Session / Speakers

Adopting Appreciative Inquiry: Changing the Instructional Landscape and Experience
By Valerie Hodge

Theme: Appreciative Inquiry for teachers

Appreciative Inquiry is an approach … based on strengths rather than weaknesses, on a vision of what is possible rather than an analysis of what is not." –David Cooper rider. This session builds on teachers’ existing skill sets - anticipatory learning, reflection, skill building and creative analysis. Participants learn how to design positive solutions in authentic case studies and collaborating on a capstone project.

With credentials and working backgrounds in K-12, TESOL, English for Special Purposes, ESL, Higher Education and Project Management, Valerie is currently the Associate Director of International Education Programs at the University of California, Riverside. She has administered international education programs for 10 years, and taught international and domestic students for over 15 years. She has worked in 5 countries and visited over 30.

Institution: university of California- Riverside

Brain matters! Enrich your classes with Brain-Based Learning
By Nylia Monté

Theme: Brain matters! Enrich your classes with Brain-Based Learning

Knowing how the brain works is essential for teachers to select strategies and design class activities that go hand in hand with how our students’ brains learn. In a fun way, through the use of a variety of interactive activities, this workshop aims at bringing teachers closer to a very wise way of teaching: Brain-based Learning.

Nylia Monté is a Psychologist (USAL), an English Teacher (I.N.S.P.T., U.T.N.), has done Postgraduate Studies in Neurosciences and Education (UCA), and studied Brain-Based Learning with Prof. Eric Jensen in the USA. She also studied ICT in Education with the University of Oregon, USA. She has been an English teacher for 24 years, and was Coordinator in a language institute for 10 years. She has delivered seminars and workshops in various conferences around the country and in Uruguay on Neurosciences and Education and the use of games as a Brain-based Learning strategy.

Institution: ICANA / Nueva Escuela Argentina 2000

Collaborative learning: a win-win approach
By Esther Vazquez

Theme: Cooperative learning

Collaborative learning fosters cognitive acquisition and social skills in a win-win approach. In Vygotskian terms, what a learner can do in co-operation today, he will be able to do alone tomorrow, if properly assisted. In this session teachers and instructor will share an array of strategies to successfully implement C.L in the English class.

Esther Vázquez is a graduate teacher from CONSUDEC and holds a degree in Educational Management from CAECE University and a degree in Neurolearning from Belgrano University. Esther provides in-service training sessions both to Primary and High School teachers as well as to High School coordinators at Escuela de Maestros (CePA) Over the last years she has delivered courses on topics like Differentiated Instruction, Teaching through stories and Evaluation and Assessment. At present, she is also working for the British Council as remote teacher for Plan Ceibal in Uruguay.

Fluency and Confidence through Improvisation Techniques
By Dan Montour

Theme: Games and Drama in the classroom

Comedic Improvisers are trained to be spontaneous, creative, and play at the top of their intelligence in order to perform hilarious impromptu moments. This presentation and workshop will teach six improv activities that have been adapted to develop spoken communication skills and speaker confidence in the EFL classroom. Participation inevitable.

Dan Montour is a lecturer and course developer in the Spoken English Program at The Ohio State University. He is also a sketch and improv performer in Columbus, Ohio and New York City, New York.

Institution: The Ohio State University

Getting Students to Speak: A Year-Long Plan
By Leandro Paladino

Theme: Speaking Methodologies

Getting students to speak seems like one of the biggest challenges form any teachers. On the ot her hand, even in contexts where students are willing to speak, exactly what constitutes a speaking lesson or a conversation class appear stovary enormously from one teacher to the next. When the pedagogic focus is mostly on which topics to talkabout, the risk is that students may finish the year speaking a little faster, if at all, but not necessarily “better”. This works hop will propose a month-by-month syllabus which can be adapted by age, level or course type, so that actual progress in a number of oral areas can be observed by year-end.

A graduate teacher from theUniversity of La Plata, Leandro Paladino has delivered ELT workshops around Argentina and in Uruguay, and has contributed with different publishers as a writer and presenter. He teaches Grammar 2 and Language 4 at ISP Terrero, and runs both an EFL institute as well as a recently-opened bilingual school (Colegio York), all in La Plata. He is completingan MA in English Language with the University of Belgrano (Arg) and starting an MEd in Bilingualism with the University of Birmingham (UK).

