Here is a small selection of talks and workshops that I have given recently. However, I have many more and am always developing new sessions, so please get in touch if there is a particular topic within my area of expertise that you’re interested in.
Follow the link to each talk to read more and to get a PDF of the handout or presentation slides
Little sponges? Child development and foreign language learning in pre-school
Early years instruction in additional languages typically involves teaching discrete language items and ‘chunks’ and developing oral/aural skills. While this is undoubtedly valuable, it is not on its own sufficient. In this session, it is argued that in order to be effective, young children’s experience of a foreign language needs to contribute towards the overall child development goals. More …
Reflections on how to be a highly effective teacher
In this session we will take for granted that teachers need to be confident in their subject knowledge and skilled in the craft of teaching in order to achieve desired curriculum outcomes. Instead we will aim to explore the more intangible personal capacities, attitudes and beliefs. More …
Creative teaching, creative learning
Creativity is an elusive concept to define and a challenge to develop and foster in the English language classroom, whatever the age or level of the students we teach. In this talk we will explore the notion of creativity and look at issues and tensions in the relationship between teaching, learning and creativity. More …
Seven ways to promote creativity in the classroom
Whether you teach pre-school, young learners, teens or adults, the ability to make your classroom a place where creativity thrives is a crucial factor in motivating and engaging learners. This talk looks at the conditions necessary for learners to realize their creative potential and explores seven generic ways to promote creativity in the ELT classroom. More …
Developing intercultural competence with children
Intercultural competence has been described as a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and awareness. But what does this mean in the context of working with primary school children who learn English as part of their compulsory education? This session discusses the kind of cultural knowledge, symbols, products and practices that might, or might not, be appropriate to teach children at primary school. More …
Picture books and cross-curricular themes
This workshop combines two of my passions in primary English language teaching: using picture books and teaching through real content. The main thesis will be that, for the most successful and effective long-term outcomes, it is vital to balance and integrate content-based teaching with the use of stories and narrative texts during the primary years. More …
Creating conditions for positive learning
This talk will focus on creating classroom conditions which build success and confidence in early foreign language learning and allow for quality teaching and learning to take place. More …
How to succeed with very young learners
This session explores the ingredients for making the introduction of English to very young children at pre-school an enjoyable, successful and worthwhile experience. More …