Kristen Acquaviva, Claire Hart Germany (Freelance)
Mobile Learning for Technophobes and Technophiles
Many teachers and learners have mobile devices but may not be exploiting their
potential as engaging, effective and practical learning resources. This workshop, in
which participants will get a chance to try out several mobile learning activities geared
for adult learners, will be of interest to those new to mobile learning and those who
already use it in their classrooms.
Kristen Acquaviva is a freelance Business and ESP trainer and teacher trainer based in
Germany. She has been providing in-company training, intensive seminars, teaching
training workshops and continuing education classes for nearly seven years. Her
professional interests include exploring learning technologies in an EFL context and
ESP course design.
Claire Hart is a freelance EFL and Business English teacher, teacher trainer and
materials writer. She has been working in higher education and corporate settings in
Germany for many years. Claire is currently working on materials for German and
international publishers and is particularly interested in demystifying technology in the
classroom.
Ian Adkins, Devin Unwin British Council Madrid Young Learners Centre
Multiple Intelligences Theory, Pronunciation and ICT – So What's New?
Multiple Intelligences theory (MI) has a myriad of potential uses for teachers, this
workshop shows how it can be applied to two seemingly disparate areas: ICT and
pronunciation. With a firm focus on MI we will demonstrate a variety of activities and
resources. These have been selected specifically to foster learner autonomy and are
ICT and/or pronunciation related.
Ian Adkins is a Diploma qualified teacher and has taught EFL for 20 years in Madrid. He
has taught adults and young learners. For the last 7 years he has taught at the British
Council Young Learners Centre. His main interests are the use of ICT in the classroom,
Assessment for Learning and Learner Autonomy.
Devin started teaching English full time in 2008 and joined the British Council Madrid
Young Learners Centre in 2010. He has taught in a number of context including incompany business classes and ELT summer schools in London. Since completing his
Diploma, he has given training sessions and talks for teachers on topics like Multiple
Intelligences theory and pronunciation.
Aoife K. Ahern, María Dolores Pérez Murillo School of Education, UCM
Training Student Teachers to Create Songs for Children
In this presentation, we will describe an initial teacher training project where students
at the School of Education, UCM, created songs, chants and rhymes to be used at
Infant and Primary schools for daily routines and transitional times. They were able to
work in collaboration, develop creative thinking skills, create their own teaching
materials and adapt them to their needs.
Aoife K. Ahern works at the School of Education, UCM, where she has been involved in
undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. She holds a PhD in Spanish, and BA degrees
in both English and Spanish Studies. She has conducted research projects on the
teaching and learning of EFL and published in the fields of Cognitive Pragmatics and
teaching English to children.
María D. Pérez Murillo is an experienced language teacher and teacher educator at the
School of Education, UCM. Her research interests include bilingual classroom
interaction and teacher development. Her recent publications focus on multilingual
literacies and the students’ views on a bilingual programme. She holds an MA in
Applied Linguistics and a PhD in bilingual education from Lancaster University, UK.
Graciela Alchini ITESM, Campus Puebla, Mexico
Going Beyond Technology...Forming a Person
Our 21st century students are digital natives who need to learn in contexts in which
technology rules. However, there are other skills and values that are paramount if we
want them to succeed and contribute to a better world. The inclusion of collaborative
work, ethics and citizenship (among other topics) will be discussed and encouraged in
this session.
Graciela Alchini is an Argentinian teacher of English (IESLV, Buenos Aires) living in
Mexico, with over 28 years' experience in universities and in-company courses. She
holds a Master degree in Distance Education (UTEM, Santiago , Chile). She is certified
in Collaborative Learning and Cross-curricular Ethics and Citizenship by ITESM, where
she has been a full-time teacher for 10 years.
Laura Alfonso Soler CIPFP Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Video-Simulations for VET & ESP: A Case Study
Do you know any Professional Simulators used in Vocational Education? How can we
emulate them in SL teaching? We will see how useful student’s video-recordings can
be for their personal & professional future. A case study from a Master’s Dissertation
will be show-cased. Aimed at any teachers wishing to append a future professional
view in the classroom.
Laura Alfonso Soler has been a teacher of English for eight years to students of
different stages, mostly adults. She taught for one year in the University of Bangkok
(Thailand), three years in the Language Centre of the University of Valencia, one year
in Secondary Obligatory School, and has lately worked for three years in VET Education
in Valencia (Spain).
Juan J. Almagro EOI Madrid
The Speak-a-Motion: an Organic View at Speaking and Evaluation
Even though the field of L2 speaking assessment has experimented great advances in
terms of intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, teachers’ judgments still seem to be
more intuitive than technical (CEFR’s ‘can-do’ statements may not be a systematic
reference for practitioners). This presentation could help us understand those more
organic aspects of our L2 speaking ability, and how the operationalization of its
assessment could take a new direction based on Complex Systems Theory.
Juan holds a Master of Education in TESOL from the University of Edinburgh and has
completed Postgraduate coursework in Linguistics at the State University of New York.
He also has a Postgraduate Diploma Teaching of Spanish from the Universidad
Complutense Madrid. Currently, he works as an EFL teacher at Escuela Oficial de
Idiomas, Madrid and is an EFL Teacher Trainer for Test Prep. Courses: Oposiciones
Cuerpo de Secundaria y EOI and Habilitación Lingüística.
Suzanne Anderson British Council Somosaguas
Bringing your Coursebook to Life
This session aims to identify ways we can bring our course books to life and make them
more engaging for our learners. It will present participants with a demonstration of
how we can adapt or substitute activities with little preparation, give them a bank of
ideas to draw on and the opportunity to brainstorm ideas of their own.
Suzanne has been working in ELT for ten years and is currently Senior Teacher for
Client Relations and the Junior Department at British Council Somosaguas. She has
extensive experience in materials development and is currently working in
collaboration with RTVE to provide academic support for the ‘Let’s Clan’ project.
James Baggesen British Council Madrid Adults
Using Wiki-based Collaborative Writing to Develop Writing Skills
The talk aims to illustrate to what extent the use of a wiki by a group of learners to
collaboratively produce a single piece of writing facilitates the development of their
writing ability.
James has been teaching English for over 20 years most of which has been spent
teaching at the British Council in Madrid. He is just about to finish an MA in Digital
Technologies, Communication & Education at the University of Manchester.
Kevin Balchin Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom
How Learners Learn … How Teachers Learn
This talk highlights how we might continue to develop as teachers during the course of
our everyday working lives. Taking as a starting point, the kinds of activities we ask our
students to do, the talk suggests parallel activities that we as teachers might engage in
for our own professional development.
Kevin has been working in the Department of English and Language Studies at
Canterbury Christ Church University for more than ten years and before that taught
English as a Foreign Language in Spain. He contributes to a number of undergraduate
and postgraduate teacher training programmes. His main interests are in professional
development for language teachers and English language teaching methodology.
Daniel Barber Freelance
Old Dogs, New Tricks: Neuroeducation and the Chronologically Challenged
It is a myth that children learn languages faster and better than adults. Where did this
myth come from? What’s wrong with it? What really differentiates young learners and
held beliefs and suggests ways we can improve adult learning in and out of the
classroom.
Daniel Barber lives in Cadiz where he writes books and materials for learners and
teachers. He’s taught kids and grown-ups of all ages. As well as writing he is also a
teacher trainer and blogs about language learner coaching. When he can get a
moment, he sort of learns Greek and all about brains.
Michael Bennett
Taking the Classroom Outside
Young learners need to be outdoors and they need to move around. TPR activities
have always been a great means of getting children to move, play and thus interiorize
the information they are receiving. In this workshop I will present different activities
and ways to take the classroom outdoors and have kids playing, working together,
laughing and really thinking.
Michael Bennett has been working as a Primary Educator for over five years in Madrid.
He has dedicated his career to designing activities and exploiting children’s creativity in
CLIL environments. He has given various conferences presenting his no-textbook
philosophy on teaching and continuously investigates how to maximize student’s
learning.
Mª Luisa García Bermejo Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Meeting the Language Education Needs of the 21st Century: Is Teacher Training
Doing the Job
What are the training needs of English teachers? Are they any different from the
training needs of teachers of other subjects? Are they any different from the needs of
20 years ago? And whose responsibility is training anyway? For this roundtable we’ve
brought together a group of trainers with many years of experience in pre- & in-service
training to discuss these and more questions and to try to identify a core set of training
needs for teachers of and through English. We’ll be asking you for your questions and
comments too.
Dr. M. Luisa García Bermejo is an Associate Professor at the School of Education,
Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. She holds a PhD in English, an MA and M.Ed.
in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and an MA in Spanish. She
conducts seminars in English, didactics and the teaching of literature. Her research
focuses on Second language Acquisition (SLA), Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) and language and literature teaching.
Emma Berrocal, Louise Desmier British Council Madrid Young Learners
Developing Learning Strategies in the Primary Classroom
A successful language learner is independent, willing to take risks and able to reflect on
their learning. How can we foster these characteristics in our young learners? In this
session, we will look at how to raise awareness of learning strategies in Primary
learners by encouraging them to think about their learning and take more
responsibility for their own progress.
Emma Berrocal is a teacher and Academic Coordinator at the British Council, Madrid
Young Learners. Her position involves teaching Young Learners from age 4, materials
development, and delivering INSETT sessions. She has been teaching English to Young
Learners for nine years and holds the Trinity TYLEC and Dip.TESOL. Her particular
interests include learner training and the psychology of education.
Louise Desmier is a teacher and academic coordinator at the British Council, Madrid
Young Learners. She has a wealth of experience in materials development and teacher
training and has been involved in a variety of roles, including management. She has the
Cambridge Delta and has also been a speaking examiner for the Cambridge Young
Learner exams.
Hamish Binns Saint Louis University - Madrid Campus
Are You Who You Think You Are?
Sometimes students claim to be succeeding despite the fact that their grades indicate
the opposite, and several recent studies have found that students nowadays tend to
perceive themselves to be doing better than they actually are. Although doubts and a
lack of self-confidence in students can lead to demotivation, a lack of self-criticism and
consciousness can hinder their development.
Hamish Binns is the Modern Languages and ESL Department Coordinator at Saint Louis
University - Madrid Campus, but has also worked at a Rudolph Steiner school and in
various language academies giving business classes, and runs a yearly English language
summer camp in Extremadura. He holds a MA in Human Sciences from Oxford
University, is a composer, and plays the spoons.
Isabel Blecua IES La Senda, Getafe/UCM
Scaffolding Reading and Writing for Bilingual Secondary Classes: Reading to Learn in
Science
This presentation introduces participants to a Vygotskian-based pedagogy of reading
and writing in English as a Foreign Language. After an overview of the genres of school
subjects, an example of working with a text using the Reading to Learn pedagogy
(Martin and Rose 2012, Rose 2012)) is presented. Participants will then practice
preparing the scaffolding for a reading/writing task for Science/Social Sciences
Isabel Blecua Sánchez is an English Teacher and Coordinator of the Bilingual Program
at IES La Senda – Getafe. Currently she also teaches at the Department of Teaching
Language and Literature in the Teacher Training Faculty of Universidad Complutense
Madrid. She studied English Philology at the Universidad de Zaragoza and has a
Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics from Universidade Federal de Brasilia, Brazil.
