As the countdown to the 48th Annual International Conference in Harrogate begins, there’s a sense of excitement and anticipation in the ELT air!
If you’re lucky enough to be attending there are still places available to go to one of 15 fantastic Pre-Conference Events (PCEs) organised by our SIGs on Tuesday 1 April. Although online registration is now closed, you will still be able to register on PCE day. If you can’t be at the conference in person, we’d like to invite you to join us at IATEFL / British Council Harrogate Online where you’ll be able to get involved in the conference and watch a range of live and recorded sessions, as well as interviews with well-known speakers and delegates, from the comfort of your own workplace, home or nearby internet café. Please do spread the word to all your colleagues and friends who may be interested – Harrogate Online is completely free of charge and you don’t need to be a member of IATEFL to participate!
We’re delighted with the number of applications we’ve received from eligible IATEFL Associates for our two exciting, new initiatives, IATEFL Projects and the IH/IATEFL Training Award. The adjudicating committees for both schemes are currently hard at work evaluating the applications and the winners will be informed during the week before the Annual Conference. We would like to thank all Associates who have shown interest and applied for these awards and we look forward to expanding and developing other similar opportunities for working more closely with our Associates in the future.
The main IATEFL Webinar Series, which we set up after last year’s Annual Conference in Liverpool, will shortly reach double figures! You may like to make a note in your diary to watch the 10th and latest presentation by Felicity O’Dell on ‘Onesies and selfies: keeping up-to-date with new English words and expressions’ on Saturday 22 March at 15.00 GMT. Please do also remember that as a member of IATEFL, you can enjoy all our previous webinars at any time by logging into the members’ area on the IATEFL website.
News from the SIGs this month mainly focuses on details of PCEs and SIG Days in Harrogate and, as you’ll see, there’s a wealth of events and sessions to choose from. Looking beyond Harrogate, there are also a number of exciting online and face-to-face events to watch out for. These include the NATESOL/ LMCS Conference in Walkden, UK on 10 May 2014, the YLTSIG conference in Nicosia, Cyprus on 23-25 May 2014, the LASIG conference in Istanbul, Turkey on 30-31 May 2014, and the BESIG Summer Symposium in Graz on 13-14 June 2014.
In other news, you may like to check out the ‘E-lesson inspirations’ from GISIG, catch up on a report and photos from the recent Siena conference organised by TEASIG, or get up to date with the committee changes on YLTSIG. If you’re interested in getting involved in IATEFL’s publications and have the appropriate skills, you may also be interested in applying to be the new Materials Review Editor for Voices.
As usual, there will be no eBulletin during the conference month (April 2014) and the next issue will be distributed in May 2014. By this time, and in keeping with IATEFL’s healthy spirit of renewal, I will have handed over the role of Chair of Publications Committee to Péter Medgyes. Before I go, I’d like to thank the Publications Committee for all their hard work, dedication and support over the last two years – it’s been a pleasure and a privilege to be part of such a great team!
As I reach the half-way point in my term as President, I’m very much looking forward to working with our new, incoming Vice President, Péter Medgyes, and at the same time will miss the close collaboration and support of our outgoing Vice President, Eric Baber. All three of us are really looking forward to meeting IATEFL members who will be at this year’s Annual Conference in Harrogate – so if you’re there and see any of us around, please do come and say ‘hello’!
With best wishes,
Carol Read, Chair of Publications Committee and President, IATEFL
From IATEFL Head Office
3 April 2014: Annual General Meeting
Registration for the Annual Conference
Places still available for our Pre-conference events
Day excursions at Harrogate Conference
New addition to the IATEFL family
Read more
Harrogate Tribute
The tribute session at Harrogate will be at 17.10 on Thursday 3 April. This is an opportunity for any delegate who has lost a colleague during the year to come along and say a few words in their memory. Equally, all delegates are welcome to come along and listen to the tributes. If you would like to know more or if you would like to speak about a colleague, please feel free to email Peter Grundy.
From the Membership Committee
We take great pleasure in announcing the tenth webinar in the IATEFL Webinar Series. On 22 March 2014 at 15.00 GMT, Felicity O’Dell will be sharing insights on ‘Onesies and selfies: keeping up-to-date with new English words and expressions’. This is a must for all those who are interested in finding ways to teach the new words coming into the language. Following the Annual IATEFL conference, the next webinar will be with Ron Carter on 26 April 2014 at 15.00 GMT. He will be speaking about ‘Internet English: the changing English language and its implications for teaching’. To take part in these webinars go to the IATEFL webinar page.
