The Newsletter of PEOPLECERT for City & Guilds English Language Lion s Voice Teachers Voice CONTENTS Featured Article > Αre you ready to go beyond your comfort zone? by Marisa Constantinides Psychology Corner > Σχoλική τάξη και πειθαρχία by Despina Dimitraki 2 4 Teacher s Corner > Materials, methods and exam preparation by George Vassilakis > Editor s Note Dear Readers, On behalf of PEOPLECERT S.A. I would like to wish you a very happy new year and welcome you all to the sixth issue of our Newsletter. The big news is that PEOPLECERT S.A. is holding its first Annual Teacher Development Symposium in Athens and Thessaloniki. The contributors of the three articles in this newsletter are the main speakers of our first symposium, well-known teacher educator Marisa Constantinides, Educational Psychologist Despina Dimitraki and our own George Vassilakis. You can read more about the symposium on page 7. Marisa Constantinides, Director of CELT Athens Teacher Education Centre, discusses the importance of professional development in ELT looking at the benefits of a diploma-level qualification, the factors that teachers need to take into account when choosing a course and/or a centre and the professional prospects that open up with such a qualification. Our school psychologist, Despina Dimitraki, explores issues related to class discipline; after defining the term and clearing up some of the misunderstandings, Despina gives examples of students inappropriate behavior and, finally, suggests ways in which teachers can prevent or at least deal with students difficult behaviours. Don t forget, Despina s column is in Greek so that parents can read it, too! George Vassilakis, Language Certification Director here at PEOPLECERT, discusses the relationship between exams and teaching material. Practical tips are given regarding the use of teaching material throughout the academic year as well as the preparation of students before any type of exam. Finally, as usual, you can read about our latest activities and find out about forthcoming examination dates, new publications and support material in the latest news column! And don t forget: Lion s Voice welcomes your contributions! Send articles, teaching ideas, comments to us and get published! George Lampropoulos Editor Inside City & Guilds > Christmas Open Day 2010 > City & Guilds TV commercial was awarded a Silver Ermis > PEOPLECERT is joining the Web 2.0 revolution! 5 6 6 6 > City & Guilds 1st Annual Teacher Development Symposium 7 Latest News 8 > Forthcoming City & Guilds Exams > New City & Guilds exam material and support services > Revised City & Guilds Handbook for Teachers > City & Guilds Practice Tests Books > Click+Win Editorial Team: Despina Dimitraki George Lampropoulos Marios Molfetas George Vassilakis Dimitris Zervas Design: Marketing & Communication Department 1
Featured Article by Marisa Constantinides > Are you ready to go beyond your comfort zone? Once an English teacher has put a few years of experience under their belt, they often come to a point in their teaching career where they are beginning to feel the need for further professional development. This is a stage akin to the intermediate learning plateau that learners of English as a foreign language reach: teachers realise that, while they can somehow manage to carry out their day to day teaching duties, it is also evident that they are repeating themselves, that there is no development in the way they teach or even the content they teach, that they keep doing the same old things in the same old way. It is no surprise then that they start to question themselves and their teaching ability. Stagnation symptoms The symptoms, which most teachers experience at some point, include the following: You have attended methodology courses and/or workshops but you feel you cannot implement what you learnt in your own classes You are beginning to feel restless about your teaching approach and are no longer happy that what you do in class works as well as you once was sure it did You realise that your repertoire of techniques and activities that would help you solve problems you encounter