Hello Graeme and @ll!

How's it going? Well, as to the events in Rio de Janeiro, I'm planning on going to the 9th ABCI conference at Barra da Tijuca. I'll pay for it on the never never because it's a bit expensive. :-) Besides, a friend of mine, Lucia of Recife, will do a presentation on Critical Literacy there, and I just can't miss it. Of course, I'm also looking forward to listening to some of the keynote speakers like Harmer, Crystal, Puchta, Stanley - just to name a few. I'm sure we all will benefit a lot from what they have to say about the role of English in the contemporary world. I do look forward to grasping some fresh ideas to the teaching of the language and also to the opportunity see old friends,  (e)network  and make new contacts.

PS: I just don't know how to get there yet. I'll either take a taxi or have to rely on my map reading skills. no GPS here! LOL

Hello!

It will be great to meet you face-to-face at ABCI, Bruno!

I'm chuffed to have had a talk and a workshop selected for presentation at ABCI and also at the Braz-TESOL Convention. The former will deal with the relationship between technology and pedagogy whereas the latter is on methodology, more especifically Dictation, Imagination and Minimal Resources in ELT. And as usual I'm starting to feel butterflies starting to slowly (but surely) take  flight in my stomach. But I do enjoy the rush of speaking in public and exposing my views to sophisticated audiences such as ABCI's and Braz-TESOL's - and learning from them!

I'm also pleased that one of my advanced students at Cultura Natal - and who also teaches at another language school in town - will attend both conferences. He attended our Braz-TESOL RN launch event in Natal last month and was so inspired that he now wants to pursue a career in ELT. And he's making a hack of an investment to attend both ABCI and BTNC!

It will be great to see you again, Graeme. You are the sort of motivator, catalyst and friend worth working with. I hope we have time to socialise and chat a bit at the conference.

And I'm looking forward to your Pecha Kucha! :-D

Cheers,

Fernando Guarany Jr

Natal RN Brazil

Informação para professores da rede Pública

O BRAZ-TESOL é uma associação civil, sem fins lucrativos ou políticos, cujo objetivo é o aprimoramento do ensino de Inglês no Brasil, seja mediante a promoção de eventos para a difusão de novos conhecimentos na área, ou através da colaboração com grupos e entidades com propostas acadêmicas comuns.

A 12ª Convenção Nacional BRAZ-TESOL será realizada em São Paulo, de 19 a 22 de julho próximo, e deverá reunir aproximadamente 1.200 professores de inglês de todo o Brasil, além de vários conferencistas brasileiros e estrangeiros, de renome internacional para apresentar e assistir a seminários, workshops, palestras, colóquios e exposições de publicações acadêmicas.

Para dar um apoio especial aos professores de inglês das redes publica Estadual e Municipal, o BRAZ-TESOL lhes oferece um desconto de 50% na inscrição para o evento, ficando em: R$ 180,00 

Informações sobre o evento e palestrantes estão no site:  www.braztesol.org.br/convencao

Para se inscrever, professores de inglês das redes Estadual e Municipal deverão entrar em contato com Claudia no escritório do BRAZ-TESOL (11) 3559-8782, para detalhes de envio de comprovação empregatícia.

Thanks for sharing, Tete!

I'm in Porto Alegre right now, having just taken part in the 16th Convention held by APIRS (Associação de Professores de Inglês do Rio Grande do Sul), held in the impressive theatre at PUC-RS.

There were almost 400 teachers present and the theme of the event was Assessment for Growth. In addition to a host of fascinating workshops and papers, participants were treated to well-presented and in-depth plenary sessions on the theme of assessment.

In parallel to some of the workshops, a Public School Teaching Forum was held, with reports on practical experiences with groups of students, leading to high levels of motivation and learning.

At the end of Day 1 there was a Round Table on the 44th TESOL Convention (Boston), given by a group of APIRS members who managed to go. This was followed by an impressive staging of "The Phantom of the Opera", all in English, from students (in 8a série and EM) who study English at Colégio Aplicação.

One of the highlights of the event for me was an excellent lecture by Paul Seligson on practical tips for effectively assessing Students' oral skills in large classes.

Another was the Round Table on materials for learners, with contributions from the British Council, Macmillan, Pearson and Oxford, chaired by Magali Menti.

Bye for now,

G.

Hi Cris!

We missed you at APIRS and ABCI as well as Braz-Tesol!!! It was indeed pluvial in POA, rainy in Rio but sunny in Sampa!!!

How's that for alliteration???

G.