Global Teachers Festival

Roy Norris – Vocabulary teaching at B2 First: criteria for selection

Roy Norris worked for many years as a teacher and teacher trainer at IH Madrid, and also spent nearly two years as Director of Studies in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Alex Tamulis – Q&A – Assessment for the Future

Alex Tamulis is the academic coordinator for Macmillan Education. He has been involved in ELT since 1998, teaching at various language schools and also working as a translator for MTV Brazil.

Vivienne Lambert – Stories at the heart of learning in the Primary classroom

After some years spent travelling and teaching English, Vivienne Lambert worked in publishing, editing and commissioning children’s books and Primary EFL materials.

Jon Hird – Yeah but … No, but …The real language of opinions 

Jon Hird is based in Oxford, UK, where he divides his time between teaching English at the University of Oxford, teacher training and writing ELT materials.

Simon Gfeller – An Opera Singer’s Guide to English Pronunciation

Based in Cambridge (U.K), Simon Gfeller specialises in elocution and spoken English training for executives and academics. 

Joanne Ramsden – Collaboration in a positive learning environment 

Joanne Ramsden works full time in a Spanish state school as part of the MECD-British Council Bilingual Project. She is currently teaching Science, Arts and Crafts and English Language in lower primary.

Nathan Waller – Q&A – Inclusivity

Nathan Waller is the lead teacher trainer for Macmillan Education in the MENA region. With a Bachelors and Masters in Childhood and Anthropology, he has more than 15 years of experience in young learner education

David Spencer – Learning to think, Thinking to learn

After studying languages at Oxford University, David Spencer trained to be a Secondary School teacher. He then moved to Spain where he has been living and teaching ever since. He continues to teach teenage students every day in a school near Madrid. 

Matt Hayes & Jonathan Hadley – Global Citizenship Education: What, why and how?

Matthew Hayes, BA (Oxon), MA (SOAS), is a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Education in London. His current research concerns Global Citizenship Education in English language textbooks and he has previously written on Robert Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Jonathan Hadley has worked in English Language Teaching for over 25 years as an English teacher, teacher trainer and curriculum/materials writer. 

Rhona Snelling – Speaking skills for confident communication

Rhona Snelling is a freelance ELT teacher, editor, and author. As a teacher, she qualified with International House and has extensive experience teaching English in private language schools and universities in Europe and Australasia.

John Cruft (11.30) and Steve Tulk (16.30) – Q&A – Students’ Global Skills

John Cruft (MA Education; Dip.TESOL) is the Regional Professional Development Senior Manager for Macmillan Education, Asia. He has been working in Asia for over 18 years as both a teacher and teacher trainer. 

Steve Tulk has spent twenty-five years in ELT as a writer, a teacher trainer, an examiner and a teacher. He has created a number of best-selling multi-level courses, the latest of which is Optimise (Macmillan Education, 2017, 2019), an exam preparation series for teenagers. 

Chia Suan Chong – Visual literacy: viewing as the 5th skill

Chia Suan Chong is a writer, communication skills trainer and a teacher trainer. She is the author of Successful International Communication, and was English Teaching Professional’s award-winning resident blogger between 2012 and 2019.

Emma Reynolds – Finding Calm amid the Chaos

Emma Reynolds is an accredited Mindfulness teacher for adults (MBSR- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) and for children through MiSP (Mindfulness in Schools Project UK).

Carol Read – Fantasy and Reality in the Early Years

Carol Read has over 30 years’ experience in ELT as a teacher, teacher trainer, academic manager, materials writer and educational consultant. Her main specialization is in early years and primary English language education. 

Alejandra Ottolina and Derek Spafford – Q&A – Teaching Skills 

Alejandra Ottolina is a highly experienced teacher trainer who has taught all levels in both public and private sectors. She has lectured in Argentina as well as in neighbouring countries, and has authored several Teacher’s Books: For Winners, Insights and Phases, among others.

Derek ‘Del’ Spafford (MA TESOL; Dip.TESOL) is the regional teacher trainer and academic consultant for Macmillan Education. He has been working in ELT for over 20 years.

Nick Beare – How to create an inclusive classroom environment

Nicholas Beare has been involved in English Language Teaching for more than thirty years, both as a materials writer and teacher trainer. is career has focused on materials production and teacher training in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and North Africa.

Laura Patsko and Jo Sayers – Let’s talk about inclusion in online learning

Laura Patsko is a researcher and teacher trainer who now works as a learning experience consultant. She specializes in teacher development, online learning and how to use English clearly and effectively when communicating with international audiences.

Jo Sayers is Head of Product at LearnJam. He worked in syllabus design and EdTech product development before joining LearnJam in 2014. Jo combines technical expertise with product design knowledge and helps organisations create innovative digital learning solutions.

Steve Taylore-Knowles & Malcolm Mann – Preparing teens remotely for exams

Steve Taylore-Knowles has spent twenty-five years in ELT as a writer, a consultant, a teacher trainer, an examiner and a teacher. He has created a number of best-selling multi-level courses, including Optimise (Macmillan Education, 2017, 2019), an exam preparation series for teenagers, and Speak Your Mind (Macmillan Education, 2020), a brand-new course for young adults.

Malcolm Mann is an English language teacher and materials writer. He is the author or co-author of numerous ELT courses, including the Optimise, Laser and Destination series (all published by Macmillan), and has given presentations in many countries around the world.

Mark Arthur – Q&A – Digital Teaching Skills

Mark Arthur has been working in ELT since 2000 as a teacher, teacher trainer, DOS, materials writer and now academic consultant. He holds the CertTESOL and DipTESOL from Trinity, and a degree from the University of Birmingham. His areas of interest include teaching with minimal resources, and blended learning.