Annual Conference 2017

The Annual Conference ‘LATE 25’ celebrated 25 years of LATE in Riga on August 17-18th at the Education and Information Centre of Riga City (RIIMC), Kaņiera iela 15, Riga.

Read the Programme.


Nicky Hockly

The Consultants-E

Participation made possible by the British Council

Critical Digital Literacies

Digital literacies, the technical skills and social practices needed to effectively interact with digital technologies, are key 21st century skills. Along with critical thinking, these skills are increasingly important in educational curricula. What exactly are digital literacies, how do they align with critical thinking skills, and how might both have a place in the English language classroom? In this plenary, we look at some of the theory underpinning digital literacies, and explore how both digital literacies and critical thinking skills might work together in the classroom in practice.


Nicky Hockly

The Consultants-E

Participation made possible by the British Council

Going Mobile

In this workshop we look at a number of classroom activities using mobile devices, and examine how these can cross the boundaries between school and the outside world. We review the choices and challenges involved in using mobile devices with learners in class, and how best to design and sequence mobile-based activities with your learners. Bring a mobile device (phone or tablet) with you to the workshop!


Nick Thorner

Oxford University Press

Motivational Teaching: Engaging Young People in Learning Behaviours

Many models of motivation and the general advice, like ‘make classes interesting’, rarely help us to create practical strategies. Drawing on ideas from Nick Thorner’s Motivational Teaching, this session offers a clear perspective on motivation that will help teachers of teens respond to this challenge. Participants will gain a wide range of practical ideas and strategies to support learner motivation.


Rob Dean

RDTC Rob Dean Training and Consultancy on Behalf of Pearson

Nothing Stands Still for Long in Changing English

Whether it ís technology, fashion, music or politics, nothing stays the same for long, and for some people, staying up to date can be a real challenge. Language is no exception, and all languages are in a constant state of evolution. This session will look at some of the latest trends in English – at both new elements entering the language as well as old elements falling out of use. The talk will investigate examples of changing grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and usage, and will look at where this leaves us when deciding what to teach in the classroom.


Rob Dean

RDTC Rob Dean Training and Consultancy on Behalf of Pearson

Make a World of Difference: Developing Real Communication in the Teenage Classroom

What does the future hold for our teenage learners? What careers will they follow? Where will they travel? Who will they communicate with? It may be difficult to answer these questions precisely, but we can make some educated guesses about the kind of linguistic needs they will have. This session will consider ways of providing a solid foundation for effective communication in the wide world of their future, with a focus on naturalness, authenticity and cultural awareness. The session will feature a variety of approaches and materials, along with some activities to try out in the classroom.


Rob Dean

RDTC Rob Dean Training and Consultancy on Behalf of Pearson

The Write Stuff! Approaches to Developing the Writing Skill

For good reason, many of us tend to spend more classroom time on speaking activities than we do on writing, with writing tasks commonly being set for homework. However, a good speaker does not necessarily make a good writer (and vice versa), and even though the end result of both is to communicate, the subskills of each are vastly different. This session will offer some practical ideas aimed at utilising the dynamics of the classroom to develop a selection of writing subskills. In the process, we will illustrate that far from being a dull solitary activity, writing can be interactive, highly communicative – and even fun.


Tatiana Ginzburg

Express Publishing Platforms

Specialisation for 21st Century Skills: Learner and Workforce

The 21st century workplace has been transformed by globalization and digitalization. To achieve success, learners must develop the specialized English skills and the 21st Century Skills employers require. Career Paths offers a unique approach to ESP by developing students’ vocational English abilities while simultaneously improving their abilities to communicate, collaborate, think critically, and create in both physical and digital contexts.

Tatiana Ginzburg

Express Publishing

Making Your Lessons Meaningful With Clil

D. Marsh defines CLIL as ‘an umbrella term that could encompass a wide range of situations related to the experience of learning non-language subjects through a foreign language’. However, there ís still quite a lot of confusion related to why’s and how’s of planning and implementing CLIL at school. In this talk we’ll look at theoretical and practical aspects of introducing CLIL in your teaching. We’ll also consider materials to be used by language and subject teachers produced by publishers and other organisations. The talk is meant for teachers of English working at primary, secondary and upper-secondary levels.


Tatiana Ginzburg

Express Publishing Platforms

Presentation Skills vs Traditional Homework

By using presentations, rather than traditional written homework, we can help all students learn the language more successfully. Students that make presentations generally stay more engaged with the subject they are presenting, when providing others with information. The rest of the class has the chance to experience learning through peer presentations.


Ingūna Melne and Elīna Jekale

Riga State gymnasium Nr 1/ Stockholm School of Economics

Eyp In The Classroom

EYP techniques introduced in the classroom can help students improve their public speaking skills and gain confidence by participating in debates where they have to provide reasonable arguments.


