June 10, 2010, 4:00-5:30 p.m. “Change and Innovation in Language Education: What Is My Role?”
Location: American Corner
Mayakovskaya Central City Public Library, 4th floor
Fontanka Embankment, 46
191025 Saint-Petersburg
Contact: 571-1589 or amcor@pl.spb.ru (please register if you plan to attend)
Description: In this workshop for teachers, John Mark will look at change in language education.
Change is inseparable from education. This can be change in a system of education, in assumptions about approaches to learning or in learners and teachers themselves. No matter your point of view of the role change plays in English Language education, you cannot deny that it is a fundamental aspect of our profession.
This workshop will encourage teachers to examine change within themselves, their institutions and learners and within the system of education as a whole in Russia and explore: 1) why change happens, 2) our own attitudes about change and 3) what our roles are in such change. This workshop is intended only for current or future teachers of English.
May 25, 2010, 3:00-6:00 p.m. SPELTA Workshop Series: “Teaching Summarizing” (part 5)
Location: Saint Petersburg State Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education
Dept. of Foreign Languages
Zanevsky 1/82 (Metro Station Novocherkaskaya)
E-Mail: tatiana-szelinger@yandex.ru
Coordinator: Tatiana Ivanova (Contact for directions)
Description: In this 3-hour workshop for SPELTA members, teachers will play the role of student as they go through all the steps involved in reading, comprehending, analyzing and evaluating a text and then turning it into an academic one-paragraph summary. At each step, teachers will reflect on the activities and tasks and be given tools with which they can be adapted for their own students. This in-depth workshop will be an exploration of the complex synthesis of reading and writing involved in creating academic summaries. Come ready to work!
April 16, 2010, 4-6 p.m. “Teaching Reading: Building Vocabulary and Reading Assessment” (parts 5 and 6 of 6)
Location: Future Leaders’ American Corner
The Pushkin Central Children’s Library, branch #1
27 Mayakovskogo str., 191014 St. Petersburg
tel./fax: (812) 273-9670
E-Mail: stpflac@amcorners.ru
Coordinator: Anna Murashova (please contact if you plan to attend)
Description:
This workshop will be a combination of the 5th and 6th in a series of six on teaching reading. The previous four workshops focused on developing pre-, in- and post-reading strategies. This one will focus on tasks students can complete to help them to take advantage of reading as a means of building vocabulary and ways in which teachers can assess students’ reading skills.
April 23, 2010, 4-6 p.m. “I Think Therefore, I Am: Teaching Critical Thinking” A workshop for teachers of English
By special guest Natasha Isadora Frank, Senior English Language Fellow from Kazan
Location: Future Leaders’ American Corner
The Pushkin Central Children’s Library, branch #1
27 Mayakovskogo str., 191014 St. Petersburg
tel./fax: (812) 273-9670
E-Mail: stpflac@amcorners.ru
Coordinator: Anna Murashova (please contact if you plan to attend)
Description:
A Dr. Suess Story, a murder mystery, and a news feature—what do these items all have in common? Discover the answer during this interactive workshop about critical thinking. In addition to discussing the definition and attributes of critical thinking, participants will review critical reading strategies and instructional techniques. Through the use of interactive activities, participants will learn how critical thinking can be incorporated into their English language classes.
April 24-25 Saint Petersburg English Language Teachers’ Association (SPELTA) Spring Conference
Theme: “Teaching Language for Academic and Professional Purposes: Variety of teaching Contexts and Competences of Teachers and Learners”
Location: Saint Petersburg State Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education
Zanevsky 1/82 (Metro Station Novocherkaskaya)
Information: spelta.stormway.ru
At this conference, John Mark will co-present two workshops on using authentic materials and helping learners develop language learning strategies. He will also give a plenary presentation on using technology in the L2 writing classroom. Natasha Isadora Frank will present a workshop on teacher observation and give a plenary presentation on using American art in the English Language classroom.
April 27, 2010, 2:00-3:30 p.m. SPELTA Workshop Series: “TBA” (part 4 of 8)
Location: Saint Petersburg State Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education
Dept. of Foreign Languages
Zanevsky 1/82 (Metro Station Novocherkaskaya)
E-Mail: tatiana-szelinger@yandex.ru
Coordinator: Tatiana Ivanova
Description:
TBA. Others include:
Authentic texts as a springboard to academic classroom activities
Writing in the L2: Guiding concepts
Good Readers: How do they do it?
Reading motivation: Where does it come from?
Lesson planning in the EAP classroom
Approaches to tasks in the L2 writing classroom
Writing Assessment