International Conference 2022 by Meta Ab

International Conference for Teachers & Students VENUE PLACE - MARIA CEBOTARI, 37, CHISINAU, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA MARCH 4TH-5TH, 2022

this event is held in a hybrid format

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

an event for teachers and students International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

an event for teachers and students International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

an event for teachers and students International Conference for English Language Teachers

Types of presentations During the conference the participants can attend different types of sessions

LECTURE SESSIONS PLENARY TALKS

STUDENTS' TALKS

DEMO LESSONS

*Participants will have the possibility to choose what session to attend

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

OFF- LINE SESSION

KEY-note Speaker

Rob Howard Rob Howard is the owner of Online Language Center and Business Language Training Institute and founder of EFLtalks. He is a teacher, writer and frequent worldwide speaker and trainer on Business English, Teacher Development, Entrepreneurship, teaching online, and using technology and images. He is Joint Coordinator of the IATEFL BESIG, Gallery Teachers Masterclass presenter, iTDi TOEFL course trainer, member of the C Group, Online Event Coordinator for the Visual Arts Circle as well as co-founder of the Independent Authors & Publishers. Living in Poland, he never sleeps… just naps.

March 4th, 2022 10.20 - 11.00 EET (UTC+2)

Opening Plenary Talk Topic:

UPSKILL or STANDSTILL: Retooling for the future learner To meet the needs of tomorrow’s learner and to maintain relevance for the future job market, teachers are entering the world of business English without any background or training. Everyone talks about Lingua Franca, 21st Century Skills, the Soft Skills, the 4C's, but where are the practical takeaways, training, and materials needed? Discussed will be the skills and sources needed.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 16.30 - 17.10 EET (UTC+2)

Plenary Talk KEY-note Speaker

Rachael Roberts

Rachael Roberts has been in English Language Teaching for three decades as a teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer, writing coursebooks for Pearson, OUP and Macmillan. She now works as a business and mindset coach for other freelance ELT professionals, helping them to earn more, work less, and live more fully.

Topic:

Avoiding (crash and) burnout Teaching has always been a demanding profession, but, increasingly, teachers are under so much pressure that they crash and burn out of teaching altogether. In this session I will help teachers to recognise the sometimes subtle signs of impending burnout, and suggest a variety of ways to avoid burning out, from practical tips to changes in mindset.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

March 5th, 2022 10.20 - 11.00 EET (UTC+2)

KEY-note Speaker

Michael Lacey Freeman I have been working in the field of English Language Teaching for nearly 30 years, both as a University teacher and ELT author. I am also a storyteller and have travelled extensively the world to tell my stories, and spread the message that words are powerful. I have written a number of ELT course books for major publishers such as Oxford University Press and Pearson and twelve of my graded readers have been published, five of which have won international awards. In 2017 I was invited to be on the board of directors of the Extensive Reading Foundation, an organisation that promotes extensive reading around the world. I have also spoken as a plenary speaker in a variety of different contexts including the Oxford National Conferences, universities in Japan, Indonesia, and Italy, and have been a part of the OUP Read On project since 2019. I have also produced a Podcast called TeaatFive which is available free of charge on iTunes and Spotify, and was promoted by Oxford University Press.

Plenary Talk Topic:

Reaction to Creation - Fiction and Non Fiction in the Classroom When students are reading something that engages them, both emotionally and intellectually, the whole process creates a reaction. If we rearrange the letters of the word, ‘REACTION’ a little, we have another important word, ‘CREATION’. When students jump inside a text, whether it be fiction or non-fiction, they react, and in turn they create and employ key critical thinking skills in doing so. This presentation will talk about this transition from reaction to creation, and how we as teachers can harness it

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 16.30 - 17.10 EET (UTC+2)

Closing Plenary Talk KEY-note Speaker

Harry Waters Harry Waters has buried deep in the TEFL world for over 14 years. He is a trainer for the ELTon award winning Pearson and BBC Live Classes project. He is also the learning guide for Pearson and BBC Studio’s project Speak Out for Sustainability. His passion for teaching and obsession with the planet led him to create Renewable English an online English course, providing free classes and materials aimed at raising climate change awareness across the globe. Harry is also a passionate teacher trainer. He describes himself as an imperfect environmentalist with a love of flags and funky second- hand shirts.

