Faisal AL SAIDI, University of Bath, UK
PRESENTATION: CALLing for learning strategies
This presentation is based on a doctorate study that investigated the ways in which learners construct meaning in a collaborative computer assisted language learning (C-CALL) environment. The focus of this presentation is on the strategies that the learners employed while carrying out C-CALLs. To obtain information and achieve the C-CALL goals, it was found that the learners acted strategically. Their strategic actions were categorised into four main groups. These categories relate to the ways in which the learners searched/selected information, sought/offered assistance, and fulfilled the task. This presentation will discuss these categories and offer some recommendations for enhancing the language learning experience in C-CALL.
Iveta AMBRULAITIENĖ, Šilutė Pamario Basic School, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: The topicality of kinesthetic teaching/learning style in nowadays education
Nowadays teaching/learning is oriented to the needs of the students. Using various teaching/learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic etc) can meet the individual needs of the students effectively. The aim of this presentation is to promote the kinesthetic style among educationalists. To find out the students’ needs, Šilutė Pamario Basic School staff have been observing the learning style of 11-16 year-old students. Our four-year research has shown that over a third of the students have the kinesthetic style and that the requirements of kinesthetic learners are fulfilled poorly. More than half students in Lithuania move insufficiently, according to the report of the World Health Organization. Many children who are dominantly kinesthetic are stuck in dominantly visual teachers’ classrooms. Our international cooperation through Erasmus projects has also shown that students like learning in kinesthetic style, they become better focused and more keen on learning.
Loreta ANDZIULIENĖ, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, Lithuania
WORKSHOP: Language teacher as a coach
Coaching can be a collaborative, co-creative process (Karlin, 2012) between all school community members. This thought-provoking process can help them become aware of the value of learning/teaching, find solutions to problems, plan and take actions in their learning/teaching, owning the decisions and accepting full responsibility for the results. This workshop aims at acquainting teachers with some coaching tools such as Value Suitcases, The Wheel, that help identify one’s values, strengths, needs, possibilities, and My Angel, Points of You, Association Game, that encourage creativity, critical thinking and facilitate meaningful authentic discussions. As this experiential workshop is based on the mentioned coaching techniques, the process should be fun and effective, offering teachers the opportunity to reflect upon their professional experience and development. Having experienced the power of coaching, teachers should be able to apply the introduced techniques to individual and group work in language learning environments and other teacher work processes.
Cristina BERRY, US State Department
WORKSHOP: Using web-based tools to engage English language learners
In this session you will be introduced to Seesaw, an online learning portfolio for primary-aged learners that connects students, teachers, and parents. You will see examples of items from an ESL classroom in the United States that have helped students develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills as well as items to enhance vocabulary in English. During this workshop, you will also learn how this web-based tool can be used to connect with classrooms abroad for meaningful and enriching cultural experiences. Seesaw is geared toward students up to age 13, but items presented can be used to help you create ideas to engage learners of all ages through various web-based tools such as Google Classroom, Moodle or Padlet.
Attendees are welcome to bring a tablet or smartphone in order to download apps for and explore any of the aforementioned web-based tools. If web-based learning is new to you, viewing a Seesaw account will inspire you to incorporate such tools in your classroom. If you are already using web-based tools with students, you will develop understanding of a new resource as well as ideas for using your current tool.
Jūratė BUDVYDIENĖ, Irena LEVANAVIČIENĖ, Trakai Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium, Lithuania
WORKSHOP: Seeking for innovations: Integrating English, Arts, Media and ICT
Contemporary ELT challenges teachers to constantly seek for new approaches. This workshop aims to disseminate good practices of integrated learning/teaching. The participants of the workshop will become familiar with the students‘ website ‘Exploring Asia’, an online research ‘Digital Journey to Historical Britain’, a staged play ‘The Faraway Tree’ and attempts to improve student media literacy. The participants of the workshop will take part in the activities such as creating images using Tagxedo and authentic English as well as Wix.com to create websites. Also, links of British Corpora (BNC, TIME Magazine Corpus) will be provided and examples demonstrated how students apply the corpus data to their research.
