| Presenters & Presentation Topics |
Presentation Abstracts |
The sharp shock of digging up “real” English
by CHRIS KUNZ
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate
Chichester College
Kensanglia Schools of English |
“Language will always be changing,” according to world-class linguist David Crystal. This is something we cannot stop, no matter how hard we try. The key to success though, to my mind at least, is being aware of what these changes involve, analysing them and eventually passing judgement on what they represent.
As we speak, falling standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, lexis and pronunciation are everyday international talking points among English language lovers. These so-called “falling” standards have come to stay and become part of our everyday repertoire.
Join Chris in this interactive brand-new presentation if you fancy a stroll through the fascinating and thought-provoking examples of what native speakers of English actually say or write these days. |
Using intonation naturally
How can drama help?!
by CHRIS KUNZ
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate
Chichester College
Kensanglia Schools of English |
In this interactive workshop Chris will draw on his vast experience and significant expertise in the field of teaching English phonetics and phonology in order to show his audience a wide range of drama–related techniques, aiming at raising the participants’ awareness of sound, stress and intonation.
Even though a considerable number of relevant theoretical issues will be presented and dealt with, the major focus will fall on demonstration activities so that every member of the audience has the opportunity to rediscover, assess and think of an eventual action plan, which
will help them throughout the learning process of using intonation as naturally and effectively as possible.
Join Chris in this 90-minute presentation and get ready for action! |
Topping up your language skills
A journey through “last-minute” lexis & grammar
by CHRIS KUNZ
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate
Chichester College
Kensanglia Schools of English |
Join Chris for this fun session aiming at raising your awareness of the latest “buzzwords”, which you so badly need to understand in order to produce stretches of natural-sounding English.
This workshop will help you reinvent your English so as to make it fit in really smoothly with the true version of this language… that of true speakers.
Give yourself the opportunity to put an end to the I’ll-check-that-for-next-time phase when a student asks you the ever-dreaded how-do-you-say question! |
Listening ideas
by CHARLIE LOPEZ
Sponsored by:
Big Ben Institute |
Listening is an activity of paying attention and trying to get meaning from something we hear. Motivation, challenge and fun are key elements to get the student’s attention.
In this session Charlie will first explore and analyse typical listening exercises in the ELT classroom. He will then go on to present a collection of ideas for the teacher to draw upon when in need of additional listening activities. |
Is it enough to call a spade a spade?
by JAMIE DUNCAN
Sponsored by:
Resourceful Teaching |
This session explores the value in developing a wide vocabulary even in these times of so many visual and symbolic representations. The benefits include a greater clarity and precision in communication both with others and with ourselves. Using different varieties of language as our vehicle we will see how an expanded lexis can help us express ourselves more fully. |
From story to script
by CELIA ZUBIRI
Sponsored by:
Buenos Aires Players |
Teachers are sometimes “invited” to adapt a story or fairy tale, turn it into some nice play to be performed by their students at the Annual Concert, open class or any other special event at school. This is the task of a playwright who is not only aware of the six elements of drama according to Aristotle but is keen on dealing with theatre conflicts as well. No need to say that to go from a story to a script is a huge task for any language teacher. Some basic hints will be provided in this workshop so as to learn a little bit more about this subject. We will try to adapt a piece of Greek mythology into a catchy play for the students. |
Text alive!A 40-
minute show
by SIMON FREESTONE
Sponsored by:
Buenos Aires Players |
This show will let you be in-depth contact with monologues and plots from Shakespeare's works but... from another perspective. Simon will deal with texts from Macbeth, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. Sometimes dense, sometimes short, sometimes tragic, sometimes ridiculously funny... |
Bring theatre games into
your classroom
by PATRICIA GOMEZ
Sponsored by:
Patricia Gomez Arts & Education |
Successful play usually requires involvement of all our faculties: intellect, emotions and motorskills. This is what makes games so rewarding. Theatre games can be used to develop not only language skills but also personal, social, thinking and creative skills.
Playing theatre games will motivate your students to communicate in natural ways, using verbal and non verbal language. Through play, students will develop concentration, imagination, intuition and creativity.
