Event Programme
Key: Sesson Types
28th Thursday Programme
Registration
Eaquals Academic Management Competency Framework: Practical Uses - Session 1
One of the wider aims of the Eaquals Academic Management Competency Framework is recognising the importance of the role of management in the provision of quality education. First and foremost, however, the Framework is a practical tool to support academic managers in language teaching operations.
Throughout the Management Training day we will focus on the range of potential uses of the Framework for academic managers in different organisations and at different levels of organisational structure. Drawing on the participants’ individual contexts and experience, we will explore ways in which the ACMF can provide practical and relevant support in areas as diverse as e.g. clarifying possible manager roles, assessing the quality of management, or planning professional development opportunities and career paths in academic management.
Inspector Training, Looking back and looking forward
We will report on the work done in 2021 and present an update on the developments planned for 2022.
Inspector Training, The grading scheme and case studies of excellence
In this session we will revisit the grading scheme. We will explore report samples to illustrate coverage of quality standards, application of indicators of excellence and grades 1 and 1.5 in Section B Academic Management: Course Design, Teaching and Learning, and Assessment.
Inspector Training, The grading scheme and case studies of excellence (continued)
Eaquals Academic Management Competency Framework: Practical Uses - Session 2
One of the wider aims of the Eaquals Academic Management Competency Framework is recognising the importance of the role of management in the provision of quality education. First and foremost, however, the Framework is a practical tool to support academic managers in language teaching operations.
Throughout the Management Training day we will focus on the range of potential uses of the Framework for academic managers in different organisations and at different levels of organisational structure. Drawing on the participants’ individual contexts and experience, we will explore ways in which the ACMF can provide practical and relevant support in areas as diverse as e.g. clarifying possible manager roles, assessing the quality of management, or planning professional development opportunities and career paths in academic management.
Inspector Training, Standardisation session: assessment and grading of selected Categories
The purpose of this session is to promote consistency in the way inspectors evaluate particular Categories. We will explore a number of scenarios based on real situations covering such Categories as Quality Assurance and Staff Profile and Development
Inspector Training, Standardisation session: assessment and grading of selected Categories (continued)
Eaquals Academic Management Competency Framework: Practical Uses - Session 3
One of the wider aims of the Eaquals Academic Management Competency Framework is recognising the importance of the role of management in the provision of quality education. First and foremost, however, the Framework is a practical tool to support academic managers in language teaching operations.
Throughout the Management Training day we will focus on the range of potential uses of the Framework for academic managers in different organisations and at different levels of organisational structure. Drawing on the participants’ individual contexts and experience, we will explore ways in which the ACMF can provide practical and relevant support in areas as diverse as e.g. clarifying possible manager roles, assessing the quality of management, or planning professional development opportunities and career paths in academic management.
Inspector Training, Guide to report writing
How can we be clear and unambiguous in our reports, how can we combine factual evidence-based descriptions with recommendations for development? We will present a revised version of the Guide and practical tips for reporting inspectors.
Inspector Forum chaired by Sarah Aitken
29th Friday Programme
Registration
Conference opening
Tim Goodier Memorial Opening Plenary | SETTVEO: Evidence-based reflection and teacher development
In this talk, I report findings from a British Council ELTRA funded research project which looked at the use of technology enhanced learning in a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) context. The aim of the study was to provide English language teachers with appropriate tools and procedures to enable them to reflect on and improve their practice through the creation and use of an app: SETTVEO. This app extended previous work, using the SETT (Self Evaluation of Teacher Talk) framework (Walsh, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2017) and VEO (Video Enhanced Observation) app (Miller and Haines, 2016). The central argument of the study was that reflective practice (RP) would be enhanced when reflections are evidence-based by giving teachers something to reflect on and something to reflect with. Here, the focus of reflection is classroom interaction, which underpins much of what is learnt in any classroom. As previous studies have shown convincingly, understandings of teaching and learning can be enhanced through a detailed understanding of interaction. Specifically, the aim was to help teachers, through reflections on their teaching, to develop their Classroom Interactional Competence (CIC, Walsh 2013). Through the use of SETTVEO, and subsequent collective dialogue and reflection, an online community of practice (CofP) was established, enabling participants to share and comment on examples of English language teaching around the world. The goal was to establish and evaluate a more dialogic, collaborative approach to reflective practice. Findings suggest that the use of self-observation, with data and accompanied by some kind of dialogue, can promote up-close and detailed understandings of teaching and learning. While technology helped to mediate this process in most cases, for some, it created additional difficulties.
Eaquals Members only: Group Discussions
Early Years English
Bell Switzerland has been running adult courses, teacher training, young learners, nursery and primary programmes for nearly 30 years. Located in Geneva amongst an international community, our Young Learners department has seen vast growth over recent years and in particular demand has been provision for under-6’s. Our session aims to show first how this market demand has been successfully met, from adapting our Young Learners programme, developing the curriculum, looking at what worked and what didn’t, and what provision and resources are needed, what practical considerations are required for this type of setting to be replicated.
