Tried and Tested Classroom Techniques.
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
Student Response Systems, or clickers, when used with interactive pedagogies, are known to increase student interaction and consequently, student achievement in content domains such as math and physics. Clickers have both a hardware and software component that collects and displays student responses. Students use a small device, similar to a television remote control, to respond to multiple-choice questions. The overall results become instantaneously available to the audience in form of a pie chart or bar graph. The presenter will demonstrate the hardware and software component of the clickers and talk about its advantages in ESL / EFL classes.
This speaker also presents a poster.
Pary Fassihi is an ESL Senior Lecturer at the Center for Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) at Boston University. She has 13 years of experience teaching ESL / EFL. Her specialization is the use of technology in ESL / EFL classes. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Language Education at Boston University.
Theme: Intercultural Issues & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30)
Presentation
This presentation will outline areas of grammatical difficulty faced by English learners, the cultural context of writing and how culture impacts rhetorical preferences. Teaching grammar to English learners is a necessary part of the language curriculum for teachers. The question is, however, how do we teach grammar? Should it be explicit, bottom up, discrete skill instruction or should it be top down, communicative and interactional? How does culture impact rhetorical preferences and how can these preferences be included in instructional pedagogy? Strategies for teaching academic English written discourse from both a grammatical and a cultural perspective will be discussed.
Linda Gerena received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy/Bilingual Education from San Diego State University and is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at City University of New York, York College. Professional interests in over 20 years in TESOL include language acquisition, cultural preferences in writing, and at-risk secondary English learners
Theme: Young Learners & Classroom Techniques
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30) - en francais
Presentation
Video
Twitter
Through a series of practical examples Charles Goodger will demonstrate his on-line FunSongs Approach (officially recommended by the Italian, Latvian and Lithuanian Ministries of Education) in which melody, mime, rhythm and rhyme can accelerate memorisation, encourage correct pronunciation and enhance the language learning process for young learners. He will present and teach a series of original language-learning action songs on several specific themes and show how their content can be recycled and integrated into a curriculum. Fluent in five languages, Goodger will present this workshop in French
Teacher-trainer, course book writer and musician Charles Goodger writes language-learning action songs for FunSongs Ltd. His influences are Howard Gardner, Georgi Lozanov and James J. Asher (Total Physical Response). Charles Goodger is currently on leave from Bologna University where he has unlimited tenure as a language expert.
Theme: Teacher Training and Development & The Four Skills
Friday, November 6th (17:00 - 18:00)
Presentation
Whilst audiovisual resources for the English language classroom are multiplying exponentially (think YouTube), the most readily available and undervalued resource of all is you, the teacher. Your students may spend more time listening to you than to any other English speaker on the planet. So how do you use English in the classroom, and how can they learn from you? In this paper I propose to explore the different ways in which teachers speak to their students, analyse some authentic samples of teacher talk with you, and suggest how your spoken English can help your students' comprehension.
Michael Hall joined Marjon in 1996 after a long peripatetic career in ELT. He currently works as a teacher and trainer with participants from many countries. His professional interests include intercultural awareness, online teaching and learning, learner autonomy and the future of English.
Theme: Global Issues & Four Skills
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Video
Users of English increasingly need the skill of understanding speakers of wide varieties of international English - including both first and foreign language speakers. Teachers need properly didacticized resources for this purpose. This talk will present a vast online bank of lessons which teachers can easily build into their blended courses. English Addicts, updated every day, are online lessons based on authentic 2 to 4 minute radio reports from all over the world, on all sorts of topics and at several levels of difficulty. We will discuss the ways in which teachers can use them - as a teacher told us: "Recently English Addicts has become a major part of our arsenal - we like it and so do the students."
Philip Hawkes is a teacher, materials writer and translator. He has been living and working in Brittany for 20 years and runs a company called Flexilangues. He is interested in practical ways of integrating IT into lively English teaching.
Theme: Adult Learners & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
This hands-on workshop visits some innovative nuts and basic bolts of working with vocabulary generated in class, which is often recorded by students as long lists of words often never to be seen again! We will start by looking at how learners of all ages and levels can personalise and record new lexis using a low tech, high performance 'vocabulary box' and we will try out activities which focus on individual word practice and revision by elicitation. We will then demonstrate how individual words can become core catalysts for creative writing activities - to include poetry and stories.
Maria Heron is a practicing teacher and teacher trainer with 25 years experience. Her work has been mainly in the UK but she has also worked in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Argentina and Panama. She is CELTA Centre Manager at NILE. Her areas of interest are IELTS and vocabulary acquisition.
Theme: Teen and Adult Learners & Global Issues
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Human beings live through stories, and we ignore this in the classroom at our peril. Inroads have been made into the world of story in ELT, mostly through extensive reading and story-telling, but so far there has been no systematic approach to writing stories. This workshop will give participants the opportunity to work through some ideas which help learners to build up their story-writing abilities, whilst practising many other skills. The activities presented are also intrinsically interesting, and can work as stand-alones.
David A. Hill is a free-lance teacher trainer and materials writer working out of Budapest. He works with teachers in around 10 countries every year, and has trained at NILE, Norwich every summer since 1998. He is the Coordinator of the IATEFL Literature, Media and Cultural Studies Special Interest Group (LMCS SIG). He plays blues and writes poetry.
Theme: Testing and Assessment & Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Presentation
As teachers, we all have to assess our learners' oral ability. However, this is more usually done based on our own experience of levels than on valid criteria. This talk will look at how the complex and verbose descriptors of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages can be reduced to usable assessment grids using guidelines of best practice: ie, that they should be precise, clear, transparent, independent, concise, and formulated positively.
Twice president of TESOL France, former Director of the University of London in Paris, responsible for cambridge oral exams in France, David has taken part in oral testing research with cambridge and given workshops on oral testing for the MEN and is currently writing a book on oral assessment.