Topic:

Becoming a Clean, Green, Teaching Machine The climate crisis is something that is worrying for everybody. The only problem we have as English educators is our textbooks rarely approach the subject and when they do it tends to be with a negative spin on things causing early closure. This workshop will give you ideas and materials to help you overcome objections and include a sustainable spin to every unit in your coursebook and shine a positive light on what we can do to help make a healthier planet.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 11.10 - 12.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Nadina Nicolici Nadina NICOLICI is a teacher of English and French as foreign languages at “Lorin Salagean” Technical High School in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania. So far, she has coordinated and participated together with her students and peers in more than 175 national and international educational projects and partnerships, such as Erasmus+, Comenius, ePals, eTwinning, Teaching with Europeana, global volunteering campaigns. She is a SUSI (Study of the US Institutes) and a Fulbright TEA alumna, an OPEN Alumni Community Lead (content creator), a member of the advisory board for Fulbrighter, and a country trainer for British Council. She is a National Geographic Certified Educator. Along the years she received various prizes and awards, such as Teacher of the Year in Romania, ePals Teacher Ambassador, ePals Exemplary Teacher, eTwinning Mentor for Romania, Excellence Award for the work within the local community.

Giving English lessons a green twist Are you curious about integrating topics such as the environment and climate change in your regular English classes? This session gives you the answers! During this workshop, you will learn: • how to teach vocabulary related to this topic, how to make your students learn and remember the new words, while making them aware that our planet is in need; • how to develop your students’ speaking, writing, reading and listening skills while teaching them about these burning issues; • what resources are available for you to use and how you can adapt them to your students’ age and level; how to teach a full lesson on climate issues; how to give your regular lessons a green twist.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 15.30 - 16.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Graham Stanley Graham is co-author of Digital Play: computer games and language aims (Delta, 2011), author of Language Learning with Technology (CUP, 2013), and editor of the book of research and case studies, Remote Teaching (British Council, 2019). His latest book is Escape the Language Classroom (GSP, 2022), which is a handbook for teachers interested in using escape room games for the language classroom.

Time to Escape: designing escape room games for ELT Escape room games are effective ways of motivating learners to practise listening and speaking skills. Teachers can turn their classroom into an escape room, or design activities to be used online. In this talk I will share a framework that teachers can use to develop their own escape room games.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

OFF-LINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 11.10 - 12.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

KEY-note Speaker

Storybuilding: Designing Image Clusters This hands-on workshop will illustrate how to design and utilize collections of images to incite students to creatively produce their own stories using target vocabulary, grammar, or structures. By using images to stimulate, trigger and unlock their imagination, students, alone or together in groups, will build their own verbal scripts in a captivating, entertaining and cooperative process. This can be delivered as a hands-on workshop or as a live lesson both live and online. This method, when used properly, not only works on language skills, but also helps develop critical thinking and uses many of the soft skills at the same time. Teachers will actually take part in creating stories and presenting their results, just like in a classroom.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 13.10 - 14.10 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Carlos Lindade

Carlos Lindade is a Portuguese Canadian teacher involved in teacher training and writing course material for Portuguese EFL students (U Dare 9, 2015; Stars 4, 2016). He is currently finishing his PhD in Advanced English Studies in the University of Vigo (Spain) while lecturing in Elvas (Portugal).

Active Listening, Active Learning Music has unquestionably become an intrinsic ally of English Language Teaching. Its motivational effects are undeniable and whether you’re preparing a grammar/lexical centered lesson, or aiming to promote pronunciation awareness, there seems to be a song for every situation. This session aims to present contemporary songs to tackle common ELT topics. Each suggestion is designed around Michael Rost & JJ Wilson’s research regarding Active Listening (2013). Hopefully, by the end of this session, teachers will find that these activities will Engage learners, Encourage formative assessment, and Empower one to use Active Listening activities and integrate communication and collaboration skills in the ELT classroom.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 15.30 - 16.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Darya Gurevica My name is Darya Gurevica, and I'm an English Teacher as well as Teacher Trainer. I've been working for over 10 years in several European countries, including the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland. Since 2020, I've been organising and giving workshops for EFL professionals to help them transition to the world of online teaching, and incorporate innovative technology in their everyday teaching activities. I love discovering and sharing new tech tools, tips and tricks to make our teaching lives easier, and as a result bring about dynamic and enjoyable classes for our students!

