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The Plenary Speakers

Olha Madylus

Olha has taught in the UK, Hong Kong, Venezuela and Greece, which will always be home to her. She is a freelance author, materials’ designer, consultant and teacher trainer. She is based in London and does global consultation, teacher training and teacher trainer training for organisations such as Cambridge University Press, The British Council and Ministries of Education worldwide. Her main focus is on understanding and motivating learners. She is the author of Film, TV and Music, a photocopiable activities book for teenagers, Cambridge University Press.

Giota Kotsoni

Giota Kotsoni is a Ph.Dc. at Aristotle University in foreign language learning in students with learning difficulties. She holds a MA degree in Special Education (OUC) and a MSc in Neurolinguistics (AUTH). She is also trained in EEG devices and multilingualism (University of Reading, England) and EGG and Eye-tracker devices (KU, Germany).

She is the owner of an inclusive foreign language school for both typical and SEN students. She is also a researcher in the European research program “Digital tools for inclusive foreign language education”.

Robin Walker

Robin has worked in English Language Teaching since 1981. He regularly collaborates with teacher training centres around Spain, with Oxford University Press, Oxford University Press España, Trinity College London, and Servicios y Gestión Educativa.

His main interests are pronunciation, teacher education, and English for Specific Purposes (ESP).

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The Plenary Sessions

The Magic of the Written Word

The Magic of the Written Word

Written words are a magic art conjured up long, long ago in the distant past. And we are all wizards who have learnt to create and decipher the elusive markings that arrange themselves to create and reveal messages, facts and stories.

This presentation explores the complexities of the man-made skills of writing and reading. For example, what our brain needs to do to interpret these squiggles as information, opinions, emotions and how these skills need to be introduced and nurtured by caregivers and teachers.

I will suggest approaches to embed key literacy skills from the youngest classes to further develop these skills with older learners, so that they not only master skills necessary to pass exams but also (dare I say?) learn to enjoy writing and reading. I will also introduce the tactic of genre analysis which can help students navigate a range of texts with greater ease.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder: main characteristics, strategies, and accommodations for students’ communication difficulties in the foreign language environment

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face difficulties in communication, and social interaction, while they also exhibit restricted interests, and repetitive behavior. This presentation aims at providing teachers with a solid theoretical knowledge on main concepts and challenges so as to assist students with ASD in classroom environments.

First, an understanding of the categorization and main characteristics of ASD is outlined while the main challenges students face are presented.

The second part of the presentation provides
a) a number of strategies and interventions regarding both first and foreign language, and
b) accommodations regarding provision of instructions, feedback and the building of self-esteem to facilitate special students’ comprehension and communication and interaction in the foreign language classroom.

Pronunciation Matters

1) Why pronunciation matters. The impact of poor pronunciation on the development of the skills of speaking, listening, writing and reading.
2) What matters most in pronunciation? The globalisation of English, the notion of international intelligibility, and the Lingua Franca Core.
3) International intelligibility, the Common European Framework, and the major exam boards (Cambridge, Trinity, IELTS, TOEFL).
4) Models and instructions for teaching pronunciation for international intelligibility.

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