She worked as Education Advisor in Brazil for the Spanish Ministery of Education. She
has implemented different courses on Methodology and English Language for
teachers. She is a member of the Spanish team for the European Comenius Project
“Reading to Learn” and organiser of the Madrid Conference telcon2013 in October this
year.
Leslie Bobb Wolff Universidad de La Laguna
CLIL & TESOL? CLIL in TESOL? TESOL in CLIL?
When English teachers move from EFL to CLIL, what changes or adjustments need to
be made in the way classes are planned, developed and assessed? We will examine,
reflect on & debate these changes. I will also describe, open for discussion, the CLIL
postgraduate program now in its third year at the University of La Laguna.
Professor at the University of La Laguna and director of the post graduate CLIL Experto,
Leslie Bobb’s areas of research are all interwoven with & carried out in the light of
teacher and learner autonomy and now include work with practicing teachers who are
“CLIL-ing” in their classes.
Nigel Bowles Colegio Teresianas Pamplona
Limericks and That Kind of Stuff
The presenter will demonstrate how poetry can be used as a device for creative
writing, and motivation in the ESO. The session will be based on work carried out in a
3rd of ESO classroom and examples of this work will be shown. The audience will be
expected to participate and finally write some poetry.
Nigel Bowles has been teaching English for many years, firstly in academies and for the
last 12 years in a "Colegio Concertado" teaching ESO and Bachillerato. He has a MA in
TEFL from Reading University and has been a teacher trainer for IH Pamplona,
David Bradshaw Colegio Alameda de Osuna
Exploiting Video in the Classroom
It should be a motivating experience, a prize or an end of term treat, but all too often
the use of video in the classroom has the opposite effect. In this workshop we look at
some different ways to incorporate video in the classroom, in a fun and motivating
way.
David Bradshaw has been teaching in bilingual schools in Spain for just over twenty
years. He is currently working in the design and development of a bilingual programme
in a group of private schools. His main interests are the teaching of speaking and
writing, and the preparation of students for the Cambridge exams.
Marilisa Briello Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona/British Council
Using Visual Narratives to Reveal Student Teacher Conceptions about Teaching and
Learning
We will present visual narratives, describe what they are and show how they have
been used as both a research tool and a language activity in an undergraduate primary
teacher education programme. Secondly, we will report on research findings gathered
from students in the teacher education faculty at the University of Barcelona to reveal
conceptions about teaching and learning languages.
Marilisa is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education Sciences,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and a member of the PLURAL research group
(Plurilingualism, Schools and Language Learning.
http://www.ub.edu/plural/membres/marilisa-briello/
Daniel Brint British Council, Madrid
Talking Pictures; Using Visuals in the Classroom
Talking Pictures; Activities for fluency and vocabulary using visual images.
With the Internet teachers have almost unlimited access to pictures. Daniel Brint will
look at how to exploit this resource, using visual images to promote fluency activities,
teach and review vocabulary and create engaging lessons. The session will also
consider the importance of visual memory and language learning.
Dr Daniel Brint works for the British Council Adult Centre in Madrid. As well as teaching
and teachers training, he runs novel and poetry discussion groups. He has previously
given training sessions on using literature, film, animation and creative writing in
language teaching.
Luis Cabrera Centro de Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras, Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México
Ups and Downs Using Apps in TEFL
Due to the use of technology in language teaching, teachers have been looking for
electronic resources, e.g. web sites, videos and Apps; however, not knowing what Apps
to use or how to use them, is sometimes a difficult task. This demonstration will give
you a better idea on how to choose and use Apps.
Luis Cabrera graduated from the Mexican-American Institute in Mexico City and has
worked at CELE, UNAM for 24 years. He has given workshops on listening and
pronunciation at TESOL-Spain, ArgentinaTESOL, BrazTESOL, MexTESOL and
GreeceTESOL. He conducted a TV program about listening in Mexico and a cultural one
in China.
Willy Cano SM-UDP
WILLY CANO
Physical Response Mind Maps through CLIL
This workshop will cover practical aspects of how to apply CLIL in Primary Education.
CLIL is worked on in the classroom through extended modules focused on oral
communication which enable students to acquire natural language, science contents
and cognitive skills. CLIL works as a powerful tool which permits students to learn from
unforgettable experiences and provides them with clearly focused significant learning.
Willy Cano is a C.L.I.L. teacher trainer for the Community of Madrid and a qualified
bilingual teacher who works in the Bilingual Program from its establishment. He
develops C.L.I.L. in ‘Daniel Martín’ school. He is the Director of Bilingual Programs in
the International University of La Rioja (UNIR). He contributes and works with several
European projects. He is the author of ‘CLIL Handbook for bilingual schools’. He shares
his ideas and researches in his blog CLILforsuccess
Belinda Cerdá Cambridge University Press
Every Assessment and Learning Event is an Opportunity
Learning oriented Assessment puts learning at the heart of all forms of assessment. It
seeks to maximise the value of the feedback which classroom learning and testing
tasks can generate. We will discuss how this approach can help teachers to improve
instruction and monitor progress, and learners to set goals and manage their progress
towards achieving them.
Belinda holds an MA in ELT & Applied Linguistics and is currently Head of Assessment
Services in Spain and Portugal for Cambridge English Language Assessment. She has
twenty years of experience in ELT, teacher training, curriculum design and assessment
in the UK, Spain and Germany. She has written published materials including the
Face2Face Elementary Teachers’ Book and teacher development DVDs.
Marta Cervera Pearson
Let’s Get Real. Real Competences for Real Life
Today's students are moving beyond the basics and are embracing the 4C´s;
communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Those are the super skills
for the 21st century. In this workshop you will learn about real experiences from real
schools that have worked and the best media making resources that have made it
possible. We hope you'll get some ideas for your next projects!
Marta is an English teacher and Certified Education Consultant, currently working as a
Teacher Trainer at Pearson. She has been involved in education since 1991. She has
taught English to young learners for more than 15 years in private, semi-private and
public schools, running bilingual programmes in different autonomous communities.
She soon discovered and fell in love with educational technology and was amazed by
how much this can aid teachers and students in bilingual or multilingual programmes.
She has collaborated with different private and public institutions, as a consultant as
well as creating workshops, seminars and courses for teachers always with the same
objective: helping to find the best solutions for the digital challenges that schools and
teachers are facing today. When she´s not in front of a computer or talking about
education you can find her in any mountain, surrounded by nature.
Isabel Civera López University of Barcelona/British Council
Using Visual Narratives to Reveal Student Teacher Conceptions about Teaching and
Learning
We will present visual narratives, describe what they are and show how they have
been used as both a research tool and a language activity in an undergraduate primary
teacher education programme. Secondly, we will report on research findings gathered
from students in the teacher education faculty at the University of Barcelona to reveal
conceptions about teaching and learning languages.
Isabel is a Senior Lecturer in Primary ELT and at the Faculty of Teacher Education.
University of Barcelona and Coordinator of the English language section. She is a
member of the PLURAL research group (Plurilingualism, Schools and Language
Learning). She specializes in teacher cognition in language teaching and learning,
ethnography and reflective journals. icivera@ub.edu
http://www.ub.edu/plural/membres/isabel-civera/
Mariela Collado
Teaching Phonics in the Learner- Centred Classroom
This section features tips and suggestions for teaching pronunciation, plus practice
activities for teachers to use with their students, helping them become more
knowledgeable and interested in learning the sounds of English. To overcome
students’ pronunciation fears..
A teacher of English and a teacher trainer with 22 years teaching experience,
collaborating with Oxford University Press, Pearson Assessment Department and the
different Centres of Teachers running workshops for Primary and Secondary school
teachers of English.
Caroline Cooke Cambridge English Language Assessment
Changes to Cambridge English: First and Advanced (2015)
Caroline has been a Speaking Examiner for Cambridge English exams since 1985 and is
a Cambridge English Examiner Trainer. She is also an examiner for IELTS written and
oral papers. She has worked on various publications for exam preparation material and
secondary school texts, reviewing, editing and writing.
She also is an experienced presenter for Cambridge English examinations.
Louisa Cristo IH Huelva (1st time speaker GRANT WINNER)
Slammin' Poetry
Make writing and performing poetry cool. Let students discover the beauty of
manipulating words and sounds in the context of a slam poetry competition. Be
prepared to write, create and perform poetry. Whether by writing limericks or rap
lyrics, the slam poetry competition should be fun. Writing and performing poetry, now
that's a slammin' good time.
Before becoming involved in teaching, I was an advertising executive in NYC for 20
years. I worked primarily as a Creative Director in television. Think Mad Woman. Now I
am the YL Coordinator for IH Huelva. I like incorporating creativity and a bit of the Big
Apple into classes when I have the chance.
Jane Delaney Cambridge English Language Assessment
Getting Teenagers to Talk
Often even the best planned speaking lessons do not always generate the amount of
talk we would like from our students. This very practical workshop looks at ways to get
teenagers at Cambridge English: Key and Cambridge English: Preliminary level to
speak… in English!
Jane Delaney has been involved in ELT for more than 20 years. She has been a teacher,
Director of Studies and language school director. She now works as a primary school
teacher in Tarragona. She is also a teacher trainer, CELTA trainer, Cambridge Examiner,
Team Leader and member of the Cambridge English presenters’ team.
Louise Desmier British Council Madrid Young Learners
Figuring out Phrasal Verbs
Do your students have trouble figuring out phrasal verbs? Are you running out of ways
to teach them? This session will combine theory with awareness raising and practical
activities that will equip your students with useful learning strategies and encourage
you to rethink your approach to teaching phrasal verbs. For teachers of teenagers and
adults at intermediate to advanced level.
Louise Desmier is a teacher and academic coordinator at the British Council, Madrid
Young Learners. She has a wealth of experience in materials development and teacher
training and has been involved in a variety of roles, including management. She has the
Cambridge Delta and has also been a speaking examiner for the Cambridge Young
Learner exams.
Gabriel Diaz Maggioli
Rewriting our Understanding of Writing
Writing is one of the most cumbersome skills for teachers and learners. Its teaching
has oscillated between product and process perspectives and has failed to move
forward over the past 30 years...or has it? In this workshop we will explore an
alternative framework for the teaching of writing at all levels, that promises to
enhance both teaching and listening
Gabriel Diaz Maggioli is Director of the MATESOL Program at The New School, a
university in New York. A frequent presenter in international and local conferences,
Gabriel has shared his research in practice with colleagues in the Americas, Europe, the
Middle East and Asia.
Olga Isabel Diez Velasco, Marta García Alamán CeFIAME, Gobierno de La Rioja
Swirl your English in a Wine Glass
Teaching in La Rioja, some of our classes revolve around wine and its culture, using
them as a catalyst for language teaching/learning, and as a tool to promote
plurilingualism and interculturality. In our talk, a variety of wine-based activities
designed for several purposes and levels will be described, all of which can be easily
adapted to different national/regional realities.
Olga I. Díez Velasco (PhD in Linguistics) works as a language expert for the Cefiame,
Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Turismo, Gobierno de La Rioja. She is also an
Associate Lecturer at the University of La Rioja. She has published a variety of papers
on Cognitive linguistics. Her current research interests have taken her into CLIL.
Marta García Alamán (MA in Applied Linguistics) works as a language expert for the
Cefiame, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Turismo, Gobierno de La Rioja. She is
also an Associate Lecturer at the Unviersity of La Rioja. She is an oral examiner for the
Cambridge ESOL and a member of the Council of Europe Pestalozzi programme.
