FINDING MY PROFESSIONAL, ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL SELF (PLENARY)                                      

This talk will look at three important and interconnected aspects of our work as ELT professionals. We have to ensure that we always develop professionally, no matter how experienced we are, or how inexperienced for that matter. Knowing about the skills and techniques and methodologies which are considered to be part of the ELT canon is fundamental. However, we sometimes need to dig a bit deeper to answer certain puzzles which emerge out of our teaching. This is when academic research begins to play an important part in our career. However, as a teacher developer I’ve found that in many occasions teachers become stuck as regards their teaching. In most of these cases this is not related to knowledge about pedagogical practice nor is it related to academic knowledge. It’s related to knowledge of the “self”: of who you are and where you can go and what you are willing to change. It’s when we understand that these three elements are equally important that we find the key to our own growth.                                                                                                                                         

Valéria França is Head of Teacher Training and Development at Cultura Inglesa Idiomas S.A. and has worked at the same institution for over 25 years. She graduated in Education and History at Homerton College, Cambridge University. She  has a Masters in Comparative Education, Institute of Education , University of London and a Masters and PhD in Applied Linguistics at UFF. Her research interests include teaching young learners and the teaching of languages through artistic expression and an exploration of the teaching/learning spaces. She is one of the founding members of the Visual Arts Circle (https://visualartscircle.com/) and an

ex- President of BRAZ-TESOL.

A DISCUSSION ABOUT INNOVATION IN ELT (PLENARY)

In his plenary talk, Vinnie is going to look at the concept of innovation and discuss different perspectives related to how ELT has been changing over the years. We are going to see that although everyone seems to agree that innovation is vital and we all aim at implementing “new” ideas, we might need to have a more pragmatic assessment of how effective recent innovations have actually been and outline areas that could benefit from genuine change.

Vinicius Nobre is an education executive with over 23 years of experience. He has worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, international examiner, content developer and academic manager in different institutes and spoken in several conferences in Brazil and overseas. Vinnie has written course books for regular schools and methodology books on Teacher Education and contributed to national and international publications. He is past president of BRAZ-TESOL and was the leader of the Education and Development group at the British Chamber of Commerce. He graduated from PU-RJ and holds an MA in Language Education from the University of Chichester and a specialization certificate in Business from Fundação Dom Cabral. He is now one of the partners at Troika, a start up that focuses on education and human development 

André Hedlund - Ancient Greek Philosophy and Active Methodologies: A Natural Relationship (Talk)

Socrates' teaching method involved dialogue and inquiry. Maieutics, its denomination, has been part of the educational reality of countries for millennia, mostly restricted to elites. Nevertheless, we can trace the origin of student-centeredness and active methodologies back to Socrates. What else can this relationship say about the future of teaching?

André Hedlund, BA in International Relations (PUC Goiás), EFL teacher for 12 years, currently Michigan Certificates Examiner, Partners of the Americas Goiás president, National Geographic Learning Consultant and MBE SIG representative.

Antônio Carlos de Souza Moraes Filho

Teaching grammar topics: guiding students from ignorance to active use (Talk)

Grammar is taught in a variety of ways and approaches. Regardless of which path teachers choose to follow, the goal should be just one: to make our students capable of converting those grammar rules into a practical ability to use the language. This presentation aims to provide a step-by-step for presenting grammar in a way that achieves said objective.

Reinventing dictations: 3 out-of-the-ordinary activities to bring fun into your classes. (Workshop) 

When we see the word "dictation,” we immediately think about teacher-centered, boring classes that no longer have a place in education. This workshop, however, aims to present three new ways of using these activities, done in a way that has students use language actively -- and have fun while doing so.

Antônio Carlos de Souza Moraes Filho, English teacher in Goiânia since the age of 17, currently teaching at Centro Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos (CCBEU). Languages student at Universidade Federal de Goiás.

Débora dos Santos - Affection impact on teaching and learning (Workshop)

The main purpose is to lead educators to a deeper reflection on the importance affection has in the learning process, the human side of the people involved and how to deal with different and inclusive factors.

