INNOVATE ELT 2024
May 25th & May 26th | Oxford TEFL, Barcelona, Spain
Get involved, get connected, get inspired!
The only ELT event you need to attend this year
Find out why
What is the theme this year?
The theme this year is “Power to the classroom!“. Are traditional classrooms and zoom classrooms future proof? If so should we keep calm and carry on or do we need a reset in our approach to maintain interest in live classroom events as a significant element in language learning? We will discuss this and much more during this exciting event.
Who is the InnovateELT conference for?
The InnovateELT conference is for you if you are passionate about the ELT industry and you are keen to be more involved in discussions about how to make a difference. The theme this year is “Power to the classroom!” and we are expecting professionals from all areas of ELT to join us in learning more about the future of the ELT classroom. Delegates can include (but are not limited to):
-
- Language school managers
- English as a foreign language teachers
- Teacher trainers
- EdTech professionals
- Materials writers
- Authors
What type of sessions will I be able to attend?
See the full speaker list and schedule
We aim to provide engaging sessions in a variety of formats. As an attendee of the InnovateELT conference, you will be able to attend four different types of sessions:
- Dynamic workshops (45 minutes)
- Demo lessons with real students (45 minutes)
- Informative talks (30 minutes)
- Mini plenaries (15 minutes)
The conference will have three pathways: language teaching, teacher training and leadership and management. There is something for everyone, regardless of your level of experience or role within ELT. By the end of the conference you will be buzzing with ideas and ready for Monday!
What else can I expect at the InnovateELT conference in 2024?
The InnovateELT conference is different to many other ELT conferences around the world. As well as providing inspiring sessions related to the world of English language teaching and learning, we also pay special attention to the people who have taken the time to join us (yes, you!).
As a attendee, you will be made to feel welcome and you will find connecting with other delegates is easy and hugely enjoyable. We encourage collaboration and we listen to our delegates as well and share our own thoughts.
You will be provided with plenty of opportunities to enjoy our sunny garden, as well as our spacious and modern classrooms. Snacks, coffee and tea will be available throughout the event to provide you with the well-needed fuel to keep you going. By the end of the conference you will feel like you have gathered plenty of ideas, activities and inspiration to take straight back into your own workplace. Join us, and find out for yourself!
Can I sponsor the InnovateELT conference?
If you have an ELT product or service that you would like to share, why not consider sponsoring the event? As a sponsor of the InnovateELT conference you will:
- Improve brand awareness for your business
- Interact directly with superusers and decision-makers
- Showcase your product or idea to people from across the ELT industry
- Get grassroots feedback from potential customers
- Make contacts with other professionals who can help take your business to the next level
We are offering one package per business which will include:
1 x table in the coffee area to engage with delegates and display your brand and products
1 x coffee break in your name where you can address delegates for up to 5 minutes
1 x post in our social media feed in the run up to the conference
2 x tickets to attend the conference
PLUS your name and logo on our website.
Sponsorship fee: €500
Get in touch at innovateelt@oxfordtefl.com so that we can provide you with more information and find out more about your needs.
Can you help me get a visa to attend the conference?
We provide a visa service in-house (€60 if you need a letter for your visa application). If you require a visa for attending the conference, please contact us at innovateelt@oxfordtefl.com so that we find out more about your needs.
Innovate ELT Conference 2024
25th and 26th May 2024 | Oxford TEFL, Barcelona, Spain
Speakers
Our speakers are the movers and shakers of the ELT world. Our typical conference speaker is someone truly passionate about the English Language teaching industry and full of ideas that they want to share with the community.
Duncan Foord
Director of Teacher Training
Ceri Jones
ELT professional freelancer
Nicola Meldrum
Tutor Development Specialist
Chris Fry
EFL Teacher – retired
About Duncan
Duncan Foord
Director of Teacher Training
Qualifications: MEd in TESOL, Trinity Licentiate Diploma in TESOL (DipTESOL).
Duncan Foord is the Director of OxfordTEFL, Barcelona. He has 30 years experience in language teaching, teacher training and school leadership and management. He is the author of “From English Teacher to Learner Coach” (with Dan Barber, The Round 2014) The Developing Teacher (Delta Publishing, 2009) and The Language Teachers Survival Handbook with Lindsay Clandfield (Its Magazines, 2008). He is lead trainer on the OxfordTEFL Leadership in ELT course (on line and face to face).He is a regular presenter at conferences on a range of areas, in particular teacher development and leadership and management in ELT.
About Teresa
Teresa Bestwick
Teacher trainer and materials writer
Teresa Bestwick is a teacher trainer and materials writer based in southern Spain. She tutors on the Trinity Cert and DipTESOL courses and runs an online community for ELT professionals, the TEFL Development Hub. She’s also a member of the TESOL-SPAIN board and hosts their twice-monthly podcast. She has written course materials for teens and co-authored a methodology book for that age group with Delta Publishing. When not in front of the computer, she enjoys sci-fi, craft beer and gardening.
About Sylvia
Dr. Sylvia Karastathi
Head of Teacher Support, LanguageCert
Dr. Sylvia Karastathi is a teacher educator and lecturer with over 15 years of experience in higher education. She is Head of Teacher Support at LanguageCert, leading on resources and events to support the teaching communities around LanguageCert certifications. With extensive experience in coordinating graduate teacher development programs, as well as pre-service teacher training as Program Director in transnational education partnerships, she continues to serve in higher education. Her research interests and publications are in the areas of language education, visual literacy and multimodality.
About Martina
Martina Monreal
English, Spanish, German and Catalan teacher
Oxford House, Certificado ELE
Martina has been a language teacher (English, Spanish, German and Catalan) since 2017 and she has always been passionate about how our brains work. She took CELTA and immediately fell in love with teaching, she found her calling! She is currently studying a Degree in Psychology. Currently, she is working in Oxford House (Spanish teacher training) as a course administrator.
Teresa Bestwick
Teacher trainer and materials writer
Jedrek Stepien
English Teacher
Tim Warre
Educational Content Creator / Teacher Trainer
Barnaby Griffiths
Language and communication coach
About Barnaby
Barnaby Griffiths
Language and communication coach
Barnaby Griffiths Language Consultancy
I’ve been a language and communication coach for the best part of 20 years and a teacher trainer for almost 30 years. My professional aims are to coach English learners to be the best communicators they can be and help language teachers incorporate pioneering teaching and coaching techniques into their skillset. I was a tutor on the Oxford TEFL Diploma course for over 20 years, having co-designed the course with Duncan Foord back in 1998, so I am also able to bring all that experience to my workshops.
