The Future of
English Language
Teaching Conference

Main-G  About-G  Events-P

BREAKOUT SESSIONS 1

Saturday 10 June, 09:15 - 10:00 (UK time)

For more then two decades, the trend in ESP course design and teaching materials has been towards target-situation driven ESP, with higher and higher levels of content derived from the learners’ specialisations being used in ESP teaching. This trend has resulted in a proliferation of commercially published textbooks aimed at a specific professional training markets and an uneasy balance in ESP courses between teaching content aimed at language development and hybrid content aimed to strengthen both language abilities and professional discourse capacity. This approach to ESP teaching has face validity and high credibility with many stakeholders, but are ESP learners actually being well-served by this trend?

 

This presentation will examine the advantages and potential drawbacks of narrow gage ESP course and materials design, where teaching targets, materials and tasks are heavily content-based, when applied to learner groups in contexts where English is not widely used outside of workplace or academic situations. Data from learners in a variety of specialisms (firefighting, nursing, tourism & hospitality, art & design) and text analyses of learner writing for ESP tasks designed to replicate target situation genres requiring atypical lexis and structure were used to assess the usefulness and effectiveness of highly specialised ESP teaching. Results will help identify areas where content input is generative and areas of ‘ESP overreach’, where more generic language teaching targets may actually be more useful to the learners. This talk will be of interest to ESP teachers deciding how much specialist content to use in their teaching and teachers of work-place English working in an EFL context.  

 

Very few of us working in the field of education would oppose the idea that involving students more actively in the learning process is beneficial because it increases engagement, promotes autonomy, and ensures deeper understanding of what is being learned. 

There is a noticeable shift from prioritising Assessment Of Learning (AoL), frequently used to measure students’ progress against a set of pre-determined curriculum outcomes, to integrating more Assessment For Learning (AfL) techniques, which seek to informally collect evidence of learning and re-adjust the process of teaching if this evidence shows that a different route to achieving learning objectives is needed, or that these learning objectives should be changed altogether. 

Self and peer assessment are cornerstones of AfL because they allow students to take ownership of evaluating their progress. Both types of assessments are inherent in human nature (who would deny that most people can’t help comparing themselves to others while being highly critical of their own actions) and both take time and effort to develop if we want to move beyond simply being critical and instead actively set goals for improvement. With this in mind, how do we go about cultivating these complex skills in younger primary students without making the process overly cumbersome and boring?

In my presentation, I would like to briefly dwell on the benefits and challenges of self and peer assessment and then share my experience, tips and classroom examples of how these skills can be developed with Year 1–3 (5-7-year-old) EAL/ESL students. 

This study explores the use of short films in Multicultural Literature course among TESL teacher candidates at one Institute of Teacher Education (ITE) in Malaysia. Applying film production in the course, teacher candidates engaged themselves in producing short films; they created a plan, wrote a script, selected collaboration, practiced and brainstormed steps, filmed, edited, and produced the works. Adopting a qualitative research design, the researcher conducted analyses of five short films produced by teacher candidates. The short films were analyzed using a priori coding of the five multicultural literature elements. As induced from the findings, teacher candidates not only gained ability in short film production but also made thoughtful content in the short films. These positive results indicate that using short films in Multicultural Literature course is beneficial where teacher candidates emotionally observe, empathize with and act in ways that may influence how they see themselves and the culture in which they live. Teacher candidates are hoped to experience positive change in their own world thus extend it to their future pupils via the provision of English language instruction, which will be tailored to be more equitable for all pupils in primary ESL classrooms nationwide.

Teacher coaching and mentoring is a powerful tool for improving teacher practice. By providing targeted feedback, personalized support, and ongoing opportunities for learning and growth, coaching/ mentoring can help teachers to become more conscious educators, improve student outcomes, and become companions to their learning. The objective of this practical webinar is to look into why mentoring teachers can be of great help, and to understand how observation and feedback can be a game changer for many teachers. We will also look into techniques that help teachers overcome challenges when it comes to managing the classroom and the learning of a foreign language. 

