Welcome everyone to November’s version of our E-Bulletin. By the way, what does the ‘E’ stand for? Engaging, eloquent, enthralling, educational, exciting, enlightening?
E-BULLETIN NOVEMBER 2021
Peter Whiley Newsletter & E-Bulletin Editor
newsletter@iatefl.org.pl

Welcome everyone to November’s version of our E-Bulletin. By the way, what does the ‘E’ stand for? Engaging, eloquent, enthralling, educational, exciting, enlightening? Hopefully, all of those - and hopefully not, excruciating - but November is a time when things can go very quiet, it’s a Post-Conference period when you all get ‘stuck into’ your classroom duties. You change the gears, as you begin to power your way to a satisfying momentum with your teaching programmes. IATEFL  Poland is similar. This can be seen with the launching of the 2021/2022 webinar programme. More about that in a while.

In this edition, we shall set some challenges for you, memory-related and mathematical, as our 30th Anniversary enters the second half of its year. As the November weather increases in its sharpness, hopefully, your brains will also be sharp, and you can conquer all inhibitions. We certainly would love to see a lively response to our survey. Read on……….

30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS:

IATEFL’s GREAT CONFERENCE SPEAKER SURVEY:

So far in our E-Bulletins, we have looked at the Association’s history, and key characters and developments, over IATEFL Poland’s thirty years of existence. One aspect has been clearly missing from the data, thus covered: the presentations given in those years (on average 150 per conference x 30), which equals 4,500 presentations, overall. The big question that arises is: ‘what has been the best presentation of all?’ I guess that most of you remember a few presentations very fondly. I can probably recall about ten that really stood out for me. As for one presentation, just one, being the ultimate best one? Yes, I think we can all manage to name one.

So, this is what we want you to do – name the best presentation you’ve ever witnessed at an IATEFL Poland Conference, along with the speaker and the title, if possible. Plus, the year and venue. It would look something like this:

Ewa Heavenly, (Paradise publishing)….Łódż 2007….Title: ‘Apple tasters for the classroom’.   Your name:  Adam Victimowicz.  No. of conferences - 24.

You can add a few words describing it if you wish, but the essential item is your nomination.

If you can only remember half of what you need…….don’t worry, we’ll figure the rest out. One final request: it would be helpful for our records, to know how many IATEFL Poland conferences you have attended. Certainly, we would love to have a special celebration with those who have attended all 30 conferences.

Over a number of years, especially the last decade, we have had polls on the best speakers (Foreign and Polish). That could be the starting point for you, in your quest to restore your memory. Anna Rogalewicz-Gałucka at office@iatefl.org.pl may well be able to help.

Please send your speaker nomination to: newsletter@iatefl.org.pl asap. Results will be announced in December’s E-Bulletin.

OUR AIMS: **Once the data has been collected and votes counted, the best speaker will be announced, and we hope that the speaker, if still alive, will re-deliver the magical presentation at the 2022 Conference.

**If we have a few members who have been members since 1991, we would like to arrange a special function/meeting with them.

WEBINAR PROGRAMME:

The academic year, 2021-2022, has started already, and the new webinar programme is in full cry, on a weekly basis, at the moment. As I write this, there will be a webinar on the 10th, but of course, if you miss it, you can see the recording at your pleasure, via our archive of webinars. The speaker we welcome is Jeff Aristy, one of a few fresh faces, who will enliven the webinar series. Jeff’s webinar has the colourful title: ‘Teaching Fierce in the Classroom’, which reminds me of Michelle Pfeiffer, who starred as a Martial Arts expert, turned into teacher, in ‘Dangerous Minds’. However, Jeff is a bit different, I suspect. You will need to see the webinar for yourself, to find out the full meaning behind ‘Fierce teaching’.

Officially, the blurb behind Jeff’s topic stresses the value and focus on working on critical soft skills, as they are growing in importance within the corporate world.  A New Yorker, Jeff is the Founder and Managing Director of Big Apple Business, a Consulting company based in Munich, Germany. A Master Fierce Facilitator, he employs accredited trainers and coaches in Fierce conversations, an award-winning people management concept.

On the 17th of November, (20.30-21.30), we will have another business-oriented webinar, this time from Oksana Hera, who will present: ‘The Benefits of Workplace Language Training’. An Intercultural Communications Trainer, Oksana will invite her audience to explore a section of learners’ profiles, to reflect on how Business English trainers can help them, effectively. She will use examples from IT industry, and cover on-line communications and intercultural challenges, as well as general English elements, that can be incorporated when teaching English to adults.

