The Future of English Language Teaching Conference

Saturday 10 June, 2023

Current time in London (UK)

Please note: All breakout sessions are running on a first come, first served basis.

 

Breakout sessions 5

14:45 - 15:30 (UK time)

 

Select a breakout session below to reveal more details and to access the button to join.

 

In recent years, the focus of feedback studies has shifted from teachers’ comments to students’ reception (Panadero and Lipnevich, 2022). Feedback has been termed as a co-constructed set of strategies generated in reaction to surrounding elements (Panadero et al., 2018: Yan et al, 2022), which make students “elicitors” of feedback (Joughin, et al., 2021). As Vygotsky argues in his socio-cultural theory (1978), meaningful interactions can lead to improved performance. The repetition and incidence of  comparative practices to seek feedback can lead to a more refined and independent kind of self-regulation, which is proved to enhance work (Carless, 2019), but it is crucial to make these practices explicit in students’ self-reviewing and self-monitoring processes in feedback literate students.  Feedback literacy is not a stative value and should be practised to achieve higher levels of feedback fluency.


The value of comparisons with exemplars will be showcased as opposed to teachers' provision of feedback comments. 
What I am proposing is that  the iteration of comparisons of student drafts to exemplars  can be highly beneficial for students and can help them find gaps, shortcomings and salient differences between their work and that of others. This will lead to more refined practices in self- regulation, self- monitoring and feedback elicitation, as opposed to receiving feedback comments from teachers solely. It can be stated that students can bridge the gap between their present capabilities and the result desired, by analising these differences and engaging in actions to enhance their work after comparisons. In addition, these practices can enhance critical thinking and self- directed learning. Additionally, by moving away from providing teacher comments, teacher time can be better utilised. 

 

Karina Cicero

 

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Are you ready to introduce a learner-centred approach but you’re not sure where to start? In this talk I’ll show you my process for designing student inquiries for the primary classroom. Using my own models, I’ll demonstrate how to plan and set up your own inquiry and provide useful tips on how to get started with this flexible, inclusive approach.

Inquiry-based learning is a learner-centred approach which puts the student at the heart of the learning process. An inquiry is centred around the learner’s existing knowledge and curiosity, making lessons highly engaging and with clear progression. However, this approach requires a carefully designed and scaffolded plan to ensure it meets core standards and the learning objectives in a syllabus. This talk will demonstrate the design process for planning an inquiry suitable for learners with different skills and competencies. 

We'll begin with a brief introduction to inquiry-based learning, why it is an effective approach, and an overview of the steps in the inquiry process.

Then we'll look at how to:

a) choose topics for inquiry and identify possible language areas
b) weave learning objectives into the inquiry plan
c) plan and design tasks to guide the inquiry
d) consider a variety of resources
e) provide differentiation and scaffolding

Model inquiries will illustrate each area and provide practical examples of what an inquiry might look like in the ELT primary classroom. Finally, I’ll share useful tips to help participants introduce more learner autonomy in a scaffolded way so that learners gradually develop the skills to take a more central role in guiding the inquiry.

 

Michelle Worgan

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It would be unusual for someone who keeps abreast of the news not to have heard of OpenAI’s release last year of ChatGPT and the ensuing consternation in educational circles over the role that such artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are playing and could play in the near future.

In this talk, I will explore both AI’s current role in ELT as well as the opportunities and implications for the (near) future. The focus will be on three distinct but interrelated areas of ELT activity: Teaching (including teacher training and education); Publishing (materials creation and distribution); and Assessment (formative and summative, high-stakes and low-stakes). The exploration will be conducted in part through the lens of Activity Theory, which is a useful heuristic enabling the identification of tensions and contradictions within activity systems. The lens will be adjusted to encompass micro (e.g. classroom), meso (e.g. institutional) and macro (e.g. global) levels of activity.

Part 1 comprises a brief introduction to artificial intelligence and its subset of machine learning (ML) and how they have developed historically up to the present; Part 2 will describe examples of how ELT practitioners are currently employing AI and ML technologies (examples will also be taken from general education and non-ELT fields where there are analogies with ELT); Part 3 will consider the opportunities and implications for the future, including the corporatisation of teaching and assessment tools and materials, and the possible consequences for human teacher and ELT professional agency.

The audience will leave with a clearer understanding of the nature of AI and ML and their current uses in ELT, and be more aware of the future opportunities  - and threats - for ELT. They will be better able to critically evaluate utopian and dystopian viewpoints.

 

Mark Osborne

 

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Finlay (2008) defines reflective practice as ‘learning through and from experience towards gaining new insights of self and practice’. The process of reflection can be both a lonely and collaborative action. This concept has rapidly disseminated in the past years and raised concerns when it is imposed on professionals. Fostering positive results requires reflective practice to be introduced as a tool that encompasses self-awareness, reflection of practice and critical thinking that leads us to becoming life-long learners (Finlay, 2008). 


There are different models of reflection and each individual should be given the choice on which one fits best their context. As stated by Timperley (2008) “Context-specific approaches promote teaching practices that are consistent with the principles of effective teaching but also systematically assist teachers to translate those principles into locally adapted applications.”


As a result of the reflection process, the need to take a course, attend a conference, workshop or lecture, read a book or article, exchange best practices with colleagues, etc,  may come up. The choice is not simple as it is influenced by several factors. 


This workshop aims at exploring and  analyzing different models of reflection such as Kolb’s (1984), Gibbs’ (1998), Rolf´s (2001) and Schon’s (1991). Moreover, participants will reflect upon their own practice and choose which of the models might best fit their professional context so that they can become reflective practitioners and devise personalized and achievable goals that will positively impact their professional development. 

 

César Bizetto

 

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Overt Teaching argues that successful learning is dependent on learners being actively involved in the learning process. Not only do learners need to be aware of what they are learning and why, but their involvement in the discussion of their own success is critical.

In this talk, we will examine how effective aims and objectives are the first step in engaging students in the discussion of learning, and how this conversation can continue throughout your lesson, culminating in the creation and discussion of success criteria. You will learn to word your aims and objectives so they can be easily understood and discussed by learners. You will also learn to use these aims to create success criteria so learners can easily visualise and discuss success.

 

 David Byrne & Mark Heffernan

 

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