1. education
2. english as a second language

ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
The YOUNG ONES Conference
brought to you by
ILC International House Brno
Teacher Training Centre
When:
Where:
What:
Saturday, October 11th 2014 from 8.00 – 15.00
ILC International House Brno, Sukova 2, 1st floor
Practical workshops and seminars, conference pack, lunch,
raffle, after-conference drinks – all for 300 Kč
GENERAL INFORMATION
The venue
ILC International House Brno, language school, Sukova 2, 602 00 Brno
T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; www.ilcbrno.cz, info@ilcbrno.cz
Take tram no. 1, 2, 4 or 11 to Malinovského náměstí. The school is about a two-minute walk
from there, around the corner.
On Arrival
The entrance foyer of the school will be used for registration. The seminar rooms are on the
first&second floor.
Other Information:
 Drinks and refreshments will be provided on the first floor.
 There will be displays by a number of publishing companies.
Enjoy the day!
Important!
A first-come, first-served system is used for each session. Once the room is full (i.e. no more
seats), it will be at the presenter’s discretion as to whether you can attend the session or
not.
Please note that there are a limited number of places available so register now
at http://www.ilcbrno.cz/the-young-ones-conference/.
Důležité!
Účast na semináři si nelze rezervovat předem. Při velkém zájmu, pokud už bude místnost
obsazena (nebude více volných židlí), bude záležet na přednášejícím, jestli se budete moci
semináře zúčastnit.
This conference is accredited by the Czech Ministry of Education (5978/2012-25-79).
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Conference Schedule
8.00 – 9.00 REGISTRATION
9.00 – 11.15 MORNING SESSIONS
CLASSROOM 1
CLASSROOM 2
CLASSROOM 3
CLASSROOM 5
CLASSROOM 209
max. 18 people
max. 25 people
max. 18 people
max. 15 people
max. 18 people
9.00 – 10.00
9.00 – 10.00
9.00 – 10.00
9.00 – 10.00
9.00 – 10.00
Culture Vulture - teens
Boom Chika Boom
Using songs and
chants to teach
vocabulary - primary
Getting Teens Talking
- teens
Mixed, Varied,
Diverse, Assorted dealing with
differences in our
classrooms
Meaningful Language
Practice - post
maturita
Nikki Fořtová
Kylie Malinowska,
IH World YL Advisor
Mat Smith
Gareth Davies, OUP
Pavla Milerski
10.15 – 11.15
10.15 – 11.15
10.15 – 11.15
10.15 – 11.15
10.15 – 11.15
Accuracy or Fluency? Get the balance right maturita
Dyslexia - ideas to
support and help
students - all ages
Promoting student
interaction - primary
Opening The Mind:
21st century teaching
Games in the
classroom - all ages
Eva Trňáková
Anette Igel
Ben Herbert
Daniela Clarke, ILC
Czechoslovakia
Šárka Cox
11.15 – 12.30 LUNCH & BOOK EXHIBITION AND INFORMATION
Megabooks - Oxford Bookshop, Macmillan, Oxford University Press, Usborne Books, ILC Czechoslovakia, Magazine
Bridge and Gate, British Council
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
12.30 – 14.45 AFTERNOON SESSIONS
12.30 – 13.30
12.30 – 13.30
12.30 – 13.30
12.30 – 13.30
Easy as that – easy
readers in the
classroom
Vocabulary
Presentation - post
maturita
Petra Mitáčková
Kristýna Urbánková
David Szmidt
Megan LeBoeuf,
Bridge & Gate
13.45 – 14.45
13.45 – 14.45
13.45 – 14.45
13.45 – 14.45
Let's listen - teens
Dramatic moments using improvisation
and drama techniques
in the classroom - all
ages
Managing Classroom
Management - all
ages
Think and Learn:
Developing primary
student's thinking
skills
Soňa Pazderová
Anette Igel
Mat Smith
Daniela Clarke, ILC
Czechoslovakia
Using comics in the
A Class Theme Tune classroom - how
Using phonics, rhythm visual storytelling can
and rhyme - pre-teens make teaching more
effective
12.30 – 13.30
Mixed, Varied,
Diverse, Assorted dealing with
differences in our
classrooms
Gareth Davies, OUP
14.45 – 15.45
RAFFLE &
DRINKS
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
The Abstracts
9.00 – 10.00 MORNING SESSIONS
Culture Vulture
Nikki Fořtová
As well as being an integral part of learning about a language, culture offers a wealth of
interesting themes to explore in the classroom. This session considers ways of introducing
culture into the language learning experience in meaningful and motivating ways.