Theme: Testing and Assessment & English for Specific Purposes
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) is a new computer based test that sets a new standard in academic English testing. Key features include all authentic academic content, higher security, more objective scoring, more detailed performance data and much faster results (within five days) The test is being launched internationally from 26 October 2009 and will be available in France from December 14th. It has already been recognised by over 800 programmes world wide, including INSEAD and HEC in France.
Mike Howard came to France in 1992 as a musician touring in a band. After meeting his future wife (and waving goodbye to the camper van!) he decided on a career in ELT. He is currently responsible for managing PLT in France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Theme: Adult Learners & Intercultural Issues
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Presentation
As English instructors, we are in the privileged position of helping students improve their skills in English, while also exploring other areas of knowledge that they can apply to their personal or professional lives. My presentation will focus on how to incorporate career planning materials into English classes, allowing students to think about their own professional goals, as well as learning about differences between career planning in France and English-speaking countries. The use of such materials in development of the four skills will also be discussed, drawing on my experiences with engineering students in a grande école.
Aimee Johansen is an assistant professor of English at Télécom Bretagne, an engineering grande école. Having completed her Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Illinois with a focus on the morphosyntax of Bantu languages, she is currently moving toward researching issues of didactics and second language acquisition.
Theme: Classroom Techniques & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Video
Presentation
When a learner draws a piece of language, that language is suddenly brought to life and made memorable. In this workshop, which will be useful for teachers of all levels and ages, we will see some original grammar-based activities which exploit a fantastic piece of classroom technology - the pencil.
Jamie Keddie is a teacher, teacher trainer and writer who has taught in Spain and Germany. In 2008 he set up TEFLclips.com, a site dedicated to the possibilities for YouTube and other video-sharing sites in the classroom. He has written many articles on a number of subjects including grammar, image and the use of corpora in language learning. He is the author of Images in the Resource Books for Teachers series published by Oxford university Press. Jamie blogs at www.jamiekeddie.com.
Theme: Learning Technologies & Classroom Techniques
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Presentation
Videogames have evolved into one of the world's largest and fastest-growing entertainment industries today. Educators have long been intrigued by the possibilities of "edutainment," but it is only recently that the underlying principles of game-playing have been sufficiently understood; and game-coding tools sufficiently democratized, to enable those principles to be applied to pedagogical aims. A new wave of Learning Games, ranging from casual Flash games to virtual worlds like Second Life, promises to transform education in a way similar to how the web has revolutionized the worlds of entertainment and media. Language-learning innovators are at the forefront of this revolution, a trend with particular significance to the TESOL community.
Paul Maglione and Frederic Tibout are entertainment industry veterans, having worked across television, videogames, news media and mobile entertainment in companies as diverse as Apple, Vivendi, NBC, and CNN. Operating at the nexus of technology, business development and innovation, they are now bringing their skills to the global EFL market with their entertainment-driven English language training web service, English Attack!
Theme: Materials Design & Publishing & Business English
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30)
Handouts
This presentation will help those attending to identify and consider options for using a range of free online resources, particularly but not only for teaching the language of business and management. Based on the Freemium approach and recognising a variety of learning styles and preferences, it looks at some quality assured print, audio and video resources available from publishers and broadcasters, from colleges and universities, etc. Some options for using these are described and discussed, so that those attending can use a simple but robust process to find and use such resources to suit their particular needs.
Arthur works in the Ulster Business School on programmes for private, public and not for profit client organisations. He has been a teacher, teacher trainer and manager in EFL. He worked in Sweden, Libya and Kuwait as well as in the UK.
Theme: Materials Design and Publishing & Learning Technologies
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
Every day thousands of teachers are mixing and matching content from published ELT materials, then creating their own lessons, tasks and exercises, all to fit the specific needs of their business English students. Today, new web technologies provide digital tools for this process of developing materials and designing courses, either for online delivery or for the classroom. This talk will first discuss these new approaches to designing and delivering training, and how this "playlist"" course design can result in highly personalized, performance-focused learning for our business English students. Second, we will look at the English360 web platform, which we created to provide free tools for collaborative content development, self-publishing, and blended course delivery for teachers and schools worldwide.
Cleve Miller has over 20 years experience designing, managing and teaching business English programs in both Europe and the Americas. Currently he leads the English360 research project, in partnership with Cambridge University Press.
Theme: Grammar and Vocabulary & Classroom Techniques
Friday, November 6th (18:15 - 19:15)
Handouts
Get ready for 8 to 10 activities to use in class on Monday! You will receive a handout with a full explanation of each activity and with accompaning notes on vocabulary acquisition and memory theory. For those who teach in the Public System and have 20+ students, these techniques work well. No laborious note-taking in this session, just play. Doing is remembering.
Tammi Santana has been teaching in Spain for over 24 years. She is on the Board of Directors of TESOL-SPAIN. She has given workshops in the past and has been director of studies in two different schools, but what she loves most is teaching!
Theme: Young Learners & Research
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Presentation
Dornyei wrote, "Teachers' skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to teaching effectiveness" This workshop is aimed at Primary teachers interested in maintaining and increasing learners' motivation and self-confidence. We will take a look at a series of practical classroom activities and strategies, such as role-playing, games, story telling and other approaches to boost learner's confidence and lower classroom anxieties.
Fulvia Seales currently teaches primary and young learners at the British Council, Bilbao. Her areas of interest include motivation and methodology.
Theme: Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
This workshop will focus on bringing creativity into your everyday teaching, and making each class a unique experience for your learners. We will explore ways of using pictures, poetry, quotations, metaphors and stories in order to develop language skills while at the same time tapping into everyone's creative potential. In particular suitable for teachers in secondary school contexts or those working with young adults in higher education or language schools.
Margit Szesztay has been an EFL teacher and teacher trainer for over twenty years. Her special areas of interest are group facilitation, community building and bringing creativity into the English language classroom. She has run and coordinated many courses and seminars for teachers in Hungary and abroad.