Birutė BUINEVIČIENĖ, Klaipėda Vetrungės Gymnasium, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: Connecting with the ‘real world’ through extracurricular activities
All language teachers know that one of the keys to effective learning is the teacher‘s ability to show students of any age how their newly acquired language skills relate to their immediate or future needs. Learning a second language should first and foremost be about exploring the many ways in which language connects with the real world. This is why extra-curricular activities are in fact at the heart of the language learning process. The session is aimed to show how to combine learning both inside and outside the classroom and explore challenges and opportunities of extra-curricular activities. The experience shared in the presentation should motivate the teachers and their students (of any age) to try out various ways to apply foreign language skills in the real world.
Izolda GENIENĖ, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: Studying and reading poetry: the problem of meaning
Studying and reading poetry is quite a challenge for the reader/learner because of the multidimentional nature of its language. There are different purposes and ways of reading poetry. The workshop will analyse: How is the artistic nature of language revealed? How does the relationship between the form and meaning in poetry differ from the language used in other types of discourse? What are the features of the poetic function? How does this function affect the meaning of language? In the discussion of the relationship between the form and meaning in poetry, several poems from different literary epochs (Romanticism and Modernism) will be analysed. As there are various approaches to reading poetic texts, some suggestions from the well-known critical schools – Formalism, New Criticism, Structuralism – will be presented. Several methods of analysis will be used to demonstrate a variety of ways to read a poem.
Charity GIVENS, LCC International University, Lithuania
WORKSHOP: The Photo Essay: Images that promote written argument
Visual literacy is increasingly more common and important, and understanding how visual texts can work together to form arguments is a practical way for high school students to begin to think about creating formal written arguments. Participants will learn how to work with visual concepts to form arguments and synthesize their sources to create new meaning out of old material. The session introduces the photo essay as a way to introduce students to more formal written arguments.This session will detail steps to creating an effective photo essay assignment and rubric, review elements of visual rhetorical analysis, and suggest ways to link synthesis and written arguments. Attendees will be able to view examples of successful photo essays and put together their own photo essay using simple materials.
Andreas GRUNDTVIG, Pilgrims, UK
WORKSHOP: Folkšokas – Post truths in the ELT classroom
In 2016 the Oxford word of the year was ‘post truth’. Describing a state where facts have less influence than personal belief, it is a relevant term to illustrate an omnipresence of ‘folk linguistics’. This workshop looks at how misinformation and hearsay, particularly web based, can affect areas such as student motivation and interest, teaching approach and method, and ultimately learner progress. Through both instruction and group reflection, participants will analyse some popular educational resources, receive valuable advice on how to choose between the many available, and be armed with those most effective for their students’ autonomous learning. Whatever the context: from secondary to tertiary education; business English or EAP, the content of this workshop is important and relevant to all teachers – be they starting their career or already well experienced.
Rytis JEZUKEVIČIUS, Kaunas Jonas Jablonskis Gymnasium, Lithuania
POSTER PRESENTATION: Smartphones as a pedagogical tool: a practical approach
Both the need and the possibility of ICT use during the learning/ teaching process are gaining momentum. Despite the immense willingness to use ICT in ELT, the everyday teacher is forced to restrict himself or herself due to the lack of language laboratories, WIFI or even the simplest multimedia. This poster presentation explores the possibility of implementing the technology that every student already has in his/her grasp in order to positively affect his/her learning motivation and learning outcomes. Smartphones are a means of modernizing the lesson with the minimum of investments. This poster presentation describes ways of how to practically use Android smartphones and specific educational Android apps so that both the teacher and the student would once again feel refreshed and inspired.
Vaida JUCIENĖ, Tauragė Žalgiriai Gymnasium, Lithuania
WORKSHOP: Creating a digital book
Reading is a thing of the past. Teachers must come up with new ideas to stimulate students’ creativity and desire for reading. How can teachers shake up the way their students read? A national online project “One country – many stories” has provided a solution to the problem and joined many teams from various schools of Lithuania. The project has changed the students’ attitude towards reading and given an opportunity for teachers to enhance their creativity and writing skills. The workshop is aimed at sharing the experience of working on the project, which involved school teams designing e-books consisting of illustrated stories. Participants will be able to try out the tools of the Joomag programme and create their own e-book.
Gretchen KETNER, LCC International University, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: Building English literacy skills through extensive reading blogs
One of the many benefits of extensive reading is that students can develop their literacy skills as they learn to respond to the kinds of questions that foster deeper engagement with the text. Blogs can provide a platform for students to respond to their reading while also allowing the teacher and classmates to join in their reading journey. When classroom time for discussion is limited, blogs or discussion boards provide an alternative space for summarizing and responding while also allowing students to practice their writing skills. This session will provide guidelines for student (and teacher) reading blogs and show examples of students engaging with texts, teacher, and classmates through their blogging projects.