Teaching English with Technology in LowResource Classroom: 3 Life-Saving Tools In this workshop, I am going to show three "life-saving" tools that any teacher can use in a lowresource classroom in a face-to-face, blended, or fully online learning mode. There's also going to be a call for action for schools to introduce one simple feature that will help ALL our students use the Internet in low-resource contexts. At the end of the workshop, you will have taken away a number of research findings, ideas and tools that you will be able to apply when using technology in your particular teaching situation.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 11.10-12.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

FOTEINI VENETI Foteini Veneti is a State EFL teacher and Teacher trainer in Athens, Greece. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature ( NKUA), an MA ( University of Brighton, UK ) and an Med (HOU ). She is a Phd candidate at BU, Philippines. She has been teaching for over 38 years both in Private and Public Sector, mostly in Experimental schools of NKUA while she has participated in numerous International and Multinational Collaborative Projects, workshops, seminars, conferences and fora locally and abroad, mostly as a Plenary Speaker and Trainer. Foteini has been collaborating with RcEL of NKUA for more than a decade and participates in the Mentorship Programme and Practicum of the relevant University as a Mentor and Teacher Trainer for graduate students. She is a Lead trainer for CoE & L2C in Greece and one of the writers of English Materials for VYL (Greek National Curriculum). She has been an elected member of the Panhellenic English Teachers’ Association Board for decades and an EFL Examiner/Evaluator for National Language Examinations (KPG) of the Greek Ministry of Education. She also belongs to the Academic staff of Mediterranean College ( University of Durby ) teaching EAP & ESP to Undergraduate and Postgraduate students in the Faculties of Psychology, Business Administration, Engineering and Computing. Foteini’s favourite topics concern the design and implementation of Project/Topic – based methodologies and Cross-Curricular Approaches, Multigrade and Multicultural Education, Education for Refugee children, Innovation in ELT Education, Community Cohesion and Global Citizenship, Diversity, Human Rights, Teaching Autistic children, Teacher Development, ESD, Democratic schools and Gender Equality. Lots of her articles have been published in local and international educational sites and journals. Foteini is married with a son.

Empowering Gender Equality through EFL Teaching The presentation to follow will try to shed light on the crucial issue of Gender Equality and the possible adoption of relevant activities in Primary and Secondary EFL syllabi. Actually, it will focus on a part of a toolkit which was created due to European Commission’s needs and could fight gender stereotypes in school contexts. The particular toolkit aims to support EFL teachers -among other subjects’ teachers as well- not only to develop their students’ linguistic skills but also to implement a series of activities in class and thus making young learners come to terms with the fact that genders should be given equal opportunities when referring to occupations or other everyday issues. Moreover, the activities to be shared may improve EFL learners’ thinking skills and develop their capacity for Empathy. On the other hand, these classroom activities can provide a context that stimulates reflection and dialogue, in which learners may have the opportunity to question and confront their stereotypical thinking and review their perceptions, stereotypes and biases, both as a group and as individuals. Within this hands-on presentation, participants will be exposed to a series of activities related to both Primary and Secondary EFL contexts. These activities’ Pedagogical principles concern the way students think and work, innovation and creativity, critical thinking , problem solving, learning to learn, metacognition, communicative and collaborative skills, teamwork, digital literacy, multicultural and intercultural competences, global citizenship, personal and social responsibility, better class relationships, acceptance of oneself and others, experiential learning, assessment, decision making, Gender empowerment, cooperative learning, 21st century life skills and competences. The activities to be shared can ideally be linked to any EFL syllabus, thus promoting not only linguistic awareness but also thematically joining English language teaching with real-world experiences, role models, debunking Gender stereotyping and promoting Gender balance. Key words: Gender Stereotypes, toolkit, Gender Equality, Gender empowerment, classroom activities, EFL syllabi, EFL teaching, Experiential learning, problem solving, collaborative skills, Empathy

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 15.30 - 16.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Alesa Durgarayan I am ESL/EFL/ESP trainer teacher trainer PHD at Armenian State Pedagogical University after KH. Abovyan. I took my MAs in the fields of Psychology and Foreign Languages. I am an ESL teacher at Hrazdan basic school N11 after William Saroyan and an ESL trainer at SKYENG lecturer at ELTA University in Czech Republic. I have taken part in many different international conferences as a speaker, in different international projects as an EFL trainer. I'm also am the author of many scientific articles in the field of Teaching English as a second/foreign language, Pedagogy. Currently, I'm a volunteer in different international projects and companies such ( HETT, EduArmenia(during war period), ELTA University, etc). Currently, I am specialized and working on the problem of teacher training on the virtual platform preparing a model of teacher training on the virtual platform. I am in a lifelong education (TESOL, TKT modules, CETFL program at American University in Armenia, Business English course, etc.), participated in different international projects as an EFL/ESL/ESP trainer (foreign students and teachers, professors, etc).