Theme: Higher Education & Teacher Training and Development
Friday, November 6th (17:00 - 18:00)
Presentation
Handouts
Video
What is a large class? What is a heterogeneous class? What are the problems we encounter when we have to teach classes that are both large and heterogeneous?
In this talk I will begin by attempting to define what is meant by 'large' and 'heterogeneous', and then go on to list some of the main problems - but also the advantages! - that we encounter when trying to teach them. As with many educational problems, there are no easy solutions. We could, perhaps largely solve them by preparing different tasks to suit different groups within the class; or by preparing several texts at varying levels of difficulty, as suggested by some methodologists. But most of us have neither the time nor the money to invest in such elaborate preparation, let alone the time to check the results later.
In this talk, I shall be proposing and discussing a series of practical teaching principles, illustrated by practical procedures, that involve very little (or no) extra preparation, that can make our job teaching large heterogeneous classes easier, and that go some way towards bringing about more effective learning.
Penny Ur was educated at the universities of Oxford (MA), Cambridge (PGCE) and Reading (MATEFL). She emigrated to Israel in 1967, where she still lives today. She is married with four children and five grandchildren. Penny Ur has thirty years' experience as an English teacher in primary and secondary schools in Israel. She has recently retired from the headship of the M.Ed program in foreign-language teaching at Oranim Academic College of Education, but continues to teach M.A. courses at Oranim and Haifa University. She is interested in all aspects of language-teaching methodology, but in particular issues of fluency and accuracy in language teaching, language-learning activity design and the implications for teachers of the development of English as a lingua franca. She has published a number of articles, and was for ten years the editor of the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series. Her books include Discussions that Work (1981), Five Minute Activities (co-authored with Andrew Wright) (1992), A Course in Language Teaching (1996), and Grammar Practice Activities (2nd Edition) (2009), all published by Cambridge University Press.
Theme: Learning Technologies & English for Specific Purposes
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Due to the swine flu in Argentina teachers were forced to go online. Are you ready to face the challenges to work online? What are the ingredients for blended learning?
Throughout my presentation I will bring you up to date with how technology can be used in our teaching scenarios and how teachers can start using different online tools in their daily classroom as natural as a book.
Jennifer Verschoor holds degrees as English University Professor, Bachelor in Educational Management, English Public Translator and ICT in the Classroom validated by Trinity College London. Her emphasis in training teachers to integrate technology into the classroom started several years ago. Since then has given numerous workshops on the integration of New Technologies in Education in Argentina, Japan and Germany. Currently she is introducing New Technologies for the Teaching of English in various Leading Commercial and Educational Organizations. She is proud WEBHEAD and President of ARCALL Argentine Computer Assisted Language Learning.
Theme: Business English & Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00) - A speaker from Uruguay brought to you by video conference
Presentation (1/2)
Presentation (2/2)
Most business English students are non-native speakers, who need to develop a range of communicative language competences in order to be able to perform their job-related tasks properly. Therefore the attention becomes more focused on language as a tool for communication rather than on language knowledge as an end in itself. When you are aware of the significance of this training for your clients, you try to provide them with tools that could help them in their careers worldwide. In this talk I will be presenting how we can develop programs that cater to our clients' needs.
Mercedes Viola holds a degree from the Universidad Republica Oriental del Uruguay. She's been a business English trainer for 20 years. She's been designing and implementing business English programs for government-owned organizations, universities and many well known global companies such as Microsoft, HP, American Express, Deloitte, John Deere and MasterCard.
Theme: Young Learners & Learner Styles
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Presentation
Handouts
Video
Do you ever feel that your lesson has "gone a bit quiet"? It isn't unusual - learning often requires teachers to talk and students to listen or read. Some passive learning is OK - a percentage of your students probably prefer studying this way. However, when things "go a bit quiet", maybe the lesson is TOO passive, and most students don't benefit from that. This talk will present ideas about turning passive lessons into active ones. We will look at ways of getting students more involved with reading texts, exercise material and even the contents page of their course book.
Ken Wilson has written about 30 ELT books, of which ten are coursebooks, including Smart Choice (OUP). He has also written a hundred radio and TV programmes for BBC English. Until 2002, Ken was artistic director of the English Teaching Theatre. His most recent book is Drama and Improvisation (OUP).
Workshops: Speakers abstracts and Bios
ELT Meets the Blogosphere
by Burcu Akyol (Istek Schools, Turkey)Theme: Young Learners & Learning Technologies
Friday, November 6th (17:00 - 18:00)
Video
This presentation explores the limitless potential of blogs in the language classroom in a highly visual way and gives some practical ideas on setting up a blog for use with your own classes in the light of a successful experience creating and maintaining a blog throughout an academic year with ninety-three 5th grade students in a private school in Turkey.
Burcu Akyol graduated from Hacettepe University, ELT Department in 2000. She holds a Master's degree in Educational Management. Her main areas of interest are teacher training and learning technologies. Currently, she works at Istek Schools as Foreign Languages Department, Education Coordinator.
Using Drama in an English Language Class
by Mahrukh Bharucha (Expressions Unlimited!, India Lamda; UK)Theme: Classroom Techniques & Pronunciation
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
France and India have a common problem: the native tongue influence hampers ELT. Drama is a great tool to overcome the issue. Drama techniques dispel inhibitions, encourage conversations and allow freer practice of accurate intonation, pronunciation and diction. Most ELT teachers are wary of this approach, however, due to lack of knowledge, or experience or both! This presentation aims to introduce both experienced and fresh teachers to the wonder and magic of using drama - and its techniques - in the Language classroom. The theory is tried and tested - and this presentation will prove it!