In developing our Early Years English course, we have drawn on the expertise and experience of our professional Early Years team to design a practical training course offering teachers a basic understanding of child development, how children learn through play and equip teachers with the knowledge and tools to teach Early Years English successfully.
Introduction to Eaquals - Accreditation
This session will provide an introductory insight into Eaquals accreditation and what it entails. It will attempt to answer the questions commonly asked by institutions considering applying for Eaquals accreditation. We will look at the accreditation process, the support offered by Eaquals to applicants and present the benefits of Eaquals accreditation. We will consider a typical inspection programme and examine some areas of the quality standards.
Introduction to Eaquals – Resources
This session will provide an overview of the resources available through Eaquals for both members and non-members of the association. This will cover the CEFR resources and materials, teacher development material and Eaquals publications.
Pearson Sponsor Presentation - Future skills: what will make our students employable?
In 2017, Pearson partnered with Nesta and Oxford Martin School to explore the skills that employers would be looking for in 2030. At that time, much was being made about the impact of technology and automation on jobs, and research indicated a disconnect between the opinion of chief academic officers, who felt they were preparing their students for the workplace, and employers who were struggling to find candidates with the right skill set. The global pandemic has, if anything, accelerated changes in the job market and the future seems more uncertain than ever. What is it then that we as educators can do to prepare our learners for such uncertainties? What are the skills that will make them employable in 2030 and beyond? And is it the place of ELT teachers to be teaching these skills? This presentation explores the issues within the context of Pearson’s Employability Framework and shares the initial Progression Frameworks that have been developed with experts from around the world to help identify increasing mastery of these future skills.
Introduction to Eaquals – Case Study
This session will detail the accreditation process from the point of view of the institution, the newly accredited Bursa Technical University School of Foreign Languages. Miranda will discuss the process that the institution went through giving a first-hand account of the challenges and benefits of gaining an international quality assurance accreditation as well as the advantages of being part of the Eaquals network. There will be an opportunity for those interested in beginning the accreditation process to have their questions answered.
Introduction to Eaquals – Frameworks
This session will provide an overview of the three Eaquals frameworks. The initial framework was the Eaquals TD Framework which is a familiar tool for most in the language teaching sector. The two more recent frameworks which have been developed are the Eaquals LAP (Language for Academic Purposes) Framework and the Eaquals Academic Management Competences Framework. Attendees will gain an insight into the potential uses of the three frameworks for their own teaching and managing contexts.
Lunch & Exhibition
Opening Plenary Q&A
Life Skills in Course Design and Assessment
Students come to our schools for language learning, but much more happens: they have life-changing experiences. They become more confident, skilled, not just in the language but in life skills. According to the World Economic Forum, 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025.
We are bringing life skills into our curriculum and equipping people with those skills that experts believe will be vital in the job market and society of the future. Some of the life skills that are being built into our continuously developing curriculum and new courseware are critical thinking, collaboration, cultural awareness, decision making, diversity appreciation, environmental responsibility, flexibility, learner autonomy, negotiation skills, resilience and social responsibility.
In this presentation we take the participants from the initial Eaquals workshop that inspired the course, through conceptualization and score and sequence, all the way to implementation in the form of the first curricula and course books.
The Staff Development Programme - this drives quality improvement ... or does it?
Staff development opportunities are a requirement for most if not all external quality assurance accreditation schemes … an inhouse programme developed with staff according to their interests and the needs of the institution is often what is on offer. And systems are in place to tempt staff to engage, participate and benefit from various types of input – all good, right? Staff who take their own professional development seriously add to the value of what the institution can offer, quality is enhanced, students are engaged, – everyone is happy! Or is this an assumption rather than a reality …. what evidence do you have of the positive impact of your programme?
This session explores what is intended from a staff development programme and how you can capture the evidence of real impact, proposing some ways in which you can evaluate the value of the programme to quality improvement, to ensure that your provision has created a culture of sustainable professional learning.
The Collaboration Between Teachers and Technology
This session will look to support teachers in their choice and utilisation of a range of technology tools.
Currently, in the education sector, there has been a sharp increase in the number of tools and applications which are useful and usable in both an asynchronous and synchronous context. These tools are spread across a large spectrum in terms of efficacy and use for the end-user. Some of these tools utilise advanced AI in order to provide an educational environment which doesn’t require a human teacher.
Within the context of these changes, teachers need to begin to ask some fundamental questions about their collaboration with technology:
1. What technology tools do I use in my classroom? Why? What functions do these tools perform?
2. What can I do as a teacher that no tool can replace?
3. How can I best dovetail my competencies with the functions of my selected tools?
These questions speak not only to the current situation in the classroom but also to the future of the teaching profession as education technology grows.
Chinese international students in Siena: teaching perspectives for a heterogeneous profile
Chinese international studentsy currently represent one of the most present nationalities in universities and academies in Italy and in many other countries (Uni-Italia, 2021; UNESCO, 2021).
