So many students have difficulty understanding real life conversations, or following the news on TV or the radio. Other students find activities on their textbooks doable but freeze when they try to read a newspaper article. Is it only a matter of level or of strategies? In which ways can you, as a teacher, help them take the next step in improving receptive skills?

In this workshop, you will focus on approaching reading and listening materials as opportunities for students to develop their learning strategies, focusing on activities that support the language learning process. You will learn to differentiate between top-down processes (e.g. content prediction through visual input, matching and reorder activities) and bottom-up processes (recognise and identify specific language items to build comprehension), and how/when to plan them in your lessons. During the workshop, you will also create and analyse a lesson plan built around a text and prepare engaging activities for all levels to improve their listening and reading skills, which you can use in your own lessons.

This workshop is suitable for starting teachers as well as more experienced teachers who are looking for new challenges. The workshop will be in English, but teachers of all languages are welcome.

Preparation

Required reading before this workshop:
Jim Scrivener, Learning Teaching (2011). Chapter 10 Receptive skills: listening and reading.

The trainer

Francesca Alioto is an experienced Italian language teacher at Taalhuis Amsterdam. She also coordinates the Turkish language department, providing the team with didactical guidance and curating the Turkish course offer and content. Her passion for coaching and adult learning led her to become a corporate trainer and expand her knowledge to Instructional Design theories and application, with a focus on the strategies to approach learning tools and materials in an effective and engaging manner.