in your teaching is rather limited You realise that there are attractive careers in areas of English Language Teaching such as Business English or Academic English, for which, in spite of your experience, you are illequipped, as you cannot do a sensible needs analysis or draw up a syllabus based on your students needs You find yourself in a more senior position in the institution where you work, such as a director of studies position, but find it difficult or impossible to guide and support the teachers, observe their classes critically and give them clear and supportive feedback. You would like to teach in another country but, once you start applying for teaching jobs abroad, you realise that your professional qualifications are simply not enough If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, it may well be that what you need is not merely another series of unrelated workshops and seminars that you gratefully attend at ELT conferences, book exhibitions and free events offered by publishers and examination bodies, but rather a focused course that will take your career to a different level and earn you a qualification that can open up new opportunities. Considering a Diploma-level qualification in English Language Teaching? Over the years, I have trained hundreds of teachers on advanced methodology courses leading to internationally recognised postgraduate level professional qualifications such as the DELTA or its predecessor courses, the RSA DOTE and DTEFLA, and I have come to identify certain characteristics present in all good candidates: They have a passion for teaching They have a tendency to reflect on their classroom practices They seek opportunities for further development They think giving up time for a workshop or conference is perfectly normal They are always on the lookout for new ideas and new ways of enriching their teaching They are committed to teaching as a profession Here is a comment written on my blog 1 by one of my current DELTA trainees 1 It is true that being an English teacher in Greece [ ] is often underestimated by both parents and school owners. I have felt a lot of times in my life that I ve had enough of different attitudes and comments which made me wonder whether I should go and work in another country. But I really don t like giving up because this is where I was born and if the others can t change the way they think that doesn t mean I have to comply with their rules. But I didn t know how until I decided to broaden my horizons and attend the DELTA course. I m still a DELTA trainee and I have realised, with the guidance of my tutors, that there is a whole world of EFL teachers who share my views and worry about the same things as me and moreover, they do care about how to be better teachers. 1 You can access this blog post and the rest of the comments here: http://celtathens.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/the-usual-suspects/ 2
On the practical side, it is important to remember that a good candidate will also have a related degree and will ideally have attended a basic methodology course which involved teaching practice and observation in a real class. Will a diploma make a difference to your career in TEFL? Many teachers just don t see how a qualification such as the DELTA might change their career opportunities in the Greek context. While there are many schools which do seek out and recognise the value of such a highly qualified teacher, it is also true that there are many which don t. As a result of following a DELTA course, this teacher is now able to find summer jobs in UK based colleges as a teacher of English, thus taking her career to a different level and giving her more opportunities to develop as a teacher in other teaching contexts as well as being eligible for jobs which require a Cambridge DELTA as a minimum requirement, positions such as Directors of Studies, Academic Directors or Coordinators, Oral Examiners for a range of Examinations, including the City & Guilds Examinations. The world is out there and whether you want to go out to it or bring it to you (e.g. by becoming a successful online