Oksana, who hails from Lviv, Ukraine, will overall focus on showing the impact of language training on our learners’ careers and well-being, and feels it can be profound.

Holding an MA in Linguistics, and a Business Cultural Trainers’ Certificate, plus a CELTA, her main quest in life is to enhance in-company training and learners’ motivation, helping professionals to improve their communications in teams.

I think you will agree that Oksana and Jeff are welcome additions to our Business English team of presenters. We wish them well on their IATEFL Poland debuts.

Productive relations with the US Department of State in Europe:

As a result of our strong links with the US Department of State in Europe, we have hosted webinar sessions by some of their language specialists, such as Willow Barnowsky and Emily Clark. On November the 10th, their language school agency, New English Teaching World, presented from their RELO (Regional English Language Office) base in Tallinn, a webinar involving another of their specialists, Pamela Johnson. Using Zoom, and Facebook, Warsaw teachers were recipients of the live session in the afternoon (4pm).

The event offered teachers an opportunity to assess, via a Panel discussion, the likely consequences of a post-pandemic world for teachers. Pamela Johnson chaired the meeting, with her panel consisting of: Lottie Baker, US Embassy (Kiev); Jenn Uhler, US Embassy (Tallinn/Moscow);  and Kevin McCaughey, US Embassy (Belgrade). The title of the session was: ‘Building a New English Teaching World’.

A teacher-trainer and learning consultant, Pamela presents at conferences on best practices and the realities of using technology in the classroom. She has an MS Ed. in TESOL, from the University of Pennsylvania, and has worked in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Pamela was also formerly an Apple Education Trainer and Google Certified Trainer. So, as you can see, RELO possesses a talented, well-qualified team, and one eager to link up with organisations, such as IATEFL Poland.

30th Anniversary – Special Task Attendance Challenge:

Here is a task, a challenge, to test your mathematical skills. We’ve mentioned earlier, the best speakers at our 30 conferences, but what about the reverse situation – the number of people attending the 30 conferences? Can you work out how many have come to them?  If you look in the right places, you will find the official figures. Then, you need some careful addition skills, to arrive at the total number. When you have done that as well as you can, send me your estimated total number to:  newsletter@iatefl.org.pl and pray that you win! The closest answer to my total will be declared the victor, and receive a prize…..announcement to be made in the December E-Bulletin. If your mathematical skills are weak, you can always gamble with a shrewd guess. Let’s have some fun as December approaches.

HOT NEWS OFF THE PRESSES!

27/11, Saturday …9.30-11.45 am  …..Zoom/Free of charge.

IATEFL Poland Gdańsk Region: invites you to an on-line webinar session with a Q+A plus discussion -  ‘How to bring the real world into our EFL classes?’

Edyta Borowicz-Czuchryta, a Globe Teacher Award winner in September 2021, will share some of her amazing experiences in bringing the real world into EFL classes. The presentation will be followed by a Q+A plus discussion. The session will provide the opportunity to exchange ideas, as well as examples of good practice between participants. If you are looking for inspiration, please join us! 

Edyta Borowicz-Czuchryta is a Primary School teacher at Szczekarków in Poland, and a lecturer at the College of Social and Natural Sciences in Lublin, in the field of English-language BA Tourism and Hospitality Management, and Business Management. Also, an Ambassador for the E-Training Programme, she runs training sessions and workshops for teachers in the country and abroad. She has applied her didactic skills at the Teaching English to Young Learners course at the University of Maryland, receiving a scholarship from the American Embassy. She possesses many other awards, including the recent Global Teacher Award.

Interested in attending the event?  Registration is:  https://tiny.pl/9w124

Contact: Małgorzata Bukowska-Ulatowska at: gdansk.region@iatefl.org.pl

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

DECEMBER’S FORTHCOMING WEBINARS:

  1. HUGH DELLAR: Wednesday the 1st - (20.30-21.30)….
    ‘Teaching Spoken English means more grammar – not less!’
  2. GEOFF TRANTER: Wednesday the 8th - (20.30-21.30)….
    ‘Not only funny ideas for Christmas.’
  3. ROB HOWARD: Wednesday the 15th -  (20.30-21.30)….

A host of goodies, there, in December for you…..look at the main website for further news about these webinars.

That’s all for now, take care, and make the most of the webinar opportunities!

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

contact: newsletter@iatefl.org.pl

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