Looking forward to seeing you there. TTFN :-)
Boom chicka boom! -Songs and chants in the YL and VYL classroom
Kylie Malinowska
Whether you are that teacher that presses play on the CD before hiding under the table or
TESOL’s answer to Beyonce, there is something in this session for everyone. Want some fun
and effective ideas for teaching pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary? Or maybe you’d like
to know how harness the magic of song without actually having to sing a note? Then come
along. Find out what all this booming is all about.
Getting teens talking
Mat Smith
Do your teens like to talk? Or are they a bit shy? Would you like to hear them speak more
English? In this session we are going to look at how we can motivate our teenagers (and other
YLs) to speak in English and try out some activities which could help promote the natural use
of English in our classes.
Mixed, Varied, Diverse, Assorted - Dealing with differences in our
classrooms
Gareth Davies
Imagine a class where all the students were the same, how boring would it be? Every class
has a mixture of levels, abilities, interests and enthusiasms and that should be something
that is celebrated, not worried about. But often activities that claim to help with mixed
levels and abilities create a lot of extra work for the teacher. In this session we will
celebrate the diversity of our classes and look at simple, easy to prepare activities that will
help all your students make the most of their English classes.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Meaningful Language Practice
Pavla Milerski
Are your students overwhelmed by the amount of material they have access to? Can they
cope with matching pictures and recognizing definitions adequately? How about active versus
passive knowledge? And what about the quality of their production? This session focuses on
practical ideas for exploiting materials, training learners to notice language, and making
language practice and revision lessons more memorable.
10.15 – 11.15
MID-MORNING SESSIONS
Accuracy or Fluency? – Get the balance right!
Eva Trňáková
In my lessons with students preparing for Maturita I often deal with a great gap between
their receptive and productive abilities. They listen to music, watch films, read blogs and
they can understand a lot, but when it comes down to their own speaking or writing, they
sometimes struggle. Some students tend to focus on accuracy but their speech is stuttery,
with too many pauses for thought, others speak fluently but with too many basic mistakes. In
this session we will try out some practical activities whose aim will be to balance accuracy and
fluency in productive skills, mainly speaking. These are suitable for Maturita students or any
students on a pre-intermediate or intermediate level.
Dyslexia
Anette Igel
The scary word – at least it used to be. In this very practical workshop we will first look at
how it feels to be dyslexic. The second step will then give ideas how to make learning easier
for dyslexic children without being singled out.
Creating Learner-Learner Interaction in the YL Classroom
Ben Herbert
Allowing interaction amongst YLs is often a great way to encourage interest in, and indeed
enhance, the students’ enjoyment of an activity. However, despite the ease with which many
productive and receptive tasks can be adapted to include learner-learner interaction, some
teachers sometimes overlook this as an option when planning their lessons. In this session we
will look at some simple but effective ways of incorporating such interaction into a variety of
classroom activities.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Opening The Mind: 21st century teaching
Daniela Clarke
In order to succeed in today's competitive world, 21st century learners of English often need
more than just good language skills. They need professional, academic and personal skills,
such as having a better awareness of society, coping with the demands of learning, and
dealing with challenges in their work. This session aims to show how through teaching them
English we can also help learners use their language and life skills to cope well with school,
work and real life situations.
Make your YL classes more fun and memorable!
Šárka Cox
In this session, we will try out some games and competitions and discuss their use and
suitability for both the primary and secondary classroom. We will explore some of the
reasons for using game-like activities and suggest examples that can be used as a lesson's
lead-in, main activity, and as an enforcement of classroom routines and discipline.
12.30 – 14.45
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Easy as that – easy readers in the classroom
Petra Mitáčková
The session is going to present some ideas what to do with easy readers in YL classes. We will
focus on one easy reader and in one hour we will go through the activities that took my YL
class several weeks to complete.
Vocabulary Presentation
Kristýna Urbánková
The aim of this seminar is to show the example of how to present new vocabulary effectively
- the participants will then analyse the stages and aims, and also compare various techniques
for presenting new vocabulary, discuss the advantages of the demonstrated method and some
of the potential problems in class. If there is time the participants will be shown some
activities focused on recycling new vocabulary.
A class theme tune – using phonics, rhythm and rhyme
David Szmidt
This session focuses on a series of lessons on different themes surrounding music (phonics,
rhythm etc.) which, when used together, build to the ultimate goal of a class writing a song
together. Be prepared to sing!
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Using Comics in the Classroom – How Visual Storytelling Can Make
Teaching More Effective
Megan LeBoeuf
Stories and pictures have been used throughout human history to pass on ideas, moral
guidance, and information to young learners, and they are an excellent way to teach a
language. This seminar will explore the many ways that comics, with their combination of
words and images, can be used in the classroom as a highly effective teaching tool.
The participants will examine some of these methods and leave prepared to use these
materials in their own classrooms.