teacher), you need the confidence and know-how that a diploma can give you. Can a Diploma guarantee you that you will become an outstanding teacher? There is absolutely no course in the world that can guarantee you will become a truly outstanding teacher, but having a DELTA ensures that you will be given the tools and knowledge which will help you achieve this goal. It is no surprise that in order to become a teacher trainer, a qualification such as the Cambridge DELTA is considered an absolute must! For example, you cannot even be considered as a prospective tutor on courses such as the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), unless you have the DELTA Diploma yourself. This is, in fact, a very fair requirement, as a course like the DELTA guarantees that you will have observed and been observed teaching and that you will have learnt how to analyse teaching and reflect on your own classroom practice. So where and how can I do an advanced methodology course? The number of centres offering the Cambridge DELTA around the world is significantly lower than those offering introductory-level Obtaining the DELTA opened up a whole new world for me. I have now gone through the process of training up as a CELTA tutor and am working at CELT Athens. As an approved CELTA tutor, I can accept training jobs anywhere in the world through the Cambridge network of schools offering CELTA courses. I no longer have to worry that a school owner will fire me during the summer and put me on unemployment benefit, a situation which I consider disgraceful for teachers. The Cambridge DELTA has done this for me and more I am also a marking examiner for the City & Guilds Examinations. Alexander Makarios CELTA Tutor at CELT Athens and Marking Examiner at City & Guilds CELTA courses, and with very good reason: to become a DELTA tutor you need further qualifications, such as postgraduate degrees in TEFL, TESOL or Applied Linguistics and the ability to plan and implement course syllabuses which will bring your candidates to a successful result, a task which is much more demanding than that of a CELTA course designer or tutor. When selecting a centre, it is important to make sure that: the centre itself has been established for a long time and can guarantee you quality in tutorial input and support. the centre is well networked with educators and institutions around the world, an absolute necessity if you are to pursue a career which, nowadays, is very much based on networking and connecting. the centre integrates technology into its programme, so that it can offer trainees excellent support systems. the centre has an up-to-date ELT methodology library as well as electronic and online resources that are available 24/7 last but not least, the centre tutors are highly qualified and experienced in teaching and assessing such demanding courses Are you ready to go beyond your comfort zone? The best time to follow any teacher development programme is not when you are pushed by a higher authority, but when you yourself feel ready to question your current practices, to develop as a professional, to take your career to a different level. An advanced methodology programme, such as the DELTA, will give you the chance to lift off your teaching to a different level and to acquire a depth of understanding of the principles involved in ELT practice. The best time, then, is when you feel ready to become the best teacher that you can be. And this time could well be now! Marisa Constantinides, (Dip.RSA, M.A. App Ling) is a teacher educator and Director of CELT Athens, an Authorised Teaching Awards Centre in Greece offering Cambridge CELTA and DELTA courses as well as a wide range of other Teacher Development programmes, face-to-face and online. Her publications include materials for children, advanced learners and a multitude of articles on TEFL, Language, Linguistics and Education topics. She is a member of IATEFL International and an active ELT blogger and Twitter user (moderator of #ELTchat). Blogs Twitter Handle Blog in Greek CELT Athens Website "TEFL Matters" at http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/ & "Teaching & Learning Foreign Languages" at http://celtathens.wordpress.com/ @Marisa_C Ξενόγλωσση Παιδεία http://celt-athens-tefl-courses.blogspot.com/ http://www.celt.edu.gr/ 3