Members can continue to enjoy the past professional development sessions which are available on the IATEFL website in the members’ area. The recordings from David Crystal, Penny Ur, Jeremy Harmer, Claudia Ferradas, Adrian Underhill, Vicki Hollett, Scott Thornbury, Tessa Woodward and Mike McCarthy, along with slides from some of the webinars, can be accessed by going to the IATEFL website and logging in with your IATEFL membership number and password.
Marjorie Rosenberg, Membership Committee
From Voices
Voices: Call for a Material Reviews Editor
Voices is looking for a new Material Reviews Editor to take over from Sandee Thompson, who has done a sterling job over the last 4 years. If you are interested in the position, please find more details and how to apply here. Deadline is 25 April 2014.
From the SIGs
From the Pronunciation SIG
1 April 2014: PronSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
The theme of the pre-conference event is ‘Integrating pronunciation into your teaching’.
Speakers at the event are Alan Tonkyn, Wayne Rimmer, John Field, Robin Walker and Richard Cauldwell. Our pre-conference event, which promises to be a stimulating day of theory and practice, explores the increasing realisation that pronunciation is most effectively taught as part of the wider language and skills syllabus. You can register onsite at the conference, or, if you’ve already registered online but not paid you can still pay before you arrive. For more details on the event, please see our Facebook page.
Wayne Rimmer, PronSIG Coordinator
From the Literature Media and Cultural Studies SIG
Call for Papers – NATESOL Conference & IATEFL LMCS SIG
1 April 2014: LMCS PCE, Harrogate, UK
Call for Papers – NATESOL Conference & IATEFL LMCS SIG
The NATESOL Annual conference, in association with LMCS SIG, will be held at Salford City College, Walkden, UK on Saturday 10 May 2014. The conference theme is ‘Transferring identity from the page to the classroom: contemporary literature as a resource for language learners’.
Identity is one of the main areas of concern in all forms of contemporary literature in English. This conference will work on two levels. First, participants will be offered an overview of the best of contemporary writing in English, particularly that which explores the notion of identity, or perhaps multiple identities. Second, we hope to explore a variety of ways in which these texts can be used as motivating classroom resources, both to help learners investigate their own sense of identity and to express that identity through the medium of a second language.
Please note that the deadline for proposals is now extended to Friday 28 March. For more details on the conference and proposal submission, please visit the NATESOL link on the LMCS SIG homepage.
1 April 2014: LMCS PCE, Harrogate, UK
The theme of the LMCS pre-conference event is ‘The Pity of War – an exploration of World War I in text, film and song’. Alan Maley and David A. Hill will be presenting a day of activities based on a wide range of materials, both literary and non-literary, feature and documentary film as well as songs to coincide with the 100th Anniversary in 2014 of the start of World War I. For full details see the LMCS events page.
David A. Hill, LMCS SIG Coordinator
From the Business English SIG
6 April 2014: Online Weekend Workshop
Electronic Village Online – session highlights
LinkedIn IATEFL BESIG
1 April 2014: BESIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
3 April 2014: BESIG Day, Harrogate, UK
13-14 June 2014: IATEFL BESIG Summer Symposium, Graz, Austria
14-16 November 2014: 27th Annual IATEFL BESIG Conference
Read more
Marjorie Rosenberg, BESIG Coordinator
From the Learner Autonomy SIG
31 March 2014: PCE Dinner
1 April 2014: LASIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
4 April 2014: LASIG Day, Harrogate, UK
30-31 May 2014: LASIG Conference in Istanbul, Turkey
Read more
Leni Dam and Lienhard Legenhausen, Joint LASIG coordinators
From the Teacher Training and Education SIG
1 April 2014: TTEdSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
3 April 2014: TTEdSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
1 April 2014: TTEdSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
The theme of our pre-conference event is ‘The basics and beyond: a day of trainer development’, which will be lead by Tessa Woodward. The session will include input and group work on a wide range of topics in the field of teacher training and education. For more details, see here.
3 April 2014: TTEdSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
For our TTEdSIG Day, we have talks, workshops and forums, with speakers that will include Susan Bardhun, Barbara Buxton, Briony Beaven, Jim Scrivener, Anne Burns, Donald Freeman and Anne Katz. Please also join us at our Open Forum, where participants can voice their expectations, criticisms and evaluations as well as hear about TTEd SIG’s current and future activities. A raffle will also be drawn at the end of the Open Forum. For more details on the event see the conference brochure on the IATEFL conference page.
Birsen Tutunis, TTEdSIG Coordinator
From the Research SIG
1 April 2014: ReSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
2 April 2014: ReSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
1 April 2014: ReSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
Our pre-conference event is entitled ‘Teachers research!’ and is dedicated to research by teachers for teachers. This interactive event will feature over 20 poster presentations, and commentary from Dick Allwright, Anne Burns and Donald Freeman. The event will be held in the Holiday Inn Hotel. For more details see here. Please note that there are still a few spaces left. You can register onsite for this event.
