ATEL Regional Workshops

November 2010

Letter of Invitation & Schedule

Workshops:

The Teacher as Catalyst – Andrew Johnson

ESOL Exams for Young Learners – Sandra Wells

ELT Trends in the Classroom – Andrew Johnson

Cooperative Learning in ESL Classroom – Samer Annous

PICTURES

http://picasaweb.google.com/atelebanon/Nov2010Workshops?authkey=Gv1sRgCOf_7PLXwumAFA#

'The Teacher as Catalyst'

Abstract

The title of this seminar refers to the teacher's major role in facilitating, rather than dominating, classroom activity. The seminar covers a wide range of material, including topics such as best classroom practice, integrating the four skills, enabling learner autonomy and helping students to develop their own language learning strategies. Text-based input in the form of handouts alternates with worksheet-based practical tasks for teachers to perform. Some of the tasks place teachers temporarily in the role of students and encourage them to reflect upon and empathise with their students' attitudes and points of view. These are followed by tasks that require teachers to think creatively about aspects of lesson delivery, drawing on their own experiences and on some of the ideas discussed earlier in the seminar.

'Language Learning Strategies: the Foundation of Independent Learning' à a variation of “ELT Trends in the Classroom”

Abstract

This seminar builds on 'The teacher as catalyst' but has a much more specific focus. It picks up the theme of language learning strategies and explores in more detail what these are, how they can be developed and what problems may arise in their implementation. Many taxonomies of language learning strategies have been devised since the 1970s, when the concept was first introduced. In this seminar, Rebecca Oxford's 1990 taxonomy is taken as exemplary and examined in some detail, both on its own merits and in relation to current ELT materials. The seminar provides teachers with a modicum of theoretical input, followed by plenty of challenging tasks in which they deploy their own language learning strategies. After this, they are encouraged to step back from the experience and to reflect on what they have just done as well as how and why. Finally, teachers practise integrating the fostering of language learning