Chinese international students in Italy can attend different typologies of courses, depending from their purpose of study: exchange students aim at spending a limited period of time, learners belonging “Marco Polo” and “Turandot” programs (Rastelli, Bagna, 2020) attend one year of intensive courses in order to consequently enroll in universities or in academies, whereas those attending “Foundation courses” (Bagna, Rastelli, 2020) spend one year learning academic and disciplinary Italian according to their field of specialization.
After having provided an overview of the current scientific literature dealing with these typoligies of learners, I will focus on the communicative and academic needs of each one. In addition, I will rely on the experience of the University for Foreigners of Siena, providing practical examples of succesful teaching strategies and actions addressed to these students.
Quality Talks: Considering Quality from Multiple Foci
Described as ‘a slippery concept’ (Pfeffer N., Coote, A. 1991), quality is often defined or perceived in different ways. This variety in understanding of quality may take organizations to two different ends: either success or failure with a perception indicating outcome only. This is even more enigmatic in educational institutions as it requires complicated steps to measure. Despite this, quality is gaining higher importance in educational institutions, and with the recent transformation of educational practices due to Covid-19 pandemic, it should become even more prioritized; therefore, the need has arisen to question, further discuss and provide insight into all steps of total quality management. To address this need, and raise awareness of this area among all stakeholders, a series called ‘Quality Talks’ organized in 2021 in Turkey with the collaboration of Macmillan Education and Özyeğin University has been initiated aiming at providing insight into quality in education and learning and teaching from multiple perspectives.
This session aims to focus on a broader understanding of quality in learning and teaching by giving the audience an insight into the implications of the Quality Talks Series.
Assess, Analyze, Train, and Achieve: Developing an Effective Assessment Cycle
Assessment is one of the most important aspects of the language acquisition process. Assessment helps place learners in the appropriate courses, provides information on learner progress, and can be utilized to illustrate a learner’s achievements. Analysis of assessment data can provide impartial snapshots of not only language learners and where they are in their journey but it can also provide insight into the effectiveness of materials, methods, and individual instructors. This insight provides opportunities for intervention with learners as well as with instructors to ensure benchmarks are met and goals are attainable. Assessment data can be particularly useful in identifying areas where instructors need extra support, thus pinpointing specific topics for training. Assessment data can provide information on learner achievements and can be used to obtain credentials. This presentation will provide best practices for assessment, different assessment tools, and examples of institutions utilizing assessment to reach their goals and ensure quality in their programs.
The Magic of Remote Observations in the New Normal
Lesson observation has been a powerful tool to support teacher development and growth in the world of education and it plays a key role in the improvement of teaching and learning. In the new normal, it has become even more important to utilize this tool for schools and individual teachers to reflect on teaching practices, which will lead to professional development and increase the effectiveness of learning. In this session, the presenter will share the details of how remote observation cycle was planned and carried out for developmental purposes in a language school at a foundation university in İstanbul, Turkey and present the results of the study conducted with the teachers in her team. The study aims to identify how teachers feel about remote observations and to examine whether they see this cycle as an opportunity for their own professional development or not. This presentation may provide a path that can be followed for school managers, teacher trainers and teachers seeking ways to ensure an effective teaching and learning environment.
Plus Ca Change - The Hard Truths about Change Management
Managing change is tough. Soft issues, such as culture, leadership, and motivation are important. Be should we focus on the hard factors like duration, commitment, effort and integrity? What about change management from within? A year into changes at The Linguaviva Centre here’s what we’ve found…
Macmillan Sponsor Presentation - A toolkit for building student confidence in exam preparation courses
Using examples from Macmillan’s “Ready for B2 First” and “Ready for C1 Advanced,” this practical talk will explore three effective tools for helping students build confidence in exam preparation courses:
1) differentiation,
2) familiarity with exam conditions (not just exam tasks), and
3) peer and self-assessment.
E-Classroom Interactional Competence: Mediating and assisting language learning during synchronous online lessons
Interaction is seen as an essential part of face-to-face English language classrooms. Teachers require specific competencies to effectively use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning. These have been described, characterised and evaluated under the construct Classroom Interactional Competence (CIC, Walsh 2013). However, the situation created by COVID-19 and the recent advancement in technologies have led to teachers conducting synchronous online lessons (SOLs) through video-conferencing software. The online environment is distinctly different from the face-to-face classroom and teachers require new and additional skills to effectively utilize interaction online in real time. This exploratory study used an online mixed-methods survey of 75 university level English language teachers who had engaged in synchronous online teaching due to COVID-19. The study, the first part of a larger project, identified the competencies teachers need to use interaction as a tool to mediate and assist language learning in synchronous online lessons. Teachers were found to require three competencies: technological competencies, online environment management competencies, and online teacher interactional competencies, in addition to their CIC, or e-CIC. The findings provide greater insights into the needs of teachers working in synchronous online lessons (SOLs) and will be of interest to teachers, teacher educators and education developers.
Turning Assessment into Action: CEFR-based framework for focused training
One of the challenges in language training is creating measurable goals that align with the needs of the learner and their sponsoring organization.
