Motivating our learners – mini-event

About the event

This one-day webinar event took place on 8 June 2023 and featured three webinars with ELT experts from around the world. All three webinars focus on how teachers can motivate their learners. The webinars are for teachers of primary, secondary and young adult English language learners.

About the sessions

Session 1: Should homework be humdrum?

Speaker

Huma Hazna Riaz Ahmed

Session information

This practical session will introduce participants to a criteria used for making homework a positive experience for learners. In addition, the audience will evaluate mundane homework activities for different learner groups and brainstorm ways of making them more fun and relevant to their students. Also, participants will explore the connection between differentiation, technology and effective homework.

Download Huma's handout

Session 2: Motivating learners: The ideal L2-self and secondary learners

Speakers

Jessica Cheman and Sam Zurbrugg

Session information

This workshop will look at the most dominant language learning motivation theory of the past 20 years, the L2 motivational self-system, and detail a 6-week programme to develop secondary learners' ideal L2-self.  It will give practical ideas to help motivate learners. You will learn how action research related to language learning motivation can have a positive impact on both learners and teachers.

Download Jessica and Sam's handout

Session 3: Maximising teacher language

Speaker

Katy Kelly

Session information

This workshop will look at how teacher language can positively impact teaching and learning in the young learner classroom. You will firstly look at language for classroom management, focusing on routines and daily interactions, then language we use to introduce new concepts and vocabulary, followed by the language you use to set up tasks. Finally, we will think about what we say and how we say it when we give feedback in class on tasks and activities.

Download Katy's handout

About the speakers

Huma Hasna Riaz Ahmed is a certified teacher, teacher mentor, materials writer, e-moderator and examiner from India who has donned many hats for the British Council for 12 years. She has worked in India, England and now the UAE. Providing learners with an authentic learning experience and a sense of progress is the main focus of Huma's lessons. In her free time, Huma enjoys reading, travelling and experimenting with spices in her kitchen.

Jessica Cheman and Sam Zurbrugg work together in the British Council Vietnam. 

Sam holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching, DELTA, CELT-YL and CELTA. He has experience teaching a wide range of levels and ages in both Bahrain and Vietnam.

Jessica is a Trinity Diploma, CELT-YL and CELTA qualified teacher. She has a range of experience teaching primary, secondary and upper-secondary young learners in Bahrain and Vietnam. Jessica is experienced in materials development and course planning.

Katy Kelly is a freelance teacher trainer and materials writer based in Spain, specialising in young learners. She has worked in the public sector and for private education providers in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, providing face-to-face and online training on YL methodology, train-the trainer and CLIL. She has written a three-book KG series, a three-year kindergarten curriculum, as well as a full primary EFL curriculum for an IB international school and a Moodle course for lower secondary teachers. In her spare time Katy enjoys gardening and collecting coffee beans from around the world.