Links on this page expire on August 31st, 2021
Friday, August 13
12:00-12:15 PM GMT
Opening remarks by the President & conference announcements by the Conference Chair
12:20-1:20 PM GMT
Plenary talk (60 minutes)
Speaker: Chadia Mansour
Session Title: Communities of practice: designing for growth, resourcing the un-resourced
This session draws upon the literature about Community of Practice impact on ELT professional development and the way we think about teaching and learning. It will inspire participants on designing for growth in their peculiar contexts and use local resources and expertise to support communities in Africa to become self-reliant.
Recording Link:
1:30-2:15 PM GMT
Featured session
(45 minutes)
Performing arts teaching strategies for large classes with limited resources
Riah Werner, a founding member of CINELTA & a PhD student at the University of Toronto
This workshop draws on both research and practice to equip teachers with performing-arts based teaching techniques they can use to engage many students simultaneously, with no materials beyond the students themselves. Participants will see firsthand how drama, music, storytelling and dance can energize their English classes
1:30-2:15 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(45 minutes)
Ideas for teaching large classes through classroom action research
Julia Stanton, Mansour Sy Ndiaye,
Khassoum Diop & Fadidac Jules Champrien
This practical workshop demonstrates some ideas that have been tried and tested through classroom action research projects by English teachers in the African countries of the English Connects project managed by the British Council. It will also look at how teachers can carry out simple action research projects themselves.
1:30-2:00 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Bridging the literacy gap
Deb Avery & Mike Hart, trainers at Reading to Learn South Africa
In this session, the presenters will give a detailed description of the Reading to Learn methodology, they will explain how it can be used in classes from early years to tertiary to assist learners to cope with language and curriculum demands and will look at results in South and East Africa.
2:15- 3:00 PM GMT
Featured session
(45 minutes)
The multilingual context of deaf children’s lives in Ghana and ELT implications
Daniel Fobi, Project officer at the School of Education, University of Leeds, UK
This presentation examines the multilingual language context of deaf children in Ghana. Issues of their spoken and sign language development and how these impact their English language learning in a context were there are communication asymmetries between the children, their families and schools will be discussed.
Recording link:
2:15- 2:45 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Making English classes interactive through effective student-centred activities
Zih James Kum, English Teacher and Teacher Trainer, Cameroon
This session focuses on how to make participants create and use effective student-centred activities to make their English classes interactive. Participants will learn how to use warm-up activities, teaching aids, pair work/group work, communicative assessments and feedback to foster interactivity in the classroom and enhance learning.
2:15- 2:45 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Fostering professional development through online EFL communities of practice
Ghada Abulhassan, Teacher trainer and Past President of NileTESOL, Egypt
What are communities of practice? What benefits do online communities of practice offer? How can you set up a community of practice in your context that would be sustainable? The presentation explores these questions in an attempt to introduce a paradigm shift in ELT professional development for enhanced teacher performance.
3:15- 4:00 PM GMT
Featured session
(45 minutes)
TESOL’s Path Toward Equity and Inclusion
Deborah Healey, Okon Effiong, Ayanna Cooper, Eric Dwyer & Kisha C. Bryan
TESOL International Association is diverse, with members from over 135 countries. However, not everyone has felt fully included in volunteer leadership in TESOL. This panel will describe work to develop recommendations for association action and invite participants to discuss equity and inclusion considerations germane to African contexts.
Recording link:
3:15- 3:30 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(Teaching Tip: 15 minutes)
Teaching grammar communicatively
Chi Anestin Lum, Teacher from Cameroon
3:15- 3:30 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(Teaching Tip: 15 minutes)
Student centered practice in Africa ELT classroom
Mwanakombo Juma Martin, teacher from Tanzania
3:15- 3:45 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Climate action in language education: integrating environmental issues into ELT
Christopher Graham, Consultant and author, UK & Colm Downes, Director, English at British Council Indonesia
This presentation will report on research conducted by the British Council, and explore ways of bringing climate education into our classrooms.
