We would like to encourage you to participate in this important English Language Teaching event organised by UFRN Professors Orlando and Janaina:

I Jornada de Ensino de Inglês com Língua Estrangeira (JEAILE)

Venue: UFRN | Sala C4 – Bloco II

Time: 8.30 – 12:30

Information: especializacaodeingles@gmail.com

The PDF with the event’s programme is available here.

Looking forward to seeing you,

The end of 2011 is drawing near, but we still have time for one more ELT event in Natal:

Creative Ideas for Effective Language Teaching

DATE | 26 November 2011

VENUE | ESCOLA LÁPIS DE COR |Rua Amintas Barros, 2823 – Lagoa Nova  Natal – RN, 59063-250 84 3231.2305 | http://www.lapisdecornatal.com.br/ | Google Maps: http://g.co/maps/6cmy6

PROGRAMME

14:00 – 14:15 | Opening

14:15 – 15:00 | Concurent Sessions 1 & 2

15:00 – 15:30 | Coffee Break

15:30 – 16:15 | Concurrent Sessions 3 & 4

16:15 – 16:45 | Raffle and Announcements

16:45 – 17:00 | Closing

 SESSIONS

1. Classroom Management: Ideas to Promote Interaction in EFL Classes | Dyêgo Saraiva | Presentation

In this presentation, participants will be invited to reflect upon their practice concerning classroom management both in small and large groups. We will discuss effective ways of calling students’ attention, grouping for different tasks/activities, promoting more interaction, as well as other features of classroom management. In the end, participants will analyze a sample of a lesson plan having in mind what they were exposed in the session.

Dyêgo Saraiva holds a degree in Letras from UFRN (2007) and is a CELTA certified teacher. He is currently following a programme in ‘Especializaçao em Ensino de Lingua Inglesa’ at UFRN which should be completed in December 2011.

2. One to One 101 – What to Consider When Taking the First Steps into Private Classes | Rafael Freire | Presentation

Private one to one classes have always been part of any teacher’s life, whether going to students’ houses or having students over. Teaching one to one might sound easy and just like a hobby, but it really isn’t. It requires a lot of effort, research and hard work from the teacher. During this presentation, aimed at those who already teach or are taking the first steps into teaching private classes, I am going to quickly analyze and talk about the different aspects of teaching private students and one to one classes, covering a wide range of topics such as needs analysis, materials development, dress code and teacher behaviour, how to evaluate students using the Common European Framework (CEF), the role of the teacher, the advantages and disadvantages of one to one classes and I will also show an example of an “approach” I used with one of my students and myself when preparing for the TOEFL exam effectively.

Rafael Medeiros has been an EFL teacher for about 5 years. He is currently teaching regular classes at Yázigi Natal and private one to one classes at J&R – Serviços em Inglês: professores particulares, tradutores e intérpretes.

3. Teaching Young Learners: Some Simple and Effective Ideas | Daisy Kelly, Janaina Oliveira, Lucimara Patrício and Elaine Câmara | Workshop

Some people believe teaching kids is too chaotic to be theoretically explained, and that keeping their attention is really a herculean task. We however, would like to share some simple techniques which will show that we can not only go beyond playing in the classroom, but also keep kids’ attention in spite of their varied interests. Although teaching kids is no stranger to storytelling, songs, games and craft making, we would like to present a simple yet effective way of using them to prepare for a productive class, of which content will be better assimilated by the children.

Daisy Kelly, Janaina Oliveira, Lucimara Patrício are EFL teachers at ESCOLA LÁPIS DE COR BILÍNGUE and Elaine Câmara is an EFL teacher at ESCOLA MAPPLE BEAR.

 4. Portfolios: The Development of the Four Skills in Multimodal Activities | Patrícia Guedes | Presentation

The presentation introduces the concept of a portfolio, followed by background information on how the project started. I will then describe how the project was to affect the main areas it involved, namely homework and assessment. Next, I will show some samples of students’ work and their feedback on the project. Finally I will present numbers concerning students’ participation and the changes to be made for the following semester. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation.

Patrícia Guedes has 10 years of experience in English teaching, holds an ICELT and is particularly interested in the use of multimodal activities in ELT.

REGISTRATIONS

To register, please send your name, phone number and institution to braztesolrn@gmail.com by 25 November, 2011 (Friday). This is a free event and we have a limited number of seats, so we are forced to operate on a first-come first-serve basis (as soon as we reach the maximum number of participants, registrations will close).

For further information, please contact Ercília Dâmaris via braztesolrn@gmail.com

All the very best,

Many thanks for celebrating with us yesterday at UFRN.

As promised, here are the slides for Janaina Weissheimer‘s, Andrea Zielke‘s and Fernando Guarany‘s presentations.

Janaina Weissheimer netlearning | Andrea Zielke | Fernando Guarany DOGME ELT Simplified

We are currently writing a report and preparing a photo gallery which should be posted soon. So, be on the lookout!