The content of the workshop comes from over 15 years of experience in mentoring teachers across different learning settings. 

This eminently practical workshop aims to explore the ever-increasing range of generative AI (GenAI) tools as a means of pedagogical enhancement in Teacher Education. Amidst the present climate of uncertainty, anguish and astonishment amongst key stakeholders fuelled by the mediatic doomsday predictions for education which intensify with every startingly swift Gen AI update, the speakers aim to demonstrate ways in which such developments can be used to the teacher’s advantage particularly in the language learning classroom.

After a brief theoretical overview on the current state of play in scholarship and praxis, participants will be invited to get to grips with some of the other titular fantastic beasts on offer and engage in a range of different activities together to experience first hand the potential benefits of such tools for teaching practice from pedagogical innovation to materials creation. The application of GenAI to personalise not only teaching materials but the entire didactic experience in function of individual learner needs and difficulties will be explored together with tools which enable practically effortless learner data analysis and subsequent evidence-informed pedagogical approach implementation in a multitude of diverse learning contexts.

Furthermore, hands on experience in the creation of lesson plans, bespoke communicative and integrated skills learning materials elaboration and uses for assessment will also be offered to workshop participants. Throughout the workshop participants will be asked to take a critical stance on the Gen AI-outcomes of the interactive practical activities and their validity for Teacher Education; they will thus leave with practical ideas and strategies which they may be able to integrate in their own teaching practice going forward. The workshop will conclude with a reflective discussion on the potential benefits and shortcomings of Gen AI for Teacher Education and the developing role of the teaching practitioner in this new landscape. 

 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS 2

Saturday 10 June, 10:15 - 11:00 (UK time)

There has been a growing demand for specialists in a highly competitive labor market. As a result, most young specialists need help to find a suitable job or corresponding to the ever-changing and constantly developing market (Adri et al, 2020; Ghani & Daud, 2018; Griffin & Care, 2014). Therefore, the core problem has established concerns among educators and instructional designers on tackling shifting workplace requirements and integrating digital literacy and life skills in the curriculum for ESP students (Nadiyah & Faaizah, 2015; Branch, 2009). 


The workshop’s primary objective is to present a successful case study of implementing the new brand course “XXI Century skills” at Kimyo International University in Tashkent and teach private sector workers, tertiary education teachers, and instructional designers how to use the ADDIE learning model and the framework for 21st Century Skills Learning to design a syllabus and provide meaningful, effective and student-centered instruction to prepare a 21st-century skilled specialist for the labor market. The workshop consists of hands-on, interactive activities that will help educators to develop practical and instructional materials for curriculum and syllabus design in ESP, CLIL, and EAP contexts. 


The presenter will deliver a short presentation of the case study of the successful implementation of the course XXI Century Skills, which integrates Life skills, 4C of the 21st Century, and literacy skills for pre-service teachers and the ADDIE model used when designing a syllabus. Then, the presenter will conduct interactive activities allowing participants to get the most out of the model and learn how to develop their syllabi using the framework of 21st Century Skills and the Addie model.

Desirable difficulty is an approach resulting in better long-term learning, but which initially can lead to learner mistakes. As such, it offers both benefits and challenges in the classroom.


This presentation will introduce the concept of ‘desirable difficulty’ and explain the rationale behind choosing to adopt it. A parallel will be drawn to Krashen’s ‘i + 1’ comprehensible input theory, and the types of difficulties that are actually desirable will be explored.

The presenter will then demonstrate how desirable difficulty applies not only to the language being introduced but also to task design and classroom management techniques as well. A variety of simple and practical techniques will be demonstrated that participants can take away and implement quickly in their own practice.


Classroom culture around mistakes will also be explored, including how teachers can use positive language to change how learners feel about mistakes and encourage them to take more risks with their language usage. Methods to take mistakes from failures to learning opportunities will be showcased as well.


Participants will benefit from this session in feeling more confident and creative in task design that includes a higher level of challenge, and able to support their learners for long-term success.

