ELTOC 2021

Andy Gao – Language Learner Agency: Why and how it matters

This talk presents Language Learner Agency as a key focus for language teachers when preparing learners for the challenges and opportunities beyond the classroom when teaching. It outlines what Learner Agency is, what it is not and how it operates. It also considers the challenges that language teachers may have in promoting learner agency before it concludes with some possible solutions. 

Vanessa Reilly – Helping @ home: Guiding parents to support their children’s learning

In this session we will look at how we can support parents in the new role they now need to play in their child’s learning. We will consider techniques and tools that children can be trained to do in class time for use at home and provide practical suggestions for helping to get parents engaged and working alongside you for the benefit of their children.

Zarina Subhan – Addressing the digital divide

The presentation will describe what a digital divide is before considering what we can do to overcome it and help bridge the gap, so that we do not simply return to ‘business as usual’. It will propose how we can use this rare opportunity to innovate and build on the all too difficult lessons learnt through 2020. Without doing so we cannot realistically move forward and truly prepare our students for the uncertain world we find ourselves in.

Kathy Kampa –  Young Learner Agency in Action: Creating memorable learning experiences 

What does Learner Agency look like in your young learner classroom? How do you give students opportunities to make choices, express their ideas, and learn with greater independence? What strategies can you use to assess learning in a way that empowers young learners? Join OUP author and young learner teacher Kathleen Kampa in a lively session that includes practical hands-on strategies you can use immediately in the physical classroom and online.

Barbara Sakamoto- Motivating Young Learners 

Teachers know that motivated students are better learners. We can see when our students are engaged in learning, but we don’t always know why something works or how to recreate it intentionally. In this presentation we’ll look at different types of motivation to better understand the why and then look at examples from teachers’ classrooms around the world to understand how to create more engaging learning experiences for our young learners. We’ll focus on practical strategies and activities that work equally well in face-to-face or online classrooms and discuss how to use the same engaging activities for assessment.

Charlotte Murphy – Motivation: The driving force behind learning

By helping to engage those students who are losing their motivation to learn, we are also supporting teachers who are losing their motivation to teach. So, please join me in recognising the importance of motivation, and its driving force behind learning.

Paul Driver –  Designing for Agency in Online Learning Spaces

In this session we will explore the fundamental role of agency in online learning and teaching. Drawing on both theory and practical examples, I will describe how pedagogy, assessment for learning, design and technology can become drivers and facilitators of teacher and learner agency. We will weigh the advantages and drawbacks of real-time versus asynchronous activities, discuss digital tools, and consider the changing role of the teacher. I will conclude with some tips and suggestions for designing opportunities for agency in your online teaching practice.

Joon Lee – Low-tech Approach to Teaching Online: Online teaching solutions for primary learners 

In our session, we will explore how successful online teaching can be achieved through low-tech solutions. We will examine simple and practical methods for teachers to keep the focus, attention, and participation levels high with their primary learners, while reaching the academic goals.