This session will look at how a customizable speaking test can be used to evaluate a learner to set a baseline, and using the CEFR descriptors identify the areas that need improvement. A framework will be presented that can be applied to multiple learning contexts to set targeted goals as well as clear measures of success, and how this can be practically employed by language trainers in their sessions to ensure the learner is moving towards their intended goal. All of the cases presented are in the context of Japanese IT companies who are working remotely, which can present additional challenges and opportunities for language learning.
SACIC: A framework for Director of studies’ competencies and responsibilities
One of the aims of Cervantes Institute Accreditation System for institutions teaching Spanish as a foreign language (SACIC) is to promote centers’ commitment to good practices and to improving their activities. Since the academic planning is crucial in the success of a language school, the SACIC has developed descriptors that describe good practice associated with the competences and responsibilities of directors of studies, regardless of their location or context.
The presentation will be an opportunity to reflect on the degree to which the SACIC is a useful, practical resource and framework to review and develop the competences and responsibilities of a director of study. With this in mind, we will first explain the descriptors and discuss the results of a questionnaire, which was distributed among directors of studies from different countries and diverse teaching contexts.
LanguageCert Sponsor Presentation - Test takers’ attitudes and reactions to the online proctoring of high stakes examinations
In line with technological advances, the past decade has seen a very significant increase in online teaching – a phenomenon accelerated in 2020 during the pandemic – and consequently in online assessment.
In a context of mobility and accessibility, this presentation is based on a survey carried out among former LanguageCert candidates in order to collect their impressions concerning their experience of online monitoring (OLP), in the context of issuing high stakes English exams. We will consider questions such as:
– What are the challenges and benefits of face-to-face and online assessment solutions, in terms of accessibility, fairness, security and cheating?
– What are the reactions and perceptions of the OLP by candidates who have taken the LanguageCert English exams via online proctoring?
– What is the future of online assessment?
National Geographic Sponsor Presentation - Finding your Voice – teaching pronunciation in a global world
There is no denying the fact that English is now the de facto lingua franca of the world – after all there are now up to five times more non-native speakers of English than native speakers. What this of course means is that learners of English are far more likely to interact with other non-native speakers than native speakers. Yet, coursebooks still feature comparatively few examples of non-native speakers and insist on using native speaker models for roleplays and pronunciation work for students to unrealistically aspire to. In this talk I’ll start by considering the goal of pronunciation syllabi, what this means for how we teach pronunciation in the classroom and the benefits it can bring to students. I’ll then explore ways in which we might incorporate a more global view of pronunciation into our courses and in our doing so preparing students for the real English speaking world.
From face-to-face tuition to online classes: 'Re-styling' a course of English for Academic Purposes
With the outbreak of the CoVid pandemic and the ensuing total lockdown in spring 2020, the EAP course for STEM PhD students at Parma University (Italy) was suddenly forced to shift online, like many courses in academic institutions worldwide. Confined at home and with no previous experience of remote teaching, the teacher had to redesign the whole course, and in the matter of days and with little material at hand had to rethink strategies and techniques. The teacher and students alike were confronted with didactic issues stemming from the restyling of a highly interactive course based on face-to-face tuition, and technical problems, which added to emotional and psychological factors related to an unknown, unexpected situation. The talk will cover some of the practical activities and ideas used in the course, from warmers to production tasks, and share insights into the experience, trying to highlight the elements which contributed to its overall positive outcome, the strong social connotation it came to bear, the development of class dynamics, and the learning points which emerged.
How to run a level test across 17 time zones
The past two years have seen a shift to online testing motivated by one key feature: it must be run remotely. It has taken the pandemic to nudge us into a different world where we are better able to see the value of technology in the testing arena. But how can we make sure that the remote testing procedure works effectively for teachers, administrators, and, of course, the students?
Equally, while the move online was a necessity in the midst of a pandemic, simply focusing on the ‘remote’ nature of online testing overlooks the many other opportunities it can offer. How can we redesign our assessment tools to maximise the potential of online delivery?
This session will share practical ideas that participants can use to improve the online assessment processes at their institutions. These solutions will be drawn from numerous case studies using ClarityEnglish’s Dynamic Placement Test over the past two years. By putting in place proper procedures for remote testing, we can change the move to online testing from a trend to a widely shared and trusted practice.
Staff Development not Staff Assessment
Staff Development not Staff Assessment aims to create a school culture where teachers cooperate and visit each other’s classes for mutual learning and development. Developing mentors can be hugely beneficial and gives opportunities to work with new teachers during their induction period, more experienced teachers who have recently joined the school, or teachers who are going through stressful times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Together we will examine principles of mentoring and will also develop the skills necessary for building rapport, professional communication, classroom observation, active listening and giving formative feedback using coaching and counselling techniques.