Elena KHVATOVA, Elena KRUTSKIKH, MGIMO University Moscow, Russia
PRESENTATION: Teaching advanced Political Science students
This presentation aims to share experience on how to deal with various, often quite formidable, challenges of teaching very advanced Political Science students. We suggest a student-oriented, speaking-based course, which helps overcome various motivational problems of this stage of learning. The course offers challenging tasks and supportive materials to meet the needs of individual learners. It is based on materials of students’ professional interests and enables teachers to draw on learners’ background knowledge to provoke interest and elicit speech. On the whole, the course places a premium on developing speaking as the most important skill, through mini-discussions, teacher-led discussions, brain-storming sessions, round table discussions, debates, presentations. This approach places high demands on the teacher’s personal and professional abilities. Although the course is rather traditional in that it sees interaction between the teacher and the student as a key to success, it does make use of modern technologies, such as online testing for students’ self-assessment and video materials (TV programmes and documentaries).
Luciana KINOSHITA BARROS, Šiauliai University, Lithuania; Brazil
WORKSHOP: Teaching unplugged: When some spare paper is all you need
The workshop aims to show that teachers do not always need to spend hours preparing game materials, or to be able to use the ultimate technologies for that, because, with simple things (like spare paper), they can provide their students with great and brief activities which are not only fun, but also helpful to develop language skills. To achieve this, the session is divided into three parts: session introduction, tasks demonstration, and discussion and suggestions for activity variations. The first part of the workshop includes the objectives, and some background about what materials are, why they are necessary in EFL, how to make effective materials, etc. In the second one, the audience participates in a series of activities that the only material needed is paper. The last part consists in discussing with participants how some of the activities can be adapted to different proficiency levels, themes, or even another language skill.
Vitalija KLIAŠČIŪTĖ, Vilnius Jonas Basanavičius Pre-gymnasium, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: Using online collaboration platform “The Voice” for teaching & learning
We live in the age of progress and innovation, where technology takes up a large part of our world and is essential to almost every aspect of our lives. ICT allows students to become more independent in the classroom. However, the question I have to ask is – has technology had a positive impact on our profession? In my opinion, yes. Online learning tools give good results and help us improve educational productivity. The main aim of my talk is to introduce an online collaboration platform for teaching and learning English. “The Voice” is a favorable educational environment for students and teachers. This is a space for interactive learning through technology, which provides the opportunity to stimulate creativity, encourage participation in social events and integrate English language into the learning process in a natural, exciting and modern way. I would like to spread the idea of this online collaboration platform as it builds 21st century skills, increases student engagement and accelerates learning.
Gintarė KOLESNIKOVA, Tauragė Žalgiriai Gymnasium, Lithuania
WORKSHOP: Creative ways of developing speaking skills in English
Speaking in a foreign language is no doubt the greatest possible challenge our students face up to. So if students do not learn how to speak or do not get any opportunity to speak in the language classroom they may soon get demotivated and lose interest in learning. Teachers are always looking out for new and interesting ways to help them to improve their speaking skills. The workshop will provide you with the practical and interesting activities that you can use in your own classroom with both junior and senior pupils. You’ll try out a variety of fresh, motivating speaking exercises such as brainstorming, role plays, one-minute talks, telling jokes etc.
Tatjana KRILIUVIENĖ, Kuršėnai Laurynas Ivinskis Gymnasium, Lithuania
WORKSHOP: Interactive learning/teaching in class
Interactive learning/teaching in foreign language classes is a means of instructing when the teacher actively involves the students in their learning process. It can be teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and hands-on demonstrations. Using interaction the students are constantly encouraged to be active participants in different individual or group activities. The aim of the session is to provide an overview of some tools for interactive learning/teaching and explain how they work. The target audience level are primary and secondary teachers whose area of interest is integration of IT in English classes. The participants of the session will be provided with practical examples of how such online tools as SWAY, PhotoFunia, (Quizlet) Quizziz, Canva, Storyjumper can be used to create interactive activities both in class and for students‘ homework. By the end of this session the participants will have had the opportunity to: • share ideas about interactive learning/teaching possibilities in the English language classes; • discuss and analyse the advantages of interactive learning/teaching • select the tools for their choice.