Psychology Corner by Despina Dimitraki > Σχολική τάξη και πειθαρχία Παρόλο που οι ειδικοί διαφωνούν ως προς το περιεχόµενο της έννοιας «πειθαρχία» και τα κριτήρια ορισµού της δεν είναι γενικώς αποδεκτά, θα µπορούσαµε να ορίσουµε γενικώς την πειθαρχία ως την προσπάθεια του καθηγητή να εξασφαλίσει ότι η συµπεριφορά των µαθητών δεν θα παρεµποδίζει τη µαθησιακή διαδικασία. Η διαχείριση της τάξης προϋποθέτει ανάπτυξη διδακτικών δραστηριοτήτων µε οµαλή ροή, παρακολούθηση κα ταυτόχρονη αντιµετώπιση γεγονότων. Σε αυτό το τεύχος θα δούµε τί προξενεί την ανεπιθύµητη συµπεριφορά των µαθητών, τους τρόπους µε τους οποίους µπορεί ο καθηγητής να την αντιµετωπίσει, καθώς και τρόπους µε τους οποίους µπορεί να την αποφύγει. Τι προκαλεί την ανεπιθύµητη συµπεριφορά; 1. Η αντιπάθεια προς το σχολείο Ο µαθητής απορρίπτει τους εκπαιδευτικούς και το σχολείο ως σύνολο καθώς το θεωρεί τόπο άχρηστο για το µέλλον του. 2. Κοινωνική κυριαρχία Ο µαθητής νιώθει την ανάγκη αναγνώρισης από τους συµµαθητές του ενώ παράλληλα κυριαρχεί η ανάγκη αµφισβήτησης της εξουσίας του καθηγητή. 3. Ανωριµότητα Λόγω ηλικίας ή άλλων παραγόντων ο µαθητής δεν µπορεί να προβλέψει τις επιπτώσεις της συµπεριφοράς του. 4. Αντιφατικοί κανονισµοί Πολλές φορές ο µαθητής αδυνατεί να ισορροπήσει στις διαφορετικές συνθήκες που επικρατούν στο σπίτι και στο σχολείο. Για παράδειγµα, κάτι που επιτρέπεται στο σπίτι µπορεί να απαγορεύεται στο σχολείο. 5. Μετάθεση Ο µαθητής µεταβιβάζει τους φόβους και τα συναισθήµατά του στο σχολικό περιβάλλον και πιο συγκεκριµένα στους καθηγητές του. Για παράδειγµα, ένας µαθητής που µισεί τον πατέρα του µπορεί να µεταβιβάσει το µίσος του στον καθηγητή του. Πώς αντιµετωπίζεται η ανεπιθύµητη συµπεριφορά; Χρησιµοποιείτε θετική γλώσσα Στους περισσότερους ανθρώπους δεν αρέσει να τους λένε τι να µην κάνουν και σε αυτές τις περιπτώσεις αναπτύσσουν αµυντική στάση. Οι απαγορεύσεις δηµιουργούν επιθυµίες. Για παράδειγµα, αντί να πει «µην χτυπάς δυνατά την πόρτα» (αρνητική γλώσσα, η οποία µπορεί να δηµιουργήσει την επιθυµία να χτυπήσει ο µαθητής την πόρτα από αντίδραση), ο αποτελεσµατικός εκπαιδευτικός θα πει «κλείνε προσεκτικά την πόρτα» (θετική γλώσσα, η οποία δεν είναι τόσο πιθανό να δηµιουργήσει αντιδράσεις). Ενθαρρύνετε την επιθυµητή συµπεριφορά Κάθε µορφή συµπεριφοράς που ενισχύεται τείνει να επαναληφθεί, ενώ κάθε µορφή συµπεριφοράς που τιµωρείται τείνει να εξαφανιστεί. Συνήθως οι µαθητές που ατακτούν είναι εκείνοι που στη ζωή τους δεν είχαν θετική ενίσχυση. Άλλωστε η µη πειθαρχία είναι τρόπος για να προσελκύσουν αυτό που τους λείπει, δηλαδή την προσοχή. Ο εκπαιδευτικός θα πρέπει λοιπόν να ενισχύει τις θετικές συµπεριφορές µε επαίνους. Κάντε σωστή χρήση επαίνου Ο έπαινος θα πρέπει να δίνεται µε φυσικό τρόπο είτε λεκτικά είτε όχι. Ο εκπαιδευτικός θα πρέπει να αποφεύγει γενικές εκφράσεις όπως «καλά τα πήγες σήµερα» και να εστιάζει κυρίως σε συγκεκριµένες δραστηριότητες όπως «η έκθεση που έγραψες σήµερα ήταν πολύ καλή», ώστε ο µαθητής να αντιλαµβάνεται µε ακρίβεια το αντικείµενο του επαίνου και να µην τον εκλαµβάνει ως «κούφια λόγια». Ακούτε ενεργητικά Ο εκπαιδευτικός πρέπει να ακούει προσεκτικά τους µαθητές χωρίς να κρατάει αµυντική στάση. Η ενεργητική ακρόαση δίνει προσοχή στο νοηµατικό και συναισθηµατικό περιεχόµενο και συνοδεύεται από προσπάθεια εύρεσης αποδεκτών λύσεων. Επιπλήξτε την συµπεριφορά και όχι τον µαθητή Μια «κακή» πράξη δεν προέρχεται απαραίτητα από ένα «κακό» άτοµο. Ο εκπαιδευτικός δεν επιτρέπεται να µειώνει ποτέ προσωπικά το µαθητή ακόµη και αν αυτός τον έχει προσβάλει. Η επίπληξη πρέπει να εστιάζει στην συγκεκριµένη πράξη και να γίνεται ιδιωτικά και όχι δηµόσια. Κρατήστε ισορροπία ανάµεσα στην ανάρµοστη συµπεριφορά και στην τιµωρία Οι τιµωρίες θα πρέπει να επιβάλλονται µε φειδώ σε αναλογία µε το µέγεθος του παραπτώµατος. Ο εκπαιδευτικός θα πρέπει να είναι δίκαιος αλλά να αποφεύγει την κλιµάκωση της κατάστασης. Πώς προλαµβάνεται η ανεπιθύµητη συµπεριφορά; Επειδή, όµως, η πρόληψη είναι προτιµότερη από τη θεραπεία