The aim of this workshop is to provide teachers with a collection of practical and effective ideas which can be recreated and adapted for students of different ages and levels.
The games and exercises presented in this workshop will help teachers involve their students in meaningful activities to fill idle moments, to introduce or extend a lesson, to reinforce and develop concepts and skills, to face issues and solve conflicts. |
Let’s brush up our
resource tank
by ALICIA LOPEZ
OYHENART
Sponsored by:
E-teachingonline |
A one-hour workshop where well-known but often underused teaching resources will be explored and reviewed in an effort to remind teachers that these complementary formats of teaching should be put into practice more often. This overview will consider hands-on activities with the use of newspapers, films, computers, readers, podcasts, songs, internet websites, magazines and other with a view to motivating classes. |
Acting techniques as a
writing tool
by ALFRED HOPKINS
Sponsored by:
The Buenos Aires Jaque Press |
Acting and storytelling techniques can be used as powerful tools to spark writing tasks. In this workshop we will use improvisation and creative drills to limber up the minds of the participants and ease them into the task of creative writing. Actors improvise in order to learn more about a character or a situation. The information gathered in this way is then used to enrich the actor's (or storyteller's) comprehension of the roles he/she plays or narrates. In order to improvise, we must explore the movements, habits, speech and thoughts of the characters we play and we must come to terms with their difficulties. The information gathered in this way must then be filtered so as to choose what is considered most apt for the story.
Following a brief presentation on improvisation and creativity, participants will be divided up into two groups: the improvisers and role players and the writers. The improvisers will act out situations based or clues or the plots of short stories. After witnessing the improvisations, the writers will turn them into stories, poems, scripts or essays. They may find it necessary to interview the protagonists or to carry out related information gathering activities. There will then be a feedback during which the writers will present their work and the experience will be evaluated with the active participation of both writers and improvisers. |
A holistic approach to
teach the English vowel & consonant sound system
The easy and fun way to
learn the phonetic symbols!
by MARIA MARTA SUAREZ
Sponsored by:
ALL Alternative Language Learning |
During this workshop you will be engaged in teaching your body movements and gestures that you will be able to transfer to your own students afterwards. You will learn this alternative approach by watching and practising a fun multi-sensory way to teach the phonetic symbols and the English sounds to students of different ages by using this effective and efficient technique |
The impact of DVD and video on the acquisition of vocabulary
by MADY CASCO
Sponsored by:
At Home-Buenos Aires |
In this presentation Mady Casco will explain how DVD and video can be turned into a powerful tool to teach vocabulary to foreign language learners of different ages. After this brief introduction to theory, Mady will ask participants to become learners of an advanced level for 20 minutes. Hopefully by doing so, she will help participants engage in a real class designed for real students, in which video is used as a starting point to develop vocabulary. |
Resolving conflicts at school:
a constructive and positive approach
by GRACE BERTOLINI
Sponsored by:
Compass Publishing
PeaceWorks – Peace Education Foundation |
Come to this session and learn to apply effective methods for improving students’ abilities to resolve their conflicts constructively. Experience sample lessons and practical problem-solving strategies that students can learn to use on their own and start teaching in a safe disciplined environment and a positive school climate. |
Spoken English revisited
by LEANDRO PALADINO
Sponsored by:
NEL Inglés |
Recent work on Spoken English has revealed a number of issues and features that are not only very interesting in their own right, but also very powerful in their applicability to teaching and learning the language. Come to this practical workshop to review these issues and to consider their relevance to our work as teachers, trainers or evaluators. A range of material, including films and cartoons, will be used to illustrate the work proposed. |
Fallacies, facts and findings: new knowledge about the brain and learning
by LUCRECIA PRAT GAY
de TEISAIRE
Sponsored by:
Colegio Rìo de la Plata Sur |
In this workshop we will consider what variables influence our capacity and willingness to learn. We will also identify some virulent fallacies and some stunning new discoveries. How do chemicals shape learning? How does sleep improve memory and recall? Should we teach boys and girls differently? A recent scientific breakthrough will explain how we are "wired to relate to others". Through humour, collaborative work and practical tips we will be able to unfold the science of human learning. Ready ,fire, wire! |
The internet and the challenge of learning pronunciation
by ROXANA BASSO
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate |
The internet can effectively enhance and enrich the teaching and learning experience because it is dynamic, i.e., its whole body of knowledge grows very fast. In this talk, this highly motivating tool will be used to present various activities for the teaching of pronunciation at teacher training colleges. |