Institution: Colegio York

Jazz up your English Lessons and Kick off the Academic Year!
By David Gutierrez & Claudio Cajes

Theme: Motivation/ Teaching resources

Do you want to bring engaging activities and materials into your classroom? Do you feel like introducing a bit of variety into your lessons to give your students some extra stimulation? In this hands-on session we will share lots of tools to improve our students’ skills and have some fun

David Gutierrez is an experienced English business teacher working at ABS International. He has worked in private institutions as well as in state schools in CABA. He is also a local examiner for Anglia Examinations within the Ibero-American Network. He travelled to England in 2012 where he got a Certificate in Teaching Adults at WSE, London. He was also awarded a Senior Certificate in Teaching English.

Claudio Cajes is a graduate of the Tesol Diploma from Alianza Cultural Uruguay-EE.UU. He has been in charge of teaching kids, teens and adults in levels ranging from A1 to C1 at Alianza Uruguay Estados Unidos, the Uruguayan Air Force and international companies as Santa Elena Vyrbac Uruguay, Unilever Argentina and Emerson Argentina. He is a material writer, creator of the blog stickygrammar.blogspot.com (with more than 60 thousand visits), and nowadays coordinates the IT department for ABS International. He has led workshops on the use of technology and material writing at Alianza Uruguay-Estados Unidos, Urutesol, Foro de Lenguas ANEP and ABS international Uruguay and Argentina.

Institution: ABS International

Let's go Lexical! Collocations, Idioms &Phrasals in the Digital age
By Manuel De Iacovo

Theme: Vocabulary methodologies

The teaching of vocabulary can no longer be conceived as a mundane aspect of EFL lessons. Indeed, learners clearly need lexical items such as collocations, idioms, phrasals and conversational gambits for their English to sound natural. In this session, we will explore easy and entertaining ways in which technology can help teachers not only to introduce vocabulary, but also to improve students’ macro-skills.

Manuel De Iacovo is a Consudec graduate. He has been working as an English teacher for seventeen years at all levels. He has experience both teaching and coordinating at kinder, primary and secondary schools. He has also worked with adults in companies, institutes and universities in Buenos Aires. He is currently attending his MA in English at Universidad de Belgrano. He is also the English head at Instituto Educativo “San Gregorio el Iluminador” in Buenos Aires.

Institution: Instituto Educativo San Gregorio El Iluminador

Mindfulness in the classroom
By Andrea Loescher

Theme: Mindfulness & Neuroscience

The practice of Mindfulness –paying attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity –has been scientifically proven to decrease anxiety and school stress, and increase attention, learning and resiliency in children and adolescents. Mindfulness is becoming mainstream in Europe and the US, and is now part of most schools’ curricula. They have come to realise that the educational system cannot rely only on academic training, but should also provide children with the tools they need to face the many challenges in their lives and increase their physical, mental and emotional well-being, both now and as they journey into adulthood. In this seminar we will explore what Mindfulness is, what changes in our brains when we practise it and how we can implement it in our classrooms right now.

Andrea Loescher is a graduate teacher from J. V. González who worked for more than 13 years teaching children and adults at different levels. After working in London for almost a year, and due to a personal life-changing experience, she started researching different ways of facing life´s difficulties. She took several training courses in NLP, Emotional Intelligence, neuroscience and Mindfulness (at Visión Clara, FundaciónIneco, RT, FundaciónForo, University of Massachusetts, The Center for Mindful Living). Since then, she has been exploring how to apply these concepts and practices in everyday life and in education. She obtained fascinating results, especially those concerning teenagers with ADHD and adults with stress and anxiety disorders. She also took the Mindful Schools training which allows her to deliver the programme in schools of Argentina. She currently delivers courses for children, educators, health professionals and the general public, as well as coordinating a Mindfulness Teacher Training Course, with the aim of sharing tools that can help people connect with that inner peace we all need to find, from which our clear vision, creativity and full potential can manifest into the world.