Kieran Donaghy UAB Idiomes Barcelona
Using Film to Teach in a World of Screens
The advent of the digital revolution and the Internet, the proliferation of mobile
devices; the introduction of user-friendly editing tools; and the emergence of video
distribution sites, have changed the way moving images relate to society, education
and language learning. This session examines and offers guidance on using film
critically and creatively in language teaching in a world of screens.
Kieran Donaghy is a teacher, trainer and award-winning writer with a special interest in
the use of film in education. Kieran is the co-author of Films in Health Sciences
Education and his website on the use of film in language teaching Film English
http://film-english.com/ won a British Council ELTons Award for
Innovation in Teacher Resources and the most important European media in
education prize, the MEDEA Award for User-Generated Educational Media, in
2013. He is also the founder of The Image Conference, the only conference on
the use of film, video, images and gaming in ELT.
Ann Frances Draemel Temple University
You and Your “Auxiliar”— Tips on Co-teaching
Do you teach with English language assistants, or “auxiliares,” but don’t know how to
incorporate them into your daily lesson plans? If so, then this talk is for you! This
presentation will share ten tips on how you can optimize your relationship with your
“auxiliar.” Tips will highlight co-teaching strategies that can be implemented in and
outside of the classroom.
Ann Frances Draemel holds a Master of Arts degree in TESL / Applied Linguistics from
Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and Spanish
from Kansas State University. For three years, Ann taught EFL as an ‘auxiliar’ in
bilingual elementary schools throughout Spain. She is now teaching ESL at Temple
University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Fiona Dunbar ELI Málaga
Yes, They (All) Can! Roads to Success for YLs
All classes are mixed ability – no two students are the same. In this session, we will
look at classroom activities and techniques through which motivation, personalisation
and creativity can help each and every one of our primary students experience success
and achievement in their EFL learning. The session is for teachers of young learners (412).
Fiona Dunbar has been teaching, training and managing in EFL for 20 years, mainly in
Andalucía. She has the Cambridge DipTEFLA and is currently Director of the ELI
language schools in Málaga and a Team Leader for Cambridge YLE examiners. With
her young learner classes, she is particularly interested in motivation, personalisation,
creativity and their impact on language acquisition.
Brian Engquist Pearson
Moving Pictures: A New Direction for Video in TEFL
There’s nothing new about video in the EFL classroom, but the ease with which we can
now use tools to create video has turned it from a passive to an active experience.
Let’s take a look at the history of video starting with the traditional and moving
towards what’s on the cutting edge today.
Brian Engquist works for Pearson and has spent the last 20 years as an English teacher
and teacher trainer in Spain. More interested in the social consequences of
technology than the technology itself, he hopes his talks place the emphasis on the C
in ICT.
Brian Engquist Pearson
Connecting with Teens - In and Out of the Classroom!
Whether it’s thinking critically, being creative or communicating and collaborating
effectively, all these skills we want to nurture in our teens have one necessary prerequisite: letting go and allowing them to take control and choose their own learning
paths. Let’s look at how to make our classes an environment for a more active,
learner-centred approach as we move into the future.
Brian Engquist works for Pearson and has spent the last 20 years as an English teacher
and teacher trainer in Spain. More interested in the social consequences of
technology than the technology itself, he hopes his talks place the emphasis on the C
in ICT.
Joel Eriksen, Colin Robinson St. James Language Center
Close Your Books, Let's Read!
Have you ever thought to yourself “How can I make this reading more engaging?” We
will look at ways to exploit texts by encouraging students to interact through dynamic
and stimulating activities, before reading the complete text. We will demonstrate
some activities that will make the class more student centered, participative,
communicative and rewarding.
Joel Eriksen has worked in English teaching for 5 years and is currently the ADOS
(Assistant Director of Studies) at St. James Language Center in Sevilla. During this time,
Joel has gained experience in teaching levels ranging from very young learners to
advanced exam classes and is responsible for coordinating the school CLIL program for
high school students.
Colin Robinson is a Senior Teacher at St. James Language Center in Sevilla. He has 5
years of teaching experience, ranging from very young learners to advanced
examination classes. He is currently mentoring new teachers through teacher training
sessions and developmental observations.
Anthony Evans ELI, Seville
Exploiting Musical Intelligence
The majority of General English learners score highly for musical Intelligence. So why
is it that this can sometimes be overlooked, other than through the archetypal song
gap-fill? This session aims to go beyond the gap-fill and illustrate a number of practical
ideas using music, sounds and rhythm as a base, from short warmers and fillers, to
whole class activities.
Anthony Evans has been teaching in Seville for eight years and is currently based at ELI.
Teaching students from age six upwards his interests are highly varied. His specialisms
are Exam classes and developing Listening and Speaking skills. Outside Spain Anthony
has also worked on University Pre-Sessional Courses and been a Director of Studies at
several Summer Schools.
Donna Fields
Creating Communities in Virtual Space
The true key to successful distance learning is in building an online community. This
requires familiarization with online tools and the adjustment of educational
methodology to the new venue. Consciously designing a structure which will support
and create a feeling of community and integration for all the participants of any course
is the core to creating a safe and successful learning environment for students. This
talk will present ways in which we can manipulate technological tools in order to infuse
online classes with humanity and give a physically separated group of students a sense
of community.
Donna has a doctorate in folktales, is a professor and consultant at the Valencian
International University, and is a teacher trainer for Macmillan Publishing and the
Department of Education in Valencia. She is coordinator for the on-line English courses
at the Diputación of Valencia. She has taught Primary to Bachiller classes in both the
USA and Spain. She is currently working on multi-language children’s books.
Liam Fitzpatrick Express Publishing
Being Specific
In this session, we will focus on the practicalities of teaching EOP. We will discuss the
needs of the students and the role of the teacher, in combination with the context in
which teaching takes place. What results should be a motivating and useful learning
experience, productive for all concerned.
Originally from Ireland, Liam graduated with a BA in Social Sciences with La Trobe
University, Melbourne, Australia. Based in Spain since 1994, he has also completed
post-graduate studies in TESOL with Aston University in the UK and has accumulated
more than 15 years experience in the field of ELT. Liam currently works both “in & out”
of the classroom for Express Publishing.
Liam Fitzpatrick Express Publishing
CLIL: Learning to Read. Reading to Learn.
The last couple of years have seen a resurgence in interest in the application of CLIL.
While the implementation of the theory still remains somewhat problematic and
controversial, teachers have recognised the value of combining language use other
disciplines. In this session we will discuss the possible application of ‘soft CLIL’, the
possible benefits and methods of implementation.
Originally from Ireland, Liam graduated with a BA in Social Sciences with La Trobe
University, Melbourne, Australia. Based in Spain since 1994, he has also completed
post-graduate studies in TESOL with Aston University in the UK and has accumulated
more than 15 years experience in the field of ELT. Liam currently works both “in & out”
of the classroom for Express Publishing.
Teresa Fleta Universidad Alcalá de Henares
M. Luisa García Universidad Complutense Madrid
Multicultural storybooks for cross-curricular and cross-cultural teaching
The increasing presence of foreign students in today's classrooms at all educational
levels offers teachers a great opportunity to raise intercultural awareness. This
presentation aims to show the outcomes of a project carried out with pre-service
teachers on how to create, develop and adapt teaching resources taking as a
springboard stories from around the world in English.
Dr. M. Teresa Fleta Guillén is a teacher and teacher trainer. She holds a PhD in
Theoretical Linguistics and Language Acquisition and a Master in Linguistics. She has
carried out research on child language acquisition of English in formal settings.
Currently, she teaches the Module Teaching Young Learners within the Master’s
Degree Programme on TEFL at Alcalá de Henares University, Madrid.
Dr. M. Luisa García Bermejo is an Associate Professor at the School of Education,
Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. She holds a PhD in English, an MA and M.Ed.
in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and an MA in Spanish. She
conducts seminars in English, didactics and the teaching of literature. Her research
focuses on Second language Acquisition (SLA), Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) and language and literature teaching.
Elizabeth Forster British Council Primary School
Step Inside a Picture
This talk describes a pedagogical experience that took place in a Primary class. The
basic premise was to combine art, literacy and music in a cross-curricular, multimodal
educational vehicle which brought several of the Multiple Intelligences into play and
allowed the children to “step inside their own picture” and thus stimulate their
creative writing process.
Elizabeth Forster has been a classroom practitioner for over thirty years and has been
involved in various projects promoting pedagogical cooperation across Europe.
Currently she is a teacher in the British Council Primary School and participates in
teaching a module for a Master’s Degree in the Alcalá de Henares University in
“Teaching Young Learners”.
Wendy Frankel UEM Universidad Europea de Madrid
Cross the Line & Simulated Job Interviews
Get up and participate in "Cross the Line." You can agree or disagree with the
statements, but be prepared to defend yourself! Then write some of your own. Tackle
"Simulated Job Interviews : Help! I've got a Job Interview and it's in ENGLISH!" Give
others advice, then role play! Interview, be interviewed, give and receive immediate
feedback. Hey! I got the job!
Wendy Frankel has been teaching English for forty years, primarily at the US Cultural
Center/ACHNA and the Universidad Europea de Madrid. She teaches in the Language
Center of the Arts & Communications School. She holds BAs in Spanish and
Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley an MA in Bilingual Education
from SF State, and a Licenciatura in Hispanicas from the Complutense.
Lucía Fraile CEO Alto Alagón
Carlos Sánchez Barbero IES Eulogio Florentino Sanz
Learning to Learn: Teachers and Students that Care
“They are nice kids but don’t expect them to work” or “My students only care about
passing their tests” are complaints commonly heard in the staff room. In this talk we
will focus on how implementing the Learning to learn competence on our daily
practice can address these problems.
This talk is of special interest to secondary school teachers.
Lucía Fraile teaches English at a secondary state school in Spain. She has teaching
experience both in the UK and USA education systems. Her main delight in teaching is
assisting underachievers realizing their potential and experiencing success.
Carlos Sánchez has been a secondary school teacher for seven years. Currently he is
teaching Technology in a CLIL programme in a state school in Spain. He holds a postgraduate course in “Bilingual Teaching in Secondary Education” by Salamanca
University.
David Gibson Global ELT
Building Trust, Confidence, and Belonging in the Classroom. Unplugged.
In this workshop, participants consider the ways in which students might fail in the
classroom, through not having a real sense of belonging and being reluctant to
contribute to activities. Solutions are explored in the form of simple steps.
David Gibson retired in 2008. With five university diplomas, he taught for fifteen years
in England, moving to Greece in 1979 to work in language schools, at the British
Council as teacher-trainer, and Pinewood International School. He has also worked in
Gregory Gobel British Council Alcobendas
Some Favourite Adaptable Low-Prep, Lo-Tech Speaking Activities
This practical session demonstrates and analyses some of my favourite speaking
activities for upper primary, secondary and adults. Participants will try out the
speaking activities, analyse them and then decide how to adapt them for different
ages/levels. Participants will leave with a toolkit of new ideas or upgrades of old ones.
Participants should come ready to talk,. think and have fun.
