This year was LATE’s upcoming 30th Anniversary Conference “30 Years Together. Looking Backwards. Looking Forwards” on the 17th and 18th August 2022.
This year the conference was a special event to celebrate our 30 years. We held the conference at Jaunmārupe Elementary School, Mazcenu aleja 3, Jaunmārupe.
The Programme
The Conference programme can be downloaded here.
Iris Willey, Cultural Affairs Officer and Robert Leier English Language Fellow, U.S. Embassy Riga
Looking Forward with LATE: The Importance of Cultural Exchanges in Learning Languages
This plenary session will discuss the role that English language learning plays in the U.S.-Latvia relationship (which celebrates 100 years this year). Iris Willey will also present Embassy opportunities for teachers of English. Robert Leier will present on his learnings from experiences in English education from across the globe.
Dace Miška Oxford University Press
Wellbeing: Starts today Student wellbeing is in the spotlight today. In this presentation we will discuss the challenge of implementing tasks in the classroom. The objective is to ensure our students become resilient, happy and develop meaningful relationships while learning.
Fiona Mauchline Macmillan Education
Quantum ELT (or The things wot I learnt)
Life has been ‘odd’ since I last came to the Baltics, but I (we?) certainly learnt a lot. Personally, I learnt that though the people and things IN the room matter, what happens BETWEEN them matters more. Activities and stimuli need to fully engage, help learners connect and make learning feel safe, positive: this is key to learning. Come along to share thoughts and activities – and hopefully to learn, connect and smile.
Anna Kolbuszewska Pearson
Change with the times
We live in a complex world where change is the name of the game. This profoundly affects what the needs and expectations of our students are, and consequently what we do in the classroom. For this, we need the right formula to do what we do best as language teachers: be flexible, show we can adapt easily and teach in a way which is unique in value as well as presentation. The right formula will allow us to move with the times just as our students do. It will also allow us to effectively bridge gaps and help students achieve success in exams. This practical presentation will focus on ways in which exam preparation materials can help us stay ahead of the game, keep in step with our students’ generation and with their identified linguistic needs. We will look at what flexibility, adaptability and uniqueness look like in practice to give our teaching a new momentum.
LATE Projects
- Reading Circle with PEARSON: Reading Circle 1, 2, 3 and Young Learners Reading Circle 1 A report on the LATE/Pearson Reading Circle project.
- “HMC Projects” each year offers scholarships to 80 to 90 16-year-old scholars from 14 countries to study in about 50 prestigious UK boarding schools
- PRELIM 2 with the British Council: The Partnered Remote Language Improvement project (PRELIM) – an international project to help improve the confidence, language and teaching skills of English Teaching Association (ETA) members in 40 nations worldwide.
- RELANG 2022 with the ECML:“Alternative, Continuous Methods of Assessment in Line with the CEFR and Its Companion Volume” Alternatīvas, nepārtrauktas vērtēšanas metodes saskaņā ar Eiropas kopīgām pamatnostādnēm (EKP) un to pavadošo sējumu valodas apguvei.
- ICT-REV 2022 with the ECML: “Use of ICT in Support of Language Teaching and Learning”: IKT izmantošana valodu mācīšanas un mācīšanās atbalstam.
Ilona Ceļmalniece, Riga Centre Humanitarian Secondary School, University of Latvia graduate– 10 mins
Using Content and Language Integrated Learning Approach to Develop Grade 12 Students’ English Lexical Competence in the Domain of Politics and Law.
The impact of CLIL on the development of Grade 12 students’ English lexical competence in the domain of politics and law will be discussed in the presentation, based on the results of a case-study carried out in a secondary school in Riga. It will be argued that CLIL should be a vital part of the new educational landscape in Latvia as it ensures a more integrated and meaningful learning.
Ivars Dominiks Zeps, Sigulda State Gymnasium, University of Latvia Graduate – 10 mins
Integrating Digital Tools in the Profession of English Teachers in Latvia
This paper explores the digitalization of the English teacher’s work in Latvia. The aim of the research was to study the integration of digital tools in English teachers’ work to construct a national scale digitalization characterization of the English teacher’s work in Latvia. The research paper presents the use of digital tools by English teachers in Latvia and makes recommendations for further positive development of this process.
Violeta Liudvinovic,iene Bookshop Krisostomus / National Geographic Learning
LIVE, TEACH, CREATE – CONNECTIONS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING
The ever-changing world, the challenges of globalization, the problem-solving challenges of education, discoveries, learning through research and the active participation of students in the process, pose new challenges to the content of education. Therefore, changes in the curriculum are necessary, taking into account the needs of society, the results of students’ achievements, innovations in pedagogical science and the challenges for education. It is necessary to update the content of education by providing the latest scientific knowledge, creating opportunities for the student to develop the necessary skills: To LIVE – independently and healthy; to TEACH – skillfully, interesting and harness curiosity; to CREATE – innovatively and productively. Language learning and teaching is all about connections; connections to the priorities, to themselves and to the real world, and with each other in the classroom environment. In this presentation we’ll explore how, using National Geographic Learning’s series, teachers can be more effective in facilitating learning and helping students make the connections they need to be successful language learners.
