|
Business English is perhaps the fastest growing area of ELT. BE is exciting and rewarding but also demanding so BESIG is here to help both experienced and inexperienced trainers stay on top of the field by sharing new methodologies, materials and most importantly, gossip. BESIG's present goal is to put together a web-based resource page for this site so stay tuned.
 Cindy Hauert, SIG Coordinator
I started my TEFL career in 1983 in Paris, where I gave in-company courses and tutored future English teachers at the Sorbonne. Shortly after moving to Switzerland in 1987 (when I joined ETAS), I went freelance, which I've been doing ever since. I teach mainly Business English in companies and what I like most about it is how much I learn from my students.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
Adult as well as younger learners enjoy the kinaesthetic aspect of drama and the fact that all the senses are involved in tackling a piece of fiction or non-fiction through drama - with the result of enhanced skills in speaking and writing. The drama and literature SIG is a forum for drama teachers in Switzerland to swap new ideas and brush up old ones. It also offers newcomers to drama the opportunity to become familiar with this teaching method through workshops. Everybody is welcome, and if you would like to have more information, please contact Nicole Küpfer.
 Nicole Küpfer, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Nicole Küpfer, born in Switzerland, lived in the USA in her early childhood and later as a student, has been a teacher of English and German at various Swiss schools for over 15 years.
|
|
Read more...
|
Globalisation is not the most elegant term, but to young lawyers setting out on their careers in big city law firms, doctors sharing their expertise across national and linguistic boundaries, engineers working on inter-continental projects or bankers at home in the financial capitals of the world its a reality, and one which can open many doors. But there's little doubt that a good command of English is the key to unlocking those doors. As ESP teachers our task is to help our students meet that challenge. As an ESP SIG our aim is to provide a forum for ESP teachers, to share what we have in common, swap what we don't, and to provide support and encouragement to all those setting out on the ESP road.
 Alison Wiebalck, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Alison was born in the UK but lived in many different countries before arriving in Switzerland with a growing family. Shortly thereafter she started to teach general English at home before branching out into teaching business English in-company. In 2004 she began to specialise in legal English and has since given workshops and legal English teacher training sessions in Germany and Switzerland. Alison teaches legal English freelance and at a college of further education in Zurich.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Examinations, Testing & Assessment SIG |
 |
 |
 |
|
The examinations and testing SIG aims to develop interest in ideas and approaches in two principal directions. For many teachers mainstream EFL examinations, such as the Cambridge suite, are a major concern, and the SIG offers the opportunity to discuss problems in this area, through email contact and through branch workshops and presentations. The second main area of interest is for those teachers who have to produce their own test and assessment instruments, on either an institutional or individual class level. Again, contacts and workshops can be organised in response to demand.
 Nina Blaettler, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
Read more...
|
|
This SIG will give interested teachers the opportunity to learn more as well as share and collaborate on their immersion/CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) experiences.
 Eveline Reichel, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Eveline Reichel, born in Switzerland, grew up bilingually in India and Persia before graduating in English and French at the University of Zürich.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
For L-Tech to be both an effective and efficient method of learning, learning agencies today must face the challenge of how to bridge the gap between personal interaction, cognitive understanding and computer literacy. The goal of the L-Tech SIG will be able to assist both teachers and institutions in achieving a greater understanding of how people learn and how this knowledge can be applied in creating effective CALL programmes.
 Illya Arnet-Clark, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
I was born in America and came to Switzerland as an exchange student. Now, over 20 years later, I have a family with 3 boys and 2 cats.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
The Research SIG is for anyone interested in doing, sharing, and learning about all forms of research in English language teaching. Some initial goals for this SIG include exploring more in detail what research is; what kinds of methods there are; how to design, conduct and evaluate a project; how to share the work with others; and the relevance of research in English language teaching.
