University English Language Centres of Australia (UECA), NEAS, English Australia and The University of Sydney Centre for English Teaching, present the UECA PD Fest Sydney 2017.
This full day of professional development includes an opening keynote and a selection of 40-minute presentations or workshops. There will be a book exhibitor space, morning and afternoon refreshments, lunch, networking opportunities and an early evening social event.
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The host institution is The University of Sydney Centre for English Teaching, at the new Business School, the state-of-the-art Abercrombie Building, Darlington Lane, Darlington. |
The theme for the UECA PD Fest Saturday 13 May is Leadership, Engagement and Diversity (LED) in an Academic Context. The day is aimed at providing professional development for teachers by teachers at UECA and English Australia member institutions.
Leadership in the classroom focuses on how the teacher enables language learning by extending the learning experience of students beyond the classroom through blended learning. This stream asks the questions "What is cutting edge language teaching practise?"; "How do we benchmark our programs?"; "How do teachers maintain cutting-edge teaching practises?"; "How do we as teachers need to adapt and develop to respond to the changing dynamic of the classroom?"; and finally "How can we incorporate the researcher into the leadership persona of a teacher?"
Engagement means engaging with the language and the context of this language by validating and practising what is presented in the classroom outside that classroom through real world authentic negotiations, interactions and communicative events. This not only means connecting and contributing to a network or community, but understanding the benefits and value of those experiences, and how those interactions will support their primary objective of achieving, for example, academic success at university. Language is activated through a series of tasks which enable the learner to use what is being taught in valid, authentic and challenging situations thus building learner resilience and confidence, and communicative and social competencies.
Are we tolerant to Diversity? Diversity of linguistic, cultural and educational backgrounds results in a complex dynamic in the classroom environment which teachers need to manage and respond to appropriately. While diversity creates energy in the classroom aspects of diversity can create barriers for students to learn. This stream examines the concept of diversity in the classroom, how it manifests itself and how it influences the teaching and learning process. This stream will also examine the dynamic created by monolingual classrooms and how this might be managed.
The Academic Context is changing and this stream examines how our curricula, delivery methods and teaching practises are transforming in response to this. We also examine how to teach English in an academic context and discuss how the teaching of Academic English includes teaching academic skills as well as academic culture. We focus on how to integrate skills in an EAP program including spoken interactions, teaching presentation skills, developing Reading skills and a command of written genres.
There are FOUR streams for this PD event and FOUR sessions in each stream. The sessions are 40 minutes – and suit presentations and discussion, or workshops of 30 minutes with 10 minutes for questions and discussion.
Stream: Leadership
Sessions might focus on:- Demonstrating and/or providing leadership in course design; cutting edge teaching practice; blended learning; benchmarking your program; Professional Development; Action Research; classroom management; assessment for learning; teacher mentoring; staffroom leadership initiatives; incorporating the researcher into the leadership persona of a teacher.
Stream: Engagement
Sessions might focus on:- Using technology in the classroom to engage millennials and 21 century language learners; increasing student motivation; using blended learning to engage students outside the classroom; developing an engagement program for your centre; ensuring international students engage; measuring engagement; an engaging student activities program.
Stream: Diversity
Sessions might focus on:- Addressing learner needs and learner preferences; independent learning initiatives; the multicultural classroom; intercultural competence; L1 or no L1; managing monolingual classrooms to maximise target language production.
Stream: Academic Context
Sessions might focus on:- Strategies and activities to improve the acquisition of academic skills; teaching language skills in an academic context; making academic English more interesting (academic English can be fun); teaching presentation skills; Spoken interactions in an academic context; integrating skills; designing assessment tasks.
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WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK
| Date: | Saturday, 13 May, 2017 |
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| Time: | 9.30am – 5.00pm (9.30am Registration) |
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| Place: | The University of Sydney Centre for English Teaching Abercrombie Building Darlington Lane, Darlington |
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| Cost: | $65 for teachers | |||
| Registration: |
Registrations are limited to 180 teachers and presenters. |
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Leadership, Engagement and Diversity in an Academic context |
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