Humanity has had to reconsider how we educate and learn as a result of COVID-19 making it essential to use modern technology when teaching English, owing to extraordinary advancements made in a variety of professions and disciplines. It is crucial for the education sector to keep up with the global technology transformation by implementing cutting-edge technical tools like computerization, multi-media devices, mobile phones, audio/visual effects programs, and social media to maximize English language instruction by providing teachers the tools needed for connecting with students who are learning languages in the classroom in a structured and sophisticated way. Software, apps, a variety of supplementary platforms, and resources that can accelerate the instruction/ acquisition of English are all easily, instantly, and practically available on the Internet. The Next-generation digital technologies have made the virtual world a reality, which in turn heralded in the metaverse, a 3D digital arena that combines the actual and virtual worlds, that has been hailed as a promising future educational trend. Thus, the disruption caused by the pandemic demonstrated the importance of digital transformation for now and in the years to come, wherein language learning will also be transformed into an immersive process by embracing the metaverse. But the current research hardly ever explored the metaverse from the standpoint of education/learning. This paper explores the implications of virtual reality (VR) for ELT as there are convincing reasons to believe that language teachers should not dismiss the metaverse so quickly, considering the potential of immersive virtual environments for language acquisition. Furthermore, this paper also explores the possible uses of the metaverse for language learning, blended learning, competency-based instruction, and inclusive education. Finally, this paper concludes with some of the challenges entailed in using the metaverse and how teachers can prepare for its effective use in their language classrooms.

 

The world is changing, and the landscape of education is changing with it. As teachers we need to ensure we’re on the right side of history. The future is in our hands, and we need to empower our students to make the decisions to go out there and shape it to be as bright as possible. 
The session starts by looking at some of the issues the world is currently facing with a focus on the climate emergency. It will then introduce the idea of changemakers and emphasise the positive impact they can have on the planet.

It then moves to look at practical ideas to helping students engage with the issues at hand (a quick trip through the UN's Sustainable Development Goals helps add clarity here)

In this session we’re going to think about what a changemaker is and how we can empower our students to make a real difference in the world. Be it a young learners class, a teenage class or an adult class. finding ways and means to connect our students to the issues and help them develop their passions. 

Next we'll take some simple steps on how we can turn eco anxiety into agency and prevent our students burning out and freaking out. 

Finally we'll look at what we can do to help our students make the biggest differences they can. The ways in which they can go out there and make a difference. Our students may need our guidance at first, but soon enough they'll be the ones guiding us in our quest to make a change in ourselves and the world.

 

This presentation will explore the significance of teaching pragmatics and indirect speech acts in the ESL classroom. The focus will be on the importance of equipping students with the necessary language skills to navigate social interactions in English effectively. I  will share a variety of activities that can be used to teach pragmatic language use in context, including role-playing, discussions, and analysis of authentic materials. 

In addition,  the participants will be provided with a range of ready-to-use resources, including lesson plans, worksheets, and authentic materials, that can be adapted and used in their own classrooms. These resources will enable participants to teach and reinforce pragmatic language use and indirect speech acts with their students.

By the end of the session, participants will leave with a range of practical tools and strategies that they can immediately apply in their own teaching practice; they will have a better understanding of how to incorporate pragmatics into their language teaching practice and how to create engaging and effective lessons to teach these important language skills to their students.

 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS 3

Saturday 10 June, 11:15 - 12:00 (UK time)

Animated short films are an excellent engaging and pedagogically-sound learning tool. They provide linguistically- rich teaching materials. This interactive presentation should provide attendees with a clear picture on why and how animated films should be used in our classes. It highlights the rationale for using animated short films in language classes and provides practical ideas on how to use them to teach different language skills while keeping the class fun and engaging.


The presentation will start with the rationale for using short films in our classes. Then, the presenter will share some of her students' opinion and feedback regarding the use of animated shorts in their classes.  The majority of the session’s time will be devoted to sharing some practical and creative ideas on how to use animated short films with students. This will include showing the attendees a couple of animated shorts and go through relevant activities to teach different language skills. The presentation should provide attendees with a clear picture on why and how animated films should be used in our classes. 