Débora dos Santos, CCBEU teacher, English/ Spanish teacher, pharmacist, biochemist, specialist in Worker's Health in public services.

Helena Galvão & Paola Hanna - Brain-friendly activities to promote deep learning (Workshop)

To promote deep learning, teachers must step out of the spotlight and let students shine. In this session, presenters talk about the learning cycle and how to make everyday activities become brain-friendly. Attendees learn to produce material ranging from board games to iPad activities by playing the role of students.

Helena Galvão has been a teacher at Casa Thomas Jefferson for 5 years. She teaches mostly young and very young learners. Learning about the brain has changed her way of teaching.
Paola Hanna has been a teacher for more than 15 years, and she has been at Casa Thomas Jefferson for more than 5. She believes that focusing on how the brain learns can change the way we teach.

Helmara de Moraes - The Office of English Language Programs: opportunities and resources for interaction

This session will demonstrate some of the many resources for fostering fun and communication in the classroom available from the Office of English Language Programs of the U.S. Mission in Brazil. Participants will receive an overview of materials that are easily adaptable. Information on programs and opportunities for teacher development such as MOOCs and webinars will also be shared.

Helmara de Moraes currently works at the U.S. Embassy in Brasília as the Regional English Language Specialist and, together with the Regional English Language Officer and team, she develops and implements various English Language Teaching programs countrywide. She defended her PhD dissertation in Modern Languages at the University of São Paulo in January 2011. Her Master’s Degree was obtained at the same institution, in 2005.

Hulgo de Freitas - Problems and Solutions in Material Design in ELT

One of the most challenging aspects of using authentic or adapted materials in the classroom is to be able to design efficient activities and handouts. Teachers struggle since they are, more often than not, reluctant to choose certain activities and thus do not know if they are suitable for a particular level and/or class. In this workshop, I will be talking about the most common mistakes in designing materials and also give some hints about how to choose and adapt activities effectively.
Hulgo de Freitas is a teacher at CEI Flora, teacher trainer and oral examiner for Cambridge English based in Goiânia, GO. He holds the CELTA and is currently working on a post-graduation in ELT. His main interests are teaching preparatory courses, business and general English.

Isabela Villas Boas - Implementing the process-genre approach to teaching writing (Talk)

In this talk you will learn how to implement the process-genre approach to teaching writing, with practical examples of tasks that engage students in all the stages of the writing process.

Isabela Villas Boas holds an MTESL Degree from Arizona State University and a doctorate in Education from UnB. She is the Academic Superintendent at Casa Thomas Jefferson, Brasilia.

Lorenza A
PERSONAL MARKETING - Talk                                                                                              

Sometimes we teachers are insecure about promoting ourselves or even of showing our work. In this talk Lorenza explains what personal marketing is and how teachers can use marketing tools in order to enhance learning in class.                                                                                

MAKING ONE-TO-ONE LESSONS MORE DYNAMIC (AND FUN!!!) - Workshop
The main goal of this workshop is to maximize the dynamic in a one- to- one class with minimum resources. Long one-to-one lessons can sometimes be exhausting for both teacher and learner. This workshop is designed to  help teachers understand key ideas to recent research on teaching one-to- one and explore ways to apply such knowledge of teaching and learning in a lesson resulting into much more practice in a one-to-one class.

Lorenza has been an EFL teacher for over twenty three years. She has vast experience in teaching all age groups although her main interest remains in teaching one-to-one classes to adults. Having got her degree and license in Languages  from PUC in 2000, she carried on her training by taking Extension Courses at PUC-SP in the Education & Teaching fields. She is a Cambridge speaking examiner and holds, among several others, the SIT TESOL Certificate. Having been the DoS of Winner Idiomas for the past 17 years, Lorenza has had the opportunity to work in management, leadership, mentoring and coaching.

Lucas D'Nillo - What are your rights as a teacher? Developing citizenship awareness (Workshop)

Teachers and most citizens are not legal professionals. However, we should be aware of Labor Law and basic rights we are entitled to. Moreover, the EFL classroom provides an environment in which we may develop among students consciousness of their rights. This session will explore examples within the CLIL approach.