Gregory manages the British Council Alcobendas Teaching Centre. He designed and
initially implemented the British Council/Trinity Teaching Young Learner Extension
course (TYLEC) at the Somosaguas Teaching Centre and is currently a TYLEC tutor and
advisor. He is also a tutor on the British Council's Trinity Diploma course. He has been
the Practical Teaching Ideas columnist IATEFL Voices magazine since 2009.
Paul Gordon British Council Madrid Adults
English as a World Language.
A brief guide to the origin and evolution of the English language and its present
situation in the contemporary world as the number one lingua franca.
Paul Gordon has been teaching in ELT for 24 years, has taught at all levels, is a qualified
secondary schoolteacher and now specialises in adult teaching. Paul has taught at a
number of universities in Madrid such as Camilo José Cela, Villanueva, UEM and San
Pablo CEU. At present Paul is an English teacher and Placement Test Examiner at the
British Council Madrid Adult Teaching Centre. His interests include the history of
English and sociolinguistics.
Michele Guerrini Universidad de Alcalá de Henares
Critical and Creative Thinking in Science: Keys to Success
CLIL science already involves dual objectives of content and language. How can critical
and creative thinking skills be developed too? This session explores basic features of
´thinking training´ and how they can be applied to science topics. Participants, in pairs
and groups, first carry out simple tasks, and then reflect on features of the classroom
environment that promote successful thinking.
Michele C. Guerrini teaches in the Masters programme for bilingual schools at the
Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, and is director of MCG Content and Language
Network. She is co-author of Comet, an EFL/CLIL primary course (UDP), and has
developed primary and secondary CLIL science materials. Her work as materials
developer and teacher trainer incorporates the development of thinking skills.
Maria Heron NILE
Getting Learners Speaking!
Learners need challenging and motivating opportunities to practise their freer
speaking in class and become more effective communicators. In this practical
workshop you will have the opportunity to try out some of my favourite speaking
activities, some of which have a strong focus on personalisation. You should leave the
session with ready-made activities to try out in class on Monday.
Maria Heron is a practising teacher and teacher trainer with 30 years’ experience. Her
work has been mainly in the UK but she has also worked in Germany, Switzerland,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada, Argentina, Chile, and Panama. She is CELTA Centre
Manager at NILE and has recently completed an MA on affective engagement in
materials writing.
Rob Hextall, John Hird English Coaching Projects. S.Coop
iRT - INSTANT RESPONSE TEACHING
Instant Response Teaching. An innovative approach to teaching before, during and
after class. An independent layer that enhances any type of course (Syllabus based or
Dogme inspired) and allows us to respond readily to whatever emerges from the time
with learners. Internet access, portable devices and apps permit us to consult, advise,
resolve and improvise to a level previously unattainable.
Rob was born and bred in Wolverhampton. He attended the University of Birmingham,
earning Joint Honours in Economics and Politics. He settled in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1994
and for the last 19 years has worked in all aspects of English teaching, including
materials production and content creation, and is a TOEIC examiner. Rob specializes in
coaching Business English and is a founder of English Coaching Projects S.Coop and
Zapa ebooks SL.
John is a proud Geordie from Newcastle. He has worked in the Basque Country as an
English trainer since 1992, specialising in Business English content creation, on-line
learning and telephone English. He has also worked in Bosnia and Saudi Arabia. He
holds a Master’s in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language from the University
of Jaén and is a founder of English Coaching Projects S. Coop and Zapa ebooks SL.
Aidan Holland British Council, Somosaguas
21st Teaching Tasks
Task-based teaching has been criticised for not providing students with enough focus
on form and for being difficult to implement. However, most SLA theorists argue for its
superiority over more traditional teaching models. This workshop will highlight the
realities of task-based teaching in the 21stCentury classroom and give you practical
ideas about how to focus on form after tasks.
Aidan Holland has been working in English Language teaching for the last ten years and
currently works for the British Council in Somosaguas, Madrid. Since completing the
Cambridge DELTA in 2011, he has gone on to enrol on a Masters in TEFL with the
University of Birmingham. He is currently a member of the annual British Council
Teacher's Conference organising committee.
Katherine Holloway Hyland Language Centre, Madrid
IMAGINE MORE: Motivating Students to Produce Stories
“But I have no imagination!” is all too often the response to creative assignments in
the ESL classroom. This session focuses on the application of tasks designed to
stimulate imaginative thinking and inspire the production of fictional texts. Using
these practical classroom activities, even the most apathetic learners´ imaginations can
be sparked to tell (and learn through) their own stories.
Katherine Holloway is Assistant Director at Hyland Language Centre, Madrid. In
addition to DELTA, Katherine holds a History degree and a Creative Writing Masters.
She started her teaching career in Taiwan as a teacher and Course Designer,
implementing Creative Writing courses in 60 schools. She has since been a teacher
trainer, examiner and Director of Studies in England and Spain.
Christopher Johnson St.James Language Center
1to1: The Perfect Ratio
This session is aimed at anyone who wants to provide pedagogically sound, effective,
learner centred 1to1 classes. There will be guidance on how to find the content, how
to adapt your teaching to fit this context and what to consider in your delivery. An
easy to follow format and some practical models of reformulation and reconstruction
tasks will be provided.
Chris Johnson is currently working for St. James in Seville, where he is very active in
their teacher training and development programme. Whilst travelling and teaching
around the world he developed his passion for TEFL and now having completed his
DELTA he soon hopes to start his masters in linguistics.
Gabrielle Jones
Language Skills for Building Business Relationships
This workshop looks at the importance of relational language for business people. It
presents a number of techniques which help Business English learners to build rapport
and be more active listeners. Participants will be involved in active discussion and will
have the opportunity to try out a number of exercises.
Gabrielle Jones is based in Ulm, south Germany where she is responsible for assessing
client needs, developing tailor-made training programmes for regional and
multinational organisations, as well as for the professional development of over 40
trainers. With 13 years’ experience in EFL, she specialises in professional
communication training as well as ESP and technical English and is a DELTA tutor.
Ceri Jones Cambridge University Press
Micro Writing Tasks: Little Things Make a Big Difference
In this session we'll be exploring how a range of micro writing tasks can activate
language, encourage communication and aid class cohesion. We'll be looking in
particular, but not exclusively, at multi level secondary classrooms and the challenges
they bring.
Ceri is a freelance teacher, trainer and materials writer. She has been working in ELT
since 1986 and in Spain since 1998. She is particularly interested in student-centred
materials and activities. She writes about her experiences and experiments on her
blog, Close Up (www.cerij.wordpress.com). She has recently been working with Ben
Goldstein on a new secondary course for Cambridge University Press.
Julian Kenny Trinity College London
Promoting Critical Reflection
In order for teachers and students to develop their skills in the classroom they need to
learn from experience. Developing reflective skills can help teachers and students
make clearly informed decisions with the aim of becoming empowered and therefore
independent. This session will review techniques that teachers and trainers can use to
promote reflection through experimental theory.
Julian is the Head of Teacher DevelopTrinity ESOL and TESOL qualifications worldwide.
He has been involved ineducation for over 20 years and has taught and trained
teachers from initial to Master's level in the UK, Americas, Africa and Asia.
Joanna Kirby British Council Alcobendas Teaching Centre
Motivating Low-level Young Learners with Pronunciation
This session looks at practical ways to engage low-level young learners and help
improve their pronunciation skills. Participants will have the opportunity to try out
some of the activities and discussion will be welcomed. The session is aimed at new
teachers who are unsure of how to start helping their learners with pronunciation. No
prior theoretical knowledge is needed.
Joanna has been a teacher at the British Council for 6 years where she has taught in
different centres and worked with primary, junior, senior and adult students. She
currently works at the British Council Alcobendas teaching centre where she is Project
Coordinator. Earlier this year she passed the Trinity LTCL Diploma course in TESOL.
George Kokolas Express Publishing
Young Learners’ Needs
In order to effectively teach our young pupils we should be fully aware of how they
think, how they learn, and what their needs are. We need to create an environment
within the classroom that will allow us to lay the foundations for strong future users of
English. Teaching young learners is an art and in this session we will explore many
ways of bringing our primary classrooms to life!
George has been working as a teacher trainer for Express Publishing for the last 10
years. He is a graduate of the American College of Greece and he currently studies
Spanish Literature and Civilization. His vast experience in teaching has helped him a lot
in developing helpful and tangible views about different aspects of EFL Methodology.
Eve Krassnig British Council Somosaguas
Promoting Authentic Communication through Drama
This session focuses on the relationship between language and emotional scripts, on
the difficulties second language learners have connecting the two and how this affects
intercultural communication.
We will also be looking at exploring a natural process of communication with ESL
students, based on drama-oriented activities, as a way for students to learn using
language spontaneously and communicatively.
Eve graduated with a BA in Drama and has since been organizing a variety of projects /
events in English and in the educational sector. She has experience as a drama teacher
and has been working with the British Council as a language teacher and coordinator
for some time now, continuously experimenting with integrating drama-oriented
activities into the EFL classroom.
Anita Kwiatkowska IH Zaragoza
Fun and Games
We spend hours looking for supplementary materials and then copying and cutting
what we find. Having done just that for the past couple of years, I’ve had enough.
Therefore I decided to focus on games and activities that are adaptable, reusable and
require little preparation. Sounds interesting? Then come and join us! Audience
participation is required!
Anita is a teacher and teacher trainer currently based in Zaragoza. She previously
taught English in Poland and Turkey and is now facing the challenges of ELT in Spain.
Her main interests are effective classroom techniques, language acquisition and
travelling.
Matt Ledding, Kleinson
Enron, Little Data, and the Infinite Monkey Machine.
Enron’s “creative account” scandal is secretly a great contribution to applied corpus
linguistics. You will come out of this workshop able to make 200,000 business emails
dance to your bidding (internet unnecessary), and able to make your own language
database at the individual user level. You will also explore the opportunities and
threats that data driven learning offers.
Matt Ledding lives in Madrid. He studied English Literature and Theatre (University of
Saskatchewan) and Circus (Ecole Nationale de Cirque, Montreal). Obsessions:
improving games in the classroom, pronunciation, technology and most recently the
question (posed by Luke Meddings in his Tesol France speech) of what a map of English
Language learning would look like… thus this workshop.
Mark Levy British Council
Meeting the Language Education Needs of the 21st Century: Is Teacher Training
Doing the Job
What are the training needs of English teachers? Are they any different from the
training needs of teachers of other subjects? Are they any different from the needs of
20 years ago? And whose responsibility is training anyway? For this roundtable we’ve
brought together a group of trainers with many years of experience in pre- & in-service
training to discuss these and more questions and to try to identify a core set of training
needs for teachers of and through English. We’ll be asking you for your questions and
comments too.
Mark has worked at the British Council, Madrid since 1994, where he is currently Head
of English & Schools for Spain. He has been an English teacher for many years and a
teacher trainer throughout Spain. Between 2010 and 2013, he led the British Council
Connecting Classrooms Project in partnership with national and regional educational
authorities across 22 countries in Europe with a focus on Global Citizenship, Youth
Leadership and Inclusion, and Diversity.
Samantha Lewis British Council
Thinking Outside the Coursebook Box
A coursebook offers a wealth of material geared towards the interests of our teenage
learners, but by thinking beyond the given exercises on the page we can motivate,
engage and maximise learning potential. We will try out fun, creative ways of using
the material to develop the skills learners need today such as critical thinking, problem
solving and communication.
