Dear English Teachers,
You are kindly invited to a free seminar English 365: Learning In And Out of the Classroom
WHAT: English Language Fellows Angela Dadak and Steve Schuit with English Language Specialist Tamri
ka Khvtisiashvili offer three engaging, hands-on workshops featuring the methodology that can be used in and out of English language classrooms for increasing students’ English language proficiency and enthusiasm for English language learning. The educators will provide user-friendly digital teacher guides and materials for all the participants.
WHEN: 26 April 2025, 10:30-13:30
WHERE: University of Tartu, study buildings Lossi 3/ Jakobi 2
SCHEDULE:
10:30 – 10:50 Opening of the event (Lossi 3, foyer)
11:00 – 12:10 Session I, Session II and Session III (Lossi 3-117 and 328, Jakobi 2-130)
12:10 – 12:20 Break
12:20 – 13:30 Session I, Session II and Session III repeat (Lossi 3-117 and 328, Jakobi 2-130)
REGISTRATION:
Fill in the registration form by 25 April 2025. The number of participants we can accept is limited, so if interested, register asap. Should you have any questions, contact Natalja Zagura at natalja.zagura@ut.ee
Workshops:
The Emotional Values Auction: A New ESL Teaching Methodology, Where Skills Meet Emotions by Steve Schuit
An Emotional Values Auction is a new, unique, and innovative methodology for teaching English. It replicates the structure of an actual auction. The process incorporates student skill development in the areas of writing, reading, presenting and speaking. The context is both cognitive and emotional, as the students consider items to submit to the auction that represent their experience with, for example, the emotions of generosity or loss. Students present their items to the class and expand on their experiences by telling their stories. Other students bid on the items that they feel a connection to. Bids are made by writing about why they think they would be good stewards for receiving the item. The submitted bids are reviewed by the original donor of the item, and that person selects the final recipient. No money is exchanged. The “currency” is shared experience and learning. Students report positive levels of satisfaction with the process based on several factors.
Stephen Schuit has been an ESL educator in Asia, Europe and North America. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Korea, in the capacity of university instructor of English at Keimyung University. Stephen later returned to Korea as an Associate Professor of English at Yeungnam University, where he received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award in 2016. Most recently, he has been teaching English in a public high school in Budapest, Hungary. He joined the faculty of Daugavpils University in Daugavpils, Latvia as an English Fellow in August 2024.
Assembly of All Beings: Teaching Empathy in a CLIL English Classroom by Tamrika Khvtisiashvili
This Content and Language Integrated learning lesson is based on a famous Shel Silverstein poem, The Giving Tree. After listening to and watching animated versions of the poem, students are asked to dig deep into its content through critical discussion, questioning, and task-based role play. As a common practice in a CLIL lesson, all four language skills are integrated creating authentic and functional language practice atmosphere while learning more about the subject matter of natural environment and the different roles that all living beings play in it. As students explore the themes of generosity, sacrifice, and the joy of giving, they are encouraged to build empathy through cooperative role-play conceptualizing themselves as real and imagined characters living together. A CLIL lesson framework review will be given at the end, highlighting its underlying principles of language and subject integration.
Tamrika Khvtisiashvili is an English Language Specialist, who has taught, given numerous workshops and facilitated professional development for teachers around the world. As an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah and Alfaisal University, she taught courses in Linguistics, Methodology and Anthropology. She received her Ph.D. in Theoretical Linguistics and M.A. in TESOL and Anthropology, focusing her dissertation research on linguistic and cultural documentation and revitalization practices of indigenous and endangered languages of the Caucasus. Her research interests range from language teacher education to intercultural communication, and most recently on language policy and identity constructions in regions with socio-political conflict. Aside from being an educator she actively pursues her passions in film, radio and arts.
Slang in English Language Learning: Rizz or Skibidy Ohio Rizz? by Angela Dadak
Students engage with English not just in classrooms and formal situations, but also through music lyrics, videos, chat and other places where ‘nonstandard’ language is not only prevalent but appropriate. Slang deviates from ‘standard’ language in vocabulary such as ‘rizz’, in spellings such as ‘wanna’, and in grammar structures such as ‘I done found me…’ This discrepancy between the English in the classroom and the English in different social spaces can be confusing for students and negatively affect their language learning motivation. By incorporating sociolinguistic principles of language use and variety in communities, register, and rhetorical flexibility, teachers can bring slang into the classroom in ways that encourage language adaptation, creativity, and understanding among their students. This session will demonstrate a sequence of activities using ‘Gen Z writes the marketing script’ videos, readings and worksheets about the history and use of slang, and speaking/writing activities to transform formal English to informal and vice versa. Participants will also discuss concerns about including slang in their classrooms.
Angela M. Dadak has worked with English language students, teachers, and professionals across four continents. Currently, Dr Dadak is currently teaching courses in academic, legal, and professional English at the European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania. She also conducts English sessions for American Center Minsk and in-person for the American Space Vilnius. Prior to coming to the Baltics, Dr Dadak worked in American University’s Writing Studies Program, where she specializes in second-language writing (undergraduate, graduate, professional, and faculty training). Her current areas of research and teaching interest include second-language writing, language awareness, linguistic landscapes, curriculum development, and faculty development. She has a passion for critical language awareness and intercultural understanding/exchanges.