I run a very successful Speech & Drama Academy and Language centre - EXPRESSIONS UNLIMITED! -catering to non-native speakers (young learners and adults). Using drama as a tool for ELT is my forte. I also conduct extensive teacher training. Qualifications: B.A. (English) CELTA Certified Speech, Drama & Communication Skills Teacher.
The Interplay Between English-medium Subject Teaching and English Teachers
by Jean Brewster (Freelance, UK)Theme: Teacher Training and Development & English for Specific Purposes
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
This talk adds to the debate on the impact of CLIL on ELT. The speaker will outline a recent training programme she co-authored and taught for primary school teachers of maths and science in Qatar, highlighting some of the major skills teachers and students require. These include language skills and thinking skills closely linked to a range of process skills. She will also highlight some issues in the impact of CLIL on the role of the English teacher, such as the kind of curriculum and syllabus that could be developed.
Dr Brewster has trained teachers in CLIL for thirty years, most recently as team leader for a primary teacher- training project in Qatar for English-medium maths and science. With an M.Phil and PhD in content-based learning she has published several CLIL articles.
Making Sense of Words: The English Profile Wordlists Project
by Annette Capel (Cambridge University Press, France)Theme: Corpus in the Classroom & Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30)
English Profile is a collaborative project developing language descriptors for the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). As part of this project, Cambridge University Press has sponsored research into A1-B2 vocabulary: the English Profile Wordlists provide reliable information at word and sense level, based on extensive corpus analysis and other relevant sources. The speaker will explain the research and compiling methods used and consider areas such as affixation, phrases and collocation, and polysemous words. What does it actually mean to "know a word"? Vocabulary acquisition is a cumulative process and reliable information on frequency and usefulness helps to establish priorities for teachers and students.
Annette Capel has been involved in the Cambridge exams as an item writer and examiner since 1990, and is co-author of textbooks for five levels of these exams (A2 to C2). Since 2007, Annette has been developing corpus-informed Wordlists for A1 to B2, as part of the English Profile project.
Output Feedback: How to use what students say to help them speak 'better'
by Alan Cargyl (International House London)Theme: Business English & Classroom Techniques
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
This interactive, task based and practical workshop will demonstrate how to use the language produced by students to develop their English, show language development and reduce the use of commercial material in class. Suitable for students pre-intermediate and above. Used at the Executive Centre, International House London with adult professionals but also suitable for General English students. The session will demonstrate the technique and give participants the opportunity to practise it.
Alan Cargyl is the Assistant Director of the Executive Centre at IH London. He has worked there as a language trainer for 11 years and has delivered sessions at numerous international language conferences.
Critical Media Education in TESOL: Bringing popular culture into the language classroom
by Carla Chamberlin-Quinlisk (The Pennsylvania State University, USA)Theme: Classroom Techniques & Intercultural Issues
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
Language students and teachers today have unprecedented access to global media, and many turn to these as sources of authentic discourse. Although captivating as linguistic resources, media also embed multiple layers of meaning (social, political, gendered, etc.) in their imagery and rhetoric that merit discussion in our classrooms. Using newspapers, magazine advertisements, and film as examples, this presentation shows how critical media analysis and cultural studies approaches can be successfully merged as a pedagogical tool for addressing both linguistic and sociocultural issues in language classrooms. Activities for various ESL/EFL contexts and proficiency levels will be shared and discussed.
Carla Chamberlin-Quinlisk is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Communication at Penn State University. She has taught ESL/EFL and applied linguistics in France, South Korea, and the U.S. for over 20 years. Her research and teaching focus on the intersections among language, culture, communication and media.
Blogging Your Way to Being a Better Teacher
by Lindsay Clandfield (Delta Publishing)Theme: Learning Technologies & Teacher Training and Development
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Video
Teachers are beginning to use blogs more and more to help their students. But how can this new medium help teachers to help themselves? In this talk I will take you on a tour of some of the top blogs by teachers for teachers and explore how these can aid in our development. We will look at what makes a good blog, how to get the most out of the blogosphere and some useful advice for those of you wishing to start your own blog for teachers.
Lindsay Clandfield is an award-winning author of books for teachers and learners. He is the series editor for the new Delta Teacher Development Series and the blogger behind the popular site www.sixthings.net.
World Englishes as Art: the Extremely Short Story [ESS] in Arabia and the Far East
by Maggie Collins and Peter John Hassall (On-line Editor and Representative for the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC], France and Originator/Principal Editor ESSC, Academic Bridge Program, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates)Theme: Higher Education & Intercultural Issues
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Presentation Handouts
The title of this talk proposes that Englishes of diverse regions of the World, authored by local users of the language, may provide the foundation for a new art form conveying ideas and images of significance to both native and non-native users. Illustrative examples will be presented taken from three commercially available anthologies, websites and an international touring exhibition, all based on the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC], originating at Zayed University Dubai which has spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and Far East. A PowerPoint will explain how the ESSC is having an impact on EFL/ESL learners and the wider milieu in these regions.
Maggie is an on-line Editor/Representative for the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC] now living in France. She has lectured extensively in EAP/ESP in Singapore and in recent years used the ESSC as a valuable part of the writing course at Dubai Men's College (DMC), Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE. Peter Hassall, of the Academic Bridge Program Zayed University Dubai, is originator of the Extremely Short Story Competition [ESSC] and Principal Editor of 3 ESSC anthologies: Emiratia; Pearls of Emirati Wisdom; Facets of Emirati Women. He judges the ESSC Japan and regularly contributes to Asian Englishes and World Englishes.
How Working with Translation Can Help Us Learn about Language
by Anna Daley (IUFM Châteauroux, freelance translator)Theme: Classroom Techniques & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
Translation is sometimes seen as rather old hat but it can bring insight into how language works, even for lower level students. As someone who combines the careers of teacher and translator, I have used translation in different ways with different groups of learners, and have learnt many things from it myself which have been useful in my teaching. I would like to share some of my expereinces in this area with you.