Mixed, Varied, Diverse, Assorted - Dealing with differences in our
classrooms
Gareth Davies
Imagine a class where all the students were the same, how boring would it be? Every class
has a mixture of levels, abilities, interests and enthusiasms and that should be something
that is celebrated, not worried about. But often activities that claim to help with mixed
levels and abilities create a lot of extra work for the teacher. In this session we will
celebrate the diversity of our classes and look at simple, easy to prepare activities that will
help all your students make the most of their English classes.
Let’s listen!
Soňa Pazderová
Coursebooks don’t always provide enough practice or the right challenge to help students
become active listeners. In this session we are going to explore and try out a variety of
activities which develop both top-down and bottom-up listening skills. We are also going to
have a look at how to adapt tasks to cater for different needs and levels.
Drama
Anette Igel
Oh, would there be more dramatic moments in life! Well, let’s start in the classroom and have
a look at drama activities we can use when teaching young learners and teenagers. We’re
going to try out activities that are engaging and also student centred so that the learning
outcome will be more memorable.
Managing Classroom Management
Mat Smith
Do you have or have you ever had problems with discipline or classroom management? It can
sometimes be difficult to ensure our kids are all paying attention and learning something
while also discouraging bad behaviour. In this session we will be looking at some of the most
common classroom issues, their causes and, of course, how to combat them!
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Getting teens talking
Mat Smith
Do your teens like to talk? Or are they a bit shy? Would you like to hear them speak more
English? In this session we are going to look at how we can motivate our teenagers (and other
YLs) to speak in English and try out some activities which could help promote the natural use
of English in our classes.
Think and Learn: Developing primary pupils' thinking skills
Daniela Clarke
Thinking skills are key to young learners' development. In this workshop we will first consider
what thinking skills are, and their importance in foreign language learning at lower primary
level. We will then look at how we can incorporate 'thinking' activities into English lessons in
order to enhance young learners' congnitive process and creativity, leading to more positive
learning experiences and enjoyment of learning English.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Speakers‘ Biographies
Nikki Fořtová has been involved in English language teaching since 2002 in
the UK and the Czech Republic. Nikki is CELTA and DELTA qualified, an
oral examiner for the Cambridge suite of exams, and a CELTA tutor. She
is currently working as an English language teacher and teacher trainer at
Masaryk University in Brno, and has just finished an M.A. in Applied
Linguistics and TESOL. As well as teaching and teacher training, she is
interested in the application of technology to language learning and
teaching, and is currently running the ICT for English Language Teaching course at Masaryk
University. Nikki has presented internationally on the topic of technology-enhanced language
learning. In addition to her role in the English department, Nikki is a freelance teacher
trainer for OUP, as well as for International House World Organisation’s Online Teacher
Training Institute, where she helps to design and manage online courses and the virtual
learning environment Moodle.
Kylie Malinowska is a teacher, trainer, writer, sleep-deprived mum of twins and coffee
addict. She is the Young Learner Advisor and IH CYLT Coordinator for IH World
Organisation and based in Prague where she also teaches and trains part-time for IH Prague
and Akcent College.
courses.
Matthew (Mat) Smith is an English teacher and teacher trainer. He
started teaching in 2004 and since then has worked in the Czech
Republic, Spain and England. Since returning to Brno in 2008, he has taken
the DELTA and become more involved in teacher development, presenting
at conferences and tutoring on both face-to-face and online training
Gareth Davies is a teacher and teacher trainer based in Prague, Czech Republic. He has been
involved in the ELT industry since 1995 teaching in Portugal, Spain, the Czech Republic and
the UK. From 2001 to 2008 he ran a Trinity Cert TESOL course and since 2005 has been
developing and delivering teacher training for Oxford University Press. Gareth also
contributes to some OUP material including local editions of New Headway and Solutions.
Gareth has recently completed a 3 month sabbatical teaching in San Sebastian where he
reminded himself about the challenges of teaching groups of teens.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Pavla Milerski has over 10 years’ teaching experience, mainly in the Czech
Republic and England, where she has worked as an EFL teacher, Director
of Studies, teacher trainer and a Centre Manager at junior summer
centres in London. She also works as a Cambridge Speaking Examiner for
both general English exams (KET, PET, FCE, and CAE) and business
English exams (BEC Vantage and BEC Higher). Pavla has a special interest in teacher training
and spreading quality ELT methodology in the Czech Republic.
Eva Trňáková studied ELT Methodology at Masaryk University and then
spent some time teaching in primary and secondary schools. This is her
eighth year at ILC IH Brno, where her responsibilities include preparing
students for both Cambridge English exams and the new state Maturita
exam.