ο καθηγητής θα πρέπει να: κυκλοφορεί µέσα στην τάξη ακολουθεί την τακτική της «επαφής µε το βλέµµα» µε τους µαθητές απευθύνει ερωτήσεις όχι γενικά στην τάξη, αλλά σε συγκεκριµένους µαθητές προσωπικά πλησιάζει τους µαθητές βοηθά τους µαθητές µε προθυµία σηµειώνει την ανεπιθύµητη συµπεριφορά µετακινεί τους µαθητές από τη θέση τους όταν το κρίνει σκόπιµο Ως εκπαιδευτικός, θα πρέπει να συµφιλιωθείς µε τη ιδέα ότι κάποια ανάρµοστη συµπεριφορά θα προκύψει και να µην παίρνεις το θέµα προσωπικά, καθώς συνήθως υπάρχει συγκεκριµένη αιτία της ανεπιθύµητης συµπεριφοράς, η οποία σπάνια έχει να κάνει µε εσένα. Προσπάθησε να µην εξοργίζεσαι καθώς η οργή σου είναι συχνά αυτό ακριβώς που επιζητούν οι «άτακτοι» µαθητές και αν εξοργισθείς θα ανταµείψεις την ανεπιθύµητη συµπεριφορά! Η έσποινα ηµητράκη είναι αριστούχος απόφοιτος του Τοµέα Ψυχολογίας και του Τµήµατος Φιλοσοφίας-Παιδαγωγικής-Ψυχολογίας του Πανεπιστηµίου Αθηνών. Είναι κάτοχος µεταπτυχιακού τίτλου Σχολικής Ψυχολογίας και υποψήφια διδάκτωρ του Πανεπιστηµίου Αθηνών ως υπότροφος του ΙΚΥ. Αποτελεί µέλος του Πανελληνίου Ψυχολογικού Συλλόγου. Συνεργάζεται µε εκπαιδευτικούς οργανισµούς και εκδοτικούς οίκους στον σχεδιασµό, οργάνωση και διεξαγωγή σεµιναρίων. Συµµετέχει σε ευρωπαϊκά και διεθνή επιστηµονικά συνέδρια. 4
by George Vassilakis Teachers Corner > Materials, methods and exam preparation Teaching materials and exams: how do they relate Exams make both students and teachers nervous, especially when the exam in question is administered by a certification organisation and leading to a recognised qualification! This is because in this kind of exam, you cannot really guarantee that the student will definitely succeed as long as they study the material in their coursebook: public exams, such as the City & Guilds IESOL and ISESOL examinations, do not look backward to affirm whether the student has studied a finite set of material; they look forward, aiming to certify that the successful student can do a number of things in English, regardless of what course books they studied. Public exams do not look backward, but forward! Although the things that the students should be able to do in English are, in fact, very well defined in documents such as the Council of Europe s Common European Framework or ALTE s can-do statements, it is understandable that some teachers will still feel nervous, as they are unsure whether they are preparing their students in the right way, whether the materials they use are accurate, whether their own knowledge of the demands of the examination is adequate. With English language exams that have been around for long, teachers have at least the illusion of knowledge: there can be literally dozens of books on the market that advertise they prepare students for such exams, so teachers feel that all they have to do is go through one or more of these books with their students. But this is merely an illusion. All public exams, by definition, have to look not at what has been covered in class, but at what the candidate can do as a result. And what the candidate can do depends on the communicative abilities she/he has developed and the extent of mastery of the language systems she/he can demonstrate. What exam preparation should involve Preparing students for a public exam, therefore, is more than merely a matter of going through the motions of covering coursebook material. It is not necessarily more difficult, but is definitely a different procedure. First, the teacher must make sure they have comprehensive information on the level and scope of the exam, as well the assessment methods and criteria. To this end, the teacher will need to study the exam specification as well as any relevant documentation that the examination body makes available. Next, the teacher will have to select teaching materials (coursebooks, supplementary skills books and other materials) that will help the learners develop their language knowledge and skills to reach the level required. This is where a lot of teachers and language schools go wrong: assuming that passing the exam is merely a question of learning the ropes of a particular examination, they