Anna Daley is a teacher, teacher trainer, and translator . She has been living and working in central France for the past 16 years. She is interested in all aspects of teaching and learning English, and particularly in bilingual education.
L'observatoire TOEIC 2009 des niveaux d'anglais en France : pour mieux connaître le niveau des français
by Alain Daumas (Directeur France d'ETS Global)Theme: Testing and Assessment
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
Presentation
ETS Global vient de lancer la première édition de "l'Observatoire TOEIC des niveaux d'anglais en France". Cet observatoire a pour objectif de dresser un état des lieux complet des niveaux en anglais professionnel des candidats français tout au long de leur vie :
- Lycée
- Bac+2
- Bac+3
- Bac+5
- Doctorat
- Salariés
Dix années d'expérience internationale dans la mise en place de dispositifs de recrutement, formation et évaluation en milieu académique et professionnel. Diplômé de l'Ecole de Management de Lyon en 1995, Monsieur Daumas a fait ses classes dans les métiers de la vente, du marketing et de la formation interne chez Procter & Gamble de 1996 à 2000. Il prend ensuite la direction commerciale européenne du Groupe Auralog, spécialiste des formations linguistiques en E-learning. Depuis 2006 il est Directeur France d'ETS Global, filiale internationale d'Educational Testing Service, créateur des certifications TOEIC & TOEFL.
Lexis, Speaking and the Non-Native Speaker Teacher
by Hugh Dellar (Heinle ELT)Theme: Adult Learners & Global Issues
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Presentation Handouts
That language is highly formulaic seems widely accepted. However, there's been much debate as to the relevance of this for non-native speaker teachers (NNSTs) teachers of English. It's been claimed that lexis is more culturally-rooted than grammar and that a lexical approach will leave NNSTs in danger of being caught out by students. However, NNSTs have the upper-hand when it comes to teaching lexically. I will outline why whilst also addressing the flexible cultural positions language can be utilised in, the lunacy of demonising translation and the wonders of local knowledge - all with reference to classroom realities!
Hugh Dellar is a teacher and teacher trainer at the University of Westminster. He is also the co-author of the Innovations series of coursebooks, as well as the forthcoming OUTCOMES series, published by Heinle Cengage.
International Leadership - Competencies for Working Effectively across Cultures
by Robert Dignen (York Associates)Theme: Business English & Intercultural Issues
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
This presentation is based on the proposition that the ELT industry's focus on language and identified professional communication skills needs to shift. Those in business need support beyond the traditional mix of English language, training for specific "moments" (presentations, meetings, negotiations) and cultural knowledge in the form of country culture briefings. This presentation outlines a new approach for ELT with an introduction to an alternative syllabus of core international leadership challenges and associated communication skills tied to a model of intercultural competence.
Bob Dignen is a director of York Associates. He specialises in delivering international team seminars. His titles include 50 Ways to improve your international presentation skills and 50 Ways to improve your intercultural skills published by Summertown. He is co-author of Developing People Internationally, a multimedia international team training resource.
Beyond the Book
by Gavin Dudeney (Pearson Longman)Theme: Learning Technologies & Teacher Training and Development
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
Presentation Handouts Video
This is a talk about new digital literacies, about the differences between 'digital illiterates' (mostly teachers!) and learners under the age of about 20 who are fluent in 'digital as a second language'. It's fairly light (or can be) in terms of theory, but looks at practical examples of new literacies, why they're important and where teachers can start acquiring the skills they need. Really it's an up-to-date look at where the gap lies between teachers and learners in terms of their ability to use technologies.
Gavin has worked in education since 1988, as a teacher, materials developer, IT manager and web/user interface designer. His blend of pedagogical and technical skills has taken him around the world - primarily for the International House World Organisation, but also for the British Council and other entities - helping them to bridge the gap between their training and teaching portfolio and their technical needs. Gavin has published How to Teach English with Technology (Longman, 2007) with Nicky Hockly. He is also the author of other books and numerous print and online articles.
Facilitating Awareness of Global Issues from Inside and Outside the Classroom
by Robert Emigh (Norwalk Community College, Connecticut, USA.)Theme: Higher Education & Global Issues
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
Presentation
Today, due to both a growing interconnectedness of the world and a myriad of economic, environmental and human rights challenges that currently present themselves to us, facilitating student awareness of these pressing global issues is a task that many educators are feeling more compelled to engage in. This presentation will look at strategies and resources that will not only help to increase our students' awareness of these issues, but help to empower them and give them a sense of agency over their futures.
Robert Emigh received a Master's in Teaching (ESOL) from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont. He has taught in Thailand, Brazil and New York City. He is currently an Associate Professor of ESL at Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
Clickers: A New Approach to Engaging Students in the ESL / EFL Classroom
by Parvanak "Pary" Fassihi (CELOP/Boston University)Theme: Learning Technologies & Tried and Tested Classroom Techniques.
Friday, November 6th (14:00 - 15:00)
Student Response Systems, or clickers, when used with interactive pedagogies, are known to increase student interaction and consequently, student achievement in content domains such as math and physics. Clickers have both a hardware and software component that collects and displays student responses. Students use a small device, similar to a television remote control, to respond to multiple-choice questions. The overall results become instantaneously available to the audience in form of a pie chart or bar graph. The presenter will demonstrate the hardware and software component of the clickers and talk about its advantages in ESL / EFL classes.
This speaker also presents a poster.
Pary Fassihi is an ESL Senior Lecturer at the Center for Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) at Boston University. She has 13 years of experience teaching ESL / EFL. Her specialization is the use of technology in ESL / EFL classes. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Language Education at Boston University.