4:00- 4:30 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Teaching English using multiple intelligences theory to improve students’ motivation
Ana María Cotes, CEO & Founder Brained Consulting Educativo, Columbia
Motivation is an essential ingredient of every learning process. This session aims to prove that the implementation of the MI theory motivates teachers and students to explore their skills.
Recording link:
4:00- 4:30 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Teaching English in a multi-lingual classroom: experiences from Kenya
Geraldine Nanjala, Ndege primary school, Kenya
This session reports on the difficulties and successes of teaching English as a second language to a class with learners from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.
4:00- 4:30 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Service learning and volunteerism to most vulnerable children English club
Mahamba Sebastian, Teacher and teacher trainer, Tanzania
This presentation will share successful professional experiences of creating English clubs and increasing their membership in our local communities in Tanzania
4:40- 5:10 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Establishing a community of practice around open educational resources
Julie Reimer, Director, University Preparatory Program, Cote d'Ivoire
More than a billion Open Educational Resources (OERs) exist, but are you using them? If so, are you using them to their full potential? This session will inspire participants to form communities of practice for promoting, adapting, and using these resources through Open
4:40- 5:10 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Navigating language learning through Whatsapp: an experience from Cameroon
Abigail Ekangouo Awanga, English teacher from Cameroon
In this presentation, I share my experience of using WhatsApp to support my students’ learning in low-resourced contexts like mine. Then I showcase some of the activities and learning outcomes from my work with the students
4:40- 5:10 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Self-evaluation to enhance teacher performance
Aristide Kodjahon, Teacher trainer, Cote d'Ivoire
This presentation suggests two main alternatives to teachers for self evaluation to be as efficient as possible. It is meant to raise awareness of the importance of continuing professional development for teachers.
5:10-5:55 PM GMT
Featured session
(45 minutes)
How communities of practice have helped us during the pandemic
Georgios Kormpas, TLDC Director at Al Yamamah University in KSA
This session will discuss some practical examples of how CoPs have reacted to the pandemic and the support they have provided to their members..
5:10- 5:40 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Enhancing language teachers’ classroom practice through communities of practice
Rethabile Mawela, Rhodes University, South Africa
This presentation reports on an action research in which communities of practice for English and Setswana teachers share pedagogies on the teaching of reading in South Africa.
5:10-5:55 PM GMT
Featured session
(45 minutes)
Inclusive education: implementing the policies
Focho Gladys, English consultant, Cameroon
In this presentation, school administrators and teachers will gain insights into reskilling competencies to ensure schools and classrooms are inclusive.
6:00- 7:00 PM GMT
Plenary talk (60 minutes)
Session Title: English in Africa: Why, For What, and By Whom?
Within the 50-plus countries and the one billion-plus people that make up Africa, many millions of people interact in English every day. Therefore, in this plenary, we will consider some of the possible answers to the long-time and still-pressing questions: English in Africa: Why, For What, and By Whom?
7:05-7:35 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Creating change through teaching English: global issues in Africa
Linda Ruas, ESOL teacher / teacher trainer, IATEFL Global Issues SIG
How can we help improve the world around us through teaching English? Teenage pregnancies, drugs, sexual harassment, malaria, climate change: how can we bring these into English classes or TA work? We’ll look at how many African teachers have worked on these topics and more, and hopefully get inspiration ourselves.
7:05-7:35 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Material design for under resourced schools
Ntombekhaya Fulani, Rhodes University, South Africa
The session reports on teachers who adopted agency in their classrooms by using creative and critical thinking skills in designing their own resources using recycled material.
7:05-7:35 PM GMT
Concurrent session
(30 minutes)
Creative song writing: an engaging and fun activity in EFL/ESL classes
Kouadio Appia, Ministry of National education, Cote d'Ivoire
I will take the participants through the process of writing their song lyrics up to their presentation. In the second phase, participants will be asked to identify the different stages they went through in the activity and share how this can help their class become lively and engaging.