LATE held its fourth winter seminar on the 29th December 2020 online on Zoom.
One hundred and thirty-six participants took part in the event.
Developing Engagement in a Period of Change
Welcome and LATE December TPDD 2020 opening
by Inga Linde – LATE president
Mediation and pluricultural/plurilingual skills in the classroom
by Tatjana Kunda (VISC)
During this short presentation participants will be introduced to the concept of mediation as specified in the Companion volume to CEFR (2018) and find out how mediation tasks can be introduced into the foreign language classroom.
Supporting Multilingual Classrooms – I speak English, I am literate
by Antra Dukāne, Liāra Beļkeviča (Saldus Region Druva Secondary School)
I want to focus on English as a global language of communication and what threat it poses to other languages. I will encourage students to think about advantages and disadvantages of English as a global language and talk about an attempt to create an artificial Lingua Franca – Esperanto.
Supporting Multilingual Classrooms – Practical experience of introducing multilingual classroom and extracurricular activities at Jaunmarupe Elementary School
by Daina Grabovska, Antra Nāburga (Jaunmarupe Elementary School)
There are more and more different nationalities and languages present in the modern classroom. We would like to share the experience of foreign language teachers at Jaunmarupe Elementary School who have been working as a team and introducing several multilingual classroom and extracurricular activities suitable for students aged 9-16.
Supporting Multilingual Classrooms – The European Language Portfolio: How do I learn languages?
by Solvita Matvejeva, Ineta Birziņa (Liepaja Music, Art and Design School)
Reflecting on our own language learning strategies is a vital approach in any language acquisition. Teachers can help in revealing these strategies and becoming aware of students’ learning habits.
Modify Teaching Online When You Have to Adapt!
by Aija Gudza (Baltic Council for International Education)
During the distant learning process we have to develop different tasks for our students so that the studying process remains challenging and attractive. Teachers are obliged to modify their teaching skills and invent something new. So as this idea of planning 10 English lessons to possibly broaden the students’ horizons in their future careers. Free online courses as a material to deepen into are a possibility to explore new fields of study.
The Tyranny of the Gap Fill: What are the Alternatives?
by Robert Buckmaster (LATE Vice President and ELT Consultant)
The gap fill task is seemingly central to language teaching materials at all levels. Why is this? Is this a good thing? Are there any better alternatives? You can read more about this seminar here.
ICT in English Language Teaching
by Anna Beļska (J.Pilsudska Daugavpils State Polish Gymnasium)
The aim of the workshop is to acquire new skills and ideas for using ICT tools for teaching English, including interactive presentations, useful websites and online learning tools. The workshop participants will also discuss and reflect on skills necessary for 21st century education.
The Girl on the Wall
by Robert Buckmaster (LATE Vice President and ELT Consultant)
In this session we will look at how we can use photos in our lessons and in particular explore the ways we can use one photo which I call ‘The Girl on the Wall. You can read more about this seminar here.