Writing and Grammar in Culturally Explicit Rhetorical Discourse
by Linda Gerena (York College, City University of New York, USA)Theme: Intercultural Issues & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30)
PresentationThis presentation will outline areas of grammatical difficulty faced by English learners, the cultural context of writing and how culture impacts rhetorical preferences. Teaching grammar to English learners is a necessary part of the language curriculum for teachers. The question is, however, how do we teach grammar? Should it be explicit, bottom up, discrete skill instruction or should it be top down, communicative and interactional? How does culture impact rhetorical preferences and how can these preferences be included in instructional pedagogy? Strategies for teaching academic English written discourse from both a grammatical and a cultural perspective will be discussed.
Linda Gerena received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy/Bilingual Education from San Diego State University and is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at City University of New York, York College. Professional interests in over 20 years in TESOL include language acquisition, cultural preferences in writing, and at-risk secondary English learners
Songs in Action
by Charles Goodger (Bologna University, Italy)Theme: Young Learners & Classroom Techniques
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30) - en francais
Presentation Video Twitter
Through a series of practical examples Charles Goodger will demonstrate his on-line FunSongs Approach (officially recommended by the Italian, Latvian and Lithuanian Ministries of Education) in which melody, mime, rhythm and rhyme can accelerate memorisation, encourage correct pronunciation and enhance the language learning process for young learners. He will present and teach a series of original language-learning action songs on several specific themes and show how their content can be recycled and integrated into a curriculum. Fluent in five languages, Goodger will present this workshop in French
Teacher-trainer, course book writer and musician Charles Goodger writes language-learning action songs for FunSongs Ltd. His influences are Howard Gardner, Georgi Lozanov and James J. Asher (Total Physical Response). Charles Goodger is currently on leave from Bologna University where he has unlimited tenure as a language expert.
Why Speaking English to Your Students Matters
by Michael Hall (University College Plymouth St Mark & St John, UK)Theme: Teacher Training and Development & The Four Skills
Friday, November 6th (17:00 - 18:00)
Presentation
Whilst audiovisual resources for the English language classroom are multiplying exponentially (think YouTube), the most readily available and undervalued resource of all is you, the teacher. Your students may spend more time listening to you than to any other English speaker on the planet. So how do you use English in the classroom, and how can they learn from you? In this paper I propose to explore the different ways in which teachers speak to their students, analyse some authentic samples of teacher talk with you, and suggest how your spoken English can help your students' comprehension.
Michael Hall joined Marjon in 1996 after a long peripatetic career in ELT. He currently works as a teacher and trainer with participants from many countries. His professional interests include intercultural awareness, online teaching and learning, learner autonomy and the future of English.
Building a Didacticized World English Resource into a Teacher-led Course
by Philip Hawkes (Teaching Materials Coordinator, Edulang)Theme: Global Issues & Four Skills
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Video
Users of English increasingly need the skill of understanding speakers of wide varieties of international English - including both first and foreign language speakers. Teachers need properly didacticized resources for this purpose. This talk will present a vast online bank of lessons which teachers can easily build into their blended courses. English Addicts, updated every day, are online lessons based on authentic 2 to 4 minute radio reports from all over the world, on all sorts of topics and at several levels of difficulty. We will discuss the ways in which teachers can use them - as a teacher told us: "Recently English Addicts has become a major part of our arsenal - we like it and so do the students."
Philip Hawkes is a teacher, materials writer and translator. He has been living and working in Brittany for 20 years and runs a company called Flexilangues. He is interested in practical ways of integrating IT into lively English teaching.
Fun with Vocab
by Maria Heron (NILE)Theme: Adult Learners & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00)
This hands-on workshop visits some innovative nuts and basic bolts of working with vocabulary generated in class, which is often recorded by students as long lists of words often never to be seen again! We will start by looking at how learners of all ages and levels can personalise and record new lexis using a low tech, high performance 'vocabulary box' and we will try out activities which focus on individual word practice and revision by elicitation. We will then demonstrate how individual words can become core catalysts for creative writing activities - to include poetry and stories.
Maria Heron is a practicing teacher and teacher trainer with 25 years experience. Her work has been mainly in the UK but she has also worked in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Argentina and Panama. She is CELTA Centre Manager at NILE. Her areas of interest are IELTS and vocabulary acquisition.
Writing Stories
by David A. Hill (Helbling Languages)Theme: Teen and Adult Learners & Global Issues
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Human beings live through stories, and we ignore this in the classroom at our peril. Inroads have been made into the world of story in ELT, mostly through extensive reading and story-telling, but so far there has been no systematic approach to writing stories. This workshop will give participants the opportunity to work through some ideas which help learners to build up their story-writing abilities, whilst practising many other skills. The activities presented are also intrinsically interesting, and can work as stand-alones.
David A. Hill is a free-lance teacher trainer and materials writer working out of Budapest. He works with teachers in around 10 countries every year, and has trained at NILE, Norwich every summer since 1998. He is the Coordinator of the IATEFL Literature, Media and Cultural Studies Special Interest Group (LMCS SIG). He plays blues and writes poetry.
Constructing Oral Assessment Grids from the CEFRL
by David Horner (Cambridge ESOL)Theme: Testing and Assessment & Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Presentation
As teachers, we all have to assess our learners' oral ability. However, this is more usually done based on our own experience of levels than on valid criteria. This talk will look at how the complex and verbose descriptors of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages can be reduced to usable assessment grids using guidelines of best practice: ie, that they should be precise, clear, transparent, independent, concise, and formulated positively.
Twice president of TESOL France, former Director of the University of London in Paris, responsible for cambridge oral exams in France, David has taken part in oral testing research with cambridge and given workshops on oral testing for the MEN and is currently writing a book on oral assessment.
PTE Academic: setting a new standard in Academic English testing and fully endorsed by the Graduate Management Admission Council
by Mike Howard (Pearson Language Tests, France)Theme: Testing and Assessment & English for Specific Purposes
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) is a new computer based test that sets a new standard in academic English testing. Key features include all authentic academic content, higher security, more objective scoring, more detailed performance data and much faster results (within five days) The test is being launched internationally from 26 October 2009 and will be available in France from December 14th. It has already been recognised by over 800 programmes world wide, including INSEAD and HEC in France.
