The  National Curriculum Framework for English language teaching in Brazilian schools:  international trends and local realities

Abstract 
The recent approval of the National Curriculum Framework for lower and upper secondary schools in Brazil – BNCC - has sparked a series of initiatives aiming at its implementation. The various state secretariats produced their own curriculum references and in many places teachers are already starting to plan and design teaching activities with the curriculum guidelines in mind. Other organisations interested in promoting better quality education got also involved in producing resources to support this process. In the new BNCC, English is compulsory and understood as a global lingua franca. The expected learning outcomes signal the recognition of its presence in many societal domains around the world.  In this talk I will address the challenges and opportunities afforded by the new curriculum in our schools, by making reference to other international English language teaching curriculum policies.”

Biodata
Telma Gimenez, Senior Professor at Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL)/Postgraduate Programme in Language Studies, holds a PhD from Lancaster University (1994) where she developed a study on teacher education, complemented by postdoctoral research at the Institute of Education/UCL (2014) on globalization and English as a Lingua Franca. She supervises research on English language teacher education and language policies and has coordinated several projects involving English language schoolteachers in communities of practice. Dr Gimenez has acted as a consultant to educational authorities at a local level (Project Londrina Global), state level (Curriculum development in Paraná) and, more recently, as a critical reader of the English language component of the Brazilian National Curriculum (BNCC)

On Growing Older, Becoming Bolder and Teaching on

Abstract 
In our field of ELT we often talk about CPD from a linear, age and experience-related perspective. We are, however, very inept at facing the fact that this point of view actually means that we are linking professional development to the process of ageing. No one seems comfortable to address the issue of ageing in the ELT field and what happens in terms of workplace relationships and work opportunities. This is a future we will all face. This talk aims at confronting the stigma which surrounds this issue, looking at it within the context of changing world demographics and suggesting possible alternatives..

Biodata
Valéria França is the Head of Instituto Edify, responsible for the development of educators and teachers from all fields. Previously, she was the Head of Teacher Development at Cultura Inglesa for over 14 years. She graduated in Education, has a Masters in Comparative Education and a PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her research interests include teaching young learners, teaching through artistic expression and an exploration of movement. She was the BRAZ-TESOL President between 2015-2016 and is now a life member of the Advisory Council.

THE POWER OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Abstract 
What does a Broadway musical and an English class have in common? One of my answers is: collaboration in order to get an enjoyable quality product. 
In this session we will discuss reasons why collaborative work is so important in our classes today and share ideas to use in class to foster collaboration among students, contributing to building an inclusive learning community, where everybody has a role to play, as in a musical production.

Biodata
Gustavo González graduated as a teacher of English at I.S.F.D. N° 5 in Pergamino (Argentina) and holds a postgraduate degree from UBA, the National University of Buenos Aires. He also holds a postgraduate diploma on Education and New Technologies from Flacso (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales) and has completed a course on Neurosciences for Educators at Asociación Educar. He has been in the ELT field since 1993, working as a teacher, school coordinator, teacher trainer and presenter. He has been delivering seminars and workshops all over Argentina, South, Central and North America, China and South East Asia. He is one of the contributors to the book “Imagination, Cognition & Language Acquisition: A Unified Approach to Theory and Practice”, published by the New Jersey City University and has also written some articles for OUP (Oxford University Press), IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) and other institutions. He is a teacher trainer for the Oxford Teachers’ Academy (OTA), freelance PD trainer for Oxford University Press and Trinity College London. He is a former vice president of APIBA, the Buenos Aires English Teachers’ Association and former vice president of FAAPI, the Argentine Federation of English Teachers’ Associations.

Transforming the EFL Classroom into a Multilingual Space: Plurilingualism and Translanguaging

Dr. Luciana C. de Oliveira, Past President (2019-2020), TESOL International Association
Professor and Chair, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Miami

Abstract
Recent research in the TESOL and Bilingual Education fields has emphasized the need to provide students with opportunities to use their full linguistic repertoires in the second language classroom. But the practices associated with this view of second language teaching and learning have yet to be more fully developed and implemented in EFL contexts. This keynote addresses the EFL classroom as a multilingual pedagogical space, rather than as an imagined monolingual environment, and discusses different ways to support plurilingualism and translanguaging as a norm.

Biodata
Dr. Luciana C. de Oliveira, Professor and Chair, University of Miami, USA
Luciana C. de Oliveira, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami, Florida. Her research focuses on issues related to teaching bi/multilingual students at the elementary and secondary (K-12) levels, including the role of language in learning the content areas and teacher education, advocacy and social justice. Currently, Dr. de Oliveira’s research examines scaffolding in elementary classrooms and multimodal representation in picture books. She is the author or editor of 21 books and over 180 publications in various outlets. Her work has appeared in Teachers College Record, Journal of Teacher Education, Journal of Second Language Writing, International Multilingual Research Journal, Language and Education, Bilingual Research Journal, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, English Education, and other books and journals. She is the editor of the first handbook dedicated exclusively to elementary and secondary education, the Handbook of TESOL in K-12 (Wiley, 2019). She is currently Immediate Past President (2019-2020) and was the first Latina and Latin-American to serve as President (2018-2019) of TESOL International Association.

Abstract 

This lecture explores grammar and word choice essential to clear and correct English. What do we mean by usage? We mean the way English words and phrases are actually used: Is a word old-fashioned? technical? humorous? Chiefly British? slangy? approving? objectionable? Is its meaning usually literal or figurative? Join us on a tour of the dictionary that goes beyond definitions into the teaching of critical thinking, communications, and culture. 

