You will find the abstracts for all sessions below.
17:00-17:45, Room 1
In the picture, connections and reflections: How visual images enhance our lessons
Dr. Daniel Brint, Upper Street English
Teachers are familiar with the typical textbook topic introduction featuring a couple of library sourced images. This usually provides a useful starting point before moving on to a text or listening activity. We might also help our students comment on pictures as preparation for an exam such as Cambridge First. But are we taking full advantage of the ways in which images can engage and focus ideas and experiences? How else can pictures be used in relation to diverse lesson aims and skills? In this session, Daniel Brint will suggest some strategies that utilize this highly effective and accessible source of lesson material and describe some proven and motivating activities teachers can adapt and customize for their classes.
This session is especially relevant for teachers of secondary and adult students, including those teaching CLIL and Business English.
17:00-17:45, Room 2
Identity, analysis and writing
Hamish Binns, Saint Louis University
Getting senior high school and university students to write can be challenging, and the first question we usually hear when we set a writing assignment is, “How many words?” In this workshop, I will present a series of exercises to get to know your students better while getting them to write more than they usually would.
This session is especially relevant for teachers of secondary and adult students.
17:00-17:45, Room 3
Teaching baby boomers and Gen Z sharing the same ESL class
Mercedes Luque and Beatriz Marbán, Ebenen Idiomas
Teaching English to adults can often present some challenges that we need to face in an enjoyable and effective way. Due to recent history in Spain, nowadays adults encounter a globalized world in which English is the path of professional and even personal lives. English is the new adult life tool, so it’s key to develop accurate strategies that evolve with this new always-on culture. That’s why in this talk we’ll try to approach different perspectives of English skills to various adult profiles (Gen Z, Millennial, Boomer, etc.) that share the same lesson.
This session is especially relevant for teachers of adult students.
Learn more about Mercedes and Beatriz.
18:00-18:45, Room 1
Teaching writing skills in the digital age
Jennifer Murray, Best Words Copywriting
In this session, we’ll look at the gap between classroom writing and online writing. We’ll examine tasks we routinely set our learners and compare these to digital texts we all read on the internet. I’ll argue that, even in a world of AI writers, robots and automation, developing writing skills continues to be an essential, creative part of language learning.
This session is especially relevant for teachers of secondary and adult students as well as materials writers.
Learn more about Jennifer.
18:00-18:45, Room 2
Activities and tips for your diverse and integrated classrooms
Rebecca Place, British Council
We will take a very practical look at what we can do to make our classroom a happier, more productive, less threatening place for all of our students, paying special attention to the special needs and diverse ways of reacting to, dealing with and assimilating what goes on in class from each and every one of our students (who, we know, are all special!) I hope to bring you some new activities, remind you of some you’ve not used in years and get you itching to go back into class to try them out.
This session is especially relevant for teachers of primary, secondary and CLIL.
18:00-18:45, Room 3
Starting from “Why?”
Dr Ruth Wilkinson, Universidad de Comillas
In the age of Chat GPT, can we finally get away from transmission based learning?
Inspired by Paolo Freire, The School in The Cloud, my mate Roisin O Farrell and of course my own experience and PhD in language learner autonomy, a session that explores the idea of the class as a research group, considering the power of questions from many angles.
This session is relevant for teachers of all age groups, including those working in CLIL, teacher training and online teaching.
19:15-20:00, Room 1
Teaching primary children: What’s your recipe for success?
Andrea Littlewood, International House
Pacing? Plenty of practice and personalisation? Perhaps a pinch of patience? We’re always encouraged to reflect on what goes into creating a successful primary lesson. In this workshop we’ll be looking at a few “ingredients” to consider and how we can add to our own personal “recipe book” to learn from what we do each day. We’ll be revisiting class routines, considering lead-ins and follow ups to reading and listening activities and also sharing those tried and tested ideas that make our lessons enjoyable and meaningful.
This session is especially relevant for teachers working at the primary level.
19:15-20:00, Room 2
EDI in action: British Council challenges native-speakerism
Deni Savvidou, British Council
ELT is increasingly working toward becoming more inclusive. However, in Spain, the dichotomy between NESTs and teachers for whom English is not a first language is still pervasive. This talk discusses British Council’s EDI stance and proposes practical strategies to address native speakerism. It is also informed by a pan-Spain study that investigated native speakerism in private education.
This session is relevant for teachers of all age groups, including those teaching Business English, EAP and exam preparation.
19:15-20:00, Room 3
oriGAMification
Silvie Rasikova, British Council
Do you struggle with basic origami? Do you try and avoid it in class? This is the session for you. We will look at some basic origami: boat, houses, box and many more. This session will not only make you feel confident about using origami in class but will also look at ways of how to get more language practice before, during and after making the origami. (For young learners of English).
This session is especially relevant for teachers working at the primary and secondary levels.
TESOL-SPAIN Madrid Mini-Event 2023 