Newspapers: an effective classroom resource
by PABLO TOLEDO
Sponsored by:
Buenos Aires Herald |
Newspapers are an often untapped resource for endless classroom activities, as well as academic opportunities which are simply not available with other materials. In this workshop, we will look at ways to integrate newspapers into our teaching, both from a theoretical and hands-on perspective. |
Learning blocks, movement and the benefits of using
Brain Gym®
by GABRIELA LOMBARDO
Sponsored by:
Joyful Learning Center
|
Movement is inherent to life and learning. ¨Movement is the door to learning¨, according to Dr. Paul Dennison Ph D who developed the Brain Gymâ program. He has worked through Brain Gymâ with children and adults to help them overcome learning difficulties by turning obstacles into opportunities at the Valley Remedial Group Learning Center in California.
Learning blocks usually derive from a number of underlying energy imbalances in the Triune Brain structure which are often reflected in the body and are seldom addressed. Attention, balance and coordination are the ABC of all academic learning. Are our students ¨well equipped¨ to succeed at all educational levels? Can they cope with the current instructional methods?
The importance of the body´s role in learning is crucial. How can Brain Gym help to enhance learning, overcome learning difficulties, get our students motivated and change attitudes and behaviour, among other things? |
How to teach English in kindergarten
by ALFREDO BILOPOLSKY
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate |
Most adults find foreign languages quite difficult. They must struggle and put in long hours of hard work to make even small gains in their ability in a new language. However, a child seems to just pick it up out of thin air. To a child, it is all play and no work. Teaching English to very young children can be a very rewarding experience for both pupils and teachers. In this presentation you will be shown how to deal with very young learners and how to help them develop their language skills through a variety of teaching activities and techniques, including TPR, video, songs, games and multimedia and most importantly, how to foster a positive attitude towards learning the language. Real effective classroom examples will be provided |
Exploring trends in professional development: Mentoring
by MARINA GONZALEZ
Sponsored by:
Instituto Universitario de Lenguas Modernas
|
Among the different possibilities teachers have to develop professionally, mentoring is an expanding field that provides opportunities for personal and professional growth. The present talk will introduce teachers to the basic concepts of mentoring practice as well as the different moments and formats in which mentoring can be included in different organizations, then the speaker will present a brief summary of the implementation of a mentoring project at a private institution in Buens Aires, Argentina. |
Dictionary awareness
by VALERIA VIRGA
Sponsored by:
Ameghino Bookshop – Librería Ameghino S.A. |
Within the pedagogical ambit, the general level of awareness of the contents and typology of dictionaries is felt to be low. Consequently, detailed comparisons and reviews of dictionaries from the user-perspective point of view are needed. In this workshop we will examine the latest dictionaries on the market and we will reflect on the importance of using different dictionaries with EFL students. |
Las expresiones fijas
A la hora de traducir, el gato no siempre tiene 7 vidas…
by ISOLDA RODRIGUEZ
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate |
El presente trabajo es una reflexión sobre el desafío de traducir expresiones fijas. Se trabajará con el español de Buenos Aires y con el inglés británico y/o estadounidense. El material de estudio y las consideraciones volcadas surgen de la experiencia profesional de la autora como traductora literaria y técnico-científica e intérprete. Se partirá del concepto de que la traducción es un arte y de la idea ya clásica de que traducir, al importar el traslado de una lengua a otra, involucra aspectos tanto lingüísticos como culturales. Se analizarán brevemente los retos que implica la presencia de una expresión fija a la hora de traducir y los pasos adecuados para lograr trasladar el mensaje de manera satisfactoria. Asimismo, se describirán e interpretarán los resultados que pueden obtenerse como producto de este proceso. Se abarcará un espectro de ejemplos que contemplen tanto semejanzas entre las dos lenguas (“darse por vencido” puede expresarse con la misma imagen en ambos idiomas, ya que “tiramos la toalla” en español y “we throw in the towel" en inglés) como componentes léxicos privativos de la expresión en español o en inglés (cuando en español algo es “harina de otro costal”, en inglés decimos que se trata de “a horse of a different color” [“un caballo de otro color”]). |
Gladiator School: Helping Polonius kill the lion
Teaching Business English
by MARIA BELEN GONZALEZ
Sponsored by:
Universidad del Centro
Educativo Latinoamericano |
Meet Polonius, our muscled Roman gladiator, whom you will be in charge of training for a whole year. Your main objective is to help Polonius succeed in the arena. Polonius will have to kill the lion in front of hundreds of people who are after his blood. Your own future as a famous coach depends on Polonius being able to kill the lion.