Biodata

Peter Sokolowski is Editor at Large at Merriam-Webster. He has written definitions for many of Merriam-Webster’s dictionaries, is active as a blogger, podcaster, and speaker on language, and serves as pronouncer for spelling bees worldwide. He was named among TIME’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2013.

Abstract 

Teaching and learning English both today take place within the context of ever-increasing possibilities and changes. Some are positive, some are negative - and many are confusing. Teaching, and training others to teach , both demand clear objectives and critical thinking. This talk will discuss current opportunities and challenges from the viewpoint of learner needs and evolving contexts.

Biodata

Susan Holden has a long and varied experience as a teacher, teacher trainer, magazine editor, publisher and author, including time spent in Brazil and adjacent countries during the last 20 years. She is currently based in Scotland, where she runs a small publishing company. Sponsored by SBS

Abstract 

Critical Literacy is a major skill to develop in young learners in the information era. What is it? What does it involve? How can it be taught and developed? Using sample texts and activities from multiple resources, participants will explore what critical literacy looks like in the language classroom.

Sumary

Even children at ages before they enter primary school are able to make valid judgments based on their experience and maturity. Research findings claim that critical thinking can be taught as early as preschool and kindergarten. As a central focus of education it is, critical thinking should also be taught alongside literacy. As a matter of fact, critical literacy involves critical thinking. Reading critically engages the reader in going beyond the primary meaning of a text, using inferential processes to get a deeper meaning and tapping on prior knowledge, experience and other pre-existing schema to make connections and reach conclusions. Critical Literacy in the EFL classroom provides students with the possibility to use language meaningfully and communicatively as they develop vital thinking skills that will help them thrive in the information age. In this theoretical and practical presentation participants will be invited to work collaboratively with others to agree on the different critical thinking strategies comprised in critical literacy. To illustrate and model the teaching and development of critical literacy practices and skills, participants will be provided with materials and will be engaged in tasks that will enable them to actively deepen their understanding of the topic of the session.

Biodata

Luciana Fernández is a graduate teacher of English who has been teaching English for the past twenty-one years. She has specialized in Methodology and Teaching Practice and she holds a Diploma in Educational Research from the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education. She is a Reading and Literacy expert and has been training teachers in this area for the past ten years. She is a teacher educator and has designed several presentations and courses for professional development both in Argentina and abroad. Her presentation at ARTESOL 2015 has been selected to be presented at TESOL International as a Best Affiliate Session. She is one of the 50 scholarship winners to attend and present at IATEFL, to be held in Birmingham in April 2016. She is a teacher educator and has been the Head at several bilingual IB institutions in Buenos Aires. At present she is a Learning Consultant and reader for National Geographic Cengage Learning. She is also a facilitator at ESSARP (English Speaking Scholastic Association of the River Plate), where she trains heads and teachers from the most important bilingual institutions in Argentina.

Abstract 

As language teachers, we constantly have to balance teaching our students a new language with the skills they need to be successful in their school, work, and personal lives. As a global community, we also face challenges that are interconnected. How are we incorporating this reality into our classrooms? By embedding global citizenship education into our classrooms, we prepare students academically while also empowering them to succeed in our global community.

Biodata

Mariela Gil holds a Master’s degree in TESOL and a dual Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Psychology from the University of Southern California. She taught ESL in the U.S. and EFL in Thailand and Mexico before joining Macmillan Education in 2002. She is the American English pre-primary/primary publisher at Macmillan Education. She is passionate about childhood development and learning, as well as creating the best possible learning materials to support teachers and students in the classroom.

Abstract 

How do we measure success in the ever-changing river of language learning? Passing a final test may drive many learners, but there are other measures of success. Contributing to those successes are: the influences of teachers' training, experiences, and passions; learners needs, desires, and ambitions; the challenges and opportunities of teaching and learning contexts; and the materials we use in our classrooms. Success is measured in how these flow together toward common pedagogical goals.

Biodata

Dr. Ken Beatty, Anaheim University TESOL Professor, is series consultant for StartUp, an eight-level English series. He has worked in secondary schools and universities in Asia, the Middle East, and North and South America, lecturing on language teaching from the primary through university levels.

Abstract 

Perspective is everything. Learning experiences provide opportunities to notice, reflect, and influence not only individual classrooms but how we as teachers perceive language, the learning process, and effective teaching practices. There are not magic pills or technologies (yet!) that enable instant fluency, and learning a language is a continuous, and often fraught, journey. Insights from the language learning experience can be exploited to reaffirm and question practice as well as to gain new perspectives on ELT theory and approaches.  This keynote will focus on the stance of the presenter as learner and draw connections to relevant aspects of cognitive science and memory, the ecology of language learning, socio-emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. Reminded and encouraged to notice – and learn – teachers can strengthen their own professionalism while empowering learners to succeed.

Biodata

Jennifer Uhler is the Regional English Language Officer based in Brasilia and works with the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil to support Public Diplomacy programs that promote quality English language teaching and learning. She has previously served as a RELO in Washington, D.C., Indonesia and East Timor, and Central Asia. Before joining the U.S. Department of State, Jennifer was an instructor in the English as a Foreign Language Program at Georgetown University and an adjunct professor of TESOL at American University in Washington, DC. Abroad, she has worked in many capacities, including as an English Language Fellow in Estonia, an English Language Specialist in Austria, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Romania, a bilingual education teacher in Mexico, and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Slovakia. In addition, she has worked with the University of Montana and the Korean National University of Education in their capstone teacher training program. Jennifer holds bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and English from Augustana College and a master’s degree in TESOL and Language Program Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. Her professional interests include using technology to enhance teaching, content-based instruction, and curriculum design.