Mike Howard came to France in 1992 as a musician touring in a band. After meeting his future wife (and waving goodbye to the camper van!) he decided on a career in ELT. He is currently responsible for managing PLT in France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
So What Do You Want to Do for a Living?" Incorporating career planning materials into English classes
by Aimee Johansen (Télécom Bretagne, Brest)Theme: Adult Learners & Intercultural Issues
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Presentation
As English instructors, we are in the privileged position of helping students improve their skills in English, while also exploring other areas of knowledge that they can apply to their personal or professional lives. My presentation will focus on how to incorporate career planning materials into English classes, allowing students to think about their own professional goals, as well as learning about differences between career planning in France and English-speaking countries. The use of such materials in development of the four skills will also be discussed, drawing on my experiences with engineering students in a grande école.
Aimee Johansen is an assistant professor of English at Télécom Bretagne, an engineering grande école. Having completed her Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Illinois with a focus on the morphosyntax of Bantu languages, she is currently moving toward researching issues of didactics and second language acquisition.
Grammar Drawings
by Jamie Keddie (Oxford University Press)Theme: Classroom Techniques & Grammar and Vocabulary
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
Video
Presentation
When a learner draws a piece of language, that language is suddenly brought to life and made memorable. In this workshop, which will be useful for teachers of all levels and ages, we will see some original grammar-based activities which exploit a fantastic piece of classroom technology - the pencil.
Jamie Keddie is a teacher, teacher trainer and writer who has taught in Spain and Germany. In 2008 he set up TEFLclips.com, a site dedicated to the possibilities for YouTube and other video-sharing sites in the classroom. He has written many articles on a number of subjects including grammar, image and the use of corpora in language learning. He is the author of Images in the Resource Books for Teachers series published by Oxford university Press. Jamie blogs at www.jamiekeddie.com.
Games: The Pedagogical Revolution. From Edutainment to Games 2.0; Implications for EFL
by Paul Maglione and Frederic Tibout (Entertainment Learning)Theme: Learning Technologies & Classroom Techniques
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Presentation
Videogames have evolved into one of the world's largest and fastest-growing entertainment industries today. Educators have long been intrigued by the possibilities of "edutainment," but it is only recently that the underlying principles of game-playing have been sufficiently understood; and game-coding tools sufficiently democratized, to enable those principles to be applied to pedagogical aims. A new wave of Learning Games, ranging from casual Flash games to virtual worlds like Second Life, promises to transform education in a way similar to how the web has revolutionized the worlds of entertainment and media. Language-learning innovators are at the forefront of this revolution, a trend with particular significance to the TESOL community.
Paul Maglione and Frederic Tibout are entertainment industry veterans, having worked across television, videogames, news media and mobile entertainment in companies as diverse as Apple, Vivendi, NBC, and CNN. Operating at the nexus of technology, business development and innovation, they are now bringing their skills to the global EFL market with their entertainment-driven English language training web service, English Attack!
Free and Freemium: Resourses for Teaching Business (and other) English
by Arthur McKeown (University of Ulster, UK)Theme: Materials Design & Publishing & Business English
Saturday, November 7th (9:30 - 10:30)
HandoutsThis presentation will help those attending to identify and consider options for using a range of free online resources, particularly but not only for teaching the language of business and management. Based on the Freemium approach and recognising a variety of learning styles and preferences, it looks at some quality assured print, audio and video resources available from publishers and broadcasters, from colleges and universities, etc. Some options for using these are described and discussed, so that those attending can use a simple but robust process to find and use such resources to suit their particular needs.
Arthur works in the Ulster Business School on programmes for private, public and not for profit client organisations. He has been a teacher, teacher trainer and manager in EFL. He worked in Sweden, Libya and Kuwait as well as in the UK.
From Print to Digital: Collaborative content and the future of the coursebook
by Cleve Miller (Cambridge - English360)Theme: Materials Design and Publishing & Learning Technologies
Saturday, November 7th (17:30 - 18:30)
Every day thousands of teachers are mixing and matching content from published ELT materials, then creating their own lessons, tasks and exercises, all to fit the specific needs of their business English students. Today, new web technologies provide digital tools for this process of developing materials and designing courses, either for online delivery or for the classroom. This talk will first discuss these new approaches to designing and delivering training, and how this "playlist"" course design can result in highly personalized, performance-focused learning for our business English students. Second, we will look at the English360 web platform, which we created to provide free tools for collaborative content development, self-publishing, and blended course delivery for teachers and schools worldwide.
Cleve Miller has over 20 years experience designing, managing and teaching business English programs in both Europe and the Americas. Currently he leads the English360 research project, in partnership with Cambridge University Press.
Quick and Fun Activities to Practice New Vocabulary
by Tammi Santana (TESOL-SPAIN)Theme: Grammar and Vocabulary & Classroom Techniques
Friday, November 6th (18:15 - 19:15)
HandoutsGet ready for 8 to 10 activities to use in class on Monday! You will receive a handout with a full explanation of each activity and with accompaning notes on vocabulary acquisition and memory theory. For those who teach in the Public System and have 20+ students, these techniques work well. No laborious note-taking in this session, just play. Doing is remembering.
Tammi Santana has been teaching in Spain for over 24 years. She is on the Board of Directors of TESOL-SPAIN. She has given workshops in the past and has been director of studies in two different schools, but what she loves most is teaching!
Generating Student Motivation
by Fulvia Seales (British Council, Bilbao, Spain)Theme: Young Learners & Research
Friday, November 6th (15:15 - 16:15)
Presentation
Dornyei wrote, "Teachers' skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to teaching effectiveness" This workshop is aimed at Primary teachers interested in maintaining and increasing learners' motivation and self-confidence. We will take a look at a series of practical classroom activities and strategies, such as role-playing, games, story telling and other approaches to boost learner's confidence and lower classroom anxieties.