Virtual Reality for Language Learners
Until now, most of the VR materials that have been developed to aid language learners have been designed with individual students in mind. Typically, the student will enter a virtual version of a real-life location (a hotel, restaurant, station, or similar) and interact with an avatar or other content to be found in the virtual environment. While not without its usefulness, such activities tend to be very proscribed and focus on practising specific expressions, or simple language items they might be useful in each situation. The VR4LL project has deliberately taken an entirely different approach. Rather than designing materials for individual students, our objective has been to develop materials that can be used in a classroom context by a group of students working and communicating together. This talk will outline the sort of tasks that we have developed for students to undertake in different virtual worlds, explain the underlying methodology we have used, and illustrate how the activities work in practice.
Game Changer: Language Certification as a Motivation and Articulation Tool
For World Language programs looking to enhance language acquisition, increase enrollment and/or build retention, the research shows that a Seal of Biliteracy recognition program is a powerful tool. Learn how an outcome-based language certification coupled with benchmark testing can be used to inform curriculum design and instruction and measure program efficacy.
For students, excitement and learner autonomy grow when language proficiency is recognized through pathway awards leading to a working language credential. Data shows that these programs build retention, provide valuable insight on curriculum and instruction, and can accelerate language acquisition rates. Discussion includes the impact of visual learning, goal-setting, benchmark testing, and recognition events, as well as how the Global Seal of Biliteracy‚ a sharable serial-numbered language credential available in over 125 languages, can be used to maximize a learner’s future opportunities.
Attendees are invited to an after dinner drink by Eaquals at the NH Laguna Hotel on return from the gala dinner
30th Saturday Programme
Plenary: A CLIL/EMILE journey in the world
CLIL/EMILE was born in Europe in the early 1990’s and since then it has increased exponentially all over the world both in schools and in higher education. Although key issues such as teaching methods, materials development, teacher recruitment and training may differ across continents, similarities can be found when examining language education policies, course design and strategies.
This journey will take you to some countries outside Europe (Colombia, India, Mexico, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam) where CLIL programmes are being successfully implemented.
This is partly due to the new dynamics that arise in schools and universities when decision makers find appropriate solutions regarding language competence, language use, classroom instructional strategies, motivation, support and professional development.
The journey will come to an end in Italy where the introduction of CLIL into mainstream education is proving to be a real change agent both for schools and universities and both for formal and informal learning.
Needless to say, the benefits of these experiences show that the CLIL approach promotes cross-curricular skills (enquiry-based learning, information processing, critical thinking, problem-solving, team working, amongst others). Crucially it promotes international networking, partnerships and ventures, which are the real drivers for the development of a “global citizenship”!
What the future looks like for Non-Native Teachers: Fighting for equal opportunities
While the world around us has evolved and become ever-accepting of foreign cultures and identities, not much has changed in terms of finding equal opportunities for non-native teachers in the Italian job market. We must consider how we can raise awareness to fight those discriminatory practices that impede growth for language teaching professionals worldwide.
Drawing on my personal experience, as well as research papers and articles, I will provide evidence of the biased reception of non-native English speakers in the ELT field in Italy.
I will reflect on the state of equality and social justice in recruitment malpractices which are often based on criteria such as origin and place of birth.
I will address the many hurdles in getting acknowledged for holding a recognised teaching qualification from abroad such as the Cambridge CELTA/DELTA, whether it is for teaching purposes or for being exempt from taking a qualifying examination for English at the University.
Oxford University Press Sponsor Presentation - On learner agency and pronunciation for today's world
The Expert Panel initiative at Oxford University Press continues to seek to address today’s burning issues in education as well as to offer evidence-based recommendations that shape language learning. In this talk I will cover two recent themes that have received an enormous engagement from our community. First, I will focus on learner agency – the feeling of ownership and sense of control that learners have over their learning – and the impact teacher and context can have on creating and facilitating the right affordances for their learners. In the second half, I will turn to English pronunciation and the acknowledgement that to be successful communicators in today’s world, language learners do not need to sound like native speakers. Instead, international intelligibility and accommodation are far more efficient strategies for our students, and not just for English. Finally, join me to share the burning issues that are relevant to you and your school.
Practitioners doing it for themselves; Communities of Practice in ELT
A community of practice is a group of practitioners with shared concerns who come together regularly to learn through interaction how they can develop what they do. This talk will examine the key characteristics of a CoP through the example of Globe, a new online space designed as a ‘community of communities’. We will identify the three key components that characterise a CoP: domain, community and practice. A CoP is more than a loose association of colleagues who happen to work in the same field but is defined by its members’ engagement in a shared domain of interest. They become a community by virtue of their commitment to professional learning through interaction. And not simply a community of interest, but essentially practitioners who bring to the table a shared repertoire of experience and resources. We will look at ways in which Globe, a free online space for professional learning communities (PLCs), is providing a platform for ELT practitioners to learn from each other and develop responses to some of the most challenging aspects of language education in the 2020s.
Hybrid Teams: Managing Well-being and Communication
Management is challenging when you have the whole team in one place and arguably even more so when everyone is working remotely. But how should we manage a blend of the two: a hybrid team? We will look at eight practical tips for ensuring staff well-being and effective communication when you have some of the team in the office and some working from home.