Dace Miška

Oxford University Press

Development of Competences with Oxford University Press

Recent Oxford Professional Development seminars have shown that teachers of English in Latvia use competence-based approach actively but often do not recognize various competences when needed to show examples from their books or materials. This short presentation will illustrate some typical examples of materials that develop Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Learning to Learn and Communication Skills and foster Cultural Awareness.


Baiba Mantiņa

Teaching beginners based on the children’s picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, designed, illustrated and written by Eric Carle

Teaching beginners listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills using the method of learning by doing in a creative way, revising numbers, days, colours, food vocabulary, understanding and creating butterflies’ life circle etc.


Deborah Bullock

Participation made possible by the British Council

What is Teaching for Success?

What is continuing professional development (CPD)? Why is it important? What makes it effective? In this talk we consider some of the answers to these questions by exploring the British Councilís new approach to continuing professional development (CPD) Teaching for Success. We also look at the structure of the CPD framework for teachers and the range of useful resources which are available to guide and support teachers in their continuing professional development.


Deborah Bullock

Participation made possible by the British Council

Teaching for Success and what it can do for you and your learners!

This practical workshop will show you how the British Councilís new continuing professional development (CPD) framework ñ Teaching for Success ñ can guide and support you in your own CPD. You will reflect on your CPD journey to date, identify your goals, explore some of the resources available to you, and begin to prepare and plan for your future professional development.


Inga Saulite-Benina

Baltic Council For International Education

Cambridge TKT Qualification- Investment In Your Professional Development

The Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) is a test that focuses on the teaching knowledge needed by teachers of primary, secondary, or adult learners of English, anywhere in the world. The Cambridge TKT will help you build a successful and rewarding career as a teacher of English.

Why choose the Cambridge TKT test? A question and answer session: Aija Gudza will share her experience of taking the Cambridge TKT exam in June 2017.


Vita Kalnbērziņa, Rita Kursīte
and Ināra Dimpere

Latvia University, VISC

Curriculum Reform in FL Teaching in Latvia

The plenary will focus on the present situation in FL teaching, the plan and timeline of the curriculum reform in Latvia. We will explain the main concepts behind the new curriculum, compare it to 21st century skills, provide an insight into the draft syllabus and point out the differences from the existing documents. Questions and comments will be answered at the end of the plenary.


Tatjana Kunda

Riga French Lycée

Teaching Vocabulary In A Competence-Based Curriculum

In this workshop we will be discussing the position of teaching vocabulary in the new curriculum. The session will provide the participants with a practical insight into activities and strategies that facilitate vocabulary acquisition and develop transversal skills.

The New Curriculum Panel Discussion

In this panel discussion the panel and the audience will discuss the new curriculum and consider issues, problems and solutions.


Katerina Kazanovska

Independent trainer, course designer

Learner Autonomy – Surviving Succeeding as a 21st Century Learner

Learner autonomy – surely, we’ve all heard about it and we all know it is a good thing, but what does it really mean? Are we, teachers, educators, and teacher trainers, ready to “leave them kids alone”? How does one train their learners to be effectively autonomous and how does one make oneself break out of the old habits and stop taking all the responsibility for what and how our students are learning? Let’s try to figure it all out!

Sandra Kalnina

University of Latvia

Interactive Reading of Texts- a Way to Develop Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

This session will provide participants with hands-on experience on using some strategies that help develop students’ critical thinking skills (The Found Poem, Cinquain, etc.). The participants will be actively involved in experiencing these strategies and their feedback will be expected.

Jeff Grīnvalds

Westside High School

Writing Marathons: Authentic Writing for Teachers and Students

Writing Marathons are events that allow writers to capture their experiences based on the real world that they live in. Use writing marathons to engage students with authentic writing opportunities in the framework of place-based education. Conceived in New Orleans, these workshops bring the world around us in focus through our writing.


Rita Skara Mincāne and Inta Augustane

Rigas Valsts 3. gimnazija

Let’s Speak About Money

This workshop will examine how the topic of MONEY can be adapted in English lessons using cooperative learning structures. Links to other subjects will be explored and participants will have a chance to improve their speaking skills.


Sandra Nore and Inga Linde

Riga State gymnasium No2
Ulbroka Secondary School, Riga City Primary School

Creating a Positive Learning Environment Using Games and Google Drive

Sandra will focus on day-to-day involvement in acquiring language and expressing the opinions by using Google-Drive, which is not only a file storage and synchronization service but also a challenge for teachers and students to communicate any time, any place, getting instant feedback and seeing themselves in the picture with their classmates.
Inga will share ideas on how to create and use simple board games and online games as a powerful tool to promote such competences as active thinking, collaboration and develop communication skills in order to enhance language acquisition in primary school classes.