Saule Abdygapparova graduated from Moscow State Linguistic University, Russia (1975) and was awarded her PhD in Linguistics from the same university (1986). Professor of the English Language Department at Satbayev University, she specialises in teaching English (Academic English, Business English, Analytical Writing, IELTS) and Intercultural Communication. She is a certified teacher trainer: Wolverhampton University, UK (1996), University of Oregon, USA (2006), Moscow State Linguistic University, Russia (2008) and Newcastle University, UK (2013), Saule K. Abdygapparova has more than 45 years of teaching experience and was awarded the “Excellency in Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan” title (1998). Author of 4 manuals and more than 100 publications in the areas of linguistics, EFL, business communication, intercultural communication, cross-cultural management, teaching methodology and education; Fulbright alumna (University of Kansas, USA, 2000) she is currently an adviser to Kazakhstan Teachers of English Association, member and one of the founders of the Fulbright Association of Kazakhstan.

Theme of the presentation: Education in the Era of Pandemic: Impact and Consequences

An owner and Director of Studies at Linguagrad Language Academy. Anna holds a Master's degree in Education from Cambridge University, UK and she is a DELTA-certified teacher trainer.

She is a passionate EFL Teacher, who specializes in exam preparation courses, academic English, and teacher training. Her professional interests are developing students' autonomy and teaching with the use of technology.

Theme of the presentation: ENGAGING THE DISENGAGED

Lecturer of the English Language Department at Satbayev University. KIMEP University MA TESOL program graduate (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 2017). A holder of TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test) certificate from Cambridge University (England); IELTS Certificate (International English Language Testing System, British Council Kazakhstan, 2016). Work experience in the field of teaching English – 6 years. Research interests include language policy and planning, flipped learning strategies, multilingualism, teaching methodologies.

Aizhan Kalkayeva

Lecturer of the English Language Department at Satbayev University. Holder of CELTA accredited by the University of Cambridge. Graduate of the ‘Bolashak’ programme at Aston University (Birmingham, the UK) with Master's degree in Finance and Investment. Also possesses an international qualification in Islamic Finance, accredited by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (London, the UK). Work experience in the field of finance – 5 years, in the field of teaching English – 5 years. Gained a certificate ‘Coach Practitioner’ from the International Coaches Union. Author of articles in Finance and ELT.

Theme of the presentation: CLT approach in the context of synchronous online teaching: challenges and perspectives.

Olga obtained her Master’s degree at NILE, Norwich, England. She has 28 years of teaching experience. She is a member of KazTEA and an alumni of NILE and OPEN.

Olga has been working on creating authentic materials for a few years. She wrote a thesis (NILE), where the analysis of different task types, students’ and teachers’ attitudes to authentic materials was carried out. Olga completed the Professional Development for Teacher Trainers course (OPEN) conducted by Arizona State University, where she was working on creating a training course “Authentic Materials in Action”. Now she would like to share her acquired knowledge with her colleagues.

Theme of the workshop: The power of images in the ESL classroom.

Theme of the presentation: Issues in Learning English for Legal Purposes

Olga Bainova is a Ph.D. candidate and a graduate teaching assistant at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in Kazakhstan. Having received her specialist diploma in Foreign Languages from Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages in Almaty in 2007, she worked as an English instructor at the same university for two years and at Kazakh-German University for the subsequent eight years. Concurrently, Olga got a BA in Finance at Kazakh-German University from 2010 to 2013. Then she received an MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2017. After that, she was admitted to the Ph.D. in Education program at Nazarbayev University. Her research interests and doctoral thesis are in the field of educational innovations, new teaching approaches, and the flipped classroom.

Theme of the presentation: Flipped Classroom as One of the Ways to Transform Teaching in the Digital Age.

A DAAD-Lecturer for the German Language and Head of Information Centre in Almaty. Bartholomäus obtained his Master’s Degree in History at Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) and Jagiellonian University in Cracow (Poland). He also possesses a certificate in Methodology and Didactics of Teaching German as a Foreign Language issued by Goethe Institut e.V. Munich (Germany). Bartholomäus took part in educational seminars organized by Bosch Foundation: Evaluation and Didactic Models in Ishewsk (Russian Federation), and Conflict and Organizational Management in Kunming (China). He also worked as a lecturer for German Philology and Regional Studies at Orenburg State University (Russian Federation) and as a freelance teacher for the German Language at Sino German Center in Essen (Germany).

Theme of the presentation: Replacing classroom!?

Laura Ibrayeva is currently a PhD candidate and a research assistant at Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education in Kazakhstan. She holds an MA in Foreign Philology, Kazakh Ablay Khan University of International Relations and World Languages, Kazakhstan. She was a research intern and an academic visitor at the Institute of Education, University of Reading, UK (February, 2013-February 2014). She worked as an English teacher at the Kazakh-German University (KGU), Kazakhstan from 2004-2017 and was the deputy-director of Language Centre of KGU (2014-2017). She co-authored several publications in international peer-reviewed journals on ESP, creativity, and mental health. Her research interests lie in the area of EFL, ESP, teaching methods, creativity, and mental health and well-being of students.

Theme of the presentation: Creativity in Secondary School: Exploring the Relationship between Kazakhstani Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices