Annual conference and workshops

Approaching sustainability in the ELT classroom

Activities to equip learners with sustainability skills

Sarah Ellis is currently working as Senior Manager, Assessment Services, for Cambridge University Press and Assessment.  She is based in Bologna, Italy. Sarah is interested in Assessment, Learning & Professional Development and has an extensive background in teaching, teacher training, assessment and exam management. She has trained teachers on CELTA and DELTA courses and is currently is involved in the Cambridge professional development and teacher support programme which provides information, materials and support for teachers and academic directors. She is particularly interested in supporting teachers in developing digital skills and assessment literacy.

New ideas and activities for promoting youth engagement through collaborative projects

Donatella Fitzgerald – is a teacher, teacher trainer and trained to teach Mindfulness in Schools Project (from pre school to teens) and has completed Module 1 on the Teacher Training Pathway with the Mindfulness Network in collaboration with Bangor University . Her specialist interest are Extensive Reading Projects, CLIL, Citizenship, Mindfulness, Plurilingualism, Artificial Intelligence in Education.  In her current role as ELL Consultant at Pearson she works with teachers and students every day to find solutions to help them achieve their teaching and learning goals. In 2024 she was awarded an  MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the King’s Birthday Honours List for Services to English Education and Youth Engagement.

Developing soft skills in the ELT classroom

Nowadays, we have become so much more than mere language teachers. We have been entrusted with the privilege of preparing our students to become the future citizens of tomorrow. This implies teaching them life skills like self-knowledge, organisational, effective time management and teamwork skills. In this session, we will be taking a look at how we can tweak the coursebook to take learning English to the next level by teaching life and soft skills and engaging students to become the active citizens of tomorrow. Come along for a few good practical ideas to take into your classroom.

Vanessa Reis has been a passionate EFL teacher for the past 28 years and counting. She has taught English language learners from the ages of 3 to 60+. She currently teaches at Escola Superior de Educação in Porto, Portugal, where she teaches English language, literature and various subjects related to the methodology & didactics of teaching English. Vanessa divides her time between writing coursebooks, giving teacher training sessions around the world, teaching English and completing her Doctorate degree in the field of coursebook design, which is one of her many interests.

So…what will you do with what you have learnt? A framework for deep and actionable teacher learning in the age of cognitive overload

Silvana has worked in the field of English Language Teaching for 37 years as teacher, teacher educator, academic manager, inspector, and consultant. She has trained EFL, MFL, ESOL, EAL, CLIL and subject teachers, teacher educators and school leaders in the state and private sectors both in the UK and abroad, and has designed, taught and supervised courses and projects commissioned by Ministries of Education and national and international teaching associations. Silvana was visiting lecturer on English as an Additional Language at the Faculty of Education, Cambridge University, Director of the Bell Delta Online, Academic Director at Bell Teacher Campus and Bell Teacher Academy, and is a speaker in international conferences. She has written online materials, blogposts and articles for teachers and school leaders, has co-written two Cambridge papers in ELT with Scott Thornbury and Gabriel Diaz Maggioli, and is the author of the forthcoming book on Promoting Teacher Learning for Cambridge University Press and Assessment.

Release the pressure: Taking the tension out of our teenage classes

Anything and everything you do in a teens’ class will either add to or take away from the existing tension in the room. In this session I shall talk about how some of our default teaching techniques might add an unnecessary element of strain and I shall draw on ideas I have fielded over the last two decades to offer small tweaks and alternatives. There will be examples, anecdotes and photos from my own classes. Suitable for new and experience teachers alike.

Chris Roland is a trainer and methodology writer based in Seville. He has taught in the private language academy sector, mainstream schools and held posts with the British Council in Damascus and Barcelona. He is known on the international ELT conference circuit for his lively but practical talks on classroom techniques. He tutors on both Trinity Diploma and Cambridge DELTA courses. He has published a number of books through Pavilion including: Understanding Teenagers in the ELT Classroom (2018) and Structuring Fun for Young Learners (2020) with two more complementary titles to help teachers transition to online teaching. Chris’ current interests are: the dialogue between teachers and students, ways to reduce tension in the classroom and the lesson as an event in itself.

Navigating AI: Enhancing English Language Teaching

As teachers, we stand at the intersection of tradition and innovation. In this dynamic landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a powerful ally in the English language classroom. Join us as we explore how AI can transform teaching practices, personalize learning experiences, and empower both teachers and students in the continuously evolving education landscape.

Elisa Ronchi is a passionate language professional with an international background. She holds a degree in foreign languages and has several years of experience as an English teacher and communication specialist. Currently, Elisa serves as a Digital User Success Consultant for Oxford University Press, where she educates teachers on the effective use of OUP’s digital products and services. Her expertise extends to AI in English Language Teaching (ELT), and she collaborates with teachers to help them leverage technology in the ever-evolving educational landscape.

CLIL without tears – a practical approach to using authentic material in the classroom

Laura has taught at schools in London, Bassano del Grappa and Bologna and was Director and Centre Exams Manager at the Oxford School in Padova from 2012 until 2018. Since 2018 she has been working as a teacher and Cambridge and IELTS examiner at IH Milan. In recent years, her teaching has focused on Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language and IGCSE Global Perspectives with teenagers in a scientific high school.

The world of ELT stands at yet another crossroads where teaching and learning are being transformed by new technologies. How can teachers harness the power of educational technology (EdTech) in planning and teaching? In search of answers, I shall reflect on my personal experiences of using digital games, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. We shall explore three broad principles behind incorporating technology and consider the implications of this for language learners.

Daniel Tse works as a teacher and examiner in Italy. He has taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at IH Milan since 2019. He works with Young Learners, teenagers, and adults across the full range of CEFR levels. As a teacher, he lays great emphasis on developing learners’ communicative competence through personalised communication in the classroom. He mainly teaches Cambridge/IELTS Exam Preparation and Business English, as well as an increasing number of English ‘top-up’ courses in local schools and universities.

In addition to teaching, Daniel contributes articles to the IH Journal and runs teacher development workshops for Macmillan/Mondadori Education in Italy. He has also spoken at ELT conferences in Milan and Barcelona, the IATEFL Conference in the UK, and British Council TeachingEnglish webinar series.