Plenary speakers

An IATEFL member for nearly 50 years, I examine differences and similarities between then and now – for teachers, students, and the learning environment.  What has propelled changes? Which changes have been enduring?  Does the intersubjective space created by teachers and students of EFL resemble the one I first encountered in the 1970s?  Are there lessons to be learnt from this?

About Catherine:
Catherine Walter (she/her) is a teacher educator, researcher and materials developer, and an advocate for diversity, equality and inclusion in education. She has worked with teachers in many countries, and was a member of the British Council’s English Language Advisory Group for twenty years. ELT materials to which Catherine has contributed as adviser or co-author include the vintage Cambridge English Course (CUP); and more recently, the Navigate course series and The Oxford English Grammar Course (OUP). She is an Emeritus Fellow in Applied Linguistics at Linacre College, University of Oxford; a UK National Teaching Fellow; and a Past President of IATEFL.

How do we learn? Why do some strategies work, and others don’t? This plenary session provides an overview of the most effective learning strategies identified by research in cognitive psychology. The session will explore the latest  cutting-edge research findings and their implications for teaching practice. Through interactive demonstrations, the conference delegates will not only discover but also experience these strategies, and leave the session with new teaching ideas to enhance student learning outcomes.

About Carolina:
Dr Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow, an expert in applying Cognitive Psychology to education, and an enthusiastic science communicator. She leads the TILE Network and is part of the Learning Scientists. She obtained her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Mannheim and pursued postdoc positions at York University in Toronto and the Center for Integrative Research in Cognition, Learning, and Education at Washington University in St. Louis. Before joining the University of Glasgow, she was a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Dundee. She has delivered workshops and talks on research-informed teaching worldwide. Carolina is convinced that psychological research should serve the public and engages in scholarly outreach activities. She is passionate about teaching and aims to provide her students with the best learning experience possible.  Visit linktr.ee/drckt for resources and contact details.

Language teachers are sometimes described as having a difficult relationship with classroom research. This plenary explores how the underlying reasons for this are related to who owns the research process, its relevance for teachers and learners, and the way research is conceptualised. We will examine how rethinking what research consists of can empower teachers to be owners of the process on their terms, for their professional needs, and in ways that are relevant to their contexts, learners and practice.

About Daniel:
Daniel Xerri is an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at the University of Malta and the Chairperson of the ELT Council. He is the author of many publications on a range of issues in English language education. www.danielxerri.com

TBLT is a well-established, research-backed pedagogy regarded highly by students and stakeholders alike. Yet it remains a minority approach in ELT and is under- or misrepresented in coursebooks and training programmes, leaving many teachers unsure about whether or how to adopt it. This plenary sets out to explore why and attempts the uphill task of making a case for TBLT.

About Neil:
Neil McMillan has been teaching English and training teachers for over 20 years in Scotland, Spain, Central America and Asia. In 2014, he co-founded the innovative language services cooperative Serveis Lingüístics de Barcelona, through which he helped develop and run an online training course on Task-Based Language Teaching. Neil has long been a practitioner and advocate of task-based approaches and in recent years he has worked on introducing task-based programmes to vocational training contexts across Europe, and conducted research on teacher education for TBLT, task-based needs analysis and task design. He is currently employed at the University of Glasgow, where he works as an EAP lecturer on a transnational education partnership with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

11-year-old Alicia will reflect on her experiences as a child activist with Kids Against Plastic, offering insights into how it has shaped her view of the world. Alicia will pose five burning questions for educators, challenging  them to rethink traditional approaches to education and empower the next generation to address  real-world issues like the climate crisis. Harry will then propose potential answers to her thought-provoking questions. 

About Alicia and Harry:
Alicia has been involved in climate activism since the age of seven. She joined Kids Against Plastic and hasn’t looked back. Her recent campaign to collect one million pieces of litter led her to be invited to speak at both the world retail congress and ChangeNOW in Paris. She is passionate about learning more about how she can make a difference in the world and would love to be helped by the education system she is a part of. She loves playing football and her favourite ice cream flavour is lemon and spearmint.
Harry wears many hats, both literally and figuratively. He's a multi-award-winning teacher trainer, a teacher, writer, climate activist, podcast host and a TEDx speaker. His journey into sustainability-driven education culminated in the inception of Renewable English, a platform merging language learning with environmental consciousness. While adorned with numerous professional hats, Harry’s down-to-earth nature and knack for environmentalism shine through. An advocate for sustainable practices, Harry finds joy in second-hand shirts and endeavours to weave sustainability into every aspect of education.