Sunday, November 19, 2023

TESOL MTH / NG CHRISTMAS EVENT Sunday 2nd December with Maria Polychrou

 Christmas Event 2023 
Ms Maria Polychrou presenting: SantAct!  
Sunday 2nd December 2023. 


   Join TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece on the first Sunday of December (3/12) at 17:00 

   on Zoom to see what we can do for Christmas in your classroom. 

The title of the session is 

Let's SantAct! 

  Dropping a lot of fairy dust and ample Christmas Spirit the one and only Maria Polychrou will take us through activities that bring the spirit of Christmas to our classroom, while promoting language learning activities. 

 The speaker has written about the event: 

Is Christmas just around the corner but still you haven’t planned anything regarding classroom activities? This is the webinar you need! All these drama-based activities, Santa’s Christmas whispers, improvisations, Christmas drama challenges and differentiated role playing ideas will definitely inject some festive holiday spirit into your lessons!


Would you like to hear Maria and Maria being funny about the event? Well, watch a live done spontaneously at the Foreign Language Forum this past August! Press the link below! 

Video on our Christmas Event

Join us! The link will be sent to members on Friday 1/12! 


Thursday, November 2, 2023

Caterina Skiniotou Presenting for TESOL MTH / NG on Sunday 19/11

 


          November Webinar: Skills and Strategies for Reading and Writing Exams in 21st Century. 


On Sunday 19th November members of TESOL MTH/NG are invited to a webinar at 17:00 on Zoom. 

The topic of our session will be directly related with exam skills and our speaker is the IATEFL Learning Technologies SIG Member and ex-Chair of TESOL Greece, Ms Caterina Skiniotou. 

Watch this short video to find out more about the session. 


 Caterina Skiniotou has told us that she will share active links to tools that teachers can use for exam training. The link to the session will be sent to members on Friday 17th November 2023. 


Thursday, October 5, 2023

OCTOBER EVENT on SUNDAY 15th OCTOBER 2023 at 17:00

 Our next event is a digital one. It will take place on Sunday 15th October 2023 at 17:00. The room will open about 5 minutes before. Members need to be there to honor our speaker and to start promptly. 





Our speaker is Ms Magdalena Wasilewska, who has been a teacher for over 25 years. She's a graduate of the American Studies Center at Warsaw University and postgraduate studies in Psychology of Children and Teens at SWPS University. Magdalena specializes mainly in teaching teens and preparing them for Cambridge exams. Her interests include brain friendly teaching, neuroscience, using videos and films in the class and building strong relationships with students because children and teenagers don't learn from the teachers they don't like.

The speaker wrote about her session: 
The brains of teenagers develop in a completely different way during adolescence and that fact directly influences the way they should be taught. In this practical webinar you will learn how teens' brains function and how we, as teachers, should put this knowledge into practice. You will leave the webinar with hands-on tips and exercises ready to use on Monday classes.

​We will send you the zoom link on Friday 13th October 2023. 

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Welcome Back Day Conference of TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece

 

   Let's celebrate together our Welcome Back Day Conference face to face. 

Sunday 24th September 2023 at 11:00 

(Arrival time 10:30 and approximate end round 13:00)  

at the Amphitheatre of the Central Library of AUTH (map below)

We are happy to invite our members and friends of TESOL MTH/NG who would like to join our association to a wonderful opportunity to discuss Reading Comprehension Skills for different levels of the CEFR. As mentioned before, this event is a spin-off from last year's conference in Larissa. 

We would like to present our two speakers Ms Marina Kollatou and Ms Zafi Mandali and their sessions.   