2 April 2014: ReSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
For our Research SIG Day we have a very interesting line-up of speakers who will be sharing insights on a wide range of research topics including action research and language counselling. For more information on the programme and the speakers, go to the news feature on this ReSIG page. The event will be held in the Holiday Inn Hotel. If you would like to learn more about the SIG or meet committee members, you are warmly invited to our Open Forum at the end of the day. You can also visit us at the IATEFL stand on 3 April in the morning.
Richard Smith, ReSIG Coordinator
From the Global Issues SIG
Widening horizons with short video clips
1 April 2014: GISIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
Widening horizons with short video clips
Have a look at the most recent E-lesson Inspirations, which is a collection of thought-provoking videos and practical ideas for using them in the classroom. Units include ’Football Mad’, a poem performed by Benjamin Zephaniah with activities that invite students to explore its message, and ’Pale Blue Dot’ in which astronomer Carl Sagan offers a cosmic perspective on our world.
1 April 2014: GISIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
The theme of our pre-conference event is ‘More than a game – socially conscious simulations and role-plays for the language teacher’. Our focus is on games as a means to practise English while raising awareness about social issues. Our presenters are Luke Prodromou, Lindsay Clandfield, Kyle Mawer, Margit Szesztay and Xiaobing Wang. You will be able to take part in drama activities, simulations, video games, and role-plays and reflect on how these experiences can raise awareness about social justice and encourage a more informed and critical view of the world we live in. You can find more information here. You can register onsite at the conference, or, if you’ve already registered online but not paid you can still pay before you arrive.
Margit Szesztay, GISIG Coordinator
From the Testing, Evaluation and Assessment SIG
Newsletter – contributions
Facebook and Yahoo
TEASIG Siena Photos, Slides and Proceedings
1 April 2014: TEASIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
2 April 2014: TEASIG Day in Harrogate, UK
Read more
Judith Mader, TEASIG Coordinator
From the Teacher Development SIG
1 April 2014: TDSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
The theme of our pre-conference event is ‘Opening space for critical pedagogy’, which will offer a series of short and engaging talks on key issues relating to critical pedagogy.
In ‘Critical teacher development’, Willy Cardoso will invite participants to revisit the socio-political aspects of being a teacher, addressing questions of identity, privilege and access. Divya Madhavan will facilitate ‘Key concepts in critical discourse', in which she will walk us through the footprint left by critical pedagogy on the way we talk about education and engage participants in exploring, interpreting and challenging some of its key concepts. In ‘Classroom practice and social change', Luke Meddings will argue that in a world where protest is a daily reality, teachers need to reclaim the classroom as a democratic space where critical thinking can develop and thrive. For more details, see the events page on the TDSIG website and on Facebook.
Anthony Gaughan, TDSIG Coordinator
From the Young Learners and Teenagers SIG
EVO 2014 – recordings available
Committee changes
1 April 2014: YLTSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
Pre-PCE video clips
2 April 2014: YLTSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
23-25 May 2014: YLTSIG and CyTEA Joint conference in Nicosia, Cyprus
Read more
Hans Mol, YLT SIG Coordinator
From the Materials Writing SIG
1 April 2014: MaWSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
2 April 2014: MaWSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
Facebook and Twitter
1 April 2014: MaWSIG PCE, Harrogate, UK
Our first pre-conference event is on the topic of ‘Writing for digital’. As ELT publishing continues its move into the digital era, the skills required of materials writers and teachers are changing. Key questions that we will be addressing include: ‘What current technology trends in publishing are having the biggest effect on ELT, and what future trends should we be on the look-out for?’ and ‘How does writing for digital really differ to writing for print?’ Our workshop hosts will be: Laurie Harrison, Jeremy Day, Katherine Bilsborough and Lucy Norris. More information on the event will soon be available on our Facebook page.
2 April 2014: MaWSIG Day, Harrogate, UK
If you want to learn more about materials writing, why not come to some of our talks? Speakers include: Russell Whitehead and Fiona MacKenzie on writing for digital; Jonathan Bygrave on self-publishing high-quality apps; and Rachael Roberts on writing effective classroom materials. For more information on speakers and talks, please see the conference brochure on the IATEFL conference page. And if you want to find out more about MaWSIG, don’t forget to attend our Open Forum during the SIG Day.
Facebook and Twitter
Find out more about MaWSIG and how we support teachers’ professional development in terms of writing ELT materials by visiting us on our Facebook page. You can also find us on Twitter, so please give us a tweet: @MaWSIG.
Nick Robinson, MaWSIG Coordinator
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