Fiona Mauchline Macmillan Education
How do you like your eggs?
Working together on micro- and macro-projects both in and out of the classroom is the ideal way for our learners to really get involved with their English, get motivated, and make the language their own. Engaging, collaborative projects, whether fifteen minutes long or nine months long, are also the perfect antidote to the strangeness of the last two years, and a way to help coursebooks ‘come alive’. Come along for an hour of ideas and chat – and you may also get some eggs…
Tatjana Kunda National Centre for Education (VISC)
State Examinations in English: Discussion of Results and Recommendations for Preparation
The session will provide an overview of the results of the state examinations in English, focusing on strong and weak areas in candidates’ performance. It will also give an insight into the most essential aspects of assessment at different levels.
Robert Buckmaster The English Ideas Project/LATE
Teaching Advanced Learners
In this talk I will consider the what, the how and the why of teaching Advanced (C1) level students, to ensure their examination and future life success.
Anna Kolbuszewska Pearson
Teaching SMART with technology
As a result of the pandemic, teachers and students have started taking it for granted that technology is an integral part of the teaching / learning process. The next level? Being SMART about using technology in teaching. SMART as in Strategies to Motivate and Reward Teenagers? Yes, that too, but even more importantly, being able to integrate technology as part of Student-centred Methodology which is Appropriate and Relevant for Teens.
In this session we will look at the and the how and whys of integrating technology into teaching. We will briefly visit SMART technology and see how it makes a difference in teaching and learning. And above all, we will try to answer the question of why it’s smart to be SMART about technology in teaching.
Tatiana Ginzburg Express Publishing
Transversal skills and critical thinking in ELT
Society and labour market are increasingly demanding that students come out of education equipped with skills beyond subject knowledge. The so-called transversal skills will be essential for university study, work, and life, which is why the Ministry of Education included them in the new standard. We will look at how ELT professionals can help students develop those and, in particular, critical thinking skills.
Rita Skara-Mincane Valmiera State Gymnasium and Inta Augustane Riga State Gymnasium No 3
Feedback in English lessons.
The aim of the workshop is to examine various strategies to give and receive feedback to encourage students to reflect on their learning. We will share our experience of promoting learners’ decision making, and planning lessons.
Anita Auziņa University of Latvia
English Language Learners’ Being and Well-being Online: How to Promote Digital Citizenship Skills in English Lessons?
To enrich the English language learning journey with authentic materials, more than ever teachers are encouraged to implement digital materials, learning objects and environments. Meanwhile, teachers’ knowledge, skills and attitudes related to the Digital Citizenship Education are tested and challenged, too. To what extent do teachers feel confident to introduce Digital Citizenship Education related topics in their English lessons? How to promote language learners’ digital citizenship skills? This presentation introduces the findings and intellectual outputs developed in the ERASMUS+ project: “Digital Citizenship Education and Foreign Language Learning”, which brings together five European partner universities: University of Munich, University of Limerick, University of Latvia, University of Aveiro, and Siena Italian Studies.
Andrew Doxsey Limbaži State Gymnasium
Raising student performance – a UK teacher’s experience
In this presentation I will describe my experiences, as a teacher in the UK, trying to raise student performance. I will describe the processes and planning that took place and the impact felt by teachers and students. When relevant I will highlight the major differences between the two educational systems.
Diana Bolgare “Diana’s Language Coaching” language school
English Through Drama – language games and techniques for elementary and intermediate level students
The aim of this workshop is to give English Language teachers some working Drama techniques and games to consolidate their English class and boost elementary and intermediate level students’ confidence as well as enthusiasm for learning English.
Harmi Bains and Sally Mitchell West London English School
Language Evolution: The rise of Multicultural London English (MLE)
Language is not static; it is forever evolving. In London, a new form of English has arisen, known as Multicultural London English (MLE). MLE arose post second world war and did so from a variety of Englishes spoken by ethnic groups who made up the wave of post war migration to London. Variations of MLE can now be found as far afield as Canada and Australia. In this presentation we will look at four areas: the history of MLE, lexical and grammatical examples of MLE, phonological features and shifting demographics.
Inguna Melne Riga State Gymnasium No 1
Teacher Cooperation
Experience a story of teacher cooperation and material sharing online. Creating and sharing materials together saves the time and energy for all parties involved. I will talk about how to work with Google Slides, Google Docs and Google Forms.
Anna Kolbuszewska Pearson
Teaching in the 21st century: how to rise to the challenge
The role of the English teacher has undergone a dramatic change in the past few decades: from someone whose responsibility was to impart knowledge about the language, to a coach and facilitator who creates opportunities for learning the language as a tool for successful communication. Throw into the mix a growing demand for including 21st century skills, as well as soft skills training becoming part of the language teaching curriculum, and we have a very clear picture of the challenges facing English teachers these days. Luckily, we are not on our own in this difficult situation. In this session we will look at what exactly these changes mean for us, and at the support available for teachers to deal with the challenges of teaching in the 21st century.
You can read about our previous Annual Conferences through the links below.