Different approaches to technology in the classroom - mini-event

About the event

This event featured a webinar exploring the British Council's latest report on AI in ELT, followed by three webinars with ELT teachers and experts from around the world. All webinars were planned to help English teachers think about how they use technology in the classroom. The webinars were for teachers of primary, secondary and young adult English language learners. 

The event took place on Thursday January 18, 2024. 

About the webinars

Session 1: Artificial Intelligence and ELT: Findings from the British Council report

Speaker: 

Neenaz Ichaporia (India)

Time and date:

11:45 - 12:45 (UK time) January 18, 2024

Session information: 

How is artificial intelligence being used for English language teaching and learning globally? What are the opportunities, issues, and challenges it presents? If you’ve been wondering what to make of the recent buzz around AI, this session is for you. We will look at the key findings from a new British Council report and highlight implications for teachers and practitioners.

Click or tap here to get your free copy of the report

Session 2: Plan B or when technology fails

Speaker: 

Silvie Rasikova (Spain)

Time and date:

13:00 - 14:00 (UK time) January 18, 2024

Session information: 

Have you ever had to sub a class with very little time to prepare? Or have you ever planned a great lesson and then there was no computer in your classroom or no Internet? If you´ve ever experienced this, this session is for you. We are going to have a look at practical zero-tech/low-prep ideas that you could use with a number of primary and lower secondary classes?

Click or tap here to download the handout for this webinar

Session 3: Maximising interaction in the online classroom

Speaker: 

Lauren Perkins (UK)

Time and date:

14:15 - 15:15 (UK time) January 18, 2024

Session information:

In this webinar, we will explore how to maximise interaction in synchronous online lessons. We will start by identifying the challenges of managing online interaction, and we will look at how online interactions are typically characterised by longer teacher turns, shorter student responses and silences. In the next part, we will share some practical ideas for maximising interaction, such as how to use particular questioning techniques, breakout room tasks and a flipped classroom approach to increase student talking time. Finally, we will reflect on how to adapt these practical ideas to our own teaching contexts.

Click or tap here to download the handout for this webinar

Session 4: Communicative activities using AI

Speaker: 

Raquel Ribeiro (Brazil)

Time and date:

15:30 - 16:30 (UK time) January 18, 2024

Session information:

The workshop will start by exploring the what and why of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom. The next stage of the workshop will present some key tools and ideas of communicative activities using AI that require creativity but little to no preparation of resources. The main focus in this workshop is to explain and navigate through the most practical ways language teachers can use AI within the ELT teaching contexts to improve the students’ pronunciation, structure practice and give them the learner training to develop their agency.

Click or tap here to download the handout for this webinar

About the speakers

Neenaz Ichaporia is EdTech Lead at the British Council, currently based in Mumbai, India. She ensures quality standards and innovation in EdTech for English language teacher development. She is co-author of the new British Council report Artificial intelligence and English language teaching: Preparing for the future. She is also currently completing an MSc in Digital Education from the University of Edinburgh.

Silvie Rasikova is currently working at British Council Martinez Campos in Madrid as one of the operational coordinators. Silvie started teaching in 2001 and has worked in the Czech Republic, the UK and Spain. She has completed the IH Young Learners’ Course and the DELTA. She also has a Master’s degree in Spanish and English language and literature. Silvie is particularly interested in how the element of play motivates students and stimulates their learning.

Lauren Perkins is a Teaching Quality Manager at British Council English Online, based in the UK. She has been working for the British Council since 2008 and has been a teacher and teacher trainer, both face-to-face and online, in Thailand, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Palestine and Jordan. Since completing her MA in Applied Linguistics and ELT in 2017, she has maintained a special interest in developing Classroom Interactional Competence, especially in the online classroom.

Raquel Ribeiro is an English teacher, lecturer and writer in the field of mobile-learning in ELT.
She is passionate about motivating students and teachers to find out ways to enhance the language learning experience using technology. She is also one of the authors of the Teacher Editions of the Cambridge University Press Evolve series and currently blogs for the CUP World of Better Learning blog.