Teaching techniques and innovations in the 21st century education Techniques and inovations are one of the most important challenges in the 21st education context. How to plan the lesson in order to be appropriate to the 21st education, how to choose them and use them in the approprate way.etc. 21st century education techniques and innnovations are like toold for planning and conducting lessons where the teachers are like moderators and the students have more active roles and the whole learning process looks like a case study. These techniques and innovations tends to develop students' critical thinking, problem solving skills , etc.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 15.30 - 16.30 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Nick Koretsky

ESL teacher, inventor of visual aids for teaching verbal grammar, lesson materials designer, writer, IT specialist, engineer and researcher.

Teaching grammar with Verbal Organizer I will present my new invention - Verbal Organizer and explain how it can help ESL teacher to decrease teaching burden while increasing students engagement and learning efficiency. https://youtu.be/R4JF5g2v1lE

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

OFF-LINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 14.20-15.20 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Adriana Vasilache

ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS: Issues and solutions Demonstrative lesson

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 10.20 - 11.00 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Annie Altamirano Annie Altamirano graduated from teacher training college in Argentina with a first class degree in teaching English as a Foreign Language and holds an MA in ELT and Applied Linguistics from the University of London. She is an international speaker, teacher trainer and materials writer and has given teacher-training workshops in Europe, Asia and Latin America. As author, she has published extensively with all major international publishers. Her latest published work includes Cambridge Global English Teacher’s Resource 2nd edition. She is a mentor in the Cambridge Teacher Support Service and TESOL- SPAIN’s current Vice-President and External Liaison officer. She shares ideas and materials in her blog Blogging Crazy http://bloggingcrazyannie.blogspot.com.es/

Assessment for learning: the road to success For instruction to be truly effective, we need to introduce assessment for learning as an ongoing process. This becomes particularly important in these difficult times as COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our students’ lives and education. The aim of the session is to have participants reflect on the importance of introducing assessment for learning strategies as a means of helping students improve their learning. I will start the session by establishing the difference between different types of assessment. I will then focus on what assessment for learning involves and what the advantages of implementing this form of assessment are. I will then present the ten principles on which assessment for learning is based and the main elements of assessment for learning, namely, learning intentions, success criteria, formative feedback and effective questioning. At different points during the presentation I will offer examples of how assessment for learning can be embedded in the learning-teaching cycle.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

OFF -LINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 16.00 - 16.30 EET (UTC+2)

Victoria Isac Co-founder of Centrul pentru Dezvoltare Educațională și Comunitară CDEC English teacher, middle school ”Mihai Eminescu” Cantemir town

Topic:

Bringing the change in the community through projects Do you want to bring change in your community and you do not know how? Do not miss my presentation to see how I have started by bringing projects to my community and developing my student's leadership skills.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

OFF -LINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 14.20-15.20 EET (UTC+2)c

Topic:

Natalia Ciuntu

Natalia has an experience of over 20 years in teaching; higher didactic degree, META-active member: author of different articles and presentations on different topics.

Improving cognition methods grows students’ comprehension and saves teachers’ efforts and time Do you remember how you explained your kids the way to solve a puzzle? Do you prioritise things you should do first? Take a puzzle and let’s remember together the cognitive way of thinking and teaching. Things don’t change, views and opportunities do!

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 14.20 - 15.20 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Neli Kukhaleishvili

Neli Kukhaleishvili has been in ELT world since time immemorial.. She is Head of Academic Development and Training and one of co- founders of INT English Language and Training Centre, Batumi, Georgia. Neli is an approved British Council and ETAG (English Teachers’ Association of Georgia ) teacher trainer and ETAG Batumi Head . She is a teacher trainer of 7 ETAG training courses and a course designer of MELT (Modern English Language Methodology) Currently, she is providing workshops and webinars for the teachers of the region. Her line is promoting continuing teacher development, encouraging teachers to join it and diverting students from rote- learning.

