This year's pre-season seminar/workshop was held on Saturday 22nd June 2019 at Ace English Malta and was attended by around 120 members.
The workshops were as follows:
First session - 9.15- 11.00
Alan Marsh: Imagine That! How can we use learner drawings to enable them to perceive difficult grammatical concepts (e.g. the present perfect) in novel ways? We’ll also be looking at how we can use student drawings to help reluctant speakers to launch into creative speaking fluency activities. So come along and draw (stick figures are fine!) to look, listen and speak.
Corinne Vella: Teaching 1-1 students? How and why it’s not scary! Has your DOS approached you about 1-1 students? Do you find the prospect scary? Intimidating? Unwelcome for some reason you cannot pinpoint? During this session, I will share with you an amalgam of tips, helpful insights into understanding your students and their needs, and suggestions as to how you can cater for your unique student’s needs.
Matt Done: When lexis meets grammar (this replaced the previously advertised session by Jean Sciberras) While we often teach lexis and grammar separately, the truth is that they are closely related. This session will offer practical ideas on how to highlight this to students, and hopefully, give an overall boost to their ability to use both!
Jean Theuma: So many questions, so little time There seem to be so many types of questions: open, closed, multiple choice, instruction checking, concept checking, and the list goes on. In this session, we will explore the role of asking a question, the importance of waiting for a reply and the art of reacting to a student’s response through a series of question-related activities.
Second session - 11.30 - 13.15
Alan Marsh: Six of the Best Here are six ideas for focusing on and practising language points in the classroom. What do they have in common? They involve an element of creativity, they’re all templates that can be used with other language points, they’re all linked to the practice of other skills, and learners find them highly effective and engaging – and so do teachers!
Aleksandar Mitovski: TO-infinitives and beyond gerunds Are you looking for fresh takes on how to teach TO-infinitives and gerunds? In this workshop you’ll be introduced to a few practical ideas: activities that encourage interaction and communication, a bit of poetry, and, perhaps, some outside-the-box thinking! The activities are highly adaptable, and will make your students boldly go where they haven’t dared to go before!
Adrian Theuma: Maximising the Power of Inspirational Videos in the ELT Classroom (this replaced the previously advertised session by Sigo Gatt ) Have you ever wanted to use an inspiring video in class but couldn’t figure out how to incorporate it? Have you ever shied away from using a valid video in case students think it’s “not a real lesson”? Do you want to use an uplifting video but are worried your low-level students will struggle with the authentic language? In this session, Adrian will explore 3 mixed-skills lessons built around TEDTalks and discuss the application of authentic videos at any level, from Elementary to Advanced. Jean Theuma: Escape the English Classroom Do you like critical thinking and problem-solving? Do you like escape rooms or you want to try one? Then come along to this workshop where I demonstrate a full reading and speaking lesson using escape room activities.
Justyna Rogers: Practical Speaking Activities Why do EFL students come to Malta? Because they want to speak in English! So how do we teach them and help them improve their oral skills? What methods do we use to improve their accuracy or fluency - or perhaps we should work on both at the same time? How can we make our speaking lessons engaging and interesting? And what can we do if we run out of ideas?