How can we maintain a cohesive institutional culture and ensure that those working from home don’t feel isolated? We will explore a variety of communication channels and ask what tweaks are needed to increase their effectiveness within a hybrid team. We will look at some challenges to collaboration and explore ways of overcoming them. Finally, we will consider the need for managers to be more proactive and innovative in their management approach to ensure staff well-being and effective communication.
During this talk, Mike will share some practices introduced at NILE, case studies from other industries and the results of his own research into the impact of remote and hybrid working on communication and well-being at NILE.
Integrated Tasks and Task-Based Learning in a CLIL Classroom
In CLIL subject is of real importance with language acquisition being a byproduct. However, there are benefits of using selected EAP resources for CLIL, even though they may not have been created for that purpose. For example, integrated tasks from the TOEFL iBT® test can be effective because they help develop skills relevant for the academic context. In these tasks students need to read a passage, listen to a fragment of lecture on the same topic, and then synthesize the information in a written or oral form. The tasks set the focus on meaning and on a clear communicative aim. The goal can also be placed on the outcome, which will make them even more closely aligned with several assumptions of Task-based learning (TBL). In the workshop we will explore a sample integrated task and related activities, which match the criteria for TBL by Willis and Willis (2007). Participants will leave the workshop with an awareness of how to design or select similar activities that can benefit students not only in terms of knowledge gained but also thanks to developing their academic language skills.
Learning differences, inclusion and creating an environment where learning can take place
The session will look at learning differences and different inclusive tools to use for teaching English. I will discuss difficulties and strengths that students with learning differences have and how to help them to reach their objectives.
Different strategies to improve speaking, reading and writing will be addressed as well as activities that enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I will be looking at innovative ideas to create an environment where we are NOT teaching but creating an environment where everyone can learn.
Skills for English Sponsor Presentation - Developing valid language tests: from test items to principles
Comprehensive and structured item writing processes and training is key to the development of valid assessments. However, item development is complex and demanding for item writers, requiring them to be technically proficient, have assessment expertise, as well as be able to compose items that are accessible and relevant to the test specifications. In the context of language testing, this is compounded by the need for writers to create texts for reading tests, scripts to be recorded for listening tests, and speaking and writing tasks which elicit the desired linguistic performance from candidates. Training and guidance can provide instructions for writers, but it is by reviewing, evaluating, examining, and editing items that writers can develop a fine understanding of the task and what is required of them.
The focus of this session is to provide participants with the opportunity to review and discuss a variety of item types for language assessment, evaluate approaches in assessing relevant skills, and consider how these items meet the intended objectives.
Leadership Transformations in an Uncertain and Changing World
This session draws on the latest trends and developments in leadership following the global pandemic crisis stage. The presenters will reference their own practical experiences and insights in leading both a study abroad language school and a community language school. They will assess how these trends have influenced and changed their own working priorities and how they are developing new and innovative solutions to meet these modern-day issues.
Using case studies and observations, we will explore together the skills and know-how that people in leadership roles will need to utilise on in order to move forward in the new normal.
The workshop includes a focus on the following skills and asks how they could have benefited leaders in the case studies portrayed.
Management of remote teams.
Processing and understanding information
Resilience and critical thinking
Digital literacy
Responsible leadership and personal efficacy
Flexibility, agility and VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity
Values and meaning
‘Featured Speaker’ - Teaching Interpersonal skills in the language classroom
When discussing relationship building or disagreements, many language teachers and coursebooks tend to stop short at offering useful functional language that might be used in such settings. What they do not address however is the communication skills needed to navigate these situations. How do we break the ice when meeting someone? How do we build trust? What is our communication style? What does it mean to be a good listener? How do we deal with conflict? These communication skills are part of the employability/life skills essential to the global workplace. If we were to train our learners to communicate in English, we need to also be training them to become effective communicators. This session explores practical ways in which we can help work on their communication skills.
Leading a digital company or team
In today’s business world, having the right skills, ideas, and tools to operate virtually have never been more important.
Through this interactive workshop, participants will look at:
1. The foundations of running a virtual team
2. Attracting and retaining talent
3. Digital image
Leadership in a changing time with increasing digital requirements
The session is a coachingsession for leaders and administrative staff having the challenge of developing languagecourses in a digital reality, though not beeing thoughroughly confident with digitality.
The session will not offer any quick fixes or smart answers but will seek to explore ways to support the responsible leader/owner to be able to make decisions to move their languageschool on to next step.
All in all the purpose of the session will be to explore ways of coming across some barriers in leadership in difficult decisions.
Charlotte Lorenzen will share her own experiences beeing a responsible leader of a large languageschool and invite the participants to a dialogue about the theme.
The session will fall in three parts:
- A short introduction to the theme and a coachingsession with a participant in the workshop.
- Charlotte Lorenzen shares her experiences on the theme.
- Structured dialogue on the theme amongst the participants.
How To Boost Your Student Recruitment With Paid Ads
In this interactive session, language school and higher-ed marketers will learn how to fill their pipeline with qualified leads and increase direct course enrolments with targeted paid ads.