About Ambra
Ambra Pacchioni
Teacherpreneur
Busy Bee Language Academy
Ambra Pacchioni is a British Council teacher, teacher trainer, author of ESL materials and founder of “Busy Bee Language Academy”. Young entrepreneur and passionate about foreign languages, she is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops, offering professional support to teachers. She is interested in intercultural education and she is currently working on rethinking the learning process, finding new ways of effectively integrating ICT and learner autonomy in ESL teaching.
About Daniel
Daniel Berejnoi
Academic Support Manager
Kaplan International Languages
Passionate professional with vast experience in the ESL (English as a Second Language) industry. Over a decade of expertise as an ESL teacher, complemented by five years of administrative experience of language institution. Holder of international teaching certifications in both English and Spanish and speaker at two prestigious international conferences in the field of language education (TESOL Colombia in 2021 and 2022). Extensive proficiency in teaching ESP (English for Specific Purposes) classes, with a particular emphasis on Business English, as well as a strong track record in preparing students for exams such as TOEFL IBT, ITP, and IELTS. Distinguished for organizing and hosting an international TOEFL IBT conference, in collaboration with the TOEFL IBT Latin American representative. Former TOEFL ITP examiner. Chosen as one of the 10 best ESL teachers at Kaplan between the UK and Ireland.
Ciarán Lynch
EdTech Expert
Emma Walker
English teacher, online content creator, copywriter
Georgia K. Papamichailidou
Principal & Teacher Trainer
Claire Bowes
Educational content creator
About Ciarán
Ciarán Lynch
EdTech Expert
Kids & Us
www.ciaranlynch.com
Ciarán a passionate educator with a passion for technology. on a mission to explore the dynamic duo of education and technology. Back in 2009, I embarked on an incredible journey as an educator. Working with NGO’s in Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Palestine I witnessed firsthand the impact of technology to bridge gaps and enhance the learning experience. I studied software engineering before moving to teaching and integrating as much technology into the classroom as possible! Now, I’m working in EdTech to merge my passion for technology and ELT to revolutionise the way we learn. I’m busy crafting innovative and interactive language learning solutions, using cutting-edge technologies to empower students and educators alike. Technology gives us the chance to reshape the landscape of education, making it more engaging, accessible, inclusive and, above all, fun!
About Emma
Emma Walker
English teacher, online content creator, copywriter
www.pronunciationwithemma.com
Emma began her teaching journey when she was just 16 years old. She created her YouTube channel (Pronunciation with Emma) in 2018 with the simple goal of making pronunciation easy for English learners. Fast forward 6 years and her social media has amassed more than 1 million followers and over 20 million views. She now dedicates her time to her online courses, copywriting for ELT companies, and working with brands to create online educational content.
About Giorgia
Zarina Marie Krystle Abenoja-Patel
Principal & Teacher Trainer
Kaplan International Languages
Georgia is an award-winning educational leader and teacher trainer who specializes in teacher training and mental health in educational contexts. After graduating from the University of Birmingham, she has been involved in many aspects of the ELT industry including course design, CPD, evidence-based professional development, and public speaking. Georgia is the Principal at Kaplan International Languages in Cambridge and the Chair of the IATEFL Digital Committee helping with the design of online teacher training courses and running the IATEFL Live Shows. Recently she has been actively involved in raising awareness of mental wellbeing for staff members and students in ELT.
Laura Wilkes
Video and Podcast Coach
Anna Machura
Language Teacher, Teacher Trainer, Educational Consultant
Ambra Pacchioni
Teacherpreneur
Rachel Marie Paling
Neurolanguage Coaching®
About Laura
Laura Wilkes
Video and Podcast Coach
Communicating for Impact
Laura Wilkes is an experienced video and podcast coach who assists educators in using media creatively for their classes and businesses. Prior to establishing Communicating for Impact in 2023, Laura spent fifteen years teaching English, training teachers, and leading academic teams in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Lucerne. Additionally, Laura is the co-founder and producer for the TESOL Pop podcast, which provides practical episodes on teaching tips, trends, and careers for English language teachers through bite-sized interviews.
About Anna
Anna Machura
Language Teacher, Teacher Trainer, Dyslexia Specialist, Educational Consultant
UCC (University College Cork), Ireland
DAI (Dyslexia Association of Ireland)
Anna Machura is a highly qualified, experienced and passionate English language teacher (Cambridge English), teacher trainer, professional linguist, lecturer and course creator. She works in UCC Language Centre (Ireland) and cooperates with various educational institutions all over the world. She enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge with international students, discovering their potential with a therapeutic approach. Anna is an expert in various fields, with 4 degrees including Master’s in Applied Linguistics (English Studies), Master’s in Management & Marketing and other specialisations such as Law, Business, Neurodiversity and Medical Device Science. Her expertise covers General & Academic English courses and specialised programmes.
About Tim
Tim Warre
Educational Content Creator / Teacher Trainer
Twenix & CIC Idiomes
Tim is a teacher, teacher trainer and materials developer based in Barcelona, Spain. He has been sharing his materials for free at freeenglishlessonplans.com for over a decade. He specialises in writing ESP, conversation and exam preparation materials.
About Daniel
Daniel Lawrence
Freelance English teacher and materials writer
Oxford Online English
After qualifying at OxfordTEFL ten years ago and serving a probation in English academies in Barcelona with little more advanced than a piece of chalk and a faulty CD player, I completed the Trinity DipTESOL in 2019 and now teach adults one-to-one online. I specialise in teaching micro-listening activities to improve pronunciation and have written material for vocabulary and listening courses. I now live back in England and am currently building a pronunciation course for self-study with a focus on raising awareness of connected speech.
Ola Kowalska
Business coach, Strategist for language teachers & coaches
Lauren Martin
Language Education Copywriter
Gerard Marchesseau
Associate Professor
Becca Ellis
Private English Teacher and EFT Practitioner
About Ola
Ola Kowalska
Business coach, Strategist for language teachers & coaches
Ola Coaches Teachers
While for the last 3 years I have been offering business support to people in languages (and mainly ELT), my career in the field started around 2008. I used to be a teacher, an ADOS and I’m still a CELTA trainer. In 2020 I also opened my own language school but soon realised I enjoy helping teachers more so all my efforts combined with the valuable experience in ELT brought me to where I am now: running a successful business coaching venture, where I have helped over 500 language teachers build and scale their businesses for more profit, sustainability and joy!
