The value of attending conferences

Is getting higher education enough to become a competent English teacher? This is a question that leaves far many various suggestions, answers and solutions. Language, being a living unity can’t be learnt in a few years and then thoroughly completed. There is always some gap, that we as teachers should fill in by doing our best to develop professionally. In this regard, attending educational conferences, seminars and, why not, webinars, play a crucial role in ELT teacher’s life. So, what are the benefits of these conferences and how can we make the most of it?

Learning new approaches and styles of teaching

Have you ever had a situation, when one student understands clearly the topic of the lesson, but another one (of the same level and age) doesn’t get the idea of the same lesson? Definitely, you have. Many teachers get really nervous in this situation and can’t work it out. Why? Because they try to solve the problem by applying the same method and style they used with the other student. The problem is there are different types of learners and hence they require different teaching styles. So, one of the first benefits that you may gain by attending educational conferences, is learning new approaches and styles of teaching that will effectively work with your students.

Mastering the profession

You have already got the diploma and the qualification of a teacher? You have been teaching English for 5 or 10 or even 15 years? Not enough. Sharing is caring. If you really strive for professional development, you need to share what you already know, to listen to other ELT teachers talking about their experience and to come up with further ideas altogether. Sometimes new teachers can offer such amasing things, that an experienced teacher would never think about.

Getting aware of your own potential

Sometimes our everyday routine, classes with the same students and lesson materials, make us forget about our capacities. All we do is following the same steps we are used and not trying anything new. Whereas, attending conferences ‘wakens us up’, ‘freshens our mind’ and gets us to ‘think out of the box’. When we listen to interesting and new topics, we really become aware of our own potential as well, since we start to think of new projects, come up with new approaches, etc.

Meeting new people

This point is good not only for online teachers, who don’t have ‘real’ colleagues, students and are lack of ‘real human’ communication but also for those teachers who work at schools or any educational institution. Meeting new people will pull us to get out of a comfort zone, boost our communication skills and bring new challenges.

Networking

Many participants of the conference sometimes gain more during the break while drinking a cup of coffee with each other rather than at the session. The reason is that during the break we are more relaxed to get to know each other, to find out the narrow field the participants are specialized in, to ask each other questions and share contacts. Keeping in touch with new colleagues will definitely have an effective influence on us.

Getting certificates

The last but not the least benefit of attending conferences is getting an attendee certificate. The latter will add ‘freshness’ in your CV and make you be proud of it. This will also help you not to forget about the attended conference and its topic.

Here are 5 most popular ELT conferences you should consider attending:

1) International IATEFL Conference

One of the biggest ELT events of the year, the International IATEFL Conference and Exhibition takes place each Spring attracting approximately 3,000 ELT professionals from over 100 countries, including teachers, teacher trainers, materials writers, academy owners, curriculum developers, and many others. It lasts four days and includes about 500 talks, workshops and forums. There are plenty of networking and social opportunities and the chance to find out the latest developments in the profession, an opportunity to grow your career and meet with theorists, industry experts and other key figures in ELT. What’s more, with 50 exhibitors and a Careers Fair, professionals in the field have the chance to.

2) IATEFL Special Interest Groups – TEASIG, BESIG, YLTSIG

IATEFL’s Special Interest Groups bring together ELT experts from specific fields. A full list can be found on the IATEFL website, however 3 highlights are:

— Testing, Evaluation and Assessment (TEASIG)

— Business English Special Interest Group (BESIG)

— Young Learners and Teenagers Special Interest Group (YLTSIG)

3) IH Conferences

International House schools work hard to maintain educational expertise and academic strength. They hold their own events and conferences throughout the year. For example, IH Barcelona conference is an English language teaching conference for teachers, managers and teacher trainers. There are usually 5 plenary sessions, around 15 workshops in 4 specialist strands, with 15 other sessions of general interest on a wide variety of topics.

Conferences play a significant role for all teachers. They help teachers learn more about their profession and to be more effective. Thus teachers master their knowledge and apply it in their classes to make them more helpful and effective.

How often do you attend conferences?