Jolanta LEGAUDAITĖ, Gymnasium of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: NEStOR project: educational scenarios for teaching languages
We have to admit that teachers are encouraged to use technology in the classroom with the premise that it can help to raise student motivation, increase interest and enhance learning. It is a logical argument to use various types of technology in teaching today because students are pretty tech-savvy consumers, and gadgets are widespread among the young generation. Even though teachers have at their disposal a variety of devices, the effectiveness of teaching with technology has never been guaranteed. This presentation is based on the NEStOR project studies which aim to create an attractive and modern School Web Radio with Portal to facilitate transnational cooperation across Europe making learning more challenging. The presentation will discuss web-based radio activities and educational scenarios incorporated into the school’s educational settings. The participants will be able to get familiar with the educational scenario of one of the schools in Kaunas.
Irena LEVANAVIČIENĖ, Trakai Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium, Lithuania
Please see Jūratė Budvydienė [co-presentation]
Carmelina MAURIZIO, University of Turin, Italy
PRESENTATION: The Fenix project: with and without the ICTs, a recent experience in Rwanda, Africa
Jen MacARTHUR, US
PLENARY: The World is Our Classroom: Lifelong Learning On- and OfflineAs teachers, we may be all too familiar with the feeling of being stuck in a rut, but perhaps we also remember (or still feel) our more proficient students’ experience of being trapped on a plateau, unable to push through to the next level. This session will both address online resources for teachers’ professional development available from the US Department of State’s Office of English Language Programs, as well as strategies (both digital and offline) for our learners to inspire them to keep climbing the mountain as autonomous language learners outside of language class and throughout life.
Tamar MIKELADZE, Telavi State University, Georgia
PRESENTATION: Teaching unplugged: A case study of Adult English Speaking Club in Riga, Latvia
Developing speaking skill is one of the critical aspects of foreign language learning/teaching. Few researchers have addressed the issue of adult English learning in conversation clubs. This paper is a preliminary attempt to describe Adult English Speaking Club (AESC) practice. In order to study AESC, we interviewed a teacher and four adult learners, and observed speaking sessions at an Adult English Speaking Club in Riga, Latvia. The responses revealed the strong sides and disadvantages of AESC, crucial factors in organizing the speaking sessions, the reasons why adults attend speaking sessions and how they could be improved. As only one conversation club was researched in our report, further studies are needed to develop proper methodology for AESC.
Inesa RUSECKA, Nemenčinė Konstantas Parčevskis Gymnasium, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: Breaking the ice of learning FL vocabulary digitally
Many teachers are searching innovative ways to facilitate their students’ vocabulary acquisition while making the studying process entertaining and its results long lasting. This presentation will aim at sharing hands-on experience of using free digital tools to tackle these issues. The participants of the session will gain understanding of how to create digital flashcards with the help of “Quizlet”, which will enable their students to practice target vocabulary by playing games. What is more, students will be able to test their progress, while working at their own pace. This tool will also ensure autonomous students’ studying crafted to meet their individual needs. Besides, students can make their personal input to create collective database suited your class and coursebook. The participants will also learn how another digital tool called “Kahoot” can be used for testing students’ knowledge and engaging students with their cellphones in a highly competitive manner.
Anna SCERNUS, University of Bath, UK
PRESENTATION: Experienced English language teachers’ use of grammar teaching techniques
Although teacher cognition in grammar teaching has been widely researched, teachers’ selection and use of pedagogical techniques in grammar teaching seems to be an under-explored area within the field. The present study sets out to investigate the relationship between experienced English language teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and their selection and use of pedagogical techniques in a UK ESOL context. My findings did not only provide insights into the relationship between the teachers’ beliefs and practices, but also shed light on what pedagogical techniques the teachers used to make grammar content accessible for their learners. In addition, the data show how and why the teachers combined different grammar teaching strategies to teach a grammar point. Such findings have implications for those involved in teacher cognition and language teacher research. Moreover, they have implications for teacher education and development, as they provide examples of how experienced practitioners make grammar content accessible to their learners without using technology.