Institución: The_Mind ful Lab

Movie trailers reloaded
By Claudio Cajes

Theme: English trough movies

Meeting the needs of the 21st century EFL learner is a challenge. Movie trailers can turn into an amazing resource to meet those needs. They are short, flashy, multi-sensory and authentic. The audience attending this session will take home some practical ideas to put trailers to use in their classes.

Claudio Cajes is a graduate of the Tesol Diploma from Alianza Cultural Uruguay-EE.UU. He has been in charge of teaching kids, teens and adults in levels ranging from A1 to C1 at Alianza Uruguay Estados Unidos, the Uruguayan Air Force and international companies as Santa Elena Vyrbac Uruguay, Unilever Argentina and Emerson Argentina. He is a material writer, creator of the blog stickygrammar.blogspot.com (with more than 60 thousand visits), and nowadays coordinates the IT department for ABS International. He has led workshops on the use of technology and material writing at Alianza Uruguay-Estados Unidos, Urutesol, Foro de Lenguas ANEP and ABS international Uruguay and Argentina.

Institution: ABS International

Narrative approaches to building confidence and rapport
By Jocelyn Hardman

Theme: Teaching methods

Storytelling, or sequencing events to create drama and when/how to incorporate anecdotes and humor, is a crucial social and linguistic skill. Presenters will demonstrate using narrative effectively for language teaching in a series of “storied lessons,” which include several genres and purposes, as well as provide digital and textual sources.

Dr. Jocelyn Hardman has 10 years of language program management experience and 20+ years of teaching experience. She directs the Spoken English Program at the Ohio State University and manages Kenton Consulting Services, LLC, which specializes in language program management training, teacher training and assessment, curriculum design, and program evaluation.

Institution: The Ohio State University

Organizing your Projects in Kinder!
By Eugenia Dell’Osa

Theme: English in kindergarten

Project work aimed at kindergarten is possible! Most educational theories and approaches support second language acquisition at a very early age. The challenge is the “know-how”. Teachers of English in kindergarten need to be extremely creative, resourceful and organized (among other things) to fulfill their expectations, the authorities’, the parents’ AND the kids’. Are these goals easy to reach with a textbook? Is it possible to work without one? What topics are kids interested in? Can teachers elaborate their own material? You will find the answer to all of these questions in Organizing your Projects in Kinder!

Eugenia Dell’Osa is an English teacher (INSPT/UTN); a Whole Language facilitator; an English in Action teacher; an Educational Consultant/Material Designer for The Buenos Aires Players®; and an ALL® Teacher Trainer and Material Designer. She founded Babies’ Corner, a language school for babies and very young learners. As she is involved in constant research on early learning and the development of pedagogical material she founded Plan Up, to provide teachers with practical hands-on tools and strategies.

Institution: INSPT/UTN

Social and Emotional Learning: 5 myths, 10 grounded truths
By Monica Rodriguez Salvo

Theme: Emotional Intelligence

What is Social and Emotional Learning? How do I use it in the classroom? Should I use it? In this workshop we will explore the myths that have been shattered related to SEL and the benefits that data-driven research on the topic has already validated. Are you ready to start focusing on life-long learning experiences with your students? Join me to explore hands-on techniques to connect with your student's world from a completely different perspective.

Monica is a “Profesora Nacional de Inglés”graduated from IES “Victoria Ocampo”, Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Rios. She is also Traductora Pública Nacional from UMSA (Universidad del Museo Social Argentino), and holds a degree as “Licenciada en Dirección de Recursos Humanos”, Universidad de Belgrano. She is a Mindfulness practitioner for Education Level 2 from University of California. As teacher trainer, she has delivered professional development courses on methodology, assessment, ICT in the classroom, Emotional Intelligence, Social and Emotional Learning, etc in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. She has developed courses and materials for teacher training courses, and currently works as Academic Consultant and Teacher Trainer for Pearson Education Southern Cone. Speaker at IATEFL Chile 2015, Faapi 2015, ARTESOL 2014, FAAPI 2012, FAAPI 2014, ABS Congresse, etc She is currently developing the new section on Social and Emotional Learning for the 3rd edition of the book “What’s up”.

