IATEFL Slovenia Conference Report 2023

This year’s 28th International IATEFL Slovenia Conference took place in a cosy corner of the country, Moravske Toplice. It offered, as the conference programme promised, “lots of mingling, self-care and an abundance of exceptional workshops.” The motto of the conference was Teaching – only for the Brave. There were almost 90 sessions for 300 participants to choose from, with a great variety of topics – media literacy, teaching culture, learning apps, games, grammar, critical thinking, AI and many more. The conference rooms were aptly and inspirationally named after Atwood, Tolkien, Gaiman, Dahl and Shakespeare. Every single evening was a truly social evening, with Jeremy Harmer singing, dancing, a pub quiz and a swimming pool open until midnight on day one. Participants could also register for different massages as well as chocolate making workshops. This holistic approach to teachers’ wellbeing is definitely something to aspire to. I left with a head full of ideas, some new friendships and lovely memories.

Fun/Interesting fact: Students taking matura are obliged to read a novel in English. Those at a basic level talk about it during the oral exam, the advanced students get questions during the speaking exam and write an essay as well. That is why some of the conference sessions focused exclusively on how to work with these books in language classes.

Something to share: I have found these 2 lists of fantastic challenges for both teachers and students in the conference materials. I hope you find something on the list to inspire you.