“You’re a Genius!” – A Report on 43rd Annual International TESOL France Colloquium “Embracing Change”

by Urszula Majdańska-Wachowicz (IATEFL POLAND REPRESENTATIVE)

The 43rd Annual International TESOL France Colloquium, titled “Embracing Change,” was held in Paris at the Cité Scolaire Internationale Honoré-de-Balzac (118 Bd Bessières, Paris). It was an enriching experience for educators and experts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Over three days, the convention provided a platform for sharing ideas and best practices in English language teaching. Prior to the colloquium, attendees had the opportunity to learn more about the speakers through teaser videos (available on the TESOL FRANCE YouTube channel). This pre-conference initiative was a great way for the audience to understand what to expect and to select sessions that interested them. For me, it was my first attempt at creating a spontaneous teaser. Additionally, attendees could learn about this year’s plenary speakers and listen to their podcasts (available here: Strumieniuj treści użytkownika TESOL France | Słuchaj online odcinków podcastów bezpłatnie w serwisie SoundCloud). I believe this is another valuable resource, especially for revisiting specific parts of the sessions. I plan to take advantage of the podcasts in my university classroom while working with pre-service teachers, as I find the plenary talks and interviews fascinating.

Now, let me describe the plenary talks. The first amazing lecture, titled “Empowering Minds: Integrating Positive Education and Mental Health Literacy into Language Teaching,” was given by Prof. Alicja Gałązka. She examined how educators could shift their roles from traditional instructors to proactive advocates for student well-being by applying principles and strategies from positive psychology. It is because positive education teaches skills and knowledge to prevent illbeing and promote wellbeing. The key components of positive education are: agency, safety, positivity, inclusion, respect, and equity. A follow-up was a talk by Terry Small who gave some hints of what to expect during his session held the very next day. The talk was titled “Engaging the Brain – Using Brain Science to Improve Learning.” The speaker claimed that research had a lot to say about the brain and learning. The abstract stated, “This session will be lively, humorous, and interactive. You will leave with new knowledge and many eye-opening ideas that will make this year different for you and your students.” I completely agreed! “The Brain Guy” delivered a charismatic talk with a brain model as a prop. “You’re a genius” was a recurring phrase during this session, repeated by each participant with a smile as they addressed someone sitting next to them. We are indeed geniuses, as this simply means the art of non-habitual thinking. A closing plenary session by Varinder Unlu was titled “Navigating the Evolution: Embracing Change in Teacher Identity.” It focused on the factors that influence teacher identity in a constantly changing educational landscape. I appreciated the reflective questions posed by the speaker which prompted me to reconsider what constitutes my identity as a teacher.

            In addition to the plenary sessions, there were seminars held simultaneously every hour from 10:00 AM to 7:15 PM on Saturday and from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday. Each seminar focused on a different area of interest, resulting in a total of 46 sessions, along with  3 plenary talks, as indicated in the programme. Here are some of the sessions I attended:

Rachel Paling: “Teacher Wellbeing, Resilience, and Coaching” –

Rachel Paling discussed how neuroscience can enhance wellbeing and how coaching can positively impact learning. She highlighted that understanding our own emotions and building resilience as teachers can help foster resilience in our classrooms. Her book, “Brain Friendly Grammar: Neurolanguage Coaching”, is now on my reading list.

Mark Daubney: “Harnessing Emotions in the TESOL Classroom” – 

In this presentation, Mark Daubney emphasized the significance of emotions in the classroom and provided teachers with various activities and strategies to promote greater engagement in TESOL settings.

Gabi Widurek: “Beyond Textbooks: Building Business English Skills with Corpus” –

Gabi Widurek illustrated how engaging with corpora can enhance Business English teaching methodologies.

Adriana Bocu: “Accents” Debunking the Myth” – 

Adriana Bocu addressed the origins of accents and stressed the importance of valuing accent diversity, which is essential for appreciating human expression and preserving cultural heritage.

Gabriella Kovács, Tremonisha Putros, Chris Richards, and Vicki Plant also held a roundtable discussion, „Conventional and Innovative Approaches Supporting Teacher and Learner Wellbeing,” which explored how both conventional and innovative approaches could support teacher and learner well-being.           

I proudly represented IATEFL Poland at the colloquium. My presentation, titled “Live in the Present in My Live Lesson,” was designed as an interactive workshop. It featured a ready-made lesson plan aimed at revising present tenses in an engaging and personalized manner, promoting a “carpe diem” attitude that embraces living in the moment and emphasizes positive education. I would like to thank the lovely audience who participated by enthusiastically taking on the role of students.

Between the talks, there was time for socializing,  networking, and exploring poster sessions.

To sum up, The TESOL FRANCE 2024 Colloquium was an inspiring event, full of high-quality sessions, meaningful discussions, and practical takeaways. I am thankful for all the conversations I’ve had and every session I attended. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to TESOL France for organising this colloquium. After the conference, my mood was like the twinkling Eiffel Tower—filled with light, optimism, and excitement.

Thank you IATEFL POLAND and TESOL FRANCE!

BIO:

Urszula Majdańska-Wachowicz holds a PhD in Linguistics, an MA in English, and an MA in Polish and Journalism. She is a researcher, English teacher, and teacher-trainer, currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Modern Languages at Zielona Góra University. Additionally, she teaches English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Bolesława Krzywoustego in Głogów. Since 2016, Ula has been a speaker at IATEFL Poland international conferences and has conducted numerous live online lessons for IATEFL Poland. Together with Magdalena Kaźmierkiewicz, she is a co-founder and coordinator of the IATEFL Poland project „From Pre-Service into In-Service: Professional Development for Professionals-to-Be.” Ula has represented IATEFL Poland at: the ETAI Summer Conference in Israel (2022), the 45th TESOL Greece Convention (2024), and the 43rd TESOL France Annual International Colloquium (2024). She was also awarded a scholarship to participate in an 84-hour ELT methodology course organized by SOL, titled “Good Teaching Practices in and Outside the English Classroom,” held in Barnstaple, Devon. Throughout her career, she has presented 48 times at linguistic congresses and TEFL conventions both in Poland and abroad. To learn more about Ula’s research, you can visit her ORCID: 0000-0002-3004-082. She has recently published a research book titled „Recenzja muzyczna jako gatunek wypowiedzi. Ujęcie kontrastywne, Zielona Góra 2024 („A Contrastive Genre-Based Music Review Study”).