We will cover:
- How To Create Engaging Ads That Get Prospective Students To Take Action
- How To Reach And Stay In Front Of Your Ideal Audience
- Fatal Mistakes You Want To Avoid
- Real Case Studies And Examples Of Profitable Ads
Making Social Media Marketing work for your Language School
Social Media has become a key marketing tool for language schools as it is the place where prospective parents and students spend a lot of time so potentially it is a goldmine.
However, in my conversations with directors of studies and school owners, I can sense the frustration when it comes to having effective results from social media.
In this presentation, we will look at how you can make social media work for your school with practical ideas and key insights so that you can make the right decision when choosing the content and network to use. By the end of the session, you will feel confident about what you need to start doing and stop doing to get effective results from social media.
Empowering inclusive, person-centred language development through news and critical thinking
Building learners’ real-world experiences into critical, empowering language learning combines skills from within and beyond ELT. This presentation explores some major considerations for exploiting these inclusive elements, from critical thinking and near-peer role models to learner agency and translingual practices, and offers effective ways to integrate them into learning.
Beyond ELT, quality news content already skillfully unites these elements, supporting person-centred learning and scaffolding empowering language development. Although text complexity typically means these opportunities are only available at higher levels, the right resources make inclusive, intersectional learning achievable from A2 upwards. Gain a deeper understanding of how global news enhances person-centred language development with examples from Sensations English authentic, graded resources, which support these learning goals.
What makes a teacher effective grader
Grading writing in an ESL context can be subjective at times and this subjectivity has to be diminished as much possible for an effective and reliable grading process. Is it really possible to score student essays objectively? Do experienced teachers manage to give objective holistic and analytic scores? This session will mainly address these by focusing on two main aspects; an analysis of expert teachers’ effective grading behaviours and norming sessions which contribute to their objectivity. In my session, I will first analyse the data gathered from 20 teachers experienced at grading student essays at a university context. Whether their holistic scores represent the analytic ones will be discussed. Then how these teachers have been trained with norming sessions for objective grading will be stressed.
Going digital: achieving real outcomes and resilience, without the complexity
How do you ensure resilience and flexibility by transitioning to a truly digital school? How do you create your own engaging digital content and marry it with the published digital courses you already teach? And how do you combine this teaching programme with effective virtual classes, analytics, assessment, mobile apps and school information?
All too often, digital programmes introduce complexity, for the institution and for teachers and learners. For 20 years now, Avallain has been solving this complexity problem for publishers and institutions, most of them in language learning. We have learned just how paralysing that problem can be, but also that it is not inevitable. In this session we will discuss how great technology can be personal, engaging, insightful and largely invisible. We will show how all of these technical challenges can be addressed elegantly, without presenting technical problems to teachers, and without distracting from the all-important learning. We will introduce you to real examples of schools that have made the transition, and show how it was done.
Post Teaching Practice Feedback (PTF), why and how?
One of the CELTA course components is post teaching feedback (PTF), which is an integral part of assessing trainees. Tutors sometimes face challenges during these sessions for different reasons. Having different backgrounds and teaching experience as well as motivation shapes how trainees react towards the PTF sessions. Trainees feel the course workload is overwhelming, if not daunting; thus PTF sessions are considered an added pressure. Some trainees would rather have the grade and leave than spend time to discuss the strengths and action points of the observed lesson. Some PTF sessions appear harsh and subjective not only because the trainees are resistant to changing their teaching beliefs, but also because some tutors choose the same technique in every feedback session. These sessions can be productive and constructive or dominating and tutor led. This session focuses on the importance of PTF and proposes different approaches to giving feedback. Attendees will walk away with practical ideas to use when giving feedback after lesson observations in both F2F and online classes.
STEAM 4 Sustainability - Problem 2 Pitch
Place-based STEAM offers local and tangible opportunities to apply STEAM education and Design Thinking to real-world problems, encouraging understanding and appreciation, agency and autonomy in the language classroom.Students gain confidence and competence in affecting change, learning to manage risk and develop creative real-world solutions, which becomes a foundation for global connections. These approaches, grounded in local communities and contexts, are relevant, engaging and inquiry based. We deliver 21st Century skills development, supporting students to be future ready through a unique, tried-and-tested, 3-phase communicative approach that includes a Problem 2 Pitch (P2P) design sprint. Over 5 days, using practical activities focused on a real-world problem,P2P leads learners through the design-thinking process of problem identification, work through, idea development and pitch presentation.Conference participants are presented with a model of learning applying innovative and agile learning methodologies for multilingual usage for transferable skills promotion and development.
Mind Against Mind: Debates - The Ultimate Challenge For FL Learners
School debating encourages the involvement of FL learners in a challenging activity; a combat with “words as their weapons”. The need to defend one’s position and to voice counter arguments makes it an inspiring process. Debating, apart from speaking, also develops many other skills: Collaboration – Critical thinking – Creativity – Communication. Moreover, learners, working in teams, organise their ideas, support their opinions with evidence, and argue against points made by their opponents, which results in dynamic, live interaction. One of the many other benefits of debating is that writing skills will also improve; they will be able to produce more developed arguments and become more competent at structuring them in a coherent way. Debates are without doubt invaluable, often unforgettable, experiences, confidence boosters, and participants have the opportunity to challenge and be challenged, which is an important life-skill. Additionally, the annual QLS Online School Debate Festival will be described and introduced in order to encourage schools to participate.