Samantha Lewis is an ELT teacher, trainer and writer. She teaches young learners for
the British Council in Somosaguas, Madrid and writes for the British Council
LearnEnglish Teens website. She has written 'Interactive', Cambridge’s course for
lower-secondary students. She has trained primary and secondary school teachers of
English and has an MA specializing in English Language Teaching in secondary schools.
Andrea Littlewood Hyland Language Centre
Think, Focus, Notice. Ideas and Tasks for Primary Learners.
In this workshop we'll be looking at how we can help our young learners focus more in
class and take a more active role in their learning. With ideas to keep them on task and
activities to promote noticing, our aim is to create positive learning habits and greater
awareness of how English works both inside and outside the classroom.
Andrea Littlewood has been teaching since1985 and is Head of the Young Learners
Department at Hyland Language Centre, Madrid. She is interested in teacher
development and has given talks to teachers in the state and private sector. Andrea
has co authored the first cycle of the primary course Twister and is a Cambridge ESOL
speaking examiner.
Mary Frances Litzler British Council/UAH
Study Logs: Encouraging and Motivating Students through Individual Feedback
This presentation explains the use of study logs to assist teachers and others who are
learning English. They record the activities they do outside the classroom to practice
English and any reactions they have so the instructor can provide weekly or bimonthly
feedback. The presentation will provide background information, a description of how
the logs are done and difficulties encountered.
Mary Frances Litzler, PhD, has taught English to adults and university-level students for
more than 25 years. She presently works for the British Council-Alcalá and the
University of Alcala. Her professional interests include learner autonomy, student
attitudes towards classroom methods, new technologies, testing, and teacher training.
Her experience in learning Spanish, French, German and Japanese has an impact on
her research and methodology.
John Macmillan British Council
Efficient Memorization of Vocabulary: Beating the Forgetting Curve
Why do students remember so little vocabulary? We need to review at the right time
to avoid forgetting, but it is difficult to know when. Anki is an application which
schedules your reviews, making studying very efficient. It allows learners to memorize
and remember large amounts of vocabulary indefinitely, by studying for a short time
each day.
After completing a PGCE, John Macmillan taught in secondary education for a year
before moving into EFL, which he has taught for 6 years. He currently works at the
British Council in Madrid and is especially interested in using ICT to enhance the
teaching and learning of English.
Joanna Marriott British Council
Early Years - The Next Generation!
Teaching English to very young learners is the new buzzword with many language
instututions seeing a huge rise in demand and many “Escuelas Infantiles” being
brought under the bilingual umbrella. However, what do we know about language
learning and learners at this age and how can theories of first language acquisition tie
in with early childhood development theory? This session will explore these issues,
looking at how using authentic storybooks as a basis for syllabus and material design
can provide the link between these two theoretical areas.
Joanna has been working in ELT for the last 18 years as a teacher, academic manager
and teacher trainer. Joanna Marriott is the head of the Primary Department in the
British Council Somosaguas, Madrid, She has been promoting the use of stories in the
EFL classroom as a core element of recent syllabus and product development for early
years language teaching
Daniel Martín Helbling Languages
From Whiteboards to Web 2.0
Technology is gradually seeping its way into the classroom environment: from learners
bringing their own mobile devices to class to teachers using computers and projectors
or interactive whiteboards. I will be sharing some activities from my upcoming book
From Whiteboards to Web 2.0 that contemplate use of Twitter, Google, smartphones,
webcams and whiteboard software (both in isolated and combined use).
Daniel Martín has been working in language teaching for over 20 years. He is also a
Pilgrims trainer and author of Activities for Interactive Whiteboards, nominated for the
ELTons Awards 2010, Pop Songs 2 (both with Helbling Languages), Actividades para
pizarras digitales interactivas (SGEL), Inglés, Internet y Pizarra Digital (self-published)
and From Whiteboards to Web 2.0 (upcoming with Helbling Languages).
Annie McDonald
Priming for Listening: What Can We Do?
Pre-listening tasks provide essential scaffolding for learners confronted with authentic
audio texts. These texts are a rich resource, and lend themselves to tasks which focus
on more than just topic and vocabulary. In this practical session, we’ll examine the
classroom listening context in greater depth, and I’ll present a number of task-types
which participants can adapt for their own classes
Annie has worked in ELT for 25+ years. She has worked in EFL/ESP in Turkey, Brazil,
Spain and England, teaching secondary/university students. She holds an MSc in
Teaching English from Aston University, and is a former president of TESOL-Spain. She
co-authored English Result, a 4-level English course for adults, with Mark Hancock
(OUP) and is currently writing teaching materials http://www.hancockmcdonald.com
Joe McKenna Communicate Language Learning
Oral Exams: Reality Check
Do your students moan about the content of an oral exam not matching classroom
work? Are you the teacher often disappointed with oral exam performance after all
that hard work in class? This workshop will contrast teacher’s expectations with
recorded examples of genuine student production, comment on the differences and
propose effective classroom work to bridge the likely gap.
Joe McKenna has worked in EFL since 1979. His experience covers teaching, teacher
training, conference presentations, workshops and materials writing,having written
Workbooks for OUP and Pearson. He's currently preparing his own material for use on
a digital platform under the auspices of Communicate Language Learning, a new
language school in Córdoba.
Amanda McLoughlin
Assessment in CLIL Classes
Primary CLIL teachers often find assessment a tricky area. Assessment is a tool by
which teachers learn which methods have worked, and which pupils have learnt more
or less than expected. Nevertheless, assessment is someting many teachers shy away
from. And in the CLIL context, assessment becomes doubly complex. In this session I
hope to shed some light on this.
Amanda McLoughlin has worked as a teacher trainer for the British Council for the last
7 years. She has been working in CLIL for 5 years, as a primary Science teacher. In
addition to this she has worked for various publishers as a writer and consultant in the
Primary CLIL sector.
Gerard McLoughlin IH Barcelona
Listening: Developing Not Testing
Listening is one of the most difficult skills and in the classroom we tend to test rather
than help with strategies. We'll look at some action research with students as to why
they find listening difficult and then look at strategies to help them become better
listeners
Gerard has been a teacher and trainer for over 20 years. He is currently a teacher and
trainer on CELTA and DELTA courses at International House Barcelona. He has an MA in
ELT and is a co-author of Next Generation, a Bachillerato course book for Cambridge
English. He has written teacher’s books for McGraw Hill, Heinle and an online teacher
development course for consultants–e. He is the webmaster and resources officer for
TESOL-SPAIN as well as an ambassador for the Disabled Access Friendly Campaign.
Andrew McMullen British Council Alcobendas, Madrid
Understand Your Learners to Help them Learn
This presentation will seek to provide a link between the theories of learning styles,
motivation and learner profiling, and the practical implications of working with groups
of heterogeneous learners. It will suggest practical ways with which you can form
useful assumptions about your learners and work with these assumptions during an
extensive course in order to optimise your learners' progress.
Andrew has taught English in Spain for 12 years and is Senior Teacher at British Council
Alcobendas Teaching Centre. He has been a tutor on the British Council Trinity Young
Learners Extension Course for the last 5 years and a tutor on the British Council Trinity
Diploma for the last 3. His main professional interests are correction, autonomy, and
motivation.
Anne Mellon
More Credits Points or Some Real Training: CPD in Spain
Last February Anne Mellon filled up her nth feedback form for a teacher development
course and began to wonder what the point of doing teacher training courses really
was. In this talk she will discuss the importance of professional development for
language teachers..
Anne Mellon has been working on and off in the EFL field for the past 30 years, in the
private and public sector. She is currently working as assistant DOS in the EOI Motilla
del Palanca where she teaches General English from Basic to Advanced level.
Scott Migliacci Hyland Language Centre
SpongePoP AirDance – Activites For Very Young Learners
It’s been said that infants are little sponges, are excited by the surprise of a pop, and
love to dance in the air. In this workshop we'll share ideas to help very young learners
soak up what they learn in class by using some activities which can be built upon little
by little paying attention to how we say things.
Scott Migliacci (BARCH Hons., RSA CELTA) is an architect and a former US Marine,
where he taught as an Instructor. Since entering the ELT world 5 years ago, Scott has
become the Assistant Director of Studies for young learners. As well as teaching, he
regularly takes part in teacher training and is currently working towards his MA ELT.
Yvonne Moore Somosaguas Teaching Centre British Council
"How Many Activities are on this Page?
When we´re planning a lesson do we fully exploit the contents of a page? In the
majority of cases because of the restrictions of time and following a set syllabus the
answer is invariably no. During the session participants will have the opportunity to
see a selection of activities demonstrated and then evaluate their appropriateness in
the YL classroom.
Yvonne, has been teaching young learners for over twenty years, and is particularly
intertested in maintaining interest and motivation in the classroom through the
creation of a variety of different tasks. She is a trained Trinity YL and Diploma Tutor, as
well as being a Cambridge Speaker Examiner for YLs, KET, PET, FC, CAE & PROF.
Catherine Morley British Council
Creative Teaching (for uncreative teachers!)
Envious of your colleagues’ seemingly endless creativity in designing activities and
planning lessons? I am certainly am! In this session, we’ll look at a few ‘tricks’ which
will help you to lift coursebook materials off the page and bring language to life for
your students, even if, like me, creativity is not your strong point.
Catherine Morley (BA, RSA CELTA & DELTA) has taught general and business English in
Spain and Mexico since 2001, and is a Cambridge CELTA and ICELT teacher trainer. She
is currently a teacher at the British Council in Alcalá de Henares.
Steve Muir British Council
Animal Magic
While surfing the net, chances are that you'll have come across a photo, video, blog or
webcam featuring our four-legged friends. In this workshop, we will look at a range of
practical activities inspired by animals. These activities focus on a variety of language
areas and skills, but more importantly, can be easily adapted to use with other nonanimal sources of classroom material.
Steve has worked in ELT for over 20 years. He has taught English to young learners and
adults in Egypt, Hong Kong, the UK and Spain. He lives in Madrid and works at the
British Council in Alcalá de Henares.
Polo Muñoz British Institute of Seville
How Our Brain Works May Affect How We Teach
Recent research into how the brain and what part of the brain works in the process of
retaining information (e.g. linguistic) is surprising to say the least. Due to these
surprising findings from the neuro scientific field, how might this affect how we usually
teach? How are our teaching methods maintaining pace with these discoveries?
Paolo started working in the Los Unified School District in 1990 where he worked for
11 years until moving to Seville. He has been teaching English there ever since.
He has a degree in Hispanic Literature, a California Teaching Credential, and Master´s
degree in Bilingual Education. He currently teaches all levels including children,
adolescents and adults.
Anna Musielak Freelancer
Can Drama be all about...Grammar?
For many students grammar is not the most electrifying subject in the world... The aim
of this workshop is to show how to make grammar lessons fun, exciting and
memorable thanks to using drama games and techniques. The activities presented will
show how to help students remember grammar rules and apply them to their
everyday life.
Anna Musielak is a Polish teacher and teacher trainer holding a Ph.D. from Silesian
University. She has worked at the military unit, at college, teaching British Literature
and Culture and as methodology director in a private language school. Currently she
cooperates with Oxford University Press Poland as a trainer and teaches English to
young learners, teenagers and adults.
Anna Musielak Freelancer
Real Communicative Experience with Drama Activities.