Cheers,

Dyêgo Saraiva | BTRN Helper

To celebrate BRAZ-TESOL’s 25th Anniversary, we have organised a special event for the ELT community:

BRAZ-TESOL: 25 Years Making a Difference in ELT (8 October 2011 at UFRN)

TALKS

Netlearning: Beyond the Wow! Factor

Times have changed and electronic media dominate students’ lives as part of an increasingly connected world. In this context, teachers who don’t help students develop a whole new repertoire of skills and practices seem to be doing them a disservice. This talk aims at reflecting on the impact of new media on foreign language teaching and learning, more specifically, video games, wiki technology, podcasts and mashups. Some of the issues discussed in light of digital technology are:  collaborative learning; collective intelligence; active engagement, and the new roles that both teachers and learners perform. The talk provides opportunities for participants to examine ways of thinking about new media associated with their use and implications for foreign language teaching and learning.

Janaína Weissheimer is Professor at the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department at UFRN and permanent member of its Post-Graduation Programme on Language Studies. Her main areas of interest are cognitive aspects of SLA (Second Language Acquisition), bilingualism, and technology-mediated foreign language learning and teaching. She taught at Cultura Inglesa in Porto Alegre and Salvador for over 17 years and is a Cambridge Oral Examiner.

Dogme ELT: A Pedagogy of Bare Essentials

In his 2000 article ‘A dogma for EFL’, author Scott Thornbury argued that real communication in the language classroom was being buried under an avalanche of materials (course books, photocopies, CDs, DVDs, etc). He suggested it was time for a change. It was time to focus back on the people in the classroom through ‘a pedagogy of bare essentials,’ later named Dogme Language Teaching. In this session participants should gain a bird’s eye view of the three pillars of Dogme. Through a conversational style participants will have the opportunity to discuss and reflect on the key principles of this ‘approach’ and what it has to offer.

Fernando Guarany is an ELT enthusiast and a frequent conference speaker. He works at Cultura Inglesa Natal as a teacher and Cambridge ESOL examiner. He has delivered both online and face-to-face teacher training for the British Council for a number of years. His main interests include practical applications for academic theories, continuing professional development (CPD) and online distance education. Fernando is co-founder and current president of the BRAZ-TESOL RN chapter. He’s on twitter: @fguarany

Programme

14:00 | Opening: Welcome and BRAZ-TESOL’s Mission by Ana Graça Canan (UFRN);

14:15 | A warmer by Wadson Correia (Cultura Inglesa/UFRN);

14:30 | Netlearning: Beyond the Wow! Factor by Janaina Weissheimer (UFRN);

15:20 | Coffee Break

15:40 | Professional Development: A teacher’s account by Andrea Zielke (Yázigi);

16:00 | Dogme ELT: A Pedagogy of Bare Essentials by Fernando Guarany (Cultura Inglesa);

16:50 | Closing.

Date | Saturday, 8 October 2011

Time| 14:00 – 17:30

Venue| UFRN |Bloco 2 |Sala i16

Registrations| to register, please send your name, phone number and institution to braztesolrn@gmail.com by 5 October, 2011. This is a free event and we have only 60 seats available, so we will have to operate on a first-come first-serve basis (as soon as we reach 60 participants, registrations will close). We will kindly ask you to re-confirm attendance 24 hours prior to the event.

For further information, please contact Ercília Dâmaris or Patrícia Guedes via braztesolrn@gmail.com

All the very best,

Beatriz Guilherme

First Vice-President

BRAZ-TESOL RN

www.braztesol.org.br

www.btrn.org

We are pleased to share the following job opportunity with the local ELT community:

English Teachers

are invited to apply for a Language Consultant position!

We are an International Publisher looking for professionals who:

have strong interpersonal skills;

have commercial awareness;

are enthusiastic and energetic;

function well in teamwork;

are results-oriented;

have a driving license and availability to travel.

 Please send your CV to curriculos.envio@gmail.com

All the best,

]]> http://btrn.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/job-opportunity/feed/ 0 btrn http://btrn.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/braz-tesol-rn-july-2011-event-report/ http://btrn.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/braz-tesol-rn-july-2011-event-report/#comments Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:53:55 +0000 BRAZTESOL RN http://btrn.wordpress.com/?p=135 Continue reading →]]> Hi, teflers!

Not even the showery night in the typically sunny Natal was able to hold over 30 teachers (including a dear colleague from Manaus, Duanes Santos) from attending our July 2011 event, Tips on How to Develop a Teaching Career. International teacher and trainer Julian Kenny engaged the audience by drawing out their understanding and beliefs about professional development. Having worked in a number of countries all over the world, Julian was able to share his experience about different contexts, challenges and opportunities for ELT professionals to continue developing throughout their careers. The indispensability of a reflective teaching practice was one of the key areas in the session. Participants discussed about the importance of keeping track of their improvements and agreed that a portfolio is a good way to do so.

“If there’s been no change to your CV in the last 12 months, you’re probably not developing.”

