2020 ETAS Annual Conference presenter's slides
We had yet another full programme of amazing presentations, talks and workshops this year! Many of our speakers have agreed to make their slides available to our members. Click the links below to access the files.
Plenary talks
John Hughes - Creative thinking and language learning inside the box
Sponsored by National Geographic Learning
We are all familiar with the idea that creative thinking means thinking ‘outside the box’. However, there is an alternative viewpoint that real innovation occurs by working ‘inside the box’ (Boyd and Goldenberg, 2013). In this presentation we’ll consider the place of creativity in the classroom and challenge the notion that we want our learners to use language with complete freedom. Instead, by providing them with frameworks and templates to work within, your students can use language more creatively resulting in relevant, authentic and motivating communication. This session will demonstrate a variety of practical ‘inside the box’ activities which you can use with your students tomorrow.
Rob Dean - From Slates to Books to BYOD - Evolution in ELT
Sponsored by Pearson Schweiz
Nobody is quite sure when the first English lesson was given to a speaker of another language, but it’s safe to say that it was a very long time ago. Back then, grammar translation was daring and new, and it would have been supported with such cutting edge teaching technology as the reusable personal visualisation device (a.k.a. slate); no doubt followed by the portable folding information storage solution (a.k.a. book) – all the way up to the digital resources we use today alongside our current day methodologies. This session will take a light-hearted look at where we’ve been in ELT; where we are now and where we might end up in the future.
Workshop session A
Carol Waites - Learn in a live webinar about digital tools for higher level learners
Independent
The session will introduce grammar tools, such as grammarly and similar, vocabulary tools, such as web concordancers, tools to measure readability of written texts, a tool that measures typical writers’ faux pas, and translation tools. It will also be suitable for those preparing students for higher level exams as the tools boost autonomy.
This workshop will be delivered as a live webinar with everyone present to give a hands-on experience of how to deliver and receive webinars. You will have the choice of watching the delivery live or you may join online with your own laptop in the same room.
Watch the video of the workshop here!
Will Rennie - A Stranger in a Strange Land: Risk-Taking for Success
Independent
Confidence plays a great role in effective communication, but if students are not guided beyond their comfort zone, they may never succeed in fully developing this to participate in the English-speaking world to their satisfaction. This talk covers the importance of risk-taking, fostering a conducive environment in which to explore it, and examples of activities allowing students to do so.
Urs Kalberer - Four digital tools
Independent
The workshop is targeted at teachers who are open to trying out digital tools in their classroom. There will be a short presentation of each tool followed by some experimenting and trialling. Please BYOD! We will wrap up the workshop with some ideas on how to include the tools in our teaching practice.
The four tools are:
- Vizia for creating video quizzes
- Insert Learning. A toolbar that can be added to any webpage
- Backchannel Chat for real-time discussions.
- Heads Up Charades. Speaking game for groups or pairs.
No slides are available for this workshop from Urs Kalberer, but we have provided links above to the software he referred to in the workshop.
Rob Dean - Soft Skills for Success: The 21st Century Adult Classroom
Sponsored by Pearson Schweiz
There was a time when it seemed sufficient for a language classroom to involve grammar and little else. Of course, this was not sufficient, as it often resulted in learners completing a course with a profound knowledge of grammar, but completely unable to communicate. Fortunately, things have moved on, and in the modern day much more consideration is given to what our learners need to achieve by using language in work or leisure situations – soft skills. This session will look at ways in which we can develop these soft skills, including leadership, teamwork, problem solving, flexibility and interpersonal skills at the same time as developing language skills. The session will be illustrated with material taken from Pearson’s new 'Roadmap' course.
Workshop Session B
Andrea Magee - Practical Tips for Joyful Teaching and Learning
Independent
Find out what tips and tricks I use in my teaching to engage learners through joy. Research shows that joyful teaching has a profound impact on learning by setting up the brain to retain more, based on experiencing a strong positive emotion. My passion is embracing joy in education by implementing simple, effective strategies and exchanging ideas with other teachers to stay motivated and try new approaches. Taking inspiration from best practices in Finland and beyond, I will share what I have found useful in the primary classroom and hopefully leave you with a smile and something to try as a teacher!
Download Andrea Magee's slides
Urs Kalberer - Teaching reading
Independent
In general, reading is primarily tested rather than taught. In this workshop the participants learn how to teach reading using a variety of tasks. We will also look at fluency training, reading aloud and discover alternatives to comprehension questions. The tasks are based on my own teaching with lower secondary classes but can easily be adapted to higher or lower levels.
Download Urs Kalberer's slides
Download Urs Kalberer's handout
Rob Dean - Techniques with Tablets
Sponsored by Pearson Schweiz
No, not Aspirin, but ipads, Macbooks and laptops... With the increasing prominence of digital software in education nowadays - often referred to as 'BYOD' - many are left wondering how we can sensibly incorporate the use of such technology into the communicative classroom. What are the likely problems with the shift to digital? How can we overcome them? What are the opportunities that the use of technology presents? Are there times in the lesson when we should not use technology? This lively workshop will attempt to answer these questions and more, as we demonstrate a selection of ready-to-use ideas that make the most of students using screens in class.
Workshop Session C
John Hughes - 10 practical ideas for Business and General English exam preparation
Sponsored by National Geographic Learning
Join me to try out a variety of practical activities which balance the need for exam skills training with language learning. The talk includes reference to my new edition of Success with Business (BEC) as well as a collection of classic and new ideas to help you prepare your students to pass any Business English or General English exam or test.
Nalan Atabek - Digital Tools for Differentiation
Sponsored by Goal Testing
An increasing number of diverse students in classrooms is one of the main challenges of today’s educators. Having students from different backgrounds, cultures, areas of interests, levels of experience and knowledge makes it seem like a never-ending struggle. However, using digital tools to differentiate in the classroom can help save time while better meeting the needs of all of the learners. In this workshop, you will find digital resources and solutions that will help you create a differentiated environment. Suggestions and idea-sharing will be present to implement digital solutions to serve for diverse learning needs, styles and differentiation models.
Download Nalan Atabek's slides
Sylvia Goetze Wake - Sustainability and climate change: what is our role as educators?
Sponsored by University of Lausanne
This workshop will follow a “world-café” format, with carousel small groups creatively exploring questions such as:
- How can we incorporate “sustainability” in our teaching in a meaningful and relevant way?
- What sustainable practices can we encourage in our classrooms, institutions or at conferences?
- How can our personal choices and attitudes influence our students?
- Could ETAS create a “sustainability” Special Interest Group?
Rather than listening to a presentation, you will actively participate in collaboratively generating ideas and actions. If you think these questions are important, come and benefit from engaging with other teachers…by putting our heads together we will see what emerges!