Tatyana SHMANOVSKAYA, Skywind Tech, Belarus
WORKSHOP: Game on! Using boardgames, TV game shows and quizzes at the lessons
Using games and quizzes makes classroom environment more engaging, interactive, and fun. In the talk, we’ll look at various boardgames and TV game shows to play in your lesson, going far beyond Alias, Activity and Just a Minute. I’ll share my experience how I came up with the idea of ‘Game Morning’ events for my students, clarify some organizational points and outline what positive effects they had on the educational process and student retention. The participants will also learn some techniques how to ‘spice up’ the process of explaining game rules. We’ll have a look at trivia games, specific language categories and questions as well as different purposes trivia games might serve in the educational process. At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to create their own trivia game and play a round of mine. The game is afoot! Join in!Gregg SOTIROPOLOUS, MM Publications
WORKSHOP: Incorporating new technology in the classroom: a transformation in learning and teaching (Full Blast)
In recent years, technology has become more accessible to teachers and the use of technological aids has become a common feature in the EFL classroom. In this session, the potential that the latest technology has to offer to students and teachers alike is discussed, and participants are presented with practical tips and ideas so that they can make the best use of technology in their classes. The pedagogical and educational benefits of using new technologies in teaching and learning English will be further illustrated through the demonstration of the state-of-the-art components and course features of MM Publications’ material.
Grzegorz SPIEWAK, Macmillan Publishers
PLENARY: How to maximise our impact on students’ language learning?
In these times of increasing pressure on maximizing effectiveness, often understood as students’ test scores, it is becoming more and more important to seek teaching strategies that can make significant difference, really and truly. That’s just what this session aims to achieve. The good news is that there’s been a lot of research in recent years that points at where we could – and should – be looking as modern ELT professionals, to maximize our impact on learning and make this impact visible to our students. The topic of ‘impact’ is inspired, among others, by the research by John Hattie and others into types of pedagogical strategies and actions that (do not) yield a positive outcome on learning. In my plenary, I intend to review key findings from this research, to argue a crucial point: research evidence supports the vision of modern education as an activity founded on a positive relationship between teacher and students. The cornerstone of such a relationship is teacher’s credibility, a sense of direction and purpose, and an open communication with learners about their progress, areas for improvement, and optimal strategies for accomplishing short- and long-term goals. On a practical level, this sort of approach calls for systematic re-evaluation of existing methods, activity & exercise types, and ways of exploiting them in the foreign language classroom.
WORKSHOP: Maximizing impact behind classroom doors: the HOW
In the workshop, I shall demonstrate a number of activity types that require little preparation and are often directly related to the material included in a modern coursebook. In particular, we’ll look at how to prepare an impactful class, how to begin it, how to build an effective task sequence and how to evaluate its impact on our learners. The idea is to anchor the solutions presented very firmly in top-quality teaching material – and persuade you that the techniques are applicable and transferable with minimum effort and maximum effect.
Russell STANNARD, NILE
PLENARY: Blending learning efficiently: The role of Flipped Learning
This talk focuses on the key technologies and principles that underpin the Flipped Classroom. Russell Stannard first began flipping his lessons back in 2006 and will highlight just how simple this approach can be and why it can be useful in certain contexts. He will also show how knowledge of just a few technologies can facilititate the production of flipped learning technology and indeed any type of blended learning. A talk full of practical tips and real examples.
WORKSHOP: Organising your content in a Flipped/Blended learning course
At the centre of any Flipped/Blended course is a platform where all the learning content can be organised into groups, weeks, folders etc. Edmodo is an idea free tool which allows the teacher to share content but also build activities around the content through quizzes, assignments, discussions and polls. This workshop will take you through all the key features of Edmodo. A hands-on session where we will create groups in Edmodo and build to build a Blended/Flipped learning course.
This workshop requires participants to have a laptop. Mobiles and Tablets do not offer the full functionality.
Scott THORNBURY, British Council
PLENARY 1: Educational Technology: Hype or Hope?
Despite a paucity of evidence to show that digital technology enhances language learning, the fever for new tools and apps continues unabated, creating a continuous cycle of ‘hype, hope, and disappointment’. To guard against the hype and to avoid disappointment, vigilant teachers need to ask: What is the problem for which this technology is the solution? In this talk I reduce language learning to six ‘problems’ and evaluate the solutions that technology offers.