About Lauren
Lauren Martin
Language Education Copywriter
Copy That Copywriting
Lauren Martin has been involved in the ELT world since she started her career in 2015, as an English teacher in China. Shortly after finishing her teaching year, she transitioned into a marketing and copywriting role for an English teaching company. Over the past six years, she has helped businesses of all shapes and sizes in the ELT and wider language learning industry attract new students through ethical marketing and messaging strategies — both via in-house marketing roles and her business, Copy That Copywriting.
About Gerard
Gerard Marchesseau
Associate Professor
Naruto University of Education
Gerard Marchesseau was born and grew up in Canada and has been teaching ESL in Japan since 1995 in various positions, from elementary school to University. He has been at Naruto University of Education since 2005. He is currently a member of the Global Education Department, and additionally teaches general English courses at the undergraduate level. Gerard has fun teaching, researching and attending conferences, as well as enjoying music and the outdoors. Current research interests include communicative language teaching approaches and learner motivation.
About Becca
Becca Ellis
Private English Teacher and EFT Practitioner
In Our Hands
Becca started teaching English in 1994, getting her Cert TESOL in 1997 and Diploma in 1999. As a founding member of Oxford House she worked with them as a Senior Teacher and teacher mentor, including 5 years as a Teacher Trainer for Oxford TEFL, until motherhood brought on a mental health crisis and a necessary career break ensued. Leaning in to “my mess is my message” Becca is now passionate about using all she’s learned on her journey out of that hole to support language learners, teachers and other humans to manage their stress and thrive, even with anxiety.
Burcu Yilmaz
English teacher
Blanca Gallego H.
Neurolanguage Coaching® Teacher Trainer
Coni Barbariol
English language and literature teacher
Martina Monreal
English, Spanish, German and Catalan teacher
About Jedrek
Jedrek Stepien
English Teacher
studiomentals.com
Jedrek has been asking his students all sorts of clever questions for over a decade, inviting them to communicate, imagine, associate and think. He’s one of the hosts of the Thinking Out Loud in English Podcast.
About Blanca
Blanca Gallego Herrerapicazo
Neurolanguage Coach® and Neurolanguage Coaching® Teacher Trainer
www.blancagallego.com
Blanca is a Neurolanguage Coach® and Neurolanguage Coaching Teacher Trainer® in Spain. She has been actively involved in language teaching and education for 18 years. She applies the principles of Neuroscience, Coaching and Emotional Intelligence to empower coachees and help them achieve their goals
About Coni
Coni Barbariol
English language and literature teacher
Coni Barbariol is an EAP, English language and literature teacher. She has worked teaching these subjects in Buenos Aires for thirteen years and, at the moment, she’s teaching in Madrid. She is also a speaking examiner and materials writer. She’s currently studying a TEFL Master’s and her top priority is developing meaningful materials which are aligned with her pedagogical insights and students’ needs.
About Chris
Chris Fry
EFL Teacher – retired
TEFL Blog: One way to Teach English as a Foreign Language
Chris Fry has always been interested in getting students to record themselves in class and has listened to hundreds of these recordings, giving feedback to students on pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary and assessing them. He was Head of the English Department at EOI Drassanes and then moved to the British Council, where he worked for nearly 40 years. Despite having retired eight years ago, he is still actively interested in EFL with a particular interest in Extensive Reading and Generative Artificial Intelligence and getting students to apply it to their spoken English rather than written English.
David Young
Course Director, Trinity DipTESOL
Eva Bogdanović
School co-owner, teacher trainer, curricula and materials developer
Jim Fuller
Director of Studies / ELT Consultant
Lydie Bureau
English Teacher
About David
David Young
Course Director, Trinity DipTESOL
Oxford TEFL
David joined the Oxford TEFL team in October 2001 having worked teaching a variety of courses in both the Czech Republic and Spain since 1993. From a first EFL job teaching in summer camps to kids, he has gone on to teach exam preparation courses, design and run various ESP courses, and work as DoS. Since taking the Trinity DipTESOL, he has worked more and more in teacher training, at Certificate level as well as bespoke training courses, and after many years as a tutor on the Diploma, one day found himself as the course director.
About Eva
Eva Bogdanović
School co-owner, manager, teacher, teacher trainer, curricula and materials developer
Čarobna riječ (The Magic Word) foreign language school, Zagreb, Croatia
Eva Bogdanović, M.A. is an English teacher with 25 years’ experience in teaching, teacher training, curricula and materials development, and conference speaking, the co-owner of a foreign language school Čarobna riječ in Zagreb, Croatia, a certified international Cambridge ESOL examiner, and a member of Croatian Teachers’ Association and IATEFL. Eva has also co-founded an NGO called EVIVA Learning Mobility Association with the mission to promote global skills in education across cultures. Eva has graduated from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Philosophy, majoring in English Language and Literature and General Linguistics.
About Jim
Jim Fuller
Director of Studies / ELT Consultant
The North Station Academy
Jim is a teacher, trainer, manager and blogger based in Zaragoza, Spain. His interests lie in Second Language Teacher Education, Second Language Acquisition, and Task-Based Language Teaching. He has completed the Cambridge Delta and Train the Trainer, and is currently completing his MA through NILE / University of Chichester. He is the DoS at The North Station Academy, and also the Admin Coordinator of the TTEdSIG. He often blogs about his experiences at spongeelt.org.
About Nicola
Nicola Meldrum
Tutor Development Specialist
Nicola is a learning designer and freelance ELT specialist. Current projects are focused on developing eLearning experiences for English and Spanish language learners. Her experience also includes teacher training, instructional design and teaching.
About Lydie
Lydie Bureau
English Teacher
Lydie’s Book Club and the Education Nationale
Lydie is an English teacher in France and she has recently created an online book club to help people learn English through the reading of stories. She has been teaching languages for over eight years, first as a French teacher in the UK and in the last two years as an English teacher in the area of Bordeaux. Her aim is to show how reading can help improve English speaking skills and develop students’ creativity.
