AP 1 Friday 27 September, 10.00 – 11.00, Room B
So What’s So Great About Britain?
Big Ben, bowler hats, Brighton pier and tea for two – Great Britain in a nutshell. Or is it? In fact, is it perhaps time to drop the Great so as to be able to get a better view of the Britain? Or is it time to get a better view of Britain in order to see why it should still be called Great? Come with me for a unique tour of the country I’ve spent half my life looking at from inside, and the other half pondering over from the outside.
Robin Walker - With the support of Oxford University Press
Robin Walker is a freelance language teacher, teacher educator, and materials writer. He has been involved in ELT since moving to Spain in 1981. In this time, he worked for over 20 years in ESP as a lecturer in English at the University School of Tourism of Asturias. He has also collaborated extensively with many of Spain’s state teacher training centres, with the University of Oviedo, and with Oxford University Press España.
AP 2 Friday 27 September, 11.30 – 12.30, Room B
Moving Beyond The App: What counts as a serious technology-mediated instruction?
As with many innovations in Education, the use of technology for instructional purposes has been tied to a view of teaching not very dissimilar from that promoted by traditional approaches. Because of various reasons (lack of adequate teacher preparation, strong pedagogical traditions, insufficient technical support, among others), the implementation of technology-mediated learning has received more criticisms than compliments. In this presentation we will go beyond the "frills and thrills" of technology in the classroom. Bymoving beyond the tools (applications, programs, and platforms) and focusing on the interactions that ensue from teacher and student involvement with technology we will disclose the principles for a sound online pedagogy. In short, we will attempt to redirecttechnology-mediated instruction towards its true goal: that of promoting quality student learning.
Gabriel Díaz Maggioli - With the support of Macmillan
Gabriel Diaz Maggioli is Dean of the School of Language Learning and Teaching and Director of the MATESOL program at The New School, a university in New York. His research revolves around Sociocultural Theory as applied to the development of a viable pedagogy for teacher education.
AP 3 Friday 27 September, 12.30 – 13.00, Room A
Global Learning In The Curriculum: The case of Connecting Classrooms
The implementation of the intercultural dimension in our classes is not limited to the content we select to learn about other culture(s) but, most importantly, to the interaction learners have with cultural contents. In this talk we will outline how to plan international collaborative projects in the Connecting Classrooms Programme that focus on the themes, skills and outcomes the students need to know and acquire in order to develop intercultural awareness.
Ruben Mazzei - With the support of the British Council
Ruben Mazzei is a university EFL and literature teacher and a sworn translator (U.N.L.P) and is currently working on his thesis in Linguistics. He teaches at secondary, tertiary and university levels, and is a researcher for U.B.A. He has delivered and produced CPD courses and materials since 2005 for Dirección de Formación Continua -Province of Buenos Aires- and is currently coordinating the team of CPD teachers. He has participated in several of the British Council activities such as developing material, facilitating reading groups and coordinating the Connecting Classrooms programme. He is currently facilitating workshops on Global Citizenship.
AP 4 Friday 27 September, 14.30 – 15.30, Room B
Essential Skills For 21st Century Learners
Rapid technological change, shifting job markets and the increasingly connected nature of society mean that people need key skills to become active global citizens. In this session we will look at such “21st century skills”: lifelong learning strategies; information processing and thinking skills; intercultural and interactive communicative competence; digital literacies.
Michael Harris - With the support of Pearson
Michael Harris has taught in Spain, Bolivia and Colombia and has done extensive teacher training in Spain and other countries in Europe, South America and the Middle East. Michael is the co-author of the following coursebooks: World Class (Longman, 1994); World Club (Longman, 2000); Opportunities (Longman, 2002); New Opportunities (Longman 2005); Challenges (Longman 2006); Choices and New Challenges (2013) He has also published articles and methodology books on the following topics: syllabus design; self-assessment; continuous assessment and testing; learner development: oral skills; culture and language learning.