 JoAnn Salvisberg, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
JoAnn has been actively involved in ETAS since finishing her CTEFLA in 1996, joining the ranks of the National Council in 1998 as Regional Coordinator of the Bern-Neuchâtel region. In 2006 she handed over the reins to her successor Gabrielle Schiegg-Cleary at the AGM in January, and in May began the Research SIG at the annual SIG Day conference in Zug. In January the following year she joined the ETAS Committee as Teacher Development Chair.
|
|
Read more...
|
Areas of interest:
- recruiting and retaining staff
- marketing
- academic management
- managing a school's finances
- quality assurance
- delegating responsibilities
- etc, etc
There are currently more than 60 members working in different capacities (principal, DOS, HR manager etc) for schools of different sizes ranging from one-man (or woman) shows to large national players. SIG workshops are run by members and the emphasis is on exchanging practical management ideas which work in the Swiss market.
 Alethea Eriksson, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Alethea is the Managing Director of TLC - The Language Company in Baden. Born and bred in South Africa, she immigrated to Switzerland in 1986 and got into EFL almost immediately but quite by chance.
|
|
Read more...
|
Teaching is a demanding job and even the best of us feel down-hearted and stale sometimes. The TD SIG offers support for EFL teachers and would like to help and try out new paths and new ideas so that we can constantly approach the job from refreshing and exciting angles. You are invited to participate - take on more responsibility for your own professional growth.
 Cindy Stieger, SIG Coordinator
Why not join the TD Special Interest Group? It couldn't be easier, just
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Cindy Stieger was born in Australia and has been teaching ESL for about 9 years. She now teaches at at Academia Sprach- und Lernzentrum in Basel and does some freelance work. She did her post-graduate diploma in Education and certificate in TESOL in Australia and the CertTEB in Hungary. Cindy is especially interested in teacher training and development, including her own, so her next step is the DELTA in winter 2010.
|
EFL and ESL teachers are among the world's most avid learners. Their openness to new methods and approaches leads them to constantly explore the nature of learning, the back alleyways of the mind and the interpersonal dimensions of the teacher-learner relationship. This SIG aims to quantify and qualify existing avenues of teacher training and assess potential areas of related training.
 Gigi Saurer, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Gigi Saurer grew up in the UK where she decided to do the Dip. TEFLA (as it was then called) after graduating from university. Her first full-time TEFL post was at St Giles College in Brighton in '87, where she also became interested in teacher training. Since moving to Switzerland in '92, she has worked for a number of language schools in Bern, Winterthur, Basel, Olten and is currently working for the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, at the Coordination Office of the Club Schools in Zürich. She has also been an oral examiner for Cambridge ESOL for over 10 years and has more recently become a team leader. Her continuous interest in maintaining and improving standards in language teaching has been fuelled by her eagerness to develop and share knowledge with others. |
|
Everybody goes through it - right after childhood and just before becoming a rational adult. Our bodies no longer seem to belong to us, our parents are out of touch with our lives, and suddenly everyone is expecting us to make important decisions about our future. Is it any wonder we're sometimes hard to teach!
In this new SIG we would like to gather together those brave souls who enter the ring every morning and try to persuade their teenaged students that English is an interesting and important part of the school curriculum. We want to share triumphs and disasters and explore ways of making the course book exciting, exams relevant and (heaven help us) vocabulary motivating.
 Frances Edwards, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Frances Edwards, Canadian born and bred, has been teaching teens longer than she cares to contemplate. She has worked in the Swiss state education system since 1989 dealing, at different times, with students from 13 to 19 and beyond. She's convinced that pooling resources and sharing ideas will make life in the classroom happier, and give teachers a sporting chance to stay on top of the job. She has also survived her own daughter's teen years. |
Teaching children English is a topic the newspapers are full of these days. This SIG aims to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the area of TEYL and to provide opportunities for circulating ideas and materials best suited to this age bracket through workshops, presentations and swap-shops.
 Joy Cosslett, SIG Coordinator
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Joy is a British citizen who has been living in Switzerland for over 12 years. She currently works at the Minerva Schulen and The Open Door in Basel teaching English to children whose ages range from 2-12 years. Her special interest is supporting childrens' physical, mental and emotional wellbeing through holistic teaching methods. She is the proud mother of a daughter who is 10 years old going on 18! Her motto is 'be the change you wish to see in the world'.
|
|
|