Unnati Ved
Language teacher
Julia Zibrova
English teacher & Mentor
Damián Odom-Perera
Senior teacher
Jonathan Dykes
School President
About Unnati
Unnati Ved
Language teacher
www.eagerreaders.in
I am the founder of Eager Readers which started in 2017 for young learners in India. Today we have reading clubs, writing clubs and speech and drama clubs catering to learners from age 5 to 16 yrs. I also do teacher training in schools across Hyderabad. I have completed my Cert TESOL and DIP TESOL and have an LTCL in Communication Skills from Trinity College London and an ATCL in Speech and Drama from Trinity College London. My experience in DIP TESOL transformed me as a teacher.
About Julia
Julia Zibrova
English teacher & Mentor
anespa.ru
My name is Julia, and I am an English teacher. I have been teaching for 10 years since returning from a summer school in London. I graduated from Karaganda State University, where I was born and raised. I got a Master’s degree in Education in St. Petersburg. I have many certificates in my portfolio, and one of the most important for me is from the summer school at Bergamo University in Italy. For the past three years, I have been working as a methodist/mentor at a well-known school in St. Petersburg, where I write recommendations for teachers based on their classes and create new materials for the school.
About Damián
Damián Odom-Perera
Senior Teacher
The North Station Academy
Damián Odom studied mechanical engineering at the University of Dallas in Irving Texas. After working in the field for a period, he moved to Spain and began a new career in teaching. Since being here has received his TEFL and CELTA. Attending and hosting workshops and conferences and reading more into ELT moving his way up in The North Station academy. Now as Senior teacher here he hopes to continue growing as a teacher and hopefully move into teacher training in the near future.
About Johanthan
Jonathan Dykes
School President
Green Standard Schools
Jonathan has spent most of his professional life in the language teaching industry. He started as an English teacher, but soon moved into management, eventually running a small multinational group of schools, several of which he started. Jonathan also set up Net Languages, one of the world’s first Web-based language schools, and in 2020 he co-founded Green Standard Schools, an association of language schools that are committed to protecting the environment. Jonathan has also worked on several Erasmus KA2 projects, including Virtual Reality for Language Learners, which was a finalist in the 2022 ELTons awards.
Patrick Casey
Language and communication coach
Daniel Berejnoi
Academic Support Manager
Sylvia Karastathi
Head of Teacher Support
Ivana Burić
School owner & English teacher
About Patrick
Patrick Casey
Director, The North Station Academy
The North Station Academy
Patrick is Director of The North Station Academy in Zaragoza. He received his DipTesol from Oxford Tefl! He is interested in young learner classes, teaching teens, task based approaches and motivation/engagement. He likes spending time with his family as well as watching the occasional Six Nations match!
About Ceri
Ceri Jones
ELT professional Freelancer
Ceri Jones is a teacher, teacher educator and materials writer. She has lived and worked in Spain for 25 years. She has contributed to a number of coursebook series for secondary and adults, both for print and digital platforms. She is an online tutor, writing, facilitating and training on a wide range of teacher education courses. She has worked as a teacher, trainer, and DOS in Italy, Hungary, Spain and the UK. She holds an MA in TEFL from Reading University and has run workshops and teacher development sessions at a number of national and international conferences.
Over the last ten years she has been increasingly involved in materials development and has contributed to a number of adult coursebook series (Inside Out, Framework, Straightforward, The Big Picture) as well as writing grammar practice books (Practical Grammar) and supplementary material for Macmillan Readers and onestopenglish. She writes a blog called Close Up.
About Sylvia
Dr. Sylvia Karastathi
Head of Teacher Support, LanguageCert
Dr. Sylvia Karastathi is a teacher educator and lecturer with over 15 years of experience in higher education. She is Head of Teacher Support at LanguageCert, leading on resources and events to support the teaching communities around LanguageCert certifications. With extensive experience in coordinating graduate teacher development programs, as well as pre-service teacher training as Program Director in transnational education partnerships, she continues to serve in higher education. Her research interests and publications are in the areas of language education, visual literacy and multimodality.
About Ivana
Ivana Burić Kurtović
School owner & English teacher
Happy Melody Language School
Ivana Burić Kurtović, M.A. is an English teacher with 25 years’ experience in teaching, teacher training, materials and curricula development, and conference speaking, the owner of a foreign language school Happy Melody in Zagreb, Croatia and a member of Croatian Teachers’ Association and IATEFL. Ivana has also co-founded an NGO called EVIVA Learning Mobility Association with the mission to promote global skills in education across cultures.
About Burcu
Burcu Yilmaz
English teacher
Anadolu University
Burcu Yılmaz has been a lecturer at School of Foreign Languages, Anadolu University for 22 years. Yılmaz gained her BA in ELT department at Anadolu University in 2002. She is currently teaching English at Tourism Faculty Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department.
About Claire
Claire Bowes
Educational content creator
englii
englii Instagram
Claire started her ELT career in 2018, transitioning to online in 2020. During 2020, her social media journey began, sharing bite-sized English lessons on @englii_insta, amassing 664,000 global followers. In addition, her TikTok, @englii_tiktok, has over half a million followers. Claire is the social media savvy superstar for englii who keeps you learning and is the face of englii online. She is passionate about getting all learners to reach their language goals.
Claire now divides her time between engaging her learner community and collaborating with ELT brands to create educational content.
About Rachel
Rachel Marie Paling
Founder of NeuroHeart Education®, Efficient Language Coaching®. Creator of Neurolanguage Coaching® and NeuroHeart Educational Coaching.
Efficient Language Coaching Global SL
BA Hons Law/Spanish distinction in spoken Spanish, MA Human Rights, MA Applied Neuroscience, MA Neuroeducation and Neuropsychology, qualified UK Lawyer, over 35 yrs teaching experience, International Coach Federation credentialed PCC Coach and ICF Coach Mentor. Creator of Neurolanguage Coaching® and Neuroheart Education Foundation.
Neurolanguage Coaching® incorporates the latest findings in neuroscience as well as principles and tools from coaching into the traditional process of language teaching.
This method and approach create the perfect learning conditions for the brain leading to faster, more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective results. Our Language Coaches are the FIRST in the WORLD to be certified as INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED LANGUAGE COACHES (accredited by the ICF – International Coach Federation).