Institution: Pearson

Super closers- Making a last impression!
By Laura Lewin

Theme: Closers

Do you “close the gate” after your classes? Do you finish your classes in “an elegant way”, or do your students just run off as soon as the bell goes off? If you want your students to attach personal meaning and relevance to what they glean from your daily lessons, an effective "closure" activity at the end of each class period is important. Come to this session and learn a variety of closure activities to create powerful learning results!

Laura Lewin heads ABS International. She is the President of the Organizing Committee of the International Conference of Professional Development for Teachers of English and Administrators. Laura pursued studies in translation in Argentina (UADE) and TESOL in the USA (University of California). She is an internationally recognized consultant and speaker and for the past twenty years she has been involved in teaching training. She has designed and delivered workshops for teachers and for ELT Managers all over South America, the United States and Europe. Laura is the author of two books: Gestión Educativa en Acción (Noveduc) and El Aula Afectiva- claves para el manejo del aula en un entorno afectivo y efectivo (Santillana).

Institution:
ABS International

Teaching and Learning Through Digital Storytelling
By Edie Cassell

Theme: writing methodologies

This workshop exemplifies digital storytelling and shows how the creation of digital stories can be used to approach learning as a collaborative process both for English language teacher training as well as a writing methodology for second language writers. Participants will create their own digital stories during the workshop.

Dr. Edie Cassell is Clinical Associate Professor of ESL at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. She teaches undergraduate and graduate-level students in ESL and teacher preparation programs. Her research centers on international and domestic field service opportunities she has developed for pre-service teachers to work with second language learners.

Institution: Texas A&M University

Teaching English through Art: Getting students to look, think and talk!
By Gabriel Diaz Maggioli

Theme: English and art

Teaching English through Art: Getting students to look, think and talk! In this hands-on workshop we will explore how Visual Thinking Strategies can be successfully applied to the teaching of English through the medium of Art. We will see how, through very simple techniques, we can enhance our students' critical thinking skills and their oral expression.

Gabriel Díaz Maggioli is a teacher who applies the lessons learned in the classroom to his roles as administrator, teacher educator, materials writer and researcher. A frequent presenter at local and international events, Gabriel has shared his theories-in-practice with colleagues in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He currently leads the Linguistic Policy through line for the National Administration of Public Education in Uruguay.

Institution:

Technology & Diversity: Teaching for the changing times:
By Daniela Zallocco

Theme: Motivating students.

As diversity in the classroom becomes more prominent, there is a great need to imagine the future of education and change our classrooms and teaching strategies. Technology applied to education makes customized learning easier enabling teachers to pick from a repertory of tools focusing on each student`s own pace and way of learning. During this workshop we will explore practical ready-to-use ideas to implement software, web based tools and mobile devices in our classes, focusing on the different ways students learn by making use of Multiple Intelligences to embrace diversity.

Daniela Zallocco holds CELTA & CELTYL degree from Cambridge University and a Posgraduate Diploma in Policies of Education, specialized in Education and Technology (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella). She currently works in Ministerio de Educación de la Nación as Project Coordinator, coordinating UNESCO ASPnet. In 2013, she was selected from over 5000 applications to participate in UNESCO ESD Conference in Japan. In 2012 her webinars for English Teachers in Argentina were nominated to an ELTon award, British Council, under the category Local Innovation.

Institution: Connect English On line

The effective teachers’ toolkit: tips and techniques for creating focused co-operative students!
By Grace Bertolini

Theme: Classroom management

Whether you are a new or experienced teacher, strategies for effective classroom management are vital to keeping your class running smoothly and creating a positive learning environment. In this Workshop we will share effective ideas to improve student engagement and build a positive climate for learning. It’s all about engagement!

Grace Bertolini is an experienced Teacher of English as a Foreign Language. For more than 30 years she has taught all levels and ages. She is a Bilingual Facilitator for Peace Education Foundation and lectures on Social Emotional Learning and Conflict Resolution at school. As Creative Teaching Director, she delivers Professional Development Workshops and Courses nationwide and abroad on Teaching EFL effectively.