Lucas D'Nillo has taught English for a decade. Currently a CLIL teacher of History and Government at Griggs International/CCBEU. Work experience includes embassy/United Nations. Degree from UnB/Seton Hall. 

Marcus Murilo Lacerda - What are words worth? (Talk) 

Since the advent of the Lexical Approach, the importance of vocabulary has become a truism in ELT. However, many of us are still left wondering what principles should underpin the design and implementation of vocabulary practice activities. In this session we’ll explore some of the do’s and don’ts of vocabulary teaching that are guaranteed to maximize the potential for vocabulary learning.

Marcus Murilo Lacerda & Patrícia Fleury - Everyone Makes Misteaks! (Pronunciation Trouble Spots for Nonnative Teachers) - Workshop

There is no denying that increased language awareness is an essential component of teacher development, but how often are we teachers given the opportunity to pursue linguistic self-actualization? This workshop aims at giving teachers just that: an opportunity to learn more about pronunciation trouble spots that bedevil even ELT practitioners!

Marcus Murilo Lacerda has been a teacher for over 12 years. He holds an ICELT and a Delta Module 1. He currently works at Casa Thomas Jefferson in Brasília. 

Patrícia Fleury has been a teacher at Casa Thomas Jefferson since 1983, having worked with various levels including teacher training.

Patrícia Villa &Ana Scandiuzzi -  Mindful Teachers and Positive Outcomes to English Teaching/Learning (Workshop)

Mindfulness contributes supportively to teaching, which is one of the most rewarding professions, but also one of the most challenging and stressful. This session provides participants with practical and evidence-proven mindfulness techniques to cultivate well-being in their personal and professional lives, enhancing the learning environment and the experience of educators.

Patrícia Villa is an experienced English teacher in EFL, and an educational psychologist with a PhD from UnB. Her areas of interest include creativity, motivation, learning differences, and Positive Psychology. Ana Scandiuzzi holds a BA in English Language and Literature from UnB. She is currently a Deputy Manager at CTJ, Brasília.She is interested in teacher development and training. 

Peter Leamy - The Logic behind the Language (Talk)

English is a fluid, ever-changing language that has undergone many transformations in its history, and by applying logic to what today seem to be illogical instances of grammar, writing and pronunciation, we can have a better understanding of how we got here and where we're going.

Peter Leamy, Innovation Mentor at Casa Thomas Jefferson, Teacher at Instituto Rio Branco, Vice-President of the BRAZ-TESOL BSB Chapter and amateur sports analyst and beer taster.

Sthefanie Salge Duarte - Mind the gap - meaningful ways to use songs in class (Talk)
The world has changed. So have our students. This presentation aims to show the incredible potential of songs with a view to developing 21st century skills in our classes. 

Sthefanie Salge Duarte has been working in the EFL field for thirteen years and she has also been involved in teacher training and pedagogical coordination.

Thiago Cabral - Making Projects Fun (Workshop)

Creativity, social responsibility, critical thinking, team work, and above all, fun, come together in project work. This presentation will show you, step-by-step, how to carry out enjoyable projects which can be used with kids and teens.

Thiago Cabral, 23 years old, from Goiânia. Graduated from PUC-GO, had the opportunity to join an exchange programme as an International student at University of Coimbra (Portugal). Working for Cultura Inglesa since 2015. Loves teaching kids and loves teaching English.   

Virgínia Borges - Using the skills in YL lessons (Workhop)

When young pupils start learning a second language, teachers must emphasize listening and speaking skills. They need opportunities to listen to empowering input and build their confidence naturally during speaking tasks. During this workshop, a series of engaging and motivating activities will be discussed and investigated in order to improve your students’ skills.

Virgínia Borges has been working as an EFL Teacher for 15 years. She is now a Private Tutor in Goiânia and also works as a Teacher Trainer at i-Study Interactive Learning. Virgínia holds an MBA from FGV and a post-graduate diploma in English Language Methodology.