Corporate training is in many ways very similar to a Gladiator School. Let´s imagine Polonius is a high flier who works as a manager for an American company in Argentina. You will be in charge of training Polonius for a whole year. Your main objective is to help him be promoted. Polonius will have to travel to the US next year in order to interact with the members of the board and give a presentation in English about his branch in front of hundreds of people who are after his blood. Will Polonius kill the lion? Will the lion kill Polonius?
Polonius´ success is in your hands! This workshop aims at those teachers who are either already working in the field of business English or else are interested in doing so. You will walk away with a bunch of practical techniques to succeed in teaching business English. |
¿Qué enseñamos cuando enseñamos traducción e interpretación?
by GABRIELA SCANDURA
Sponsored by:
CELTICA (Centro Latinoamericano de Traductores e Intérpretes especializados en Comunicación Audiovisual) |
Quienes enseñamos traducción e interpretación sabemos que muchas veces terminamos siendo "el malo de la película". ¿Por qué? Porque es en estas materias en las que el alumno tiene que utilizar todo lo que ha aprendido a priori (ya sea en la escuela, en su casa o "en la vida") y lo que está aprendiendo o ha aprendido en las demás materias de la carrera, además de los conocimientos impartidos por nosotros mismos. Lamentablemente, a medida que pasan los años, los conocimientos que tenemos que impartir no se limitan a enseñar técnicas de traducción sino que debemos compensar las carencias del alumno y enseñarle a traducir o a interpretar. La tarea no es menor, y cuantas más carencias tienen los alumnos (y con los años han aumentado significativamente), mayor será el desafío para el profesor. La propuesta de esta presentación consiste en analizar qué, cómo y para qué enseñamos los profesores de las materias de traducción e interpretación. El análisis incluirá ejemplos de textos y traducciones de los alumnos, para poder extraer conclusiones respecto de lo que necesitan el alumno y el profesor para poder hacer de la situación de clase una experiencia de aprendizaje lo más satisfactoria posible. |
Refining writing skills through an integrated project
Vocation is calling. Are you listening?
by HECTOR GARZON
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate
|
This workshop will afford participants the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiences designed to promote the development of composition skills and to foster the creation of a supportive climate for classroom oral interaction through an integrated project based on the question “Vocation is calling. Are you listening? |
Discourse analysis and Critical Thinking as a tool for Teachers of English as a second Language
by MARIELLA MACERA
Sponsored by:
Langrow Language to Grow |
Discourse Analysis is concerned with the study of the relationship between language and the contexts in which it is used. With a more accurate picture of natural discourse we will be in the position to evaluate the descriptions upon we base our teaching, the teaching materials, what goes on in the classroom and the end products of our teaching.
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief, action and better communication. When understanding this process, we will be able to transfer the students’ ability to think (critical thinking) from L1 to L2. |
Cómo desarrollar la subcompetencia instrumental profesional de los traductores
by HORACIO R. DAL DOSSO
Sponsored by:
English Lab |
La subcompetencia instrumental profesional forma parte de la macrocompetencia traductora. El desarrollo exitoso de esta subcompetencia depende del conocimiento que tengamos de las herramientas y los procesos de trabajo, del mercado y del ejercicio ético de nuestra profesión.