Institution: Creative Teaching

The Power of Pronunciation in our Daily Life – Aiming for success!
By Chris Kunz

Theme: Teaching pronunciation

Do you ever feel your students’ pronunciation is not improving as fast and steadily as you had hoped it would? This fossilization might well be the result of, among others, 1. non-target rules having be come fixed in the learner's in ter language, 2. The learner’s first language can have significant influence on the level of accentedness and intelligibility of the new language and 3., to mention just a few, the learner find sit really difficult to change their pronunciation once a certain level of fluency has been reached.

Come join Chris’ interactive workshop and find out how you can help your students start dreaming about the de-fossilization of their English pronunciation.

ELT Professional in Argentina, Australia and UK for over 20 years. Senior Director of Studies at Kens Anglia Schools of English, Buenos Aires. Has vastly lectured in different countries on ELT Methodology, Advanced Language for teachers and English Phonetics and Phonology since 1997. Has been involved with the Anglia ESOL Examinations Testing Services since 1996. Is the Anglia Director within the Ibero-American Network. Holds the Cambridge/RSA Certificate and Diploma in ELTA. Now divides his time between Chichester College, England, as EFL Lecturer, where he teaches all levels, and Anglia ESOL Examinations in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. Facilitator/ Interlocutor in UK for several exam boards for Skills for Life Examinations. Has delivered the Phonology Modules of LSC Skills for Life Quality Initiative Professional Development Programme in UK. Senior Speaking Assessor and Speaking Assessor Trainer for Anglia ESOL Examinations since 1997.

Institution: Anglia

Appreciative Inquiry Approach for Coordinators: Changing Mindsets and Outcomes
By Valerie Hodge

Theme:Appreciative Inquiry for coordinators

This session features the assumptions and practices of the Appreciative Inquiry Model, uniquely tailored for program administrators. Moving towards an asset approach requires a shift in mindset and methodology. Participants will learn and apply the central principles through conflict case studies, then construct positive and collaborative solutions.

Dealing with difficult Teachers
By Laura Lewin

Theme: managing people

I know. He knows. She knows. The kids know. We all know who the difficult teachers are. Every school has at least one of them and they fit many different molds! Negative teachers are negative mentors to their students. Negative teachers are downers. As principals we must learn to recognize the characteristics of difficult teachers and how to deal with them, but also we must learn how to encourage an attitude shift. Come join me in this session, that YOU will find practical, useful, and why not enjoyable!

Institution:
ABS International

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: What does Harvard know that we don't?
By Cynthia Goldbarg

Theme:
Leadership
Program administration
School administration

The IQ (Intelligence Quotient) was king, until the EQ (emotional quotient) took its throne. Now we know that there is a different intelligence, and it’s essential in order to lead innovative and successful educational institutions. With a proven track record of responding to essential questions in the education and leadership fields, the specialists at Harvard University answer: Which are the “Five Minds for the Future” that leaders need to cultivate? What is “Dynamic Resonance” and how does it help us be in tune with our staff? How can we build an emotionally intelligent team? What’s the link between resiliency and Emotional Intelligence? What is the internal strength of a leader? Let’s discover what the theories and new ideas from Harvard can do to transform our leadership!

Cynthia Goldbarg is an Argentinean in love with Washington DC, a geek, a music lover and a lifelong learner. She holds a master degree in Education Leadership from the George Washington University and she is a specialist in Business Administration from Georgetown University. She has extensive experience as a trainer and coach in the United States and Argentina with teachers, directors, public officials and foreign governments. She is in the Board of Directors at OMEP (World Organization for Preschool Education). Cynthia is passionate about inspiring organizations and professionals to strive for excellence, which drove her to dream, create and lead CYNERGY; a consulting firm specializing in training and coaching in the areas of education and leadership.

Institution: CYNERGY

Leader- ACTION!
By Maria Laura Conte

Theme: Lidership

You like being right, but that's not the way of the leader. A leader is not concerned with being right but with enhancing the team's intelligence. A leader inspires others to accomplish a mission; a boss controls others to do as they are told. A leader seeks internal commitment; a boss demands external compliance. What makes a good leader? Is leadership inborn or a trained ability? Leadership is about being with others, about anchoring yourself in your essential values, choosing behaviors in alignment with those values and acting with responsibility and integrity.

