Hi, everyone, and welcome to June’s edition of IATEFL Poland’s E-Bulletin. As optimism rises globally, regarding a return to a better life, and the containment of Coronavirus,  IATEFL Poland is gearing up for an on-line event, replacing our usual conference, in September. To preserve the traditional concept of an Annual Conference, we are calling the planned on-line version: ‘IATEFL PL ON-LINE MEET-UP 2020’.  The main theme will be: ‘High Tech – A Teachers’ Promised Land’. It’s all very exciting, and IATEFL Poland’s Executive Committee have arranged a 2-day package which should appeal to everyone. We just need some brave presenters to step forward and provide us all with the usual high-quality of presentations. We also just need a proficient language studio, from which, we can ‘broadcast’ essentially, a series of webinars, plus other activities over the two days, e.g. interviews, quizzes, panel discussions, etc. – on Friday the 18^th, and Saturday, the 19^th , of September.  Read on for more IATEFL Poland news……….and find out who are the first-named keynote speakers.

‘IATEFL PL ON-LINE MEET-UP 2020’

The ‘Call for Papers’ is up-and-running, and speakers have a deadline for their proposals…..that’s very close now!  Whilst the usual list of topics is suggested, presenters may prefer to opt for ‘Lektor High-Tech’ (use of e-learning and new technologies in foreign languages in foreign languages’ teaching and learning).  If you would like to offer a presentation, talk, or workshop, please fill in the on-line Speaker’s Proposal Form: https://iatefl.org.pl and then, https://iatefl.org.pl/conference/ Presentation options are as follows:-  **Plenary – on-line (45 minutes); Talk – on-line (45 minutes); Workshop – on-line (45 minutes), but it must include active audience participation through experiencing and discussing tasks provided by the workshop facilitator; Lesson – on-line (45 minutes) – workshop with real learners (various age groups). Lessons are observed by the participants of the meet-up; and finally, Advanced lessons for teachers (45 minutes) – a workshop with the active participation of teachers – participants of the event who would like to polish up their English. 

BRIEF SUMMARY: 

How does the Meet-Up compare with the Conference? Well, it lacks an Entertainment Programme for both evenings, but some entertainment could still be organised. Will there be a Happy Hour? Yes. The Publishers will work out the best way of conveying their latest publications and best offers.  The structure of the event will be similar – sessions from early morning to 7.20 on the Friday and 5.30 on the Saturday. You’ll have to sort out your own lunch-time arrangements!  Sadly, there will be no National Speaking Contest Grand Final – that competition has been put back till 2021. Workshops? Yes. Plenaries? Yes. Live lessons? Yes. Advanced Lessons for Teachers? Yes. Top-Quality Speakers? Yes.

Finally, the big news is the costs for you to take part in the Meet-Up. Much lower than for our Conferences. I personally think they are too low (Ed.), but 2020 is a drastic year in every way. Early Payment for Members will be 80 zł, and Late Payment: 120 zł. For non-members – the cost will be 120 zł (early payment) and 160 for (late payment). These prices compare very well with other organisations, and what they charge. Truly, a very generous gesture from IATEFL Poland’s Executive Committee, who have tried to provide you with a worthwhile, innovative event to compensate for the absence of the Annual Conference.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

We usually have a distinguished guest from IATEFL World, and 2020 will not be an exception. Dr. Gabriel Diaz Maggioli, Vice-President of IATEFL, will be our special guest, and he can list the following titles: Professor, TESOL Methods, Instituto de Profesores “Artigas”, plus an International Educational Consultant.  It will be his first visit to Poland, as far as we know, so we hope he enjoys his stay with us.

EXPRESS PUBLISHING: (2 speakers):

‘First out-of-the-blocks’, with confirmation of their presenters, Express Publishing have plumped for experience.  Steve Lever, a familiar face to many IATEFLers, has travelled the globe attending and presenting at conferences, and for us, he will provide a session titled: ‘Being More Productive’, and deal with difficult reading and writing skills. In his talk, he will look at selected aspects of speaking and writing that often go wrong at the higher levels, and suggest ways to help learners to avoid them.

The other presenter, Rachel Marie Paling, will be concerned with how the brain operates, and this is no surprise, as she is a Certified and Accredited Neuro-language Coach. Also, Director of Efficient Language Coaching Ltd., she was, in fact, the creator of Neuro-language Coaching, formulating the Neuro-language coaching method. She qualified as a lawyer in 2003, but decided to follow her instincts and pursue a teaching career, promoting her neuro-language passions. In Poland, she will present a talk, titled: ‘Why talk about the brain?’ and she sees neuro-language as the bridge from science to implementation of effective language learning. Understanding the brain is key to the progress of students. In her second session – ‘Brain-friendly Grammar’, a workshop, she will demonstrate how Coaching, a brain-friendly way of delivering grammar, is explored through stimulating conversations. No course books are used. Her aim is also to reveal that Coaching principles greatly influence how we communicate as educators.

MEET-UP footnotes:

It is hoped that a draft programme will be available from the beginning of July, as well as news of confirmed keynote Speakers.

Due to the pandemic, it will always be an event to remember, but we hope that it will be an event to remember for other reasons, too!