Our Sponsors
Click on the logo to find out more about our sponsors
About Language Cert
LanguageCert is an innovative Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) recognised Awarding Organisation committed to developing and delivering high-quality, internationally recognised language exams that enhance the career, education and life opportunities of individuals worldwide.
In LanguageCert, we assess English, Spanish, & Classical Greek language skills using CEFR-aligned criteria through a variety of delivery methods, where exams can be taken οnline with remote, live proctoring, or at a test centre in computer or paper-based format. Our remote online delivery offers greater access to testing as it is available from anywhere in the world, every day 24/7.
Approved by the UK Home Office, LanguageCert delivers reliable and high-quality SELT exams covering all visa type requirements to live, work or study in the UK, whereas our exams are accepted worldwide as evidence of English language proficiency, in an ever-growing number of universities and organisations in over 90 countries.
LanguageCert is part of the PeopleCert group which has delivered more than 7 million exams to date in over 200 countries and is a pioneer in Online (live) proctored exams, since 2013. The language certification business represents the company’s fastest developing area of operations, growing annually by 50% on average over the last 3 years. Currently, more than 500,000 candidates are preparing to take a LanguageCert exam globally, with Chinese, South Asian and European markets leading in candidature.
About Neurolanguage Coaching®
Since 2012 Efficient Language Coaching (ELC) has been training language teachers worldwide to integrate professional coaching and neuroscience and neuropsychology plus emotional intelligence into the language learning process.
The vision behind Neurolanguage Coaching® has always been to assist language teachers to enhance learning and adapt it to the learners of today, transforming language teaching in schools and in private practice across the world.
ELC has created various programmes which were some of the first to be accredited by the International Coach Federation, also enabling teachers to embody and implement the neuroscience and bring more metacognition, learner autonomy and efficiency into language teaching.
ELC is now delivering its course through the Accredited Language and Educational Coaching Academy, which also incorporates accredited coaching courses for all types of teachers and also delivers through the non-profit Neuroheart Education Foundation with the vision of helping teachers and children worldwide to come into a different approach to teaching as well as safeguarding teacher and learner wellbeing.
Sessions
During the conference, you will be able to attend plenaries, workshops, informative sessions and demo lessons. We will discuss and reflect on what “Power to the classroom” means for us as language teachers, teacher trainers, managers, leaders and all other professions related to ELT. There is something for everyone, regardless of your level of experience. By the end of the conference you will be buzzing with ideas and ready for Monday!
Saturday 25th May 2024
15:00
🕑 15:00 -15:30 – Garden
Registration & coffee
15:30
Plenaries
🕑 15:30 – 16:00 – Garden
Managing your garden – How school leaders can impact quality teaching
Jim Fuller
AI – a shifting landscape
Ceri Jones
16:15
Workshops
🕑 16:15 – 17:00 – Room A
Power to the learners: bringing choice into the classroom
Teresa Bestwick
🕑 16:15 – 17:00 – Room B
Fostering student autonomy and accountability to enhance language learning.
Blanca Gallego
🕑 16:15 – 17:00 – Room C
Instant feedback on speaking in class for everyone – The Cup Final!
Chris Fry
🕑 16:15 – 17:00 – Room D
Demo lesson: Power to the classroom 
David Young
17:15
Workshops
🕑 17:15 – 18:00 – Garden
Communication skills for human teachers and learners
Duncan Foord
🕑 17:15 – 18:00 – Room A
AIlluminate ELT: Harnessing ChatGPT’s Potential in Language Learning
Damián Odom-Perera
🕑 17:15 – 18:00 – Room B
The social media reach – extending your lessons beyond the classroom
Emma Walker
Claire Bowes
🕑 17.15 – 18.00 – Room D
Demo lesson: Power Up to Level Up!
Anna Machura
18:00
🕑 18:00 – 18:30
Coffee Break
18:30
Informative talks
🕑 18:30 – 19:00 – Room B
What Do ELT Students Want? Communicating the Value of Live Learning Through Marketing
Lauren Martin
🕑 18:30 – 19:00 – Room C
Teaching English through stories and live reading
Lydie Bureau
🕑 18:30 – 19:00 – Room D
Digital activities aren’t just a drag …and drop – enhancing the classroom through gamification
Ciarán Lynch
🕑 18:30 – 19:00 – Room E
Using visual literacy frameworks to facilitate multimodal assessement
Sylvia Karastathi
19:15
Workshops
🕑 19:15 – 20:00 – Room A
Exploring AI for learning, teaching and development
Ceri Jones
Nicola Meldrum
🕑 19:15 – 20:00 – Room C
Lesson Study: The biggest thing in professional development you’ve never heard of
Gerard Marchesseau
🕑 19:15 – 20:00 – Room D
Using narratives in the training room
Jim Fuller
🕑 19:15 – 20:00 – Room E
Powering learning through Coaching Conversations
Rachel Marie Paling
20:00
🕑 20:00 – 21:00
Day 1 closing drinks and snacks
Jim Fuller
Plenarie: Managing your garden – How school leaders can impact quality teaching
In this plenary, we will look at the role managers play in creating the conditions for effective learning.
What does it mean to manage a team? Management, in my eyes, is similar to gardening, and in this plenary I hope to highlight how leaders can impact the quality of teaching through planting the right seeds, ensuring the right ‘environmental’ conditions, and nurturing teachers for growth.
Ceri Jones
Plenarie: AI – a shifting landscape
The world of AI is changing day by day, inspiring love and hate in equal parts.
Taking a birds-eye view, we’ll look at when it started, how it’s evolved, and where we are now – in our day-to-day lives, in education in general, and in the language classroom.
Teresa Bestwick
Workshop: Power to the learners: bringing choice into the classroom
Giving learners choices during the lessons helps with differentiation, personalisation and learner autonomy.
In this hands-on session, we’ll look at some easy ways we can incorporate choice into our lessons, with some practical takeaways for your lessons next week.
Blanca Gallego
Workshop: Fostering student autonomy and accountability to enhance language learning.
Join us as we uncover the advantages of nurturing student autonomy and accountability, benefiting both educators and learners alike.
Discover practical examples and innovative strategies of self-directed learning, unleashing a transformative approach to optimize the learning journey of our students.
Chris Fry
Workshop: Instant feedback on speaking in class for everyone – The Cup Final!
Participants must have accounts and apps for ChatGPT or Copilot on their phones and have downloaded both these apps and have free accounts:
Learn how students can use these apps with a free account to get instant feedback on their speaking!