Drama is everything, it is something we engage in every day. That is why it is essential
to bring drama into the classroom as it enlivens our lessons and enriches the language
class. This workshop is aimed at teachers who are willing to conquer their fear of using
drama in ELT and help their students improve their communication skills.
Anna Musielak is a Polish teacher and teacher trainer holding a Ph.D. from Silesian
University. She has worked at the military unit, at college, teaching British Literature
and Culture and as methodology director in a private language school. Currently she
cooperates with Oxford University Press Poland as a trainer and teaches English to
young learners, teenagers and adults.
Roy Norris Macmillan
Where is the Grammar in Cambridge English: First?
Grammar is tested in various ways in the First exam. It appears in each of the Use of
English tasks, and candidates’ ability to use it correctly is assessed in the Writing and
Speaking papers. After looking at what and where the grammar is in these papers and
how it’s tested, we’ll consider a number of practical, awareness-raising activities.
After teaching French and German in England for five years, Roy moved to Madrid in
1989 to work in ELT, mainly for International House. He has been writing for Macmillan
for 14 years, and is the author of Ready for First and Straightforward Advanced, and
co-author of Ready for CAE, Direct to FCE and the Spanish bachillerato course,
Upgrade.
Hannah Norwood
Towards Transparent Assessment – Productive skills
What is assessment? How do you do it? How do your students know what their grades
mean? Have you ever thought “Yeah, that’s about a 6; that one’s a bit better, maybe a
7”? This session is designed to help you identify what you want from students, what
you are assessing and how to make this clear to your students.
Hannah has worked for the British council in Malaysia and at Madrid Young Learners.
She has a DELTA specialising in Young Learners and is interested in how children learn
at each developmental stage; writing with YLs and how we assess them clearly.
Ioanna Ntaidou
Teaching Using Post-it Notes
This is an interactive workshop with creative, fun and ready-to-use activities which can
be adjusted to fit all levels and ages in a classroom. Teachers can use these ideas in
teaching speaking, grammar, vocabulary, ice-breaking, warming-up and checking out
of a session with post-it notes only.
Ioanna Ntaidou has been an EFL teacher for over ten years. She has been teaching
exam preparation, business English and conversation classes. Ioanna holds a bachelor
degree in business administration, human resources management and psychology, a
diploma in business English, marketing, consulting psychology in education and
children and a certificate in TEFL/TESOL international, methodology, CETT, teacher
trainer.
Séamus Ó Muircheartaigh Freelance NLP Educational Coach & Teacger Trainer
An Introduction to Essential Coaching Skills for Teachers
Faced with an ever changing and challenging profession, teachers need to continually
update their skills to help themselves and their learners fulfil their potential.
This thought-provoking yet practical session introduces Educational Coaching as a
collaborative and creative partnership where the teacher-coach inspires greater
performance by supporting their learners to reflect on their values, define and
successfully achieve their goals.
Séamus Ó Muircheartaigh has been working in Spain as a teacher and CELTA and
DELTA teacher trainer for 20 years. He works extensively on teacher development
courses with primary and secondary school teachers for the Madrid Department of
Education and is also a Trainer Trainer of NLP and a qualified coach working to ignite
greater performance in business and educational contexts.
Ana Otto UNED
Formative Assessment in CLIL Contexts
Like any pedagogical innovation, CLIL poses some challenges for practitioners, some of
which are well-studied (planning, a necessary change of pedagogies, etc.) and some of
which are still in need of further reflection. Among the latter is assessment. Taking into
account CLIL methodology and the urgent need of alternative assessment to be
integrated in bilingual contexts, formative assessment is here considered as to best
integrate content and language as well as for motivating students.
Ana Otto has been teaching English for 15 years (Secondary Schools and Escuela Oficial
de Idiomas). She holds a Degree in English Studies, a DEA and a Masters Degree in
Teaching English as a Foreign Language. She currently coordinates C level at Centro
Universitario de Idiomas (UNED), teaches English at Universidad de Mayores (Colegio
de Doctores y Licenciados) and Sociolonguistics at UNED. Her main interests are
Bilingualism, Assessment and Classroom Discourse Analysis. She is working on her
Thesis about Assessment in Plan Bilingüe CAM.
Zoë Owen British Council Madrid Young Learners
Music in EFL: Getting away from the Gapfill
Music is a motivating resource that can really spice up lessons for students of all ages
and levels - but are we really using it creatively enough? This hands-on workshop will
examine some practical and engaging ways of using music in the classroom to meet
important linguistic aims. No gapfills allowed!
Zoë Owen currently works at the British Council Madrid Young Learners, having
previously taught in Poland and the UK. She holds the Trinity LTCL Diploma TESOL and
YL Extension Certificate. Her main passions in life are music and language, and she is
particularly interested in how these two things inter-relate.
Luisa María Palacios Maroto
Points that Matter: How to Gamify a KET Class
Why should preparing our pupils to face exams be a boring feat? Join us in a quest that
will make them face and defeat the “Dragon” Cambridge English: Key (A2). For it we
will use the principles of gamification and ICT in the classroom, both enjoyable mea
Luisa Palacios is an experienced teacher and researcher. She has taken active part in
different L2 teaching courses and talks on using ICT in the L2 classroom. An active
teacher and a great motivator, she is also involved with Cambridge exam preparation.
Tez Pearson ELI Seville
The Race to B1
Every day a new student walks into an academy saying that they need B1 so that they
can graduate from university. In this interactive workshop, we will look at different
methods and engaging activities which can be used for effective training for the
Cambridge PET exam.
Following a degree in Linguistics, Tez has been teaching in Spain for four years, and he
is currently working for ELI, Seville. He teaches a range of monolingual groups from
four year olds to adults, and constantly is seeking new ways to make classes more
engaging, exciting and more productive. Furthermore, he is Director of Studies and
teacher trainer for UIC Junior vacation courses, based in London.
Rebecca Pegg Kleinson Consulting
Just the Two of Us
What makes one to one classes unique? What approaches can we use to become more
effective with our individual students? What activities work best when it’s ‘just the two
of us’? In this workshop we will address these questions and you will walk away with
some practical ideas no matter what your level of experience is.
Rebecca Pérez-Pegg first became interested in linguistics when she did her degree in
Spanish. Upon graduation she began working closely with educators as a school-based
caseworker and began teaching English over 7 years ago. She has taught all levels and
ages, mostly in Spain, but also in Mexico and Texas. Currently, she teaches one to one
classes for business clients.
Mitchell Peters Universidad Europea de Madrid
Multi-Modality in the ESL classroom
This session will explore practical teaching methods and approaches to including media
literacy and multimodality in the English language classroom, understanding that
youth today are immersed in an ecology of digital media. The aim of the presentation
is to explore the current state of research and practice in the field of multi-modality
and English teaching.
Mitchell Peters is originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick. He currently lives in
Madrid, Spain where he is a PhD candidate in the Department of Education at the
National Distance Education University of Spain (U.N.E.D.). He also is a Language
teacher at the Universidad Europeo de Madrid.
Anna Poplawska Fiszkoteka
Help your Students to Master their Vocabulary Faster
A presentation of an innovative tool designed to enhance the process of vocabulary
learning. What if your students could create their own audio courses or generate their
own vocabulary cards by dictating words? And what if the system knew which words
whey don’t know? It’s already possible - teachers will be able to test it on their
computers and mobiles.
Anna has been a teacher since she can remember, she was also a DOS for 4 years, but
she decided she wants to develop edu software enhancing vocabulary learning and
teaching. Now, Anna is delighted to be a Program Director and Teacher Trainer for
Fiszkoteka.
Claire Potter Clic, International House Sevilla
Just Loving Learning Lexis
In this practical session we will look at ways of helping B1 level + students to notice,
learn and recycle lexis. Areas of focus include; what there is to know about a word;
activities to help students notice and manipulate lexis; ways of conveying meaning;
and different ways to record lexis. Participation and a sense of humour important!
Claire is Director of Teacher Training at CLIC, International House, Seville. She has been
working in the TEFL business since 1992, working in Japan, UK, Córdoba and Seville.
Claire is currently a tutor on Cambridge CELTA and Delta courses and the International
House Certificate in Teaching Younger Learners course. She also teaches YLs and has
done sessions at Macmillan ELT Teachers Days.
Luke Prodromou Global ELT
Critical Language Education in a Time of Global Crisis
What does it mean to be an English teacher with a critical perspective in our digital
age? How does our work in ELT relate to wider social and economic issues? How does
an ELT practitioner become an ELT educator?
In rushing to embrace 21st century reality, we must not disconnect from the lessons
of the great educators of the past.
Dr. Luke Prodromou is the author of English as a Lingua Franca and co-author of
Dealing with Difficulties. He is an item-writer for the Greek State Language
Examinations. He is half of the Dave’n’Luke theatre group and a founder member of
the Disabled Access-Friendly campaign. He gives dramatized talks on Shakespeare and
Dickens and their relevance to the 21st century.
Luke Prodromou, David Gibson Global ELT
Performance: Hard Times for Teachers
In this performance/workshop the presenters perform (and then explore) the value of
using short one-act plays and sketches with learners and teachers of English. The aim is
to provide concrete examples of the power of the most important instruments in
building the teacher’s presence and confidence: our voice and body language. We
perform a one-act play and two sketches.
Dr. Luke Prodromou is the author of English as a Lingua Franca and co-author of
Dealing with Difficulties. He is an item-writer for the Greek State Language
Examinations. He is half of the Dave’n’Luke theatre group and a founder member of
the Disabled Access-Friendly campaign. He gives dramatized talks on Shakespeare and
Dickens and their relevance to the 21st century.
David Gibson has worked for Cambridge ESOL for more than twenty years, as an Oral
Examiner, Team Leader, Supervisor, Seminar Presenter, and Inspector, and is a founder
and three-time board member of TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, being a regular speaker
and active participant in conventions and similar events.
In 2008, he retired from full-time teaching in order to concentrate on other projects
Luke Prodromou Global ELT
21st Century Skill Number 1: Building Self-esteem
This practical talk explores the enduring importance of self-esteem in language
learning and illustrates a range of techniques for building confidence and competence
in ‘difficult’ students.
Dr. Luke Prodromou is the author of English as a Lingua Franca and co-author of
Dealing with Difficulties. He is an item-writer for the Greek State Language
Examinations. He is half of the Dave’n’Luke theatre group and a founder member of
the Disabled Access-Friendly campaign. He gives dramatized talks on Shakespeare and
Dickens and their relevance to the 21st century.
Puchta, Herbert Cambridge University Press
Developing Critical Thinking Skills with Young Learners and Teens
Today’s students are growing up into an ever-changing and unpredictable world. As
educators we need to respond to this by equipping them with the skills required to
face those challenges. In this talk, Herbert demonstrates how you can enrich students’
language learning through engaging them in real-world thinking tasks, and help them
with both their cognitive and linguistic development.
Dr Herbert Puchta is a writer, an international teacher trainer and a past president of
IATEFL, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language. For
almost three decades, he has done research into the practical application in EFL
teaching of findings from cognitive psychology. Herbert has co-authored numerous
course books and resource books. His latest course books are English in Mind second
edition (for teens), MORE! second edition (for Juniors) with Jeff Stranks, and Quick
Minds and Super Minds (for Primary), the new English courses that enhance children's
thinking skills and creativity, all published by Cambridge University Press.