Digital storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging students in the learning process and helping them develop key employability skills. By combining multimedia elements such as text, images, audio, and video, digital storytelling allows students to create compelling narratives that communicate complex ideas and insights. This process requires students to think critically, collaborate with others, and demonstrate creativity, all of which are highly valued by employers.

In this session., we explore the ways in which digital storytelling can help students develop employability skills. We begin by examining the differences and similarities between traditional oral storytelling and digital storytelling, with an emphasis on the unique affordances of digital platforms (e.g. interactivity, multimedia elements, user-generated content ).

We also examine the skills that are essential for success in today's job market, such as critical thinking, communication, and teamwork, and show how digital storytelling can help students develop these skills. Finally, we provide some examples of successful digital storytelling projects and offer recommendations for educators who wish to incorporate this approach into their teaching practice.

Newspaper headlines have been filling up with information about the ChatGPT, a new chatting robot, introduced recently by OpenAI. This includes cases of students attempting to cheat their way through a course or even their theses writing.

There is a hot debate on what the existence of ChatGPT, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence in general, means for education: Will the teaching profession become obsolete? Is this the end of online testing? Where is artificial intelligence heading?

This presentation attempts to suggest a way of taking advantage of and opportunities ChatGPT offers to educators and, more specifically, teachers of foreign languages, especially at secondary level of education. The main aim is, therefore, to present a brief overview of the recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence , focusing on the ChatGPT, and more specifically the use of the technology in language teaching. It also aims to identify skills teachers of languages may find useful when embracing the opportunities and trying to include the new technology in their lessons. A specific example of a spontaneous use of ChatGPT to support lesson planning in a microteaching session by student-teachers in their second year of study is provided to illustrate the students’ eagerness to ‘test the waters’ of the speedily evolving field.

ChatGPT has inspired editorials but also a growing number of research papers, with the recurring theme of ‘friend or foe’ discussions of the characteristics of the technology. With the anticipated (as of March 2023) release of ChatGPT 4 and the imminent release of Microsoft’s answer to ChatGPT – Copilot – the question of academic integrity and suitability of the technology use in the language classroom is becoming more and more pressing and the need to support practicing but also future teachers in embracing the opportunities while being aware of the pitfalls.

 

Over the past decade, there has been a great deal of research regarding the skills needed in the 20th century vs the 21st century in the areas of primary education (Dede, 2010) assessment (Reeves, 2010) and higher education (Kivunja, 2014).  In short, the well-known “3Rs reading writing, and arithmetic” have transformed into the 4cs: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity and have since expanded to add more innovative Cs: culture, citizenship, connectivity, and character (Holland, 2017).  The shift to the Cs has brought a sense of renewal to education, and the expansion displays how educators have continued to adapt to the ever changing demands from face to face, to virtual, to hybrid and back again (Hirsh-Pasak et al. 2021).  However, many  educators, and perhaps more honestly stated - HUMANS  still find themselves in the recovering/rebuilding times for a variety of reasons, including trying to pave new ways of teaching in the post-COVID era.

In this talk, I focus on how these “multiple Cs” can be adapted and how we have adapted to meet the continuously evolving needs of our students and of ourselves no matter if you are teaching in K-12 or higher education.  I reflect on where our time online during COVID took us especially in the technological realm, (Nuñez-Canal et al., 2021) what we have been left to work with (Doll et al., 2021) and where we are rebuilding and innovating (Zhao & Waterson, 2021).  Finally, I emphasize the work continued in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) (Pentón-Herrera & Martínez-Alba, 2021) and in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) (Sears, 2021) and how the infusion of these elements are crucial to the conversation and a potential framework in our classrooms moving forward. 