Fulvia Seales currently teaches primary and young learners at the British Council, Bilbao. Her areas of interest include motivation and methodology.
cREATIVITY with a Small 'c'
by Margit Szesztay (Department of English Language Pedagogy, ELTE University Budapest)Theme: Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (10:45 - 11:45)
This workshop will focus on bringing creativity into your everyday teaching, and making each class a unique experience for your learners. We will explore ways of using pictures, poetry, quotations, metaphors and stories in order to develop language skills while at the same time tapping into everyone's creative potential. In particular suitable for teachers in secondary school contexts or those working with young adults in higher education or language schools.
Margit Szesztay has been an EFL teacher and teacher trainer for over twenty years. Her special areas of interest are group facilitation, community building and bringing creativity into the English language classroom. She has run and coordinated many courses and seminars for teachers in Hungary and abroad.
Workshop: Teaching Large Heterogeneous Classes
by Penny Ur (Oranim and Haifa University, Israel)Theme: Higher Education & Teacher Training and Development
Friday, November 6th (17:00 - 18:00)
Presentation Handouts Video
What is a large class? What is a heterogeneous class? What are the problems we encounter when we have to teach classes that are both large and heterogeneous?
In this talk I will begin by attempting to define what is meant by 'large' and 'heterogeneous', and then go on to list some of the main problems - but also the advantages! - that we encounter when trying to teach them. As with many educational problems, there are no easy solutions. We could, perhaps largely solve them by preparing different tasks to suit different groups within the class; or by preparing several texts at varying levels of difficulty, as suggested by some methodologists. But most of us have neither the time nor the money to invest in such elaborate preparation, let alone the time to check the results later.
In this talk, I shall be proposing and discussing a series of practical teaching principles, illustrated by practical procedures, that involve very little (or no) extra preparation, that can make our job teaching large heterogeneous classes easier, and that go some way towards bringing about more effective learning.
Penny Ur was educated at the universities of Oxford (MA), Cambridge (PGCE) and Reading (MATEFL). She emigrated to Israel in 1967, where she still lives today. She is married with four children and five grandchildren. Penny Ur has thirty years' experience as an English teacher in primary and secondary schools in Israel. She has recently retired from the headship of the M.Ed program in foreign-language teaching at Oranim Academic College of Education, but continues to teach M.A. courses at Oranim and Haifa University. She is interested in all aspects of language-teaching methodology, but in particular issues of fluency and accuracy in language teaching, language-learning activity design and the implications for teachers of the development of English as a lingua franca. She has published a number of articles, and was for ten years the editor of the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series. Her books include Discussions that Work (1981), Five Minute Activities (co-authored with Andrew Wright) (1992), A Course in Language Teaching (1996), and Grammar Practice Activities (2nd Edition) (2009), all published by Cambridge University Press.
It's a NetWorld..Let's NetWorld: Are you ready to face the challenges of working online?
by Jennifer Verschoor (ARCALL Argentine Computer Assisted Language Learning, Freelance)Theme: Learning Technologies & English for Specific Purposes
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Due to the swine flu in Argentina teachers were forced to go online. Are you ready to face the challenges to work online? What are the ingredients for blended learning?
Throughout my presentation I will bring you up to date with how technology can be used in our teaching scenarios and how teachers can start using different online tools in their daily classroom as natural as a book.
Jennifer Verschoor holds degrees as English University Professor, Bachelor in Educational Management, English Public Translator and ICT in the Classroom validated by Trinity College London. Her emphasis in training teachers to integrate technology into the classroom started several years ago. Since then has given numerous workshops on the integration of New Technologies in Education in Argentina, Japan and Germany. Currently she is introducing New Technologies for the Teaching of English in various Leading Commercial and Educational Organizations. She is proud WEBHEAD and President of ARCALL Argentine Computer Assisted Language Learning.
Designing English Programs for Business People
by Mercedes Viola (IATEFL - BESIG)Theme: Business English & Adult Learners
Saturday, November 7th (15:00 - 16:00) - A speaker from Uruguay brought to you by video conference
Presentation (1/2) Presentation (2/2)
Most business English students are non-native speakers, who need to develop a range of communicative language competences in order to be able to perform their job-related tasks properly. Therefore the attention becomes more focused on language as a tool for communication rather than on language knowledge as an end in itself. When you are aware of the significance of this training for your clients, you try to provide them with tools that could help them in their careers worldwide. In this talk I will be presenting how we can develop programs that cater to our clients' needs.
Mercedes Viola holds a degree from the Universidad Republica Oriental del Uruguay. She's been a business English trainer for 20 years. She's been designing and implementing business English programs for government-owned organizations, universities and many well known global companies such as Microsoft, HP, American Express, Deloitte, John Deere and MasterCard.
Turning Passive Students into Active Learners
by Ken Wilson (Oxford University Press)Theme: Young Learners & Learner Styles
Saturday, November 7th (16:15 - 17:15)
Presentation Handouts Video
Do you ever feel that your lesson has "gone a bit quiet"? It isn't unusual - learning often requires teachers to talk and students to listen or read. Some passive learning is OK - a percentage of your students probably prefer studying this way. However, when things "go a bit quiet", maybe the lesson is TOO passive, and most students don't benefit from that. This talk will present ideas about turning passive lessons into active ones. We will look at ways of getting students more involved with reading texts, exercise material and even the contents page of their course book.
Ken Wilson has written about 30 ELT books, of which ten are coursebooks, including Smart Choice (OUP). He has also written a hundred radio and TV programmes for BBC English. Until 2002, Ken was artistic director of the English Teaching Theatre. His most recent book is Drama and Improvisation (OUP).