Digital Tools as a Means of Boosting Students' Motivation The activities incorporating certain digital tools are designed as a much-needed response to the online mode of instruction in terms of increased student involvement owing to the visual stimuli which evoke students' inquisitiveness, as well as elements of fun present in the activities. However, they prove to be equally efficient during traditional/offline classes and need minimal preparation from the part of the teacher. The ideas for the activities are easily adaptable to suit different teaching aims and lesson stages warmers, lead-ins, controlled and freer practice, production being just a few. As well as this, most of the activities can be used to teach different language skills and subskills.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 14.20 - 15.20 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Nino Kukhaleishvili

I have been a part of ELT world since 2011. I obtained MA in ESL in 2015 and hold a CELTA certificate. Currently I am a Director at INT English Language and Training center, Batumi, Georgia. I am also a Teacher Trainer and a course designer for several tailor-made courses funded by the American Embassy. I’ve worked as a lecturer at Batumi State university and a teacher for Cambridge exams, such as FCE, CAE and IELTS.

Digital Tools as a Means of Boosting Students' Motivation The activities incorporating certain digital tools are designed as a much-needed response to the online mode of instruction in terms of increased student involvement owing to the visual stimuli which evoke students' inquisitiveness, as well as elements of fun present in the activities. However, they prove to be equally efficient during traditional/offline classes and need minimal preparation from the part of the teacher. The ideas for the activities are easily adaptable to suit different teaching aims and lesson stages - warmers, lead-ins, controlled and freer practice, production being just a few. As well as this, most of the activities can be used to teach different language skills and subskills.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 5th, 2022 14.20 - 15.20 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Nino Kvantaliani

Nino Kvantaliani has been a teacher of English for 20 years. She is a Deputy Head of Academic Development and Training and one of the founders of INT English language and Training Centre, Batumi, Georgia. Nino is an ETAG/British Council teacher trainer, Trinity CertPT holder, PHD. She is a co- designer of several training courses in modern teaching methodology.

Digital Tools as a Means of Boosting Students' Motivation The activities incorporating certain digital tools are designed as a much-needed response to the online mode of instruction in terms of increased student involvement owing to the visual stimuli which evoke students' inquisitiveness, as well as elements of fun present in the activities. However, they prove to be equally efficient during traditional/offline classes and need minimal preparation from the part of the teacher. The ideas for the activities are easily adaptable to suit different teaching aims and lesson stages - warmers, lead-ins, controlled and freer practice, production being just a few. As well as this, most of the activities can be used to teach different language skills and subskills.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

Teaching and Learning English - Changing Perspectives March 4th - 5th, 2022

ONLINE SESSION

March 4th, 2022 15.30-16.00 EET (UTC+2)

Topic:

Natalia Sincu

Master in Didactics of Historical Disciplines History, civic education teacher at IP Gimnaziul nr.2 and LT “B.P.Hașdeu”, Drochia Philologist eTwinning Ambassador

Discovering new opportunities in historical times The pandemic suspended many activities, projects, competitions that once delighted and motivated students, made the learning process more attractive. However, we did not want to resign ourselves, we discovered new opportunities and as a result we achieved successes that we did not expect. Living in historical times, we wanted to stand out in this period not as mere spectators, but as its creators. In this session we will present the projects and competitions in which we participated and which allowed us to challenge the difficulties related to the pandemic, to assert ourselves as an efficient team and to achieve performance despite all the impediments. At the session I will present the most memorable moments and the most active students will complete the presentation with their impressions and personal vision on the experiences that marked us. Likewise, what we will present can be applied in non-pandemic times, which we hope will come as soon as possible and can certainly inspire and demonstrate that education is a weapon in the fight, including the pandemic.

International Conference for English Language Teachers

About the Event

META International Conference is organised since 2014 and offers teachers of English the possibility to broaden their knowledge, upgrade their skills and exchange the best teaching practices with colleagues from around the world.

Contact Information EMAIL ADDRESS

conference@meta-moldova.md

MAILING ADDRESS

39, Voluntarilor street, MD3733

PHONE NUMBER +37360233305