Anette Igel has been working as a teacher of English since 2003. Before
that she worked as a social worker and drama teacher, travelled part of
the world for three years, and after taking her TESOL in Prague settled
down in Brno. She is a teacher trainer for the IHCYLT (International
House Certificate in Teaching Young Learners and Teenagers) and has
presented at several conferences in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and online for IH world.
As a teacher trainer she has also worked in countries like Turkey, Croatia and Azerbaijan.
Currently she is the ADoS for Young Learners at ILC IH Brno and a freelance teacher
trainer for SELT Academy in Istanbul,Turkey.
Ben Herbert has been teaching young learners for over 4 years. During this time he has
worked in the Czech Republic, Jordan, Libya, and Turkey. He recently held the position of
Director of Studies for Young Learners at a small independent language school in Prague,
which gave him responsibility for the training and observation of his team of YL teachers.
Although he teaches all age groups, Ben particularly enjoys teaching YLs, as it provides the
opportunity to use a wider range of activities in the classroom, such as games, songs, chants,
and TPR exercises. Outside of work, Ben enjoys learning Czech and going to the gym. In
addition to this, he often travels outside of Prague so that he can see and explore more of
the Czech Republic.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
Daniela Clarke is a freelance teacher trainer, ELT writer and ELT consultant. After
graduating in English and Aesthetics, she obtained an RSA DELTA, a PgCert in Education and
a PgCert in Coaching (Modern Foreign Languages). She has worked in ELT since 1997, mainly in
the UK as an EFL teacher, teacher trainer and subject learning coach, teaching on courses
for young learners, teenagers and adults, training on the Trinity Cert TESOL and Exam
Assessors Courses, and coaching teachers. Daniela runs workshops on various aspects of ELT,
and is the author of ELT testing materials for several leading British publishers. She has a
particular interest in motivational and creative teaching strategies, lesson differentiation,
and the use of Interactive Whiteboards in ELT.
Šárka Cox began her ELT career a year before obtaining her teaching
degree from Masaryk University in 2001; since when she has been
teaching English to adults, teenagers and children. She has worked as the
YL co-ordinator for IH ILC Brno and as a Director of Studies at another
language school in Brno and also for Kaplan International Summer Centres
in UK. She is an approved IH YL teacher trainer and a Cambridge Examiner for PET, FCE and
all YL Exams. She has trained primary school teachers for the Czech National Institute of
Further Education and SELT Academy in Istanbul, Turkey.
Petra Mitáčková studied English and History at Masaryk University,
where she also took the Teacher Training Course. She has been teaching
English at ILC IH Brno since 2003, and did the IH CYLT in 2012 because
she wanted to be able to teach her own children. Eventually it became so
interesting that she has been working more in this field to become an
experienced YL teacher.
Kristýna Urbánková is a teacher and a teacher trainer at ILC
International House Brno. She studied English Language and Literature,
and Philosophy at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Since 2007
she has worked as a senior teacher mentoring new teachers. In 20112012 she was a tutor on a methodology course for primary and grammar
school teachers accredited by the Ministry of Education. Currently she is a trainer on a
course called We Teach English – Together and Effectively, which is organized by the Tomas
Bata University in Zlin in cooperation with the European Union and the Ministry of Education
of the CR. The course includes sessions on teaching Vocabulary, Speaking, Listening and
Pronunciation amongst others. She presents at conferences and workshops organized for
primary, secondary and language teachers of English. She used to work as a music teacher in
Glasgow, Scotland. She is also into sports, especially skiing.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz
ONE - DAY TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2014
THE YOUNG ONES CONFERENCE
David Szmidt was born in England, but has been with International House
for 10 years, having started with teaching YL at IH Moscow. His YL work
at IH Brno is now mainly focused on classes within state primary schools.
Megan LeBoeuf works as an editor at Bridge Publishing House. She has also worked as a
teacher of English for the past six years and currently teaches primary school and
gymnazium students. She holds a BA degree in Comparative Literature from the University of
Rhode Island in the USA, where she focused on languages and communication. In her
pedagogical work, she focuses on innovative methods of intrinsic motivation and positive
reinforcement for learning, including points-based and “gamified” methods of education which
are becoming progressively more popular in modern schools.
Soňa Pazderová teaches Young Learners, teens and adults. Besides this,
she presents at conferences and works as a mentor and teacher
trainer. She took the IH Teacher Training Course and is a Cambridge
ESOL examiner for YLE, FCE, CAE and CPE. In the summer she regularly
works for Junior Kaplan International Centers in the UK teaching
teenagers. This year she also trained primary school teachers for SELT Academy in Ankara,
Turkey.
ILC International House Brno, jazyková škola, Sukova 2, Brno; T: 542 210 216, 736 726 302; E: info@ilcbrno.cz; www.ilcbrno.cz