Evidence suggests that transferring learning from in-service teacher education courses to teachers’ specific teaching contexts can be problematic. This presentation explores this point and views the issue through the lens of teacher cognitions (Baker 2014; Borg 2015), helping identify potential areas for teachers’ knowledge and skills development. Recognising that teacher learning is more than just being able to use a ‘tool-kit’ of tasks and activities, this presentation will show how resource analysis (including resource evaluation, adaption and creation) can be a vehicle to help teachers learn more about their context and also their beliefs and practices. The presentation will then report on an impact study jointly conducted by NILE and Trinity that explores the impact of teacher development courses that use Trinity College London’s Certificate for Practising Teachers (CertPT) as a developmental assessment tool to meet teachers’ professional needs. 

Using data analysed from participant pre- and post-course interviews, I will present data that gives detail about how the CertPT’s four assessment tasks provide lasting impact. This will be supplemented by data collected from NILE’s teacher educators involved in the CertPT, enabling a different perspective on how assessment affects learning and practice following in-service professional development.

This presentation will be relevant to all those involved in teacher education programmes as it provides a fresh way to view teachers’ in-service development, recognising the importance of teacher cognitions and materials use and development as a vehicle for ongoing professional development.

 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS 4

Saturday 10 June, 13:45 - 14:30 (UK time)

The Russian war against Ukraine has drawn attention to the critical role Media Literacy and critical thinking play for fighting massive propaganda and disinformation. Many of us believe that manipulation is so obvious, primitive and ridiculous that it is not a problem for us. But current state of things in the world reveals the vulnerability of human civil sanity and demonstrates that more attention needs to be paid to it. In this talk I share my experience of transforming ESP syllabus due to unprecedented circumstances and the needs of university students in the war time. I reflect on the ways in which language education could incorporate the teaching of Media Literacy as a core life skill from acquiring military and war-related vocabulary to recognizing verbal manipulation techniques, fake news and hate speech in the media. 

Feedback and its effectiveness on L2 writing performance has been studied by many scholars, and the debate about its effects has been a controversial topic for over two decades (Cao, 2021). Apart from the inconclusive results, most studies on this topic have been conducted with postsecondary students (75%) and adult learners (86%), which highlights the need to pay more attention to young learners (Liu & Brown, 2015). Driven by this gap, this study aims to clarify whether the feedback loop has an impact on young learners' second language writing. 40 EFL Second grade students were divided into two groups: the experimental group and the comparison group. During the treatment period, the experimental group received a continuous feedback loop for 5 weeks, while the comparison group received feedback only once. At the end of the treatment period, the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the experimental group performed better than the comparison group on the post-test. (H (1) = 17.094, p <.005). Pedagogical implications are presented at the end of the article along with suggestions for future studies.

The fact that students acquire linguistic skills of effective communication best through collaborating with their peers is undeniable. However, many teachers underestimate the value of international collaboration considering it a time-consuming workload and potential disbenefit for language learners with immediate goals. This study focuses on how international networks in post-pandemic 2020-2023 developed students’ linguistic confidence and digital competencies in line with SDG#3, SDG#4, and SDG#17.


The Community

Our school has been implementing international collaborations through student-led networks such as iEARN, GlobalCoLab, and TakeItglobal.
Students form teams in which each member has a real task – a writer, a vlogger, a photographer, a communicator, a project developer, etc. These tasks rotate regularly so that every student can master his skills. All learners meet at project-based hubs to realize their potential as global citizens by sharing their solutions at national, local, international, and global levels. 
Students offer solutions to real-life problems using a foreign language as a tool for effective communication. Since students make collaborative decisions, the application of project-based activities is flexible concerning national and global agendas.
The role of a teacher comprises the attributes of a language mentor who is well-equipped with ESD methodology and promotes sustainable learning in alliance with SDGs.

 

The benefits

The two-year collection of ‘GOLD’ (Global Ownership of Learning and Development), an international online kids magazine, reflects ‘The head, the hands, and the heart’ approach, meeting students’ academic and socio-emotional needs of self-development; international cross-curricular collaborations include students-generated surveys, presentations, video interviews, digital exhibitions, and podcasts.
Collaborative learning serves every learner’s goals in that s/he realizes the requisite for linguistic literacy, accuracy, and digital competence. Students feel emotionally attached to their progress throughout the creative process, thus becoming more confident users of a foreign language.

