The summer term is here. The sky is blue, birds are singing and exam season will soon be upon us. As the academic year moves towards its final phase, now is a good time to share ideas with colleagues and brush on best practice. With that in mind, we’ve decided to share some information about a few up and coming webinars and events for language teachers which we think could be interesting – not forgetting a webinar we’re hosting ourselves to show how the Match My School platform works.
Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th May 2022
Oxford University Press is hosting a free webinar with Professor Heyo Reinders, TESOL Professor for the Anaheim University Graduate School of Education, editor of the journal “Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching” and former Head of Learner Development at Middlesex University in London.
The aim of the webinar is to look at pedagogical best practice in implementing technology in language learning and will consider a number of examples of successful technology-supported activities with the aim of helping practitioners to identify and implement them within their specific contexts.
Wednesday 11th May 2022
The Bell Foundation has arranged this free webinar to provide first-hand information about Ukraine’s education system, language and culture. Led by Lina Maksymuk, it aims to help schools prepare for children who have newly arrived from Ukraine. The webinar will explore the education system in Ukraine, a learner’s typical experience of school, languages spoken, typical literacy levels and key features of the Ukrainian language.
Monday 23rd May 2022
In this free Joe Dale webinar, Nik Haidar, Co-founder of MatchMySchool, will talk through the story of why he decided to create the platform, demonstrate how you can use it to find colleagues to work with in other countries and answer any questions you may have.
Friday 10th June 2022
This is a one-day event hosted by the East Manchester Academy and led by Dr Gianfranco Conti, the founder and CEO of the Language Gym and a visiting fellow at the Faculty of Modern Languages and Culture at the University of Reading.
The aim of the event is to consider the key components of curriculum design and the procedures involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of a course. It will also provide an opportunity to explore acquisition-enhanced strategies and their application in curriculum design and the role of assessment in advancing learning and embedding it in the curriculum.
Wednesday 15th June 2022
This is another one-day training course for MFL teachers led by Dr Gianfranco Conti and is taking place at Farnham Heath End School in Surrey.
The course will look at maximising retention, teaching language through chunks and improving listening skills. Lunch is included.
Saturday 18th June 2022
This is a networking event organised by Teachmeet MFL Icons which is taking place at the St Thomas Centre in Ardwick Green North in Manchester.
Many of the speakers are yet to be announced, but we know that Silvia Bastow, who is head of languages at Ercall Wood Academy and a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE) for MFL at the SALOP Teaching School will be leading a discussion on effective modelling to support independent learning in modern languages. There’ll also be a raffle and drinks afterwards. Who could resist?