Another important point was that nobody but teachers themselves should be responsible for their own development. Teachers shouldn’t wait for top-down institutional decisions to be made about their development, but must constantly seek opportunities to become more effective in what they do. By so doing, their careers will be more enjoyable, they will have more professional opportunities and guarantee their employability.

Professional Development shouldn’t only be seen in terms of formal courses, seminars, conferences, etc. Informal sessions or chats with fellow teachers also go a long way in helping teachers to reflect and develop. Julian suggested a monthly meeting at which members could share their ideas and best practices. Pecha Kucha nights would be another possibility. Here’s an example of one with Jamie Keddie:

For the first time we attempted to broadcast a live session online. The recording is available here. Thanks to Dyêgo Saraiva for helping us with this.

Several photos were taken and we created a Photo Gallery on our Facebook page here.

We’d like to thank everyone for their presence and active participation, Cultura Inglesa for offering us their excellent venue and sponsoring the certificates. Many thanks to Ercília Dâmaris and Patrícia Guedes for their help organising the event and welcoming participants. Special thanks to our Board and Founding Members: Ana Graça Canan (UFRN), Edilson Souza (UFRN), Beatriz Guilherme (ProEnglish), Marcelo de Cristo (Free Lance Trainer), Fiona Squires (Cultura Inglesa) and Steve Barlow (Cultura Inglesa).

Very special thanks to Julian Kenny who, after a long day’s work running a CELTA course, went the extra mile to grace us with a thought-provoking session.

As president of BRAZ-TESOL Natal Chapter, I strongly believe that we can’t wait for policies regarding English Language Teaching to be changed upside down any time soon. However, with humble initiatives such as this event, we are able to send a powerful message to our communities and the powers that be: change is possible and it starts with each one of us working together to make a difference wherever we are!

Together we’re stronger!

We are happy to announce our July 2011 event:

TIPS ON HOW TO DEVELOP A TEACHING CAREER with Julian Kenny

JULIAN KENNY is a CELTA and DELTA tutor, Trinity examiner and a training consultant mostly working in Brazil, Angola and China. He is currently setting up a post-graduate diploma in trainer training.

Date: 15 July 2011

Time: 06:30 – 08:00 PM

Place: Cultura Inglesa Natal - Rua das Gardênias, 1805, Mirassol, Natal-RN, 59078-030

Registrations: to register, please send your name, phone number and institution to braztesolrn@gmail.com by July 13th, 2011.

This is a free event and we have only 40 seats available, so we will have to operate on a first-come first-serve basis (as soon as we reach 40 participants, registrations will close). We will kindly ask you to re-confirm attendance 24 hours prior to the event.

Candidates must contact Cultura Inglesa Natal for further information at (84) 3234.7784.

There is a forty-real fee to cover expenses with worksheets.

“Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on June 16th in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of IrishwriterJames Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904. Joyce chose the date because his first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle happened on that day, when they walked to the Dublin urban village of Ringsend. The name derives fromLeopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses.”

A group of literature lovers – as well as Joyce lovers – is promoting the 25th Bloomsday celebration in Natal (RN, Brazil) throughout the month of June, 2011: “James Joyce e a Cultura Irlandesa.”

Prof. Ana Graça Canan, who is organising the event alongside Prof. Francisco Ivan, has kindly emailed us with the folder containing the event’s timetable. Please see below:

The evening of the 16th of June will be open to the general public.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about the life and work of one of the most important and brilliant writers in universal literature – it’s also an opportunity to make contacts, see old friends and have fun!

We at BRAZ-TESOL RN would like to congratulate Ana Graça Canan and Edilson Souza (two important BRAZ-TESOL RN founding members) as well as all the other people involved in this endeavour.

And to close, we leave you with some poetic words from the event’s folder:

Bloomsday 2011. Um projeto, um evento, um sentimento. O resultado de discussões, paixões, projeções, emoções. A união de alguns em prol de uma realização que nos faça transcender o comum, ultrapassar o fazer por fazer. A busca por um sentimento que nos leve mais longe, à procura de outros horizontes. Mais uma edição. A mais vibrante, a mais envolvente. Aquela que nos arremessou mais longe, nos fez ousar, explorar, pesquisar, navegar, buscar. A chance de sair da estagnação, da ‘paralisia moral’. Ser local e ser cosmopolita. Brasil e Irlanda; Natal e Dublin.

“If I can get to the heart of Dublin, I can get to the heart of all cities in the world. In the particular is contained the universal.”

Estabelecer laços, fazer contatos, abrir caminhos, conhecer culturas. Ruas em Dublin, reuniões em Natal. UFRN, Ulster University. Dubliners, Ulysses, Letters of James Joyce, Exiles. Recursos, emails, programação, exposição, palestras, filmes, mesa-redonda, leitura dramática, carta-convite, viagem. Palavras impregnadas de significados. Tempo dedicado a fazer sonhos virarem realidade. Inovar, extrapolar, ir, sentir, tocar, unir, internacionalizar, experimentar. Este é o espírito do Bloomsday 2011. Enjoy it!