build courses and lessons around practice test material, often demanding that students memorise practice tests from the first week of the course! Thus, both the students and their teachers acquire a false sense of security, believing that all they need to know to pass the test is how the various task types in the examination papers work! Thus, the main emphasis of an exam preparation course must be to help the learners reach the required level in terms of language system knowledge (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) as well as the communication skills of comprehending and producing spoken and written language. And given that both coursebooks and public exams increasingly use the level descriptors of the Common European Framework to determine their content, it should not be difficult to make an appropriate coursebook choice that fits the level of the exam the students are preparing for. Lastly, the students should become familiar with the specification, content and assessment criteria of the exam they are preparing for, as it would not be fair to assess them using methods and tasks that they have never tried before; this would in fact render the exam invalid, as there would be no way of knowing whether failure is due to lack of the required knowledge and skill or lack of familiarity with exam technique. Once the students have reached a level that is at least approaching the level of the exam, probably two or three months before the examination date itself, the teacher can begin familiarising them with the exam in the following ways: going through practice papers with the students and showing them what each task focuses on and what the minimum success requirements are getting learners to do the tasks in the practice papers and giving them detailed feedback on both the things that they did successfully as well as the things they could have done better showing learners samples of candidates written and spoken performance and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each sample advising students on issues like time management during the exam and the practical matters of exam administration, such as whether dictionary use is allowed or whether an answer sheet needs to be filled in. George Vassilakis (BA, Dip. RSA, MA) is Director of Language Certification with PEOPLECERT S.A., where he is responsible for research and development of new language testing products, processes and platforms as well as academic support of the City & Guilds IESOL and ISESOL examinations. George has twenty five years of experience in ELT, has written more than twenty ELT books, and is an approved CELTA and DELTA tutor. His TEFL blog, detefling, is at http://vassilakis.edublogs.org/ and his twitter handle is @georgvassilakis 5
Lion s Voice Inside City & Guilds > Christmas Open Day 2010 PEOPLECERT S.A. organised the customary Christmas party for all its employees, partners and friends. The party, which was held on the premises of PEOPLECERT S.A. one day before Christmas Eve, started at 3pm and included plenty of food and drinks as well as a long dance playlist played by George Vassilakis, in the role of the (admittedly successful!) DJ! PEOPLECERT employees got together with their colleagues, relatives and friends and had the chance for an enjoyable time in a relaxed and festive atmosphere. The Chairman of PEOPLECERT, Mr Nicolaides, gave his wishes for a truly happy 2011 while he assured that every effort will be made so that the new calendar year will be as productive as possible for everyone. > City & Guilds TV commercial was awarded a Silver Ermis Our TV Commercial, Letter to the Queen, which we know all of you enjoyed when it first aired last year, has now also earned the appreciation of the advertising industry: it was awarded a Silver Ermis in the 2010 Ermis Awards! All of us at PEOPLECERT and City & Guilds are very excited and would once more like to thank Bold Ogilvy, the advertisers we work with, for their continuous creative support. Please do visit www.cityandguilds.gr to have another view of the now Award Winning TV Spot! City & Guilds Product Manager Marios