 

Intercultural language teaching is crucial in today's interconnected world, as students must possess the skills to navigate cultural differences and communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. This webinar will explore how to incorporate intercultural language teaching principles into student-centred lesson planning, utilising reflective practice through video lesson observations. We will examine the significance of authentic communication, emergent language, and learner agency in developing intercultural competence, drawing on the work of Scarino (2013), Liddicoat and McConachy (2022).

Reflective practices such as reflective journals, authentic video discussions, and pragmatic judgement tasks will be discussed to promote ownership of intercultural learning and critical thinking skills. Additionally, blogs or reflection journals will be explored as suggested by Jackson, Chan, and Sun (2022), to encourage learners to gain new insights and awareness of their attitudes and biases.

By utilising these strategies and activities, learners will become effective intercultural speakers capable of navigating cultural contexts with sensitivity and respect. Ultimately, this webinar will equip language teachers with tools and strategies to create immersive and comprehensive learning experiences that develop intercultural competence.

While there’s ongoing innovation happening in education, the disruptions from the pandemic and staff shortages are having a knock-on effect in the ELT sector worldwide. In this context, teacher collaboration is becoming a fundamental – and increasingly critical – part of the profession.

In this session, we will provide an overview of the key benefits of collaboration as well as the possible barriers of peer collaboration. We will also share the case study from an academic initiative called “Teaching Together” implemented in Argentina in 2022, in which hundreds of EFL teachers actively participated in a successful collaborative project sharing experiences and techniques with colleagues from the region.

Professional collaboration is a powerful tool for teachers in the ELT sector, since it can lead to more effective teaching, increased job satisfaction, and improved student outcomes. This is an invitation to embrace opportunities to collaborate with peers, both in person and online, in order to develop multiple skills and provide the best possible learning experience for their students.

 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS 5

Saturday 10 June, 14:45 - 15:30 (UK time)

In recent years, the focus of feedback studies has shifted from teachers’ comments to students’ reception (Panadero and Lipnevich, 2022). Feedback has been termed as a co-constructed set of strategies generated in reaction to surrounding elements (Panadero et al., 2018: Yan et al, 2022), which make students “elicitors” of feedback (Joughin, et al., 2021). As Vygotsky argues in his socio-cultural theory (1978), meaningful interactions can lead to improved performance. The repetition and incidence of  comparative practices to seek feedback can lead to a more refined and independent kind of self-regulation, which is proved to enhance work (Carless, 2019), but it is crucial to make these practices explicit in students’ self-reviewing and self-monitoring processes in feedback literate students.  Feedback literacy is not a stative value and should be practised to achieve higher levels of feedback fluency.


The value of comparisons with exemplars will be showcased as opposed to teachers' provision of feedback comments. 
What I am proposing is that  the iteration of comparisons of student drafts to exemplars  can be highly beneficial for students and can help them find gaps, shortcomings and salient differences between their work and that of others. This will lead to more refined practices in self- regulation, self- monitoring and feedback elicitation, as opposed to receiving feedback comments from teachers solely. It can be stated that students can bridge the gap between their present capabilities and the result desired, by analising these differences and engaging in actions to enhance their work after comparisons. In addition, these practices can enhance critical thinking and self- directed learning. Additionally, by moving away from providing teacher comments, teacher time can be better utilised.

 

Are you ready to introduce a learner-centred approach but you’re not sure where to start? In this talk I’ll show you my process for designing student inquiries for the primary classroom. Using my own models, I’ll demonstrate how to plan and set up your own inquiry and provide useful tips on how to get started with this flexible, inclusive approach.

Inquiry-based learning is a learner-centred approach which puts the student at the heart of the learning process. An inquiry is centred around the learner’s existing knowledge and curiosity, making lessons highly engaging and with clear progression. However, this approach requires a carefully designed and scaffolded plan to ensure it meets core standards and the learning objectives in a syllabus. This talk will demonstrate the design process for planning an inquiry suitable for learners with different skills and competencies. 