Carol Read Independent
Developing Intercultural Competence with Children
Intercultural competence has been described as a combination of knowledge, skills
attitudes and awareness. But what does this mean for primary school children who
learn English as part of their compulsory education? This session presents a model for
integrating culture with different ages of children and explores a range of practical
ideas which bring culture alive in the classroom.
Carol Read has over 30 years’ experience in ELT as a teacher, teacher trainer, academic
manager, materials writer and educational consultant. Her main specialisation is in
primary language teaching. Carol’s award-winning titles include the first edition of
Bugs World and 500 Activities for the Primary Classroom. Her most recent publications
are Footprints and Tiger. Carol is currently President of IATEFL.
Shawn Redwood Colegio Santa Isabel
Creating Effective, Motivating and Challenging Business English Units
As Business English teachers, how can we keep our classes relevant and up-to-date?
We have to create personalized Business English Units which allow students to focus
on a topic at hand through a variety of information taken from many different sources.
These units help learners to be engaged in the content and show the relevance of what
they are learning.
Shawn Redwood has been teaching EFL for 10 years. He is a Teacher Trainer and an
English Language Assistant at Colegio Santa Isabel in Madrid. He also worked at CEIP
Federico García Lorca, Colegio Nuestra Señora de Loreto, Colegio Espíritu Santo and
Colegio San Saturio. Shawn’s principal areas of interest are bilingual and international
education, visual literacy and authentic material.
Jane Revell
64 Things (at least) to Do With a Text
This session will seek to find ways of helping students want to read or listen to a text,
and also of giving them interesting tasks to do while they engage with it and after
they’ve read or listened. We obviously won’t get through all 64 ways in the session
itself and teachers will be familiar with many of them, but I hope to be able to add to
their existing repertoire of techniques and spend an enjoyable time together.
Stressbusting For Teachers
Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs there is. This session will remind teachers
why ongoing stress is harmful and give you a few simple – and not so simple –
stressbusting strategies to help you cope … and to enable you to live happier and
healthier lives. Learners might appreciate some of these ideas as well!
Jane has been involved in English language teaching for more than forty years. She has
taught in classrooms in Rwanda, Spain, Germany, Venezuela and France and has
trained teachers all over the world, from Mexico to Moscow and Malaysia. She has
written and co-written titles, as well as children’s stories and BBC radio and video
material. She is also a certified international NLP trainer and a qualified Pilates
instructor.
Chris Roland ELI Seville
Classroom Micromechanics
Here we shall take a close up look at some familiar classroom scenarios and activities,
their underlying workings and how we might fine tune those to get things running
better. We will look at interaction patterns, engagement, involvement, pairwork,
power dynamic, student cross-chatter, teacher mindset and stress. Ideal for new
teachers, seasoned veterans and trainers alike.
Chris is an ‘ideas man’ based at ELI in Seville. He trains new teachers in Cádiz on Active
Language’s Trinity Certificate, diploma level teachers with OxfordTEFL and has run
courses for state school teachers in Catalonia and Syria with the British Council. He is
interested in task design, the workings of fun and how teachers/students interact with
each other
Chris Roland ELI Seville
Teacher Who Breaks the Rules
For responsible ELT practitioners delivering creative English lessons, which rules can be
broken? How will breaking them add value to lessons? What is a rule anyway? What is
fun? How can we get slighty ‘whacky’ activities to work better? I’ll include plenty of
examples from my own classes which I hope you will find entertaining and useful.
Chris is an ‘ideas man’ based at ELI in Seville. He trains new teachers in Cádiz on Active
Language’s Trinity Certificate, diploma level teachers with OxfordTEFL and has run
courses for state school teachers in Catalonia and Syria with the British Council. He is
interested in task design, the workings of fun and how teachers/students interact with
each other.
Jose Ramon Rufo ETS Global
¿Cómo ampliar la oferta formativa con el taller Propell del TOEFL iBT y el GRE test?
En esta presentación, se explica a los participantes las ventajas de los talleres Propell
para preparar al profesorado en la preparación del TOEFL iBT, gracias al material oficial
y gratuito proporcionado por ETS. Al mismo tiempo, se informa del material oficial,
disponible para preparar el GRE test.
José Ramón es licenciado en Lingüística por la Universidad de Cádiz. Actualmente está
doctorando en Comunicación Intercultural en la Universidad Pablo de Olavide.
Además, es representante Académico de los Exámenes TOEFL y GRE en España.
James Santana Heal The British Institute
Moving Off to a Flying Start
Cambridge Young Learner exams are designed to be motivating and fun. Therefore,
teachers preparing their candidates for these exams must ensure that exam focused
lessons are engaging, dynamic and entertaining. The aim of this session is to provide
participants with lots of ideas and activities to practise the different parts of the
exams in an enjoyable way.
James Santana Heal has been teaching at the British Institute in Seville for the last 10
years, having taught previously in the United Kingdom, Poland and Indonesia. He is
interested in teacher training, encouraging students to become autonomous learners
and student- generated materials. He has a degree in Modern and Contemporary
History and the CELTA and DELTA.
Trevor Sargent, Gema Sejas del Piñal IES Ángel Corella
Engaging Students With a Dynamic Classroom Environment
This workshop will be useful for teachers interested in implementing methods to move
towards a more dynamic classroom environment. By integrating some traditional
techniques with contemporary methods we will demonstrate ways to develop our
students´ higher order thinking skills. Participants will see how an apparently
conventional class may be transformed into a vibrant and fully motivated space of
active work.
Trevor Sargent received his Master´s in Teaching from the University of Washington
specializing in Social Studies curriculum and methodology and ELL. He has been
teaching since 2003 and for the past four years he has been teaching Social Studies at
IES Ángel Corella, a public bilingual high school in Colmenar Viejo.
Gema Sejas del Piñal has been teaching Geography, History, and Art in Secondary
Education and Bachillerato for fourteen years. The last four years she has been
teaching these subjects in English at IES Ángel Corella where she has tried to
implement the advantages of teaching and learning Social Studies through CLIL.
Paul Seligson UK/Brazil / TESOL-SPAIN
Advantaging Spanish Learners (especially at lower levels)
How does your teaching really acknowledge/embrace the fact that your students
speak Spanish, and turn this to their/your advantage? All post-adolescent learners
translate virtually every new/unfamiliar item, no matter how much we insist they
Think in English! ‘On the move’ is our theme, so let’s move our teaching nearer to
learners’ reality. Lots of ways to embrace Spanish without ever forcing its active use at
all!
Paul Seligson
Advantaging Spanish Learners (especially at lower levels): the Workshop
Paul Seligson has been ‘TEFLing’ worldwide for 35 years and is well-known for lively,
highly practical training. A CELTA assessor, his many publications include English File,
Helping Students to Speak, Essential English 1-5, Kids’ Web 1-5 and now English ID, a 4level course from Richmond, the first specifically written for Romance Language
background learners. He is delighted to be returning ‘home’ to TESOL Spain, yet again!
Contact: paulseligson@googlemail.com
Joan Shin National Geographic Learning
Keep Listening Active for Young Learners
Young learners of English are not only learning to listen but also listening to learn. This
process can be particularly difficult for young learners who are still learning to decode
in English and don’t have much background knowledge stored in their young minds.
This workshop will demonstrate four strategies to keep listening active with your
young learners of English.
Dr. Joan Kang Shin is a Professor in the Education Department at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County. As Director of TESOL Professional Training, she provides
online professional development to teachers in over 100 countries. Dr. Shin is Series
Editor for Our World, a new six-level primary English series for National Geographic
Learning, and co-author of Teaching Young Learners English.
Joan Shin National Geographic Learning
21st Century Communication Skills for Young Learners
We live in a rapidly changing world, one that is technology-driven and increasingly
interconnected. When teaching children how to use English in this century, we should
integrate specific skills that will help them communicate and collaborate across
borders, cultures, and virtual space. In this workshop, participants will experience
activities for young learners of English that foster 21st century communication skills.
Dr. Joan Kang Shin is a Professor in the Education Department at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County. As Director of TESOL Professional Training, she provides
online professional development to teachers in over 100 countries. Dr. Shin is Series
Editor for Our World, a new six-level primary English series for National Geographic
Learning, and co-author of Teaching Young Learners English.
Joanne Sintes, Jorge Bascon University of Dayton Publishing/SM
Cooperative Learning in the CLIL Classroom
Cooperative learning strategies are an excellent starting point to help introduce the 4
C’s in the CLIL classroom. This session will give the basics on this active pedagogy that
fosters higher academic achievement, increased communication, motivation, and
independence. Come along and learn about the basic tools for Cooperative learning to
increase oral and written communication skills in your CLIL classroom.
Jo is an experienced language teacher having taught English in Spain for over 20 years
at all school levels and In-company. She is an experience trainer and a qualified NLP
Practitioner and Life/Executive coach: She now works as an ELT consultant with the
University of Dayton Publishing/ SM working closely with schools helping them
develop in areas of bilingualism and ELT.
Jorge is an experienced teacher and teacher trainer. He has given talks and workshops
for teachers all over Spain for the past 10 years. He is a specialist in multilingual
education with extensive experience of implementing multilingual projects and helping
teachers in very different realities in Spain and beyond. He works as an ELT Consultant
with University of Dayton Publishing/SM.
Alison Smith British Council Madrid Young Learners
Motivating our Learners - The Real Deal
Using authentic material in the classroom can sometimes be a little daunting. What do
you use? What if it is too difficult for our students? This session will look at lots of
reasons why we should be using authentic materials, how it´s use encourages intrinsic
motivation and what a culturally rich tool it can be in any EFL classroom.
Alison Smith works for the British Council in Madrid Young learners as Senior Teacher
of teacher development and the junior department, and is an experienced teacher and
teacher trainer. As well as using authentic materials in the EFL classroom she is
particularly interested in teaching English through stories and using drama.
Ross Smith British Council
Demand High - Getting Practical with the Meme
Everyone likes that feeling of a class going well. Students interacting, having fun and
learning but are they capable of much more? In this session we’ll explore the
Scrivener/Underhill meme of ‘Demand High’. Through audience participation, we’ll see
how traditional classroom activities for all levels and ages can be ’tweaked’ to
challenge your learners and how to refocus teaching to where learning is really
happening.
Ross Smith has been teaching for 12 years, 5 of those in ELT with the British Council in
Madrid. He contributed to the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ in Scotland as a Secondary
School Teacher of MFL, led on teacher training and developed materials. Ross also has
a special interest in classroom participation and how to deconstruct barriers, using
improvisation techniques and learner diaries.
Tom Spain British Council
Mobile Me
How can we best use the mobile phones, tablets and laptops that our students have in
their pockets and bags? What can we do with them, both inside and outside the
classroom to aid more effective learning?
Tom Spain teaches, trains and writes at the British Council in Madrid. His main interest
at the moment is how to create and exploit conversation in the classroom. He's a big
fan of free and easy-to-use technologies and is co-author of the resources blog for
teachers http://allatc.wordpress.com/
Jo Steel
Flipping Your Classroom
Flipping the classroom is like learning to dance – you learn all the steps (language) in
the dance studio (online) and then perform them in the show (practise in class). This
talk will give teachers and trainers of all backgrounds and experience ideas on how to
go about making it work for their learners.
