WHY OUR CONFERENCE? SCHEDULE GUEST SPEAKERS OPEN SPACE TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS PECHA KUCHA ABOUT US CONTACT

Presented at and with assistance from the English Language Institute at

Difficult to choose just one... *Workshop registration will occur on the day of the conference and is on a first come, first serve basis. Using the 'Inner Workbench' to Enrich Teaching and Learning Speaker: Mr. Adrian Underhill Although learning may be experienced as an inner activity, much of what happens in classrooms focuses on external and observable activities. I will demonstrate a variety of simple and engaging techniques that can enable teachers to keep in touch with the subtle inner moves of their students' learning, by exploiting the "mind's eye", the "mind's ear", the "mind's mouth", and the "mind's muscles". These techniques are both simple and fascinating. They can easily be incorporated into any part of any lesson, and matched to the teacher's own style. What Keeps Teachers Developing? Speaker: Dr. Susan Barduhn What helps teachers persevere – in spite of everything? This workshop will explore why teachers go into teaching, why teachers drop out, and why teachers stay in the profession. My interest in the question goes beyond mere perseverance, however: How about teachers who continue to be energized, fascinated and happily committed to teaching? What keeps these teachers developing – in spite of everything? One of several possibilities which we will consider has to do with peer support. Studies show that turnover among teachers, even under the most difficult conditions, is remarkably lowered when successful peer support exists. Some teachers are blessed by working in institutions in which there is rapport and support amongst the staff, but those who thrive on learning and sharing with colleagues will find or make these opportunities even if they don’t exist at hand. What do you do for you, to keep your batteries charged, so that you can do your best for your students? This question is key, for if we are truly to remain growing, developing teachers, the focus must first be on us. During this workshop we will explore how to maximize teacher development opportunities in groups, as well as how to assess oneself as a teacher and work on one’s own development. Expressing Your Ideas in Your Own Words – with Confidence Speaker: Ms. Joan McCormack The production of a piece of extended writing is possibly the most challenging task for international students, and their skills development in this field is often a slow and painful process. This workshop will examine materials which have been developed specifically to meet the needs of students going on to pursue an academic career . The materials aim to take the student step-by-step towards being able to express their ideas in academic writing with confidence. Participants will be asked to discuss some of the key problematic areas, including plagiarism and the development of the writer’s own voice, and the workshop will look at how the materials have attempted to deal with these challenges.