We'll begin with a brief introduction to inquiry-based learning, why it is an effective approach, and an overview of the steps in the inquiry process.

Then we'll look at how to:

a) choose topics for inquiry and identify possible language areas
b) weave learning objectives into the inquiry plan
c) plan and design tasks to guide the inquiry
d) consider a variety of resources
e) provide differentiation and scaffolding

Model inquiries will illustrate each area and provide practical examples of what an inquiry might look like in the ELT primary classroom. Finally, I’ll share useful tips to help participants introduce more learner autonomy in a scaffolded way so that learners gradually develop the skills to take a more central role in guiding the inquiry.

It would be unusual for someone who keeps abreast of the news not to have heard of OpenAI’s release last year of ChatGPT and the ensuing consternation in educational circles over the role that such artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are playing and could play in the near future.

In this talk, I will explore both AI’s current role in ELT as well as the opportunities and implications for the (near) future. The focus will be on three distinct but interrelated areas of ELT activity: Teaching (including teacher training and education); Publishing (materials creation and distribution); and Assessment (formative and summative, high-stakes and low-stakes). The exploration will be conducted in part through the lens of Activity Theory, which is a useful heuristic enabling the identification of tensions and contradictions within activity systems. The lens will be adjusted to encompass micro (e.g. classroom), meso (e.g. institutional) and macro (e.g. global) levels of activity.

Part 1 comprises a brief introduction to artificial intelligence and its subset of machine learning (ML) and how they have developed historically up to the present; Part 2 will describe examples of how ELT practitioners are currently employing AI and ML technologies (examples will also be taken from general education and non-ELT fields where there are analogies with ELT); Part 3 will consider the opportunities and implications for the future, including the corporatisation of teaching and assessment tools and materials, and the possible consequences for human teacher and ELT professional agency.

The audience will leave with a clearer understanding of the nature of AI and ML and their current uses in ELT, and be more aware of the future opportunities  - and threats - for ELT. They will be better able to critically evaluate utopian and dystopian viewpoints.

 

Finlay (2008) defines reflective practice as ‘learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and practice’. The process of reflection can be both a lonely and collaborative action. This concept has rapidly disseminated in the past years and raised concerns when it is imposed on professionals. Fostering positive results requires reflective practice to be introduced as a tool that encompasses self-awareness, reflection of practice and critical thinking that leads us to becoming life-long learners (Finlay, 2008). 


There are different models of reflection and each individual should be given the choice on which one fits best their context. As stated by Timperley (2008) “Context-specific approaches promote teaching practices that are consistent with the principles of effective teaching but also systematically assist teachers to translate those principles into locally adapted applications.”


As a result of the reflection process, the need to take a course, attend a conference, workshop or lecture, read a book or article, exchange best practices with colleagues, etc,  may come up. The choice is not simple as it is influenced by several factors. 


This workshop aims at exploring and  analyzing different models of reflection such as Kolb’s (1984), Gibbs’ (1998), Rolf´s (2001) and Schon’s (1991). Moreover, participants will reflect upon their own practice and choose which of the models might best fit their professional context so that they can become reflective practitioners and devise personalized and achievable goals that will positively impact their professional development. 

 

Overt Teaching argues that successful learning is dependent on learners being actively involved in the learning process. Not only do learners need to be aware of what they are learning and why, but their involvement in the
discussion of their own success is critical.

In this talk, we will examine how effective aims and objectives are the first step in engaging students in the discussion of learning, and how this conversation can continue throughout your lesson, culminating in the creation and discussion of success criteria. You will learn to word your aims and objectives so they can be easily understood and discussed by learners. You will also learn to use these aims to create success criteria so learners can easily visualise and discuss success.

REGISTER

JOIN THE 2023 ONLINE CONFERENCE

Use the button below to book your free place at the Future of English Language Teaching Conference

 

FOELT-BOOK-NOW-01

Trinity College London is a leading international exam board and independent education charity that has been providing assessments around the world since 1877.

Quick Links

Trinitycollege.com

Copyright © 2022 Trinity College London