  Ms  Marina Kollatou holds a BA from the faculty of English language and Literature of the University of Athens. She has completed her postgraduate studies in the Organization and Administration of Education (University of Thessaly) and in The Teaching of English as a Foreign/International Language (Hellenic Open University). She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Ioannina. Marina is an EFL teacher in the public sector and a Senior High School Head teacher who currently works as an Education Consultant for English teachers. She is also President of English Teachers’ Association of Larissa (ETAL). In our WBDC, Marina will be presenting a session entitled: Teaching reading strategies. Why, how, what for? The speaker has written about her session: In an era characterized by generating too much information for us to access, let alone process and digest, in the little  spare  time we have for reading, youths do not usually demonstrate any keenness on reading long texts, articles, or literature in their mother togue, even worse in a foreign language like English. They prefer to have a look at titles or read short texts by people summarizing or commenting on either fiction or non-fiction texts. Therefore, now it is more necessary than ever before that teachers should guide learners so that they develop into strategic readers or, in other words,  effective, self-regulated readers.

Μs Zafi Mandali, holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Essex. She is an active teacher, teacher trainer, storytelling coach and educational consultant who has given a number of presentations, published a number of articles and authored four books, E.A. Publications. She has recently retired from the position of director of studies, Department of English of Ελληνογερμανική Αγωγή, after a tenure of 25 years. Her soft point is storytelling in education and samples of her work are uploaded on www.eltstorytelling.com  and her Eltstorytelling facebook group. In our WBDC, Zafi will present a session entitled: Keys to unlocking new reading texts.

The presenter has written about her session: Different points of entry to reading texts unlock different angles of its context. How do we best set the stage for the new text and which mechanisms do we use to link existing to the new knowledge? With the moving image, as vital communication medium transcending languages and cultures, teachers have fresh points of entry to texts in class. Our workshop will showcase tried and tested reading techniques, adjusted to present day educational needs and means. Participants will walk off with concrete evidence of how to help students understand, personalize, organize and assimilate lexical, grammar or content information in texts.


The board of TESOL MTH/ NG would like to remind all members who would like to renew or all prospective members of our association that this is your last opportunity to join with the reduced price of 30 euro instead 45 euro for 12 months, including our conference and the conference of TESOL GREECE as well as reduced membership rate for IATEFL. Additionally, this Sunday 24.9 the board has decided that all proceeds will go to the victims of the Thessaly floods as a small token of our concern and worry. 

Between the two sessions, there will be a coffee break with coffee and cookies from Miltos Catering.  

                                                                  Map to the venue 




Sunday, August 20, 2023

Why should I visit the TESOL MTH/ NG stand at the Exhibitions this week?

 

 5 reasons to come by the TESOL MTH/NG stand at the Exhibitions in Thessaloniki, August 2023 

If you are thinking ' I know TESOL MTH/NG! Why should I come by the stands?' 

​Let us list the five reasons! 

1 If your membership was taken out at this time last year, you need to renew it again. If you are a lapsed member, this is your time to re-register. And we have good news.  For ALL the August Exhibitions and for Welcome Back Day Conference which will be  
held face-to-face on 24th September 2023 at the Amphitheatre of the Central 
Library of the Aristotle University, we have a reduced price at only 30 euro (from 45) for the annual membership. If you are a student (BA or MA in a state or private university) you will pay 25. 


2 Get the yearly programme of our Events for 2023-24 nd find out about 29th Annual International Conference Embracing the future of ELT'' which will be held in February 2024, face to face. 


3 Since we do not have a session in the PALSO Exhibition or at the FORUM, we have 
     decided to 'give' you a session to watch later! How? Well, we are not going to 
     spoil the surprise! 

Get your copy of the latest issue of ELTesaser, Volume 80, Summer 2023 

5 Find out how you can join IATEFL on an Associate Membership at a fraction of the original cost and find out the pathways these open for you! 

  So, where will the stands be? 

On Thursday 24th and Friday 25th August, you will find us at the PALSO NORTHERN GREECE, 34th Conference and Exhibition at the Macedonia Palace Hotel. 


This is a link to the programme where you can also reserve your spot: 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/658406630957?aff=posts&fbclid=IwAR1ng2gZ722JDfJL3wiDi5HhdD5JzrGHmO3xh1YjbmFUctt4v77pxjfIe6A


​On Saturday 26th August we will be at the CAPSIS Hotel and at the 2023 Foreign Language Forum organised by ELT NEWS. 




