Last weekend was the annual GRETA conference in Granada, now in its 31st year! Carmen, the academy’s professional development coordinator, and T, one of the CertTESOL tutors, were invited to talk at the event and so they set off on a road trip on Friday, returning Sunday with lots to share!
Carmen gave a talk on Growth Mindsets – a vital 21st century skill which we should all be encouraging our learners to cultivate. It was a very well-received talk, as very few members of the audience were familiar with the term or how we can help our learners to develop their own growth mindsets.
T gave a practical workshop with ideas for teachers who work with the Trinity ISE exams, as well as hosting a Swap Shop in which participants had the opportunity to share ideas which have worked well in their classes or ask for advice about difficult situations. They covered a range of topics such as how to develop creativity in our younger learners through story-writing and how to deal with differentiation in adults.
GRETA’s members work in a variety of different teaching contexts – private language schools, state education across all levels, private higher education institutions – and so there was a diverse range of topics on offer in the talks, workshops and plenaries.
Although this was our first time attending GRETA, Active Language’s CertTESOL and Diploma tutors have a wealth of experience presenting at conferences around Spain. Attending conferences provides a wonderful opportunity to make new contacts, catch up with former colleagues and engage in the hot ELT topics of the moment, whilst presenting can give you the chance to explore new methods or techniques, revisit old favourites or lead to more academic research on a particular topic.