En esta presentación, se analizarán todos los pasos (por ejemplo, el presupuesto) y las herramientas (glosario, guía de estilo, black list, etc.) de un proyecto de traducción.
Se verán cuáles son los recursos que el traductor tiene a su disposición para hacer que su desempeño sea más eficiente:
- Fuentes de información: diccionarios; libros, revistas y boletines; sitios de Internet (artículos, bases de datos, glosarios, manuales de estilo, portales, universidades, etc.); literatura gris; etc.
- TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación: qué herramientas usar y por qué.
Así mismo, se brindarán consejos prácticos para insertase en el mercado nacional e internacional (CV y propuesta de servicios).
Por último, se hará un repaso de los principios éticos que rigen nuestra profesión. |
Critical Readers
by GABRIELA DIAZ & VALERIA GOLUZA
Sponsored by:
Apple Consultancy |
For active, critical reading to occur, teachers must create an atmosphere which fosters inquiry. Students must be encouraged to question, to make predictions, and to organize ideas which support value judgments. According to Wilson (1988), critical literacy advocates the use of strategies and techniques like formulating questions prior to, during, and after reading; responding to the text in terms of the student's own values; anticipating texts, and acknowledging when and how reader expectations are aroused and fulfilled; and responding to texts through a variety of writing activities which ask readers to go beyond what they have read to experience the text in personal ways. In this workshop we will explore practical ideas to be applied in the classroom with different levels and age groups which will help learners become independent and critical readers. |
Making Feedback of learners’ writings more effective
by STELLA PALAVECINO
Sponsored by:
Buenos Aires English House |
As a teacher, you have found yourself in the painstaking work of recurring correction of the same mistake, which do not seem to lead to improvement. If making mistakes is a part of learning and correction is a part of teaching, how do the two of them go together when giving feedback of written work? Can we make of correction a learning opportunity and empower students to become better language learners? Is there a way to avoid student’s frustration when providing feedback? .This presentation will contribute, through classroom examples, to shed light on these issues and provide practical ideas of correction of written work leading to language learning.
In the context of teaching in general, feedback is information that is given to the learner about his performance of a learning task, usually with the objective of improving this performance. However, it is essential that such feedback will be provided in an atmosphere of support so that the learner can feel that the teacher’s information about his/her performance is honestly to promote and encourage their learning, not to put them down. The speaker will reflect on the importance of making mistakes when learning a second language, analyze examples of more and less effective approached of correction of written work, as well as, contributing with practical ideas for correction of writings to promote language learning . |
How to prevent downshifting
by ROSANA FERNANDEZ COTO
Sponsored by:
William Shakespeare, School of English
Instituto "Cervantes" |
Downshifting is the process during which our ability to think rationally at higher levels is minimised because the Emotional Brain perceives threat. The
Chemical impulses which allow communication between the Neocortex (Rational, conscious mind) and the
Emotional Mind (unconscious mind) shut down. What can we do to prevent this?
This seminar starts with a brief theoretical framework about the Triune Model of the Brain (Reptilian Brain,
Mammalian Brain and Rational Brain) proposed by the neurologist Paul mc Lean. Then, it looks into the concept of 'downshifting" and into the reasons why
some students suffer from it in classroom situations (poor relationships, unsafe environment, deadlines, unclear aims, inappropriate levels of challenge and
the learning process itself). After explaining how it affects our neurology, I will concentrate on strategies to create a safe environment and to deal with anxiety and boredom so as to help our students to avoid downshifting and make the most of their learning process.