Instructions:
How to install ChatGPT on mobile?
To install ChatGPT on mobile:
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- For Android: Go to the Google Play Store, search for “ChatGPT,” select the official app, and tap “Install” to download and install it on your Android phone.
- For iOS: Go to the Apple App Store, search for “ChatGPT,” select the official app, and tap “Get” to download and install it on your iPhone.
David Young
Demo lesson: Power to the classroom
In line with the theme of this year’s conference, let’s get into a classroom and uncover if it has a future and what it provides that other mediums don’t. Is it just for my personal enjoyment or is there something in it for the learners?
—/—
The format is fairly straight-forward. I’ll teach a class with some learners, you observe, and then we spend some time discussing what happened.
As a teacher with many roles; running modules on the Trinity DipTESOL, managing courses, planning and delivering workshops, marking papers, teaching a regular class is still the singularly most enjoyable part of my job.
But my own personal enjoyment is a weak rationale for maintaining the traditional classroom when so many other options for exploring and learning language are now available. So the focus of our demo lesson will be to uncover what benefits we (including the learners) can find in maintaining the status quo as well as looking into how that might be augmented and adapted to take advantage of modern technologies.
Duncan Foord
Workshop: Communication skills for human teachers and learners
In this tech free sessión in the garden we will engage in some dynamic communication activities which you can use with students at all levels and in all teaching contexts.
We will also reflect on the practical, social and affective benefits of these activities and the unique value they have in language teaching and learning.
Damián Odom-Perera
Workshop: AIlluminate ELT: Harnessing ChatGPT’s Potential in Language Learning
We will explore the transformative power of AI, particularly ChatGPT, in the ELT classroom.
This workshop is designed to introduce educators to the innovative ways ChatGPT can be integrated into lesson planning, offering a dynamic range of activities tailored to enhance language learning.
Emma Walker
Claire Bowes
Workshop: The social media reach – extending your lessons beyond the classroom
What do your students do once they leave your classroom? Scroll mindlessly on social media?
Let’s give them something they WON’T want to scroll past!
This talk will explore how you can create engaging content that captivates, educates, and motivates your students outside the classroom.
Anna Manchura
Workshop: Demo lesson: Power Up to Level Up!
I will demonstrate fun, interactive, not-to-be-found in traditional coursebooks activities.
All are short, student-centred, attention-grabbing, inspired by my learners, mainly B1 & up students, working in small groups, in a multicultural environment. Atmosphere – humorous, but glamorous.
Lauren Martin
Informative talk: What Do ELT Students Want? Communicating the Value of Live Learning Through Marketing
Future-proofing classroom learning is as much about marketing as it is teaching. This session explores the concept of value through ELT students’ eyes. We’ll look at what they want from their lessons and how to craft a message that shows the benefits of live learning and catches their attention.
Lydie Bureau
Informative talk: Teaching English through stories and live reading
I created a book club for non-native English speakers to learn English through the reading of stories and live discussion.
My aim is to show why graded readers, graphic novels and storybooks are amazing tools to teach English whether we are teaching online or in the classroom.
Ciarán Lynch
Informative talk: Digital activities aren’t just a drag …and drop – enhancing the classroom through gamification
Are you tired of using the same few digital activities in class? Join me as we explore the world of gamification in education.
Say farewell to mundane multiple-choice questions and welcome engaging, dynamic activities.
Discover how embracing gamified methods transforms student motivation & learning.
Sylvia Karastathi
Informative talk: Using visual literacy frameworks to facilitate multimodal assessement
This talk will familiarize teachers with two enabling recent frameworks (Common European Framework of Reference for Visual Competency & The Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education). The frameworks aim to facilitate the development of students’ visual literacy skills and competencies, as they engage critically, and use and produce visual media.
The descriptors and competencies suggested nuance our understanding of “visually representing” as a skill and support the development of multimodal assessment tasks.
Sylvia will revisit the experience and guiding principles of working with video-presentations as formative assessment projects within a languages programme in a higher education setting.
Ceri Jones
Nicola Meldrum
Workshop: Exploring AI for learning, teaching and development
Come to this session if you are curious about AI and it’s place in teaching and learning.
This session will build on Ceri and Nicola’s plenaries, looking at some examples of AI in action and discussing the opportunities and drawbacks.
Martina Monreal
Workshop: How to use practical techniques to spark motivation in your English classroom
Are your teen students craving TikTok while you explain the Present Perfect?
Are your adult groups always thinking about work?
This is the workshop that you need!
Join me for an impactful session that will leave you with practical techniques spark motivation in your English classroom.
Gerard Marchesseau
Workshop: Lesson Study: The biggest thing in professional development you’ve never heard of
Lesson Study is a Japanese practice whereby teachers open their lessons to peers, inviting criticism and discussion of their practice.
Simple as it sounds, lesson study has developed a cult following in the US, Europe and elsewhere.
This mini-plenary discusses the dark side of Lesson Study.
Jim Fuller
Workshop: Using narratives in the training room
Narratives are powerful tools for managers and trainers.
In this workshop, we will explore how narratives help teachers, trainers, managers and even materials writers make explicit their beliefs about teaching, and discover how they can be used as a springboard for learning.
Rachel Marie Paling
Workshop: Powering learning through Coaching Conversations
This workshop will explore how to harness neuroscientific research and professional coaching to bring key information to learners to help them learn potentially faster and more effectively. There will be live practise using key coaching conversations.
This year⚡️👊🧑🏻🏫 Power to the classroom!
Sunday 26th May 2024
09:45
🕑 09:45 – 10:15
Arrival / Breakfast
10:15
Plenaries
🕑 10:15 – 10:45 – Garden
ELT vs. The Epidemic of Solitude
Jedrek Stepien
AI: Empowerment or Disempowerment for Teachers?
Nicola Meldrum
10:45
Workshops
🕑 10:45 – 11:30 – Room A
Creating a WebQuest \| It’s Easier Than You Think
Julia Zibrova
🕑 10:45 – 11:30 – Room B
How to use practical techniques to spark motivation in your English classroom
Martina Monreal
🕑 10:45 – 11:30 – Room C
Mysterious Doors to Critical Thinking
Eva Bogdanovic
Ivana Buric
🕑 10:45 – 11:30 – Room D
Barnaby Griffiths
11:45
Workshops
🕑 11:45 – 12:30 – Room A
Help! I dread that class!
