Oxford Days in Ivano-Frankivsk

Date: 20th August 2019

Speaker: Ushapa Fortescue

Session 1: Shaping learners now and for the future

The focus of primary English teaching is not only on English, but also on teaching “the whole child”. This not only helps in our classes, but it also makes our students lifelong learners and prepares them for being successful in their future. Modern coursebooks and the recent school reforms focus on both of these things. Making students better learners in the English classroom and giving them the skills they will need in the future.

This session looked at how Family and Friends and Bright Ideas, combined with the new school reforms help teachers to address these issues.

Participates left with new ideas and activities about focussing on Global Skills, making learning more student centred and improving the learning environment so our students get the best start possible.

Session 2: Teacher wellbeing 

Demands on teachers and stress levels seem to be ever increasing. While teachers are offered a range of professional development, it normally focuses on content and pedagogy and teachers are often left to work out the social, emotional and cognitive demands on their own. How can teachers promote calm, relaxed, engaging learning environments when they are feeling stressed and overwhelmed? The short answer is they can’t. Or they sacrifice their own well-being in the pursuit of this outcome.

Teachers need to make sure they have enough internal resources to keep on top of their own well-being. They need the skills to take care of themselves first.

In this session these ideas were explored and teachers were given a range of simple techniques that can be applied to their everyday lives to reduce stress, increase relaxation and enjoyment and help teachers feel more present while in the classroom.