Maria Laura Conte is a graduate teacher from CON.SU.D.E.C. She began her teaching career as supervisor of E.S.O.L Pitman ,City and Guilds Intenational Examinations. This took her nationwide delivering workshops and training teachers . She also worked for Together-Educational Consultancy- where she had the opportunity to visit schools and universities in the UK . In 2006 she starts Creactivity which makes her develop educational games for the classroom , a game club and an educational fair. Since then she has spent her time investigating and studying – CapacitaciónDocente en Neurociencias de la Asociación Educar and Tecnicatura en Liderazgo y diseño ontológico en el Instituto de Capacitación Profesional (ICP) avalado por ICF la International Coach Federation. – Coach Educativo (Open your World). Facilitator at CreandoPuentes.

Institution: Creando Puentes

Strong communities build strong schools
By Grace Bertolini

Theme: Human Resources - Leadership

Fostering positive learning communities through culturally responsive classroom management: a high quality education is characterized by ambitious instruction delivered in learning environments where students can develop and demonstrate the social and emotional competencies they need to be and remain successful in and out of school. In this Workshop we will introduce Responsive Classroom practices to deliver engaging academics, and to teach, model, and integrate SEL skills in classrooms. Come to this session to help your teachers build community and boost learning: Excellence is the expectation!

Mejorando el Rendimiento, Apostando al Compromiso.
By Miguel Atencio

Theme: Rendimiento y compromiso

El desarrollo de las habilidades gerenciales en la actualidad, depende, en gran medida de la capacidad para formar recursos humanos, de manera tal que incorporen a su cotidianeidad, conductas o mecanismos de acción que contribuyan a potenciar su eficiencia y la de las organizaciones donde se desempeñan. Por lo tanto, surge como imprescindible en las relaciones interpersonales, crear el clima de compromiso necesario en cada tarea que se realiza, teniendo en forma permanente acercarse al concepto de excelencia.

Miguel Atencio es ex-catedrático de la Universidad del Salvador, ex-investigador del CONICET, y Asesor Nacional del Ministerio de Trabajo y Formación de Recursos Humanos de la Nación en Proyectos financiados por el Banco Mundial. Miguel es capacitador de la AHT (Asociación de Hoteles de Turismo de la República Argentina) y capacita a personal de Sheraton, Sofitel, Amerian, Loi Suites, entre otras cadenas internacionales. Ha dictado numerosos seminarios de capacitación en Argentina y en el exterior. Actualmente se desempeña como Director de la división Corporate English de ABS International, disertante en congresos y consultor de instituciones educativas y empresas.

Institution:
ABS International

Online learning in your institution:
By Daniela Zallocco

Theme: Technology implementation in educational institutions.

Looking for interesting ways to include technology in your institution to teach adults? Starting an e-business appears to be quite challenging but can be rewarding in a fast-paced where everything seems to be just one click away. During this workshop we will look at different options and tools to start using technology in class and in your school which require no investment and that will help you explore new ideas and possibilities to use in your school.

The Beauty of Inspired Leadership
By Laura Szmuch

Theme: Leadership.

In this presentation you will learn the elements of inspired leadership: techniques to observe respectfully, fuel enthusiasm, foster trust and a friendly atmosphere. We will explore ways to be aware of our working situation which translates into the ability to give the best of ourselves as educational professionals.

Mag. Laura Szmuch is a graduate of INSP “Dr Joaquín V. González”, Master Practitioner and Trainer in NLP and ontological coach.
She runs NLP courses for teachers. She is the author of Aprendiendo Inglés y disfrutando el proceso and Las seis inspiraciones. She wrote A Teacher’s Motivational Grammar: The Reasons to Teach, for her Master’s Degree in Cognitive Psychology and Learning with FLACSO University.

Institution: Capacitaciones y coaching, Resourceful Teaching

Using needs analysis to inform curriculum design
By Jocelyn Hardman

Theme: Program management

Designing an effective curriculum is one of the central responsibilities of language program managers. Needs analysis of all stakeholders can shed light on the variation in perceptions of what students' learning goals and communication needs should be and how program managers can prioritize and sequence them most effectively.

Institution: The Ohio State University


	*Sessions in Alphabetical Order*