Becca Ellis
🕑 11:45 – 12:30 – Room B
One Size Doesnt Fit All
Georgia K. Papamichailidou
🕑 11:45 – 12:30 – Room C
Using AI to enhance creative writing in a hybrid class for young learners (8-12 yrs)
Unnati Ved
🕑 11:45 – 12:30 – Room D
Mix it up & Space it out
Tim Warre
12:30
🕑 12:30 – 13:00
Coffee Break
13:00
Informative talks
🕑 13:00 – 13:30 – Room A
Power to the Gastronomy English Classrooms!
Burcu Yilmaz
🕑 13:00 – 13:30 – Room C
How to create a live group course your students will be desperate to sign up to
Ola Kowalska
🕑 13:00 – 13:30 – Room D
Two exciting Erasmus projects: Developing Responsible Global Citizens and Green Standard Schools
Jonathan Dykes
🕑 13:00 – 13:30 – Room E
Unleashing Identity: Using Poetry in the Classroom to Empower Students’
Coni Barbariol
13:45 – 14:30
Workshops
🕑 13:45 – 14:30 – Room A
AI-Powered ESL: Revolutionizing Language Learning for the Digital Age
Daniel Berejnoi
🕑 13:45 – 14:30 – Room B
Harnessing the Power of Podcasts in ESL Classrooms
Laura Wilkes
🕑 13:45 – 14:30 – Room C
The power to change (young learner activities mid class!)
Patrick Casey
🕑 13:45 – 14:30 – Room D
The Perfect First Lesson
Ambra Pacchioni
14:30
🕑14:30 – 15:00
Day 2 closing speeches drinks and snacks
Jedrek Stepien
Workshop: ELT vs. The Epidemic of Solitude
I’d like to highlight the importance of live classroom lessons in the context of the growing problem of loneliness, propelled first by the pandemic and now by the rise of AI and algorithms.
ELT has a lot to offer as a potential response to the problem whose repercussions range from individual to political.
In-class learning may not only help with socialization, but skillfully designed, it can also help learners to reconnect with the world, and to feel at home in it again.
Nicola Meldrum
Workshop: AI: Empowerment or Disempowerment for Teachers?
Teacher’s perceptions, concerns, and opinions about new AI tools such as Chat GPT vary widely, reflecting a healthy spectrum of enthusiasm and skepticism. In this plenary we will explore some of the fears, frustrations, optimism and opportunities that comes with AI.
Julia Zibrova
Workshop: Creating a WebQuest – It’s easier than you think
If you still think that a WebQuest technology is challenging, it is for you. WebQuest technology allows to achieve the following results: searching for solutions, rational options, justification, developing critical thinking, as well as the ability to compare, analyse, classify and think abstractly. Teachers can use this in their work and I will give tips on how and where to create lessons effortlessly, talk about lesson structure and platforms for creating a webQuest.
The outcome of our workshop is your own WebQuest that you can take home. It is not rocket science!
Eva Bogdanovic
Ivana Buric
Workshop: Mysterious Doors to Critical Thinking
A story-based game to solve puzzles and open doors. Each stage teaches a critical thinking skill to explore the areas of history, geography, literature, language, culture.
We foster critical thinking and nurture collaboration by playing a game. We provide challenging games to play with your pupils.
This workshop is structured as a story-based game in which one presenter plays the role of the storyteller, the other one of the teacher, and the participants, divided into two big groups, have a double role: story characters and pupils/ players. The story takes the participants through six European countries in six different time periods.
The final challenge is a quiz to assess the level of participants’ engagement and perceptiveness during the workshop.
Barnaby Griffiths
Workshop: Further language and communication coaching techniques to enhance your teaching
Using video clips of learners in Spain, I’ll share a series of language coaching techniques teachers can incorporate into their teaching. We’ll look at techniques such as stacking learning habits, using scripts and trigger words and developing intuition.
Attendees will be given short tasks to reflect on their own teaching practice and how they might address the challenges proposed in the videos before then identifying how I use language and communication coaching techniques to help my learners retain language and develop their skills.
Becca Ellis
Workshop: Help! I dread that class!
Even bright, experienced teachers can dread certain teaching situations. Together we’ll explore the causes and effects of this and use EFT, a proven technique, so you can feel more ease about your personal nemeses, leaving with a tool to use whenever dread raises its ugly head.
First, just to calm the amygdala and symptoms of the threat response (whole group). Second, I’ll give the chance to verbalise trigger situation of your own , in pairs or small groups. And finally together we’ll craft some scripts that you use for the next time you find yourself in this situation, either pre-class dread, or post-crappy class.
Georgia K. Papamichailidou
Workshop: One Size Doesnt Fit All
How can we create classrooms that celebrate diversity and empower all learners regardless of their backgrounds and needs? During this practical workshop, there will be ideas and activities from personalised instruction to culturally responsive practices and collaborative learning.
During the session, the participants will have the chance to explore three aspects of diversity and inclusion in their classes:
Section 1: Learning Differences
Section 2: Language Matters
Section 3: Representation
This practical workshop aims at helping the attendees become familiar with inclusive education, use reflective questions to question our practices and find ways to create an inclusive learning environment.
By the end of the session, the attendees will have worked together, shared ideas and discussed ways they can use in their classes to explore inclusion and diversity.
Unnati Ved
Workshop: Using AI to enhance creative writing in a hybrid class for young learners (8-12 yrs)
This workshop explores ways in which AI tools can be used to support lesson planning and enhance young learner’s engagement in creative writing. By using figures of speech and sensory details, the workshop looks at ways in which learners can add vivid descriptions to their descriptive writing.
The workshop focusses on creative writing for young learners and uses Chat GPT to generate prompts of a setting. Learners write sentences using sensory details on post-its and stick around the classroom. Online learners use padlet and teachers shares the classroom ideas by taking pictures and posting it on padlet. The learners use the collected ideas to compose their descriptions and visual representations can be generated using DALL E.
By using AI tools, we can increase learner engagement and writing can no longer be a boring task.
Tim Warre
Workshop: Mix it up & Space it out
We will examine practical ways to incorporate concepts such as spaced repetition and interleaved practice in order to maximise student learning. You’ll leave the talk with practical ideas to use in class and a framework for more varied and effective lessons for long term learning gains.