How to Onboard Newly Recruited Teachers
To successfully onboard newly recruited faculty members to a new setting is crucial to help them perform their best and maintain the success of the school. However, delivering tailor-made orientation programs considering the individual differences, and yet avoiding being overwhelming has always been a challenge. Moreover, achieving this in an online setting, which prevents new members from being engaged with the campus, their offices, classes and colleagues, and developing a sense of belonging, is even harder.
This presentation aims at portraying the new staff orientation program at a School of Languages in İstanbul, Turkey. The presenter will share how the new members are engaged in the system and the culture of the institution, get familiar with the available resources, and develop a sense of belonging right from the start despite the disadvantages of being online. The feedback collated from 2021-2022 Academic Year Orientation program attendees will also be shared to further discuss the program’s impact on teaching and teacher wellbeing from the new faculty members’ perspective.
Impact of Implementing a Portfolio-Based Teacher Evaluation and Development Programme
This paper presents a study of the impact of implementing a portfolio-based teacher evaluation and development program in a Brazilian private language institute in 2021 in the first academic semester of its implementation. The program consists of setting objectives, devising action plans and building portfolios.
The study involved a structured survey, semi-structured interviews, and reflective journal logs over the first academic term (16 weeks) and it involved 25 teachers and 4 branch managers.
This presentation outlines the background context where the program was implemented, the description of the study and method, a brief literature review on teacher portfolios for development and evaluation, reflective practice in performance management and change management. It also shares the impact analysis and present findings.
The presentation concludes with recommendations for the program in the context of study but also sheds light on institutes that intend to adopt a portfolio-based teacher evaluation and development programme.
Teaching beyond the hybrid classroom
Making the most of what we have learnt and building a brilliant learning environment for the future.
Keeping up with current changes in our teaching environments has been exhausting but rewarding. Many of us have found ourselves online from one day to the next, and it has been an incredibly steep learning curve. There are more benefits than drawbacks.
In this session, I will focus on:
- Key learning points from online and hybrid classes with large numbers of students.
- How preparation is crucial but beneficial in the long run.
- Tools that have helped me, my students, and how we see the future.
- Activities that work both online and face-to-face.
- How students perceive their learning experiences, both positively and negatively.
This session will help you and your students embrace future learning and move towards rewarding future lessons.
New Norms: What has happened to staff development?
The development of staff depends greatly on the goals teachers set for themselves in regards to their career path. During the covid era, we have faced a lot of challenges transitioning to online teaching. Hence, that had led to opening doors for new opportunities that teachers can seek for their development and career path. This session will address those paths, and provide practical startegies that worked in 3 different contexts, in Egypt, Italy and Ukraine.
Instituto Cervantes Teacher Acreditation System: DADIC Autónomo, Experto and Formador
Instituto Cervantes has developed a Teacher Accreditation System comprising three diplomas to promote teacher development and assessment and to account for three stages in teachers’ professional development. The first one, DADIC Autónomo, is aimed at teachers who are able to manage lessons autonomously, without tutoring.
DADIC Autónomo is delivered since 2019 in many countries The exam is designed to assess competences and it consists of two parts: candidates must teach a lesson of 55 minutes, while they are observed and assessed by two DADIC accredited examiners. The second is a personalized 30 minute interview to reflect on their practice and to discover their potential, through dynamic assessment (Vygotsky approach-based) (Poehner and Lantolf, 2005).
Candidates can prepare for the exam on their own or they can attend courses offered by Instituto Cervantes in different countries. In the presentation we will address the rationale behind the exam, with a special focus on DADIC Autonomo and how it can be implemented worldwide.
Deeper Learning: focusing on what matters
Cambridge Assessment Sponsor Presentation - Preparing learners at B2 & C1: Ideas for teaching and learning on and offline
In this session, we look briefly at some of the skills and challenges learners face at B2 and C1. We will explore some practical activities and digital tools to use in the classroom or in an online/hybrid teaching context including some ideas to support learners preparing for Cambridge English Qualifications at B2 and C1.
Closing Plenary: Language, Languaging, Plurilanguaging: considerations on the nature of language, language learning, and language teaching
The Author considers the nature of language learning and the relevance of plurilingualism to language and language education. Citing Wilhelm von Humboldt he reminds the audience that language is not a product but rather an activity. He then gives a brief synopsis of the philosophy of language before poiting out that as one increases in proficiency in a new language one moves from learning through automation to learning through action and finally to learning through thinking. He then presents a series of theses, guidelines, and observations on language development, language laerning and language teaching pointing out that language development is an interpretative and creative process which proceeds holistically through increasingly accurate approximations.