The link to the programme is here   https://flforum.gr/the-cities/2023-autumn-thessaloniki-saturday-26-august

Finally, on Sunday 27th August 2023 we will meet you all at the MET Hotel and at the International Publisher's Exhibition. This is the link to the programme:https://www.ip-exhibitions.eu/events/autumn-23-thessaloniki-ip-exhibition/


You will notice that once again our host Mr Philip Dietschi has given TESOL MTH NG a 50' minute session entirely free of charge. This autumn TESOL MTH/NG is represented by Ms. Tanya Livarda and Ms Maria-Araxi Sachpazian who will present Activities to kickstart your school year which are Playful! Positive! Practical! 


If you work in a school or meet educators who have not joined TESOL MTH/NG, spread the word: At the IP we are holding TWO lucky draws for educators who want to try joining TESOL MTH/NG for the first time. 



The Executive Board of TESOL MTH/NG would like to thank the Board of PALSO Northern Greece, ELT News Ms Anastasia Spyropoulou and Mr Dimitris Spyropoulos and Mr Philip Dietschi for hosting our non-profit association entirely free of charge in their events. It really means a lot! 

Looking forward to seeing you at the Exhibitions! 

The Executive Board of TESOL MTH / Northern Greece 

 

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

What's cooking in August and September at TESOL Macedonia-Thrace Northern Greece?

Are you wondering how to renew your membership? 

Look no more! We are everywhere! In August you can find TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece in all major exhibitions. 

As per our custom, we will be putting TWO free memberships in a lucky draw, so if you have never been our member, do not miss the opportunity.
To register for this event or read the programme, visit: https://www.ip-exhibitions.eu/events/autumn-23-thessaloniki-ip-exhibition/

As we will not have sessions in the other exhibitions, we will make sure you receive your free training session if you visit our stand!
Finally, in August our ELTester is going to be back so do not miss a chance to register to get your magazine and your Iatefl Associate discount.
This is particularly important now as the Themes IATEFL Online Conference is approaching on September 16th (11 am - 15 pm UK time) and you can get a considerable discount as an IATEFL Associate member

More information can be found at https://www.iatefl.org/events/450



Price of Membership
During the August exhibitions and our Welcome Back Day Conference Event in September, members will be able to renew or register at the discounted price of 30euro. Students of all Universities and Colleges can join by paying 25 euro (unless they come in a group of three when the price goes down to 20euro).
Do not forget that through TESOL MTH/NG you can join IATEFL at a discounted associate price which allows you access to all the benefits of being an IATEFL Member.

As always TESOL Macedonia Thrace Northern Greece will be providing a full calendar of events (one webinar every month) until February 2024 when our Annual International Conference will be held face to face. At the same time (February 2024) we will hold our AGM and the elections for the new board.

Welcome Back Day Conference, 24th September 2023

On Sunday 24th September 2023 at 10:00 we will be holding our Welcome Back Day Conference, which will be held face to face at a venue which will be announced shortly.
Our speakers are Ms Zafi Mandali and Ms Marina Kollatou who will be presenting practical strategies about how to 'open' the text and teach reading strategies. This event is a spin-off from the closing Open Space Technology Event of the Conference organised in Larissa in October 2022. We are very happy that one conference has inspired another event!


Happy Summer Holidays! See you in August!

 

Monday, June 12, 2023

End-of-Year Summer Conference

 

 The date of our events is Saturday 17th June 2023, starting at 16:30. Our event is a Saturday one to let you enjoy Father's Day on Sunday and an afternoon one to accommodate the needs of our speakers who live in entirely different time zones. 

Angelos Bollas.jpg     Dr Angelos Bollas 
                                      Title: Something is rotten in the state of TESOL land

Dorothy Zemach.jpg Ms Dorothy Zemach  
                                   Title: Future Proof

Gabriel Diaz Maggioli.jpgDr Gabriel Diaz Maggioli 
                                     Title: The 6 E's of Language Teaching: Making learning 
                                         stick

The zoom link has already been sent to full TESOL MTH/NG members. 


