webinars

This webinar explores the balance between structure and flexibility in lesson planning. It covers the importance of warm-up exercises to engage students and how to effectively begin a lesson. The core focus is on creating a fixed lesson framework while remaining adaptable to student needs and unexpected circumstances. Participants will learn how to prepare well yet remain flexible to adjust in real-time for better learning outcomes.

The importance of public speaking skills as one of the main “soft skills” cannot be underestimated. However, the process of developing them is not as easy as it might seem and therefore our students need to be guided and supported at every consecutive stage. In this experience-based workshop, we will begin by reviewing some strategies, methods and techniques used by the author while facilitating the development of these skills and then brainstorm ideas with the participants to collect some interesting insights and create a synergy effect. Self-expression, both in professional and personal career is possible, so let’s help our students express themselves! Keywords: public speaking, content versus form, speaking competencies, in/effective speakers, skills’ development, areas of concern.

The way we deal with the mistakes that students make when they speak and the kinds of questions we ask about the language in our coursebooks are two crucial – and often overlooked – areas of teaching. This workshop will consider how we can do more teaching with less material and how our students can become our most valuable resource.

Embracing the challenges of teaching listening to students of all levels, teachers have to be creative in searching for ways to make lessons productive and effective. We often ask ourselves, „How can I help students decode what they hear? How to teach listening so that students actually HEAR? How to empower learners and aid their communication?”. In this workshop, we will discuss ways to empower learners and aid their communication, help decode not just words, but also context, tone, and intent, enabling them to grasp the full spectrum of spoken English, and preparing them for real-life interactions. Participants will discover strategies to teach listening lexically, engage students through active listening exercises, develop critical thinking and mediation skills, and use affordances for language development. Starting with identifying potential difficulties with teaching listening, we shall proceed to finding solutions to empower and challenge learners. We shall continue with the discussion of how to design effective lessons so that students can see their progress and notice improvement. Participants will be provided with tools for developing listening skills as well as encouraged to debate on the usage of AI technology. All of the activities are easily adapted for any age group. No prior knowledge is required. The session will be beneficial for teachers who are looking for ways to teach listening lexically, effectively, and naturally, thus improving students’ learning outcomes.

Adult language learners often see progress through the lens of language proficiency levels. They focus on consuming more in the language they are learning being sure it is the only way to succeed. What if we offer them another option?
In this webinar we will be looking at how trainers can help learners to shift their focus from language learning to mastering communication. We will explore resources and techniques that make the move to communication both valid and engaging.

This webinar explores practical strategies for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to students with ADHD and dyslexia. Participants will gain insights into the unique challenges these learners face, such as difficulties with focus, working memory, and decoding text. The session will cover effective classroom management techniques, multisensory teaching methods, and tools to enhance engagement and comprehension. Emphasis will be placed on creating an inclusive environment that fosters confidence and celebrates progress. Teachers will leave with actionable strategies to support their students’ language learning journey while addressing their specific needs.

This webinar will explore how to leverage the power of close reading and summarization to foster deeper learning and critical thinking skills in the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classroom. It will dive into practical strategies for engaging ESP students in analyzing authentic texts related to their specific field, extracting key information, and forming well-supported interpretations.

In a recent discussion, a teacher made this comment, “Now that I’ve finished my teacher training, I know how to teach. But I still don’t know how to be a teacher.” This talk is in part a response to that comment, which goes to the heart of teacher education. The results of an informal inquiry asking experienced teachers to recall a teacher from their past who they had particularly admired, liked and respected and to list the factors which led them to this conclusion. Overwhelmingly, it was personal qualities which dominated – of the five main characteristics only one referred to professional expertise. I shall suggest that acquisition or developing these human characteristics is not susceptible to formal training and suggests a number of possible ways teacher educators can help teachers to acquire indirectly some of what seem to be desirable qualities – activities teachers can do alone and activities they can do with the support of others.