Jo is a teacher and CELTA trainer based in Madrid and has been in ELT since 1995. She
is particularly interested in using new technologies in teaching, training and
professional development.
Dominic Streames
Theatre in the EFL Classroom
This hands-on session will look at how drama can be a powerful tool for improving
young learners speaking ability. We will try out a variety of activities suitable for all
ages and levels. We will also look at some tips for getting the most out of both your
children (acting) and your classroom space (turning your classroom into a theatre!).
Dominic Streames has been teaching children English as a foreign language for 20
years. He has run various workshops for The Basque Government (Garatu), Macmillan
Publishers, TESOL Spain and the British Council. Dominic is the creator of the EFL
website efltheatreclub.co.uk. Dominic currently works as a Primary school teacher
Phil Thompson Centro de Idiomas Macarena, Seville
The Picture Box
If you’ve got a box full of pictures in your classroom, you’ll never be short of warmers,
fillers and fun activities for all ages and levels. In this practical session we will be
looking at lots of ideas for using different types of pictures in class. Audience
participation required.
Phil Thompson is the Assistant Head of Studies and Teacher Trainer at the Centro de
Idiomas Macarena. He has over 20 years experience teaching and training in Spain and
Britain at Sheffield Hallam University, where he gained his Trinity Certificate and
Diploma and taught on General English and Teacher Education courses. He has been a
Cambridge oral examiner for KET, PET, FCE and BEC for many years.
Imogen Thurbon
Added Value: Exploiting Advertising Clips in Class
Using ten video clips of British TV commercials and public awareness campaign videos,
I explore how these resources can be exploited as motivational warmers for discussion
work, high level listening and creative lexical activities, as well as effective sources for
vocabulary and pronunciation recycling. They also provide cultural contrasts which
Spanish learners may find stimulating.
Imogen Thurbon works for British Council Alcalá de Henares and has twenty-five years'
experience teaching business, academic and general English to adults. She has worked
in France, Spain, Britain and Sudan and holds a Master's in Linguistics/English Language
Elsa Tragant, Carme Muñoz Universidad de Barcelona
Maximizing Learners’ Input in the Primary School Classroom
This presentation reports on a a reading/listening program implemented in grades 4
and 5 of Primary Education that aimed at maximizing input through the use of
audiobooks. It will present materials and procedures, language gains and comparisons
with a control group that followed the regular teaching program, and pupils and
parents’ attitudes towards the program.
Associate professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Barcelona. Her recent
publications have focused on the role of context in foreign language learning, L2
motivation, language learning strategies and classroom research.
Professor of English Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at the University of Barcelona.
Her recent publications have focused on the role of age and context in foreign
language learning, young learners, and individual differences.
Alix Tregenza British Council
Getting Young Children to Write
Getting young children to write is always a challenge, especially when we are asking
them to do it in an additional language.In this session we will explore some practical
ideas of how to encourage young children to write.
Alix Tregenza is a qualified as a primary school teacher specializing in history and
geography at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. After ten years teaching in
the north-west of England and taking additional qualifications in special-needs
teaching, she moved to Spain. At present, Alix works at the British Council Bilbao and
in local schools, teaching a range of ages and abilities but focusing on the very young
learners. In addition to her teaching roles, she is actively involved in teacher training,
particularly the use of phonics.
Devin Unwin, Ian Adkins British Council Madrid Young Learners Centre
Redirecting Multiple Intelligences Theory – Moving Towards Learner Autonomy.
Multiple Intelligences theory (MI) has traditionally been viewed as the domain of the
teacher within an ELT context. This session proposes that with careful introduction and
scaffolding MI can easily empower learners leading to greater autonomy. Learner
autonomy has been frequently mentioned recently this session therefore starts with a
brief definition of autonomy and how it is related to agency.
Devin started teaching English full time in 2008 and joined the British Council Madrid
Young Learners Centre in 2010. He has taught in a number of context including incompany business classes and ELT summer schools in London. Since completing his
Diploma he has given training sessions and talks for teachers on topics like Multiple
Intelligences theory and pronunciation.
Ian Adkins is a Diploma qualified teacher and has taught EFL for 20 years in Madrid. He
has taught adults and young learners. For the last 7 years he has taught at the British
Council Young Learners Centre. His main interests are the use of ICT in the classroom,
Assessment for Learning and Learner Autonomy.
Borja Uruñuela St. James
Antonio Raposo Viento Sur
Tried, Tested and Fun Drama Techniques to Teach English
This session will demonstrate techniques used in drama that can be very effective in
our lessons. It will include role plays, improvisation, storytelling, speaking in public,
language & movement and creative writing. These activities will make the students
feel more confident and will help them speak more successfully to people they know
as well as to people they have never met before.
Borja is the Head of Education at St. James Language Center in Seville. He is also the
President and Head of Training for ACEIA (Asociación de Centros de Enseñanza de
Idiomas de Andalucía). Borja has been teaching English for over 20 years and has
written CLIL material for Kid’s Box published by Cambridge University Press.
Antonio is a professional actor, director and writer. He graduated in 2008 and he has
played roles in Medida Por Medida, Los Penseques or El Enfermo Imaginario. He
founded his own theatre company Junglaría in 2009, where he acts and directs.
Antonio also took part in the TV series Bandolera and in the film No Te Supe Perder. He
has been teaching drama in Viento Sur, Seville, since 2008.
Noelia Villafañe Fraile IES Ángel Corella
New Competences: A Challenge in Foreign Language Teaching/ Learning
This presentation is of special interest to 21st century teachers who are always on the
move and open to current trends. Participants will have the opportunity to understand
the necessity of focusing on new competences to prepare our students for the new
demands of society/to meet the challenges of personal and professional life and
teachers will be provided with a new perspective on the teaching and learning process.
Noelia Villafañe Fraile has been teaching English for fifteen years. The last four years
she has been in charge of the English Department at IES Ángel Corella and has been
working on the best way to implement the Bilingual Project in secondary education.
She has been researching on CLIL and Multiple Intelligences.
Daniel Vincent British Council Alcobendas
Keeping it Real - Using Authentic Materials in Class
The session will a) look at the benefits and challenges of using authentic materials in
class; b) explore ways in which tasks can be graded appropriately so that learners at all
levels are able to access, engage with and learn from authentic materials; and c)
illustrate the first two points with numerous example activities using video, online and
printed material.
Daniel has taught for over fifteen years' in the UK, Ukraine, Japan and Spain, and has
experience in course development and online education. In Japan he worked with the
NGO Peace Boat, where he set up and developed the GET (Global English Programme)
for their cultural exchange voyages. He currently works for the British Council in
Alcobendas.
Robin Walker EnglishGlobalCommunication
That Sound’s Fun
Young learners are very good at imitating the sounds and rhythm of English
pronunciation. But how do we make best use of this golden moment? This workshop
briefly explores goals and priorities when working on pronunciation with young
learners, and then looks at a variety of practical techniques to help us to teach it in a
meaningful, motivating a/effective manner.
Robin Walker is a freelance teacher, trainer and materials writer. A former VicePresident of TESOL-SPAIN, he is editor of Speak Out!, the newsletter of the IATEFL
Pronunciation SIG. He regularly gives talks, courses and workshops on pronunciation
teaching and is the author of Teaching the Pronunciation of English as a Lingua Franca,
an Oxford University Press teacher’s handbook.
Harry Waters The English House
Exam Speaking without the Exam
Be prepared to participate in this workshop which aims to provide teachers with
interesting ideas and activities to keep their students engaged in class. These activities
will improve exam technique and provide students with "Real English". There are
exercises for each part of the Cambridge speaking exams (B1-C2) which will both
educate and entertain students from young teens to adults.
Harry has been an esl teacher for 7 years. He has taught in Argentina, Brazil, China,
Vietnam, Australia and for the past three and a half years in Andalucia.
He teaches kids from the age of seven to adults. He is currently an exam co-ordinator
and teacher trainer at The English House in Seville.
Phil Western British Council, Somosaguas
Let the outside in: Task-Based Learning Through Internet Videos
Task-based learning can come from almost anywhere, but the plethora of video
material on the Internet has language, themes, and narratives in rich and diverse
contexts. Using video appeals to different learning styles and the teacher can construct
meaningful tasks that change the focal point of a class and enhance core skills.
Phil Western (BA Eng Lit/Phil, DELTA) has been a teacher of English for 6 years and has
experience in diverse learning contexts, from the skyscrapers of São Paulo to the
provinces of Peru. He is passionate about exploring fun and creative ways to facilitate
learning and change perceptions of language acquisition.
Ruth Wilkinson Freelance
Whose Learning is it Anyway? Developing Learner Autonomy
As teachers, we are constantly encouraged to help our students ‘learn to learn’. In this
talk-cum-workshop, aimed at teachers of older secondary, tertiary and adult
education, I share some of the activities which have helped my students take more
responsibility for their learning, commenting on the difficulties encountered and
solutions found.
Ruth has been working as a language teacher and teacher-trainer for 20 years, with
students of all ages and levels. She recently completed her PhD on learner autonomy
in the Spanish language classroom and is enthusiastic about the possibilities of
involving students in taking greater responsibility for their own learning.
Stephanie Williams, Chantal Connaughton Vicens Vives
Focusing on Vocabulary with the Help of Technology
In most ELT classrooms, teachers often find that their students have difficulty
remembering vocabulary when trying to speak or write in English. This session will
focus on techniques to help students learn and expand upon vocabulary in order to
overcome this problem. We will look at how to incorporate vocabulary into the
techniques shown and build on students’ literacy skills using web tools to create fun
vocabulary activities.
Stephanie Williams is an ELT Consultant and Teacher Trainer for Vicens Vives. She
graduated with a BA Honours Degree in Modern Languages at Portsmouth University
in the United Kingdom, and has over 15 years experience in English teaching, both in
the UK and in Spain. She has been based in Spain since 1993.
Chantal Connaughton has an undergraduate degree in Modern European Languages
and an MA in Hispanics. She has taught English to a range of ages in Italy, France and
Spain and is currently working as a Language Consultant for Vicens Vives.
Michelle Worgan
Flip their World
A real problem many teachers currently face is lack of time, with the rush among
adults to become B1/B2 certified. This session will look at how to get more learning
from less time, encouraging learners to be more autonomous. Participants will
discover a variety of tools and apps that learners can use at home to make practising
English fun!
Michelle Worgan lives in Jerez, where she teaches and acts as director of studies in a
private language school. She is interested in the use of technology where this
enhances learning, and tries to incorporate a mix of web tools and online learning to
accompany her face-to-face classes. She also gives regular workshops at local and
national conferences, and has a blog where she shares teaching ideas.
Theresa Zanatta University of Barcelona/British Council
Using Visual Narratives to Reveal Student Teacher Conceptions about Teaching and
Learning
We will present visual narratives, describe what they are and show how they have
been used as both a research tool and a language activity in an undergraduate primary
teacher education programme. Secondly, we will report on research findings gathered
from students in the teacher education faculty at the University of Barcelona to reveal
conceptions about teaching and learning languages.
Theresa is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of
Barcelona and a member of the PLURAL research group (Plurilingualism, Schools and
Language Learning). tezanatta@ub.edu
http://www.ub.edu/plural/membres/theresa-zanatta/