Friday, March 31, 2023

28th Annual International Conference of TESOL MACEDONIA-THRACE, NORTHERN GREECE FULL PROGRAMME LINK

 

Join us on April 1st and 2nd for a thought-provoking online conference. 

Access to the conference is restricted to those members who have renewed their membership after June 2022. If you want to renew your membership, email TESOL MTH/NG at tesolmth@gmail.com 
You can find our Programme PDF and the Overview of the two days


Tuesday, March 28, 2023

28th Annual International Conference of TESOL MTH / NG [ONLINE] Plenaries and Summaries with times


Summary 
In this talk, I draw on critical incident narratives produced by tertiary-level English language teachers to show how responding to these incidents enabled teachers to develop personally and professionally. These critical incidents were classified as such on the basis of four structural characteristics: they 1) recount past events, 2) signify significant change in professional knowledge, 3) are treated as formative thus informing current and future teaching practice, and 4) contain emotionally charged discourse. In describing past emotional turmoil and ethical dilemmas, the teachers reflected on how the critical incidents helped them to understand themselves, regulate their emotions and develop resilience.


Summary 
What are Transferrable Skills? What are Transferrable Skills? What is Task-based Language Assessment? (TBLA) How are Backward Design and Instructional Design related to TBLA? What do learners need to know to be successful? How can we make TBLA meaningful to our learners? How do teachers turn learners into creators of content? What role do graphic organizers play in TBLA? What does the Assessment Center Approach have to do with TBLA? How do these concepts, frameworks, and approaches influence the way we teach? How do teachers develop themselves to become Business Communication Trainers who concentrate on teaching Transversal Skills? Is TBLA for everyone? 




Summary 
Actually, there is no direct connection between continuous professional development (CPD) and ChatGPT. But did the title make your curious? Why? It may be because hot topics like this create motivation, particularly intrinsic motivation. In this plenary, we will examine how aspects of motivation and principles of andragogy (teaching adult learners) affect CPD. We will consider the impact of the process of change as a factor. Participants will come away with a better understanding of ways to excite and motivate teachers to participate in CPD, and suggestions of how AI tools such as ChatGPT can be harnessed to enhance it. 

Summary 
The Owl Factor assumes that the teaching and learning process is built around exchange and resources. This process can be narrowed down to what I call the KNOW-SHOW-GROW approach. Teacher and students know different things. Each one needs to show the other what they know so that they can grow in the process. This session explores it!

 

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece at the Spring 2023 International Publishers Exhibition

 Sunday 19th March 2023 from 10:00-18:00 

           International Publishers' Exhibition 

              Thessaloniki, The MET Hotel 

This Sunday 19/3 we are getting together at the IP Exhibition at the MET Hotel in Thessaloniki. We are planning to be terribly busy, and we want that for you as well! The IP Is an excellent opportunity to visit the TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece stand to get an update on our upcoming conference, renew your membership (if it was not renewed in August-September 2022) and attend our great programme of sessions featuring Dr. Vicky Papachristou, Vice Chair of TESOL MTh/NG and Ms Antigone Melidonioti, Secretary General. 

Here is some information on the TESOL MTH/NG strand of events from 15:30 to 18:30 at the Ostria Room. 


Between the two sessions there will be a coffee break. Non-members of TESOL MTH/NG are more than welcome to attend. 


If you are not a member of our Teachers' Association yet, you can enter our lucky draw for 2 free annual memberships! The winners will be announced at our AGM. 











Sunday, March 5, 2023

EdPuzzle Event Hosted by TESOL MTH/NG Video from the session

On Sunday 5th March 2023 TESOL MTH/ NG hosted an EdPuzzle Event with speakers Antigoni Medidonioti and Alisa Linarejos. The event was a public one and we are extremely happy with the turnout and your comments. 

