Important Information about Pre-Conference events

Pre-Conference Events                                                       

Friday morning (23rd May)

• School visits  - additional charge 10 GBP

• These are visits to local pre-primary schools which will take place in the morning with the bus leaving from the main conference hotel at 8:30 a.m. Participants will have the opportunity to observe a lesson, discuss with the teachers and be shown around the school and the local community.

Places are limited - register early to book a place!

 Friday afternoon (23rd May)   

• Pre-Conference Workshops -  additional charge 20 GBP (for 2 workshops)

(participants can select 2 workshops) 

• Workshop 1        3:00 - 4:30 p.m

• Workshop 2        4:45 - 6:15 p.m

Choices for Workshop 1:

 

How to Succeed with Very Young Learners   

Carol Read

This session explores the ingredients for making the introduction of English to very young children an enjoyable, successful and worthwhile experience. The main focus will be on ideas for establishing an effective and manageable teaching framework which stimulates children to be actively constructive in their own learning through such things as global perception, fantasy, imitation, discovery, experimentation and play. The session will be illustrated with a wide range of practical examples including stories, songs, rhymes, dances, drama and games.

All about me: making Plurilinugal Little Books 
Caroline Linse

One of the most common themes in classrooms for very young learners is “all about me.”  Children learn about and talk about their families and classrooms, their worlds.  The purpose of this workshop is to share bookmaking techniques that teachers can use to celebrate children’s knowledge of words in different languages.  Each participant will make a multilingual little book to take home with pop-ups pockets etc.

 Choices for Workshop 2:

 

From From Page, Voice and Screen:  Resources for Early Language Learning, and how to share them with parents 

Alec Williams

 

This workshop will look at the resources available for early language learning, particularly the wide range of stimulating picture books for 2-6 year olds. After many years working in UK children’s library services, Alec Williams has a wide knowledge of children’s books, and he’ll share some of the best titles from the UK and elsewhere.  There’ll be an opportunity to discuss in groups how such books can be best used in language learning, and the workshop aims to produce a ‘Cyprus Choice’ of delegates’ recommendations, to send out after the conference.


Alec will also look at sources of stories that teachers can learn, and the role of making up simple stories; finally he’ll highlight some new formats for Early Years stories (audio, video and e-books).  There’ll be an ‘ideas-exchange’ for workshop members to report their experience of using all these formats in a teaching environment.

Throughout, the session will also look at how parents can be involved in early language learning, with stories and rhymes as a focus for this involvement.

 

 

Setting up learning areas in another language

 

Sandie Mourao

This workshop looks at the creation of learning areas in another language and the implications this has for our practice as pre-primary classroom educators and language teachers. Beginning with a short discussion around play and its definition, participants will be encouraged to think about their teaching practice as a form of play tutoring. With a focus on the structure, roles and scripts inherent in typical language learning activities, participants will engage in and reflect upon play-like activities which are typical of our language teaching practice and which can later support and foster child-initiated play in a language learning area. Suggestions will be given for the planning and setting up a learning area in another language and the importance of collaboration between classroom and language teachers.