“Excelling in ELT: New challenges and opportunities”
4th. Regional TESOL-SPAIN Teacher Development Event
Salamanca, 5th – 6th February 2016
Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca – Aula de Grados
Friday 5th. February 2011
17:00-17.30 Onsite registration
Publisher’s exhibition
Welcome ceremony
17:30-18.30 Annie Altamirano
We don’t teach English, we teach people.
EFL teachers know that they’re standing in front of a group of kids teaching more
than English. One of those things is values. But how do we teach them?
In this presentation, I will propose some guiding principles for incorporating
values education in our classes and explore ways in which values can be taught
in the English class from an early age. Teachers will be asked to take an active
part and discuss what values they feel need to be taught in their teaching
situation and design a few activities they would like to implement in their lessons.
Annie Altamirano has lectured extensively in Latin America, Spain and Portugal.
She has co-authored courses for children and adolescents for the international
market. She is currently President of TESOL-SPAIN.
18.30-19.30 María Moliner Bernabé
The teaching of English in Childhood Education: A Comprehensive Proposal
The area of EFL has been gaining increasing importance in the school
curriculum, especially in Pre-Primary and Primary Education where it has
followed guidelines such as the use of English as the medium of instruction. In
this new context, current teacher training is insufficient and inadequate. An
adaptation to this new reality for both teachers of Universities and other
institutions responsible for training is required. In this workshop, carried out
together with students of the Pontifical University of Salamanca, a structured and
comprehensive overview of the different parts of the English lesson at Pre-Primary
level will be presented. This type of lesson will help children develop the language
skills they will need to face the challenge implied in the use of English as the
medium of instruction in Primary Education.
María Moliner Bernabé has a PhD in Bilingual Education from the Pontifical
University of Salamanca, where she works as a professor of English methodology
in Infant and Primary Education. She is also a trainer and co-author of
educational materials for Oxford University Press and a regular speaker at
national and international conferences on bilingual education. Likewise, she is a
regular teacher trainer in CLIL methodology in the regions of Extremadura,
Castilla y León and La Rioja.
20.00 Welcome wine and “tapas”. El Bardo Restaurant. Calle Compañía, 8. All
invited!
Saturday 6th. February 2016
09:00 Publisher’s exhibition
09:30 - 10:30 María Antonia Castro and Silvia Benítez
Being all ears
Enhancing listening skills is vital for communication, but not all students have
either an extrinsic or intrinsic motivation. How can we deal with this in a class?
In this talk we will provide you with some ready to use activities that have proven
to be useful in our lessons. Adaptable for all ages.
María Antonia Castro is the Director of the Escuelas de Idiomas Ebenen in
Torrejón de Ardoz and has over 20 years’ experience in EFL as well as DaF
(German) teaching. She is doing some research on how to change attitudes
towards the learning of foreign languages in Spain. She is co-writing materials for
promoting communication in EFL and DaF teaching.
Silvia Benítez has been an English and German language teacher at Escuela de
Idiomas Ebenen for fourteen years. She is especially interested in learning
processes and psychology applied to the language teaching. She is co- writing
materials for promoting communication in EFL and DaF teaching.
10:30 – 11:30 Shawn Redwood
Rounding out the Unit: Using Songs and Literature to Reinforce Grammar
So you have finished the unit, completed the grammar, reading, writing, listening
and speaking. You move on to the "Check Your Progress" section and realize that
students still have questions or do not fully understand a grammar concept.
What do you do before moving on to the next unit?
The purpose of this talk is to show teachers how to incorporate authentic
material, mainly songs and literature into their lesson planning. We will discuss
the important role that songs and literature play in the EFL classroom and how
activities can be created for them. Teachers will be given practical ideas to use in
the classroom and can share songs and literature that have worked in their
classroom.
Shawn Redwood has been teaching EFL for 12 years. He is a currently an
English Language Assistant at Colegio el Pilar in Madrid. He also worked at many
public and charter bilingual schools in Madrid. Shawn’s principal areas of
interest and research are bilingual and international education, as well as visual
literacy and implementing authentic material into the EFL classroom.
11:30-12:00 Coffee break
12:30-13.30 Bernadette Maguire
Evaluation, Tests and Exams: what, when and how?
Testing and evaluation are all too often associated with candidates’ ‘success’ and,
more importantly, ‘failure’. They should, however, serve to promote learner
engagement and maximise student potential and form an integral part of the
language teaching and learning process. The presentation looks at the role of
evaluation in language teaching and examines assessment practices both from
the learners’ perspective as well as from that of the teacher. Participants will
leave the session with some idea of the theory behind this very important and
exciting aspect of teaching as well as some practical suggestions regarding its
implementation.
Bernadette Maguire has worked in English teaching for 30+ years in many
contexts, including the Spanish school system and the British Council, where she
now works as academic adviser for English language examinations and
accreditation. Her wide classroom experience spans all language levels and ages,
from primary to university. She is interested in teacher training, both for primary
and secondary and has participated in several projects in this area over a number
of years in collaboration with local and regional Spanish authorities as well as
with the British Council.
13:00-14:00 Annie Altamirano and Nora Kaplan
“Is your Latin teacher native?” The problematic issue of NNSETs
A widespread stereotype takes for granted that a native speaker is by nature the
best person to teach his/her foreign language (García Merino). The aim of this
presentation is to raise teachers’ awareness of this controversial issue both
worldwide and in Spain. After a brief comparison of native versus non-native
teachers of English (NNSETs), following Péter Medgyes' 3 dimensional framework,
the presenters will open the floor to the audience for an open discussion.
Nora Kaplan has wide experience in English teaching at all levels in Latin
America and Spain. Currently running her own language school, she worked at
UPSA and USAL in their graduate programmes on bilingual education. Her
interests and areas of research include discourse analysis and CLIL. She is the
current Vice-President of TESOL-SPAIN.
14:00 Closing ceremony and raffle