You can find the link to recording here 







Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Edpuzzle and TESOL Macedonia-Thrace Northern Greece co-organising an event

 Tesol Macedonia-Thrace hosting Edpuzzle webinar 


This Sunday 5th March at 10:30 on Zoom we are starting a new cooperation with Edpuzzle and hope to see this event becoming an annual one. Our session is open to all so we will share the link publicly and we are happy to present our two speakers: our very own Antigoni Melidonioti and Alisa Linarejos. Antigoni has been a teacher and teacher trainer for years and runs her own foreign language school in which she likes to experiment with different methodologies, inclusive teaching and the use of technology. She is also the Secretary General of our association. Alisa Linarejos is an Edpuzzle coach and experienced MFL teacher in different countries and grade levels. She loves learning and sharing ideas with teachers about technology integration to enhance teaching and learning. At the end of the event some free gifts will be given, so don't miss our event on Sunday 5th March at 10:30 am to 12:00 (Greek time).

The link to access the webinar is  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84360517092 

Spread the word! 



Monday, January 30, 2023

Rachel Paling to run February Webinar for Tesol Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece.


 February Webinar to be led by 

                          Ms. Rachel Paling 

On Sunday 12th February 2023 at 10:30 on Zoom TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece welcomes Ms Rachel Paling who will be discussing a topic that cannot fail to engage us all. 



Let's get to know our speaker

Rachel founded Efficient Language Coaching in 2008. She has a BA Honours in Law/Spanish, Masters in Human Rights/Democratization (EMA) and ia a qualified UK Lawyer since 2003. She combined teaching, business English and legal knowledge to coach top executives across Europe and has created the new method and approach called Neurolanguage Coaching®, training nearly 1200 language teachers worldwide certifying them with her course, one of the only language coaching certification courses in the world accredited by International Coach Federation USA. She is an ICF PCC Coach and has an MA in Applied Neuroscience and a Master in Neuroeducation and Neuropsychology.

About the session

When educators use metacognition, neuroscience and emotional intelligence in their teaching processes, they can greatly impact the way that learners learn. But, the great question is “what is metacognition/neuroscience and how we can implement these in practical terms?” In this talk, we will explore the different perspectives and more importantly, how to harness this knowledge to change mindset, transform learning, provoke leaner autonomy, and arouse curiosity. 21st century learning becomes more impregnated with neuroscientific research, but the real question is how to “live” the research in our everyday teaching and learning.


The link to the event will be emailed to registered members on the Friday prior to the event.


Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Call for Papers for 28th Annual International Conference of TESOL MACEDONIA-THRACE, NORTHERN GREECE

 Call for papers for the TESOL MACEDONIA-THRACE, Northern Greece 28th Annual International Conference [Online] 

After two years of limbo and silence our Association is back in action with its first ever Digital Conference, which will be held on Saturday 1/4 and Sunday 2/4 on Zoom. 



Confirmed Plenary Speakers (so far) include: 
 
               Dr Randi Harlev                   Mr André Hedlund                          Dr Angelos Bolla



Topic of the conference 
The full title of our conference is ''To TESOL or not to TESOL: Teachers at the helm of their professional development'' 

 By choosing this topic we aim to put teachers, their development, their career paths, their CPD and their on-going professional transformation in the centre of the topic. How does the growth of teachers affect learners, the materials as well as the field of ELT? How does technology and PLS assist in this effort?  
Join our conference by submitting a call for papers. All presentations last 45 minutes. 

Link to the Google Form:  https://forms.gle/y1YXCo5t81MiyGt2A
Deadline: 17th February 
Membership for Speakers: 25 euro 



Tuesday, January 24, 2023

January Event: Teaser Video with George Kokolas!

 POSED FOR BEGINNERS: Sunday 29th January 2023 at 10:30-12:00 

It is our great pleasure to invite all our members in our next event with an educator and trainer who needs no introductions, Mr George Kokolas, board member of TESOL Greece and an esteemed colleague who works for Express Publishing. 


George was kind enough to give us ten minutes of his time to shed some light on what he will be presenting on Sunday. Please find the video here: POSED FOR BEGINNERS


Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday! The link has already been sent to members but it will also be sent again.