Among some of the topics that will be covered to provide the audience with tools to help their students to avoid downshifting are
How to give effective instructions
How to create a safe environment
The use of anchors
How to use feedback and become resilient
How to provide a meaningful context
How to respect attention spans (uptime, downtime)
How to address the different learning styles
How to use the different channels of communication
(VAK)
The use of humour in the classroom, etc. |
GLAD to share!
by SERGIO AQUINO
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination
Syndicate |
This presentation is based on the experience in a school in the USA the author had during his participation in the Teachers Visiting Program sponsored by AFS during the 2005 – 2006 fall term. GLAD is a model of professional development in the area of language acquisition. The strategies and model promote English language acquisition, academic achievement and cross-cultural skills. GLAD is an instructional model with clear, practical strategies promoting positive, effective interactions among students and between teachers and students. GLAD develops metacognitive use of high level, academic language. During the presentation, teachers will be provided with some of the instructional strategies, the theory and research that support the model and they will feel a sense of reaffirmation of the good practices they are already using. |
Maximizing reading comprehension skills
in In-Company
Classrooms
by CARLA BOSSUS
Sponsored by:
Universidad del Centro
Educativo Latinoamericano |
Are you sure your students of Business English enjoy conventional reading stuff? In-company reading techniques may shift from a mere traditional course of action to a lively tool to reach goals.
This workshop will focus on maximizing students’ reading and communication skills as well as their cultural background. Also, it will show how classical literature may aid in fighting back language fossilization and exploring new fields of vocabulary often unknown to the student of Business English. |
What’s in a shoe?
by GUSTAVO GONZALEZ
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination
Syndicate |
I will demonstrate through lots of varied activities how something as simple as a shoe may cater for all our teaching needs. Songs and movies, used in productive, goal-oriented tasks through fun-loaded, engaging activities may be one way of getting things going, as they provide us with the elements we need to make our classes memorable.
In order to do so, I will start the workshop with a song so as to break the ice that will also get the audience in the mood for this workshop. By asking questions which will involve the participants both emotionally and intellectually, I will cover areas of vocabulary as well as some grammar issues. The idea behind these activities is to show that every little thing we need to teach may be lying in wait in those songs, movies and TV programs we come across every day.
Shoe-related songs carefully chosen will serve this purpose and I will use them to do different listening and speaking activities. Thought-provoking chunks from TV programs and movies, which will appeal to the audience visually and emotionally, will be shown to trigger discussion and help develop critical thinking.
The aim of this hands-on workshop is to spend 90 minutes of fun with a clear task in mind: to provide participants with ready-to-use activities and most importantly, to appeal to their own creativity so that they can start designing their own exercises, which will complement any textbook any time! |
The use of authentic material in the classroom: pluses and minuses
by ANA KUCKIEWICZ
Sponsored by:
Anglia Examination Syndicate |
Over recent years we have witnessed an increasing concern on the part of EFL teachers and educators with the communicative functioning of language and the use of authentic language data in their daily activities. In this workshop we will analyse the concept of authenticity, how this concept is reinvented by the interaction of the reader/hearer, the text and the writer/speaker, and how we can help our students to establish an authentic relation with a piece of discourse. We will also discuss the fact that too exclusive a concern for authentic language can lead to a disregard of methodological principles. That is why we will look into some pedagogical tasks such as the appropriate selection and process of the material we will use in the classroom. We will finally discuss the concepts of simplification as a pedagogic technique and eventually as a learning strategy.
This is meant to be a workshop, where participants will be presented first with some theoretical concepts, and then they will have plenty of opportunities to interact with the lecturer and the other participants. They will be presented with some challenging questions and activities that will aim to reconsider their beliefs on this topic. Finally we will analyse some pieces of simplified material that is available in the market, and some instances of simplification produced by real students as a strategy for communication. |
Motivation and learning success
by VIVIANA RONDINA
Sponsored by:
William Shakespeare,
School of English
Instituto "Cervantes" |
The relationship between neurosciences and education can provide important clues in relation to learning processes, and neurosciences can collaborate with pedagogy to provide some of the necessary tools for improving teaching methods. Insights about how the human brain works and the way motivation may enhance performance is of outmost relevance to anyone concerned with the teaching profession, principally to those educators willing to increase understanding of the links between biological proclivities and opportunities, between behaviour and outcomes. |
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