Molfetas posing with his younger colleagues > PEOPLECERT is joining the Web 2.0 revolution! Whereas we at PEOPLECERT have always been very active on the Internet, making all of our examination support materials available on the Web and interacting with colleagues and teachers mainly via the Web, we had until recently not fully exploited the opportunities that the various Web 2.0 tools offer us to communicate directly with teachers and learners. This situation has changed and we are now proud to offer everyone the opportunity to communicate with PEOPLECERT on topics to do with all of our activities, including the City & Guilds exams, in the most direct manner. Connect with us on LinkedIn http://linkd.in/gytd4h Follow our blog, Lion s Voice, (http://lionsvoice.edublogs.org/), ask us questions and comment on issues of concern to language teachers and learners as well as our exams. 6 Join our facebook group for announcements, quizzes, news and prizes http://on.fb.me/hugtva Follow us on twitter for up-tothe-minute information on everything to do with City & Guilds exams http://www.twitter.com/city_and_guilds Read our updated manuals and guides, our newsletters, our handbooks, and download seminar handouts on Scribd http://www.scribd.com/peoplecert Browse through photographs from our events on Flickr http://bit.ly/f43kpj Watch videos of our events as well as educational videos on our youtube channel http://bit.ly/dyklq5 Watch and download presentations we have given on Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/peoplecert Share your favourite books with us on Shelfari http://www.shelfari.com/peoplecert Check out interesting web links on digg http://digg.com/peoplecert
> City & Guilds 1 st Annual Teacher Development Symposium We are proud to announce that the first Annual Teacher Development Symposium will be taking place this February in Athens and Thessaloniki. The Symposium will comprise two presentations on different aspects of teacher development by Marisa Constantinides and George Vassilakis, followed by lunch offered to participants courtesy of PEOPLECERT S.A. In the afternoon, we will be holding a round table discussion on assessment and the City & Guilds exams, and educational psychologist Despina Dimitraki will be giving a presentation on affective development, which will also be open to students and their parents, and will, for this reason, be given in Greek. Teachers participating in the symposium will also get the chance to win two full CELTA scholarships at CELT Athens, one e-book reader and two weekends away at a Classical Hotel****. Symposium Agenda ATHENS Sunday, 20 February 2011, 10:30-16:00 Athens Imperial Hotel, New York Hall THESSALONIKI Sunday, 27 February 2011, 10:30-16:00 Macedonia Palace Hotel, Aristotelis I Hall 10:30-11:00 Registration & Coffee 11:00-12:00 Developing creative thinking skills in English Language Teaching Marisa Constantinides, CELT Athens Teacher Education Centre Director Creative thinking, or divergent production potential is present in all learners but many of the standard classroom activities stunt rather than develop it. This presentation aims to point out opportunities for making this part of our design including activities that have the potential of developing the different facets of this composite aspect of human intellect. 12:00-13:00 Teacher Development: a never ending story George Vassilakis, Language Certification Director, PEOPLECERT The terms teacher education, teacher training and teacher development are often confused; and in reality, both teacher training and teacher education are related to teacher development, the main difference being that development continues even after initial training and further education has been completed. In this presentation, we will discover what is involved in teacher education and development and discuss ways in which teachers can continue developing and offering a better service to their students. 