A First-Time Experience at the APPI Conference in Lisbon

Report by Marta Bujakowska

Thanks to the support of IATEFL Poland and APPI, I had the great pleasure of attending the APPI Conference in Lisbon for the first time this year — and what a rewarding experience it was!

Despite a small hiccup at the start (my name badge was misplaced by the organisers), I was warmly welcomed by everyone I met. The atmosphere was open and friendly, with nearly 800 educators from all over the world coming together to share insights, ideas, and inspiration. The sense of community was truly special.

The conference offered a rich programme of plenaries, talks, and workshops. Sandie Mourão delivered an outstanding plenary on the power and potential of picturebooks in language education. Gabriel Díaz Maggioli spoke about understanding and responding to students’ needs — a relevant topic, though the content felt familiar to many. Rose Aylett’s session was clearly well-prepared, and while the reading style made it a bit harder to engage with fully, it nonetheless added to the thoughtful tone of the event.

The real highlight for me was Boglárka Spissich’s exceptional talk on teenagers’ attention spans — a timely and insightful presentation that struck a perfect balance between research and practical application. I left her session full of ideas I can use straight away.

Other notable sessions included excellent practical talks by Rebecca Place and Ana Demitroff, both of whom offered valuable classroom-ready ideas. Shawn Severson’s interactive workshop was engaging and hands-on, and Annie Altamirano reminded us of the magic of storytelling in education with her inspiring session. The Tallman Theatre rounded out the programme with an entertaining and clever performance that brought not only smiles but loud laughter all around.

My return journey turned out to be quite the adventure due to a widespread blackout in Portugal, which resulted in my flight being cancelled. While I arrived home much later than planned, I felt incredibly happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to attend such a dynamic and welcoming event.

Many thanks again to IATEFL Poland and APPI for making this experience possible. I hope we’ll continue to strengthen the ties between our organisations and keep exchanging knowledge, ideas, and support in the future.