TRANSCRIPTS FOR THE MEET-UP:

More important than ever…..To reach the whole membership of IATEFL Poland and beyond, your ‘webinars’ will be precious material, and therefore, you should take the opportunity to send me your transcripts for the webinar, outlining what you intend to say, why, and what are the main points behind your presentation. Send by attachment (Word for Windows), not PDF, as your transcripts will probably need editing. How long should they be? Approximately 2-3 pages of A4, is the norm. You can include visual materials and photos, and accompanying the article for publication, I will need a bio-pic (80 words approx.), and a passport-sized photo. They are a must! Deadline for receiving your transcripts is the 10th of September. 2019’s Post-Conference Journal was excellent, with several top-class articles. Let’s keep those standards high!  Contact: newsletter@iatefl.org.pl

TESOL FRANCE: ‘Call for Papers’

Our friends at TESOL France are in a bit of a quandary right now, as they ponder whether or not to hold a live, in-person Conference in November, or an on-line one. By November, Covid-19 may have disappeared from the streets of Paris, or it may be making a comeback. Who knows? Whatever happens, TESOL France will not be deterred.

Their 39^th Annual International TESOL France Colloquium, in whichever format is decided, will be sub-titled: ‘Re-discover and Re-connect’, and will take place in Paris on the 20^th of November, and last till the 22^nd.  Fancy going? Their Call for Papers has been released, and the link is: https://www.tesol-france.org.en/call for papers.html   If you do apply, please notify our International Liaison officer, Marta Bujakowska, who may help you gain some funding for the trip, if you attend as IATEFL Poland’s Representative. If you have any queries about the event, contact Debbie West at: tesol-france-excom@googlegroups.com The main presenters will be: Thomas Farrell and Chia Suan Chong.  It will be a major coup for you to attend one of the most popular events in Europe, and be a speaker. Click on the link for a poster of the event……

An inspiring story from Estonia for these quarantined times:

A music teacher from Estonia, Eva Lisa Markus, contacted us to invite students from all over the world to join her online creativity class, which is being led by Anu Tahemaa. During the classes, Anu, Eva, and the children, discover together how to connect such simple activities as movement, rhythm, music, drama, drawing, or storytelling in an on-line environment. They also learn to communicate with each other, and the kids can meet children from all over the world.  For most children, English is a second language, and they attend English creativity classes to get practice language. Already, the course has attracted participants form Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, South Africa, Turkey, and Hong Kong. The classes will take place every Tuesday until the 9^th of June, 2020. There may well be some more in the future.

Anu Tahemaa’s interactive Creativity class offers a solution to those kids suffering from the restrictions of life caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She deals with kids from the ages of 7 to 14, who are Estonian or English-speaking. Communication via music, group work, and playful creative movement, is the ‘main course on the menu’. Anu had to overcome a crisis first of all, before arriving at the happy situation she is now in, as she was stuck in quarantine in Zurich, far away from her home-town, Tallinn.

The idea of teaching online creativity classes was sparked by the students of her Creativity hobby-group at Tallinn Rahumae School, who were worried about their Creativity group classes being cancelled indefinitely.  Anu realised that teachers were dealing with on-line classes, and thought that she should, therefore, try to respond to the challenge. The early classes were full of enthusiasm, and  it soon struck her that she could cross virtual borders. Success followed success, and children from Scotland, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland, and France were signing up for the classes. Eventually, there was enough scope to have  Estonian-speaking kids meet on Tuesdays, and English-speaking kids meet on Thursdays.

Would you like your children to join such international classes?  If yes, contact Anu at: anu@adproductions.ee     or through WhatsApp +3725058618

On-line Creativity Class with Anu Tahemaa in English: https://www.facebook.com/events/150998069572802/

Feedback from children to the creativity class and more info on the home page:

http://anutahemaa.com/events/creativity-loovustund

ON-LINE LEARNING: A REVIEW…..

How do you find on-line teaching? Exasperating? Exciting? Riddled with technical problems? A challenge? Stimulating? Stressful? A ‘piece of cake?’ Definitely Plan B? Something to work at and improve? I would like to ask a few, simple ‘do’ questions, and see what you think. Please send your replies to: newsletter@iatefl.org.pl

1. Do you enjoy teaching on-line?  …yes………  or  …no……… and why?
2. Do you prefer teaching face-to-face?
3. Do you encounter technical problems when teaching on-line?  If yes, what are they?
4. Do your students enjoy on-line lessons?
5. Do you think training can make you a much better on-line teacher?
6. Please add some comments about the experience of on-line teaching.

 ***I will show the results of the survey in the next E-Bulletin, and reveal what are teachers’ real opinions about on-line teaching.

“Masterful equipment is needed, mastery of the equipment, and then you can begin to dream about being a productive, dynamic on-line teacher. However, many problems emanate from the students’ side, especially poor equipment, microphones not working, weak connections, and lots of coming-and-going.” (Ed’s dark viewpoint).

That’s all for now, folks!  Register for the On-line Conference……….in the meantime. ;-)    

Peter Whiley…………(IATEFL Poland’s Post-Conference Journal and E-Bulletins Editor).