13:00-14:00 Lunch Break / Book Exhibition [Betsis ELT, Cengage-New Editions, Burlington, Express Publishing] 14:00-15:00 H κατάκτηση της ευτυχίας: ουτοπία ή εφικτός στόχος; έσποινα ηµητράκη, Εκπαιδευτική Ψυχολόγος Στην οµιλία αυτή θα εξετάσουµε το ζήτηµα της ευτυχίας από επιστηµονική σκοπιά για να δούµε σε ποιο βαθµό οι άνθρωποι σήµερα είναι ευτυχισµένοι και, κυρίως, ποια χαρακτηριστικά, γνωρίσµατα και συνθήκες συµβάλλουν στην κατάκτηση της ευτυχίας. Στόχος είναι οι συµµετέχοντες να προσδιορίσουν και να µπορέσουν να αναπτύξουν τους παράγοντες που θα κάνουν τους ίδιους, τους µαθητές τους και τα παιδιά τους πιο ευτυχισµένα. 15:00-15:30 The City & Guilds English Exams: Round Table Discussion George Lampropoulos, Marios Molfetas George Vassilakis 15:30 RAFFLE PRIZE DRAW / Your CHANCE to WIN! Two Scholarships covering all the tuition fees ( 1,450 per course) for intensive 4-week CELTA courses at CELT Athens One e-book reader Two weekends away at a Classical Hotel**** Sponsors: 7
Latest News Forthcoming City & Guilds Exams The City and Guilds January Exams took place on the weekend 22 & 23 January in 7 Cities across Greece. The City & Guilds Exams are available six times a year, every two months and the next exam periods are on March 2011 and May 2011. March Exams 2011 Exam Locations for May 2011 Agrinio, Athens, Alexandroupoli, Arta, Veria, Volos, Giannitsa, Drama, Heraklio, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Kavala, Kalamata, Katerini, Kerkyra, Kozani, Korinthos, Lamia, Larisa, Livadia, Mytilini, Nafplio, Naxos, Xanthi, Patra, Preveza, Pyrgos, Rhodos, Serres, Sparti, Trikala, Tripoli, Chalkida and Chios. As always please keep in mind that Foreign Languages Schools requests to open exam locations are always considered and new locations are added. For up to date information please visit www.cityandguilds.gr or call 210 3729150. May Exams 2011 To accommodate more candidates and teachers the City & Guilds IESOL CB (Computer Based) Test is also available on all dates above in selected Exam Centres. New City & Guilds exam material and support services We are happy to announce that apart from the Revised Sample & Past Papers 2011 Edition which are out now, new support material and services are available to you for free. Firstly, the Peoplecert Educational Blog will be live soon. Please visit http://lionsvoice.edublogs.org. Our academic support team will be discussing an EFL issue on a weekly basis and all teachers will be welcome to discuss and comment on it. Secondly, new Practice Papers will be out soon giving students the opportunity to prepare even more thoroughly. So, don t forget to check our site www.cityandguilds.gr regularly. Revised City & Guilds Handbook for Teachers Following the recent change in the Listening section of the IESOL exam, in which all parts in all levels are heard twice, and the introduction of fairer more reliable marking criteria, The City & Guilds Handbook for Teachers has been revised and it is out now! Among other revisions, the handbook includes a new section on the content and assessment of the Listening and Reading subtests, the new assessment criteria for the Writing subtest and a total of 17 candidate scripts with marks. The Handbook for Teachers will be distributed in City & Guilds seminars and exhibitions. So, don t miss out on our events and get your own copy! City & Guilds Practice Tests Books More and more publishing houses are bringing out books for the City & Guilds exams or revising their existing ones! Express Publishing has now published a B2 Practice Tests book and a C2 Practice Tests book. With this latest addition, you can now find books with City & Guilds Practice Tests published by: Betsis ELT, Burlington, Cengage - New Editions, EBC, Express Publishing, Litera Boukouvalas. Click+Win The Click+Win offer of PEOPLECERT S.A. has been extended until 31 March 2011! If you already hold an ECDL or City & Guilds Certification, you can now benefit even further with significant discounts in exams of the PEOPLECERT S.A. organisation. For example, all ECDL holders are entitled to 50% discount in the City & Guilds IESOL/ ISESOL exam of any level. So if your students happen to hold an ECDL certificate, please visit www.cityandguilds.gr or call our support centre on 210 3729150 and learn how to get your voucher. 8