Last year the SCILT Big Question series focused on the four core skills – listening, reading, writing and talking. This year we plan to go One Step Beyond!
This series of weekly workshops in May and June aimed at secondary practitioners will take each skill to another level, looking at issues in that area and practical ways to approach them. Come and join us as we examine strategies and share resources and activities!
Each session will feature the chance to hear from guest practitioners, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to these questions!
The four sessions are:
One step beyond listening – interpreting as a tool for learning and teaching
Tuesday 21 May 16.00-17.00
Interpreting is often seen as a skill that is the preserve of specialists at post-university level, but it is an essential social skill for all learners and a useful language learning tool in preparing them for real-life situations in their jobs and studies. Engaging in active learning through simple interpreting tasks can motivate learners and have huge benefits for their listening and talking skills, and in this session we will look at ways to build this into learning and teaching.
One step beyond talking – the importance of social-emotional learning in languages
Wednesday 29 May 16.00-17.00
Social-emotional learning (SEL) gives a framework for understanding the impact emotions have on learning. In the languages context, this is most visible when we need our learners to talk. This session will explore how SEL techniques can be used to improve learner confidence and self-efficacy, and help us develop an environment where learners feel empowered to use their talking skills with comfort.
One step beyond the classroom – outdoor learning and languages
Wednesday 5 June 16.00-17.00
Outdoor learning is beneficial for young people’s mental, physical and emotional health. It’s also a great way to support language learning in a fun, relevant, impactful way. In this session, we will look at the advantages of taking language learning outdoors and share ideas and practical tips to make the most of your outdoor spaces.
One step beyond reading and writing – the use of AI in languages: a blessing or a curse?
Thursday 13 June 16.00-17.00
What are the implications of AI for languages education in schools? Does it require a total rethink, as suggested in Professor Zhao’s article? In this session we will examine the benefits and issues around the growth of AI and how this can work for learners and for us in languages classes.
Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers; attend as many or as few as you wish!
The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.
Registrations for all workshops are open now via the links above. Please also see attached flyer which can be shared with colleagues.