PLENARY 2: Teaching Unplugged
Teachers, I will argue, could learn a lesson from the Dogme 95 group of film makers, who have pledged to rid film-making of an obsessive concern for technique and to rehabilitate a cinema which foregrounds the story, and the inner life of the characters. In a similar spirit, I will be putting the case for what is called “a pedagogy of bare essentials”: one in which dependence on imported materials is reduced, and in which the learners’ texts and meanings are foregrounded. I will be looking at practical ways of achieving these goals.
Jurgita URBĖ, Kaunas Technical Vocational Education Centre, Lithuania
POSTER PRESENTATION: ESP through mobility projects
Although students of vocational schools have English as a foreign language lessons, the need to adapt in the national or international labour market requires knowledge of English for specific purposes. At Kaunas Technical Vocational Education Centre, ESP is not included in the curriculum, therefore, teachers search for ways of including ESP in their lessons. One of the proven ways is profession-oriented mobility projects where students participate in theoretical and practical training abroad and learn ESP at a workplace. After completion of mobility programmes students indicate that their English has improved significantly and it will serve the purpose of easier adaptation in the labour market. The aim of this poster presentation is to promote profession-oriented student exchange as a method of ELT without technologies, which enables students to improve their English while living and training in an English-speaking environment. Information on projects and a case study will be presented.
Kristina URBONIENĖ, Šiauliai Didždvario Gymnasium, Lithuania
PRESENTATION: Telling Map Stories
Using technologies provides teachers with plenty of opportunities to foster students’ creativity, improve not only linguistic but also spatial thinking skills, IT skills and just make students’ lives easier. Technologies allow teachers and students to store a lot of data on a cloud and use that information at any moment. In this session, teachers will be presented with a modern IT tool for creating Story Maps. ArcGIS Online is a complete, cloud-based mapping platform which allows you to access ready-to-use maps, explore, understand and measure geographic data, create and share maps, scenes, apps, layers, and data. It is a useful tool for group or project work, as well as for CLIL lessons where history, geography, IT, foreign language and other subjects are integrated. Teachers will be provided with guidelines and instructions on how to create Story Maps using ArcGIS online platform so that they could use technologies to inspire students to create new products using foreign language skills.
Aneta WILEMSKA-RUDNIK, Jesuit University Ignatianum in Myslowice, Poland
WORKSHOP: Implementing cultural content in the classroom with the use of Kahoot!
Kahoot! is a free adaptive tool for teaching, offering a wide array of practical teaching applications in the classroom. It simultaneously creates a fun atmosphere for learning as well as enables students to work on their critical thinking. During my workshop, participants will have the opportunity to design engaging, cultural-based content activities with the use of Kahoot!. We will consider how to spark students’ interest regarding London Landmarks with the creation of a discussion or survey on Kahoot!. We will experiment with quizzes and jumble games, in which I use covered images, short movies or pictures, to check how much students already know about the topic I intend to pursue. I will also demonstrate that Kahoot! constitutes the perfect tool for checking the reading or listening comprehension of authentic materials. Finally, you will have a possibility to collaborate on making your own outstanding lesson in order to see how the use of Kahoot can easily contribute to creating a learner-centered environment in a friendly and competitive atmosphere.
John WOLF, Pearson
PLENARY: Teaching Techniques for an Unplugged Classroom
Versatility pervades all aspects of modern life, from the clothes we wear to the classrooms where we learn. Young people in particular are expected to multi-task, which often means finding the right tool for the job. Foreign languages are no exception, whether teaching or learning: teachers utilize a variety of methods to teach, and learners use any language at their disposal to communicate.
In this session we will look at some materials-light and materials-free techniques for the modern language classroom. Participants will walk away with some adaptable, fun, communicative activities which can be used across a variety of teaching contexts to help learners improve their communication skills. We will also look at how teachers can structure lessons to suit their students’ needs, and how choosing the right tool doesn’t always mean plugging in and logging on.
WORKSHOP: In Search of Truth
In several arenas authenticity poses a challenge nowadays, from scientific communities to the media. We are constantly challenged on what is fact and fiction, and in many cases by people we have never met before. Online communities and subcultures are increasingly multicultural, presenting many of us with a variety of insights and perspectives.
For young people the above predicament means being a critical thinker, having the ability to navigate across cultures, and possessing the language skills necessary to communicate. In this workshop we will look at how authentic materials can be utilized in the foreign language classroom, and how the right lesson structure can improve learner outcomes. There will be several practical teaching ideas to give participants something tangible to walk away with, including something for both technophobes and technophiles.