This workshop will put forward a framework in which teachers plan out sequences of tasks and activities across multiple lessons in order to ensure more lasting language acquisition.
You will leave the talk with examples of sequences of classroom activities incorporating interleaved practice and spaced repetition, which will serve as templates for your own experimentation with these concepts.
Burcu Yilmaz
Informative talk: Power to the Gastronomy English Classrooms!
The main purpose of this presentation is to describe the problems experienced by students studying in Anadolu University Gastronomy and Culinary Arts courses while speaking English. The problems students experience while speaking English in Gastronomy ESP classes will be identified, tasks designed to overcome these problem areas will be mentioned and finally students perceptions on these suggested tasks will be evaluated.
In the presentation suggested solutions will be shared.
Ola Kowalska
Informative talk: How to create a live group course your students will be desperate to sign up to
Successful group language classes hinge on transformative student experiences and income scalability for teachers. Learn to design compelling live or hybrid group courses that deliver tangible outcomes and attract well-paying students. A planning tool will be provided!
In this session, we’ll explore how to craft a compelling live group course that delivers meaningful results and attracts paying students. We’ll first examine why traditional CEFR-based classes might struggle to appeal in today’s market. Then, we’ll delve into the alternative: result-based courses.
We’ll outline the essential components of an effective result-based group course and discuss why conducting it live or in a hybrid format benefits both students and instructors. Finally, I’ll guide participants on initiating their own result-based course creation journey, providing a planning tool for support. We’ll end with a Q&A.
Jonathan Dykes
Informative talk: Two exciting Erasmus projects: Developing Responsible Global Citizens and Green Standard Schools
Language teachers and learners often have interests and concerns that rarely feature in most modern textbooks. Subjects such as Diversity and Inclusion, Mental and Physical Health, Sustainable Development, and so on, are often considered too controversial or too ‘Woke’ by publishers to be included.
This talk with feature a range of digital tools and study materials developed in two transnational Erasmus projects, that are designed to help teachers and academic managers design language courses that integrate topics such as Diversity, the Environment, Health, and Community.
Coni Barbariol
Informative talk: Unleashing Identity: Using Poetry in the Classroom to Empower Students’
In this talk I will use three short and beautiful poems as a springboard to discuss identity issues and foster learners’ sociocultural competence. At the same time, practical ideas will be shared on how to use the poems as input to develop receptive and productive skills.
I will then use one of Richard Blanco’s poems as an example to support this idea and provide ideas on how to incorporate it into a EFL classroom. Additionally, I will share one poem by Levi Tafari’s and offer practical ways to use it in the classroom. The final part of the presentation will showcase a performative poem by Amanda Gorman together with ideas on how to include it in class.
Daniel Berejnoi
Workshop: AI-Powered ESL: Revolutionizing Language Learning for the Digital Age
This workshop explores AI’s role in ESL, offering tools for personalized teaching and fostering student independence. Through practical demonstrations, participants will learn to integrate AI responsibly, aiming for a balanced approach that elevates teaching effectiveness and student autonomy.
Through the use of the most well-known and accessible AI platforms in the ESL field (Chat GPT, Google Gemini, etc), we will explore how to tailor-make lessons to meet the student’s needs in terms of their main 4 language skills (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing). The aim of this talk is to streamline teachers’ workload to create and deliver more meaningful lessons while at the same time empowering students by teaching them how to responsibility use AI tools to aid their learning process.
Laura Wilkes
Workshop: Harnessing the Power of Podcasts in ESL Classrooms
Are you looking for ways to bring podcasts into your ESL classes? In this workshop, we will explore activities that you can use with your teenage or adult learners. Take away activities that you can use to build learners’ awareness of podcasts and engage them in podcast content creation.
We’ll review several ways to engage learners in podcast content creation, referring to the features we explored initially. E.g. podcast artwork, promotional material, and episode role-plays.
A Padlet board summarising ideas will be provided.
Patrick Casey
Workshop: The power to change (young learner activities mid class!)
In this workshop we will put ourselves in the observer’s shoes and ask: What would we do when we see a teacher struggling in a young learner class. We will use a simple framework to help us to make minor tweaks to the activty to ensure learner success.
We will start by reflecting on times when lessons have not gone to plan. Anyone who is teaching can empathise with the frustrations of seeing learners struggle with seemingly simple tasks.
This workshop is about empowering teachers to tweak their lessons so that both they and their learners are successful!
Ambra Pacchioni
Workshop: The Perfect First Lesson
Are you always looking for the best way of starting a new course? Here’s “The Perfect First Lesson”: a combination of gamified ice-breaking activities which involve peer interaction and self-assessment tasks aimed at helping you with your students’ needs analysis and them with their goal setting.
During this session, attendants will have the opportunity to experience the first lesson of a new course from the learner’s perspective and will be able to verify the efficacy of evidence-based practices for teaching a successful first lesson that focuses on needs analysis and goal setting.
While students are involved in activities that put them at the heart of the learning process, they will be given tools for self-assessing their starting and target language level and for defining the actions to be included in their daily routines in order to achieve those goals even faster. All this by having fun, singing and dreaming.
All tickets include Saturday and Sunday entry, snacks, drinks and an unforgettable experience!
Pricing & Registration
Sales end on 25/05/2024
– SALE ENDED –
€30.00
Super early bird ticket
On sale from October 30th 2023
to December 31st 2023
– SALE ENDED –
€40.00
Early bird ticket
On sale from January 1st 2024
to March 31st 2024
– SALE ENDED –
€60.00
Standard ticket
On sale from April 1st
to May 26th 2024
– SALE ENDED –
€30.00
Speaker ticket
On sale from January 1st 2024
to March 31st 2024
– SALE ENDED –
€30.00
Speaker guest ticket
On sale from January 1st 2024
to May 24th 2024
Organiser: Oxford TEFL
Oxford TEFL is an an accredited teacher training school in a great central location in Barcelona, Spain, that provides Trinity DipTESOL, Cambridge CELTA and teacher development courses online and face-to-face in Barcelona. Our trainers are experts in teacher training and active in the ELT industry. We strive to create a positive, dynamic and supportive environment where our students, teachers and trainers can focus on their learning and teaching aims and enjoy the experience of achieving them. The InnovateELT Conference is an extension of the passion we feel for teaching and learning languages.
Be a part of InnovateELT 2024!