INNOVATE ELT 2026
Saturday 30th May from 9:30 – 20:30
Get involved, get connected, get inspired!
Oxford TEFL, Barcelona, Spain
The only ELT event you need to attend this year
Find out why
What is the theme this year?
The theme this year is “Analogue Minds, Digital Times“.
How can teachers create measurable learning impact in a world saturated with technology?
The conference focuses on the human side of progress, such as presence, connection and empathy, that turn lessons into learning. In our usual combination of workshops, talks, panel discussions, demo-lessons and networking in the garden, we’ll look at how to ignore tech or use it purposefully while keeping people at the heart of the classroom.
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 “Analogue Minds, Digital Times“ 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):
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- 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?
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)
- Panel discussions (45 minutes)
- Informative talks (30 minutes)
- Mini plenaries (10 minutes)
The conference will have three pathways: teaching, teacher training and management/ teacherpreneurship. Delegates will be able to focus on one area or dip into a mixture of sessions. This will be a great opportunity to delve into many toolkits, whatever context you are working in.
What else can I expect at the InnovateELT conference in 2026?
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 be a speaker at this event?
Last chance to submit your talk proposal here. You can apply to do just a plenary, or a plenary and one other session.
We are looking for proposals which reflect the theme this year (“Analogue Minds, Digital Times”). This could be, for example, a new ELT product which is being developed, a teaching or training technique which has proven to work wonders, or innovative practices in leadership and management. There are four different formats available:
- Dynamic workshops (45 minutes). We encourage the use of materials and group/pair work in these sessions.
- Demo lessons (45 minutes total). We will provide about 8 intermediate students for you to teach. Delegates will observe you teach the students for about 20 minutes, after which you facilitate a discussion of the lesson with delegates and students in groups and together as a whole group.
- Informative talks (30 minutes). The session will be a presentation with some opportunity for audience Q and A.
- Mini plenaries (15 minutes). Your chance to speak your mind to all conference attendees! We will provide a microphone but you will have no visual aids.
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
30th May 2026 | 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
Barnaby Griffiths
Teacher trainer
Teresa Bestwick
Teacher, trainer and ELT author
Chris Fry
Retired EFL teacher
Joanna Ryan
Young Learners Coordinator, teacher trainer
Ramy Abdelreheem
Teacher trainer
Colin Young
Language & Communication Trainer
Nicola Meldrum
Tutor Development Specialist
Jane V. Sinepol
English trainer and a language coach
Maria Sologub
English teacher, teacher trainer
Liudmila Kurzina
A freelance teacher and mentor
Elena Kolesnikov
Co-founder of Prismio games
Itamar Ortega
Spanish teacher and teacher trainer
Alice Copello
English Language Teacher
Maria Tinel
English Language Teacher
Giorgia de Musso
Director of Studies
Alla Tantsura
Learning Experience Designer
Usman Akhtar
CELTA Trainer
Nikol Mircheva
Language Teacher
Adam Isenberg
Founder of Lingadoo
Victoria Filippova
English Teacher
Aleksandra Ugolnikova
English teacher
Hebatallah Morsy
Teacher trainer
About Duncan
Duncan Foord
Director of Teacher Training
Qualifications: MEd in TESOL, Trinity Licentiate Diploma in TESOL (DipTESOL).
Duncan Foord is a Coach and Mentor for ELT. He is the Director of OxfordTEFL, Barcelona. He has 35 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.
About Teresa
Teresa Bestwick
Teacher trainer and materials writer
Teresa is a teacher and trainer based in southern Spain. She is a tutor on Trinity Cert and DipTESOL courses and co-author of Teaching Teenagers from DELTA Publishing. She’s currently teaching a variety of one-to-one and group classes online and loves the chance to talk TEFL to folks at in-person events!
She runs an online community for ELT professionals, the TEFL Development Hub, and when not in front of her computer, is often on the search for plants.
Colin Young
Colin Young is a language and communication trainer based in Barcelona, having worked across Latin America, Asia, and Europe. From mentoring public school teachers in Malaysia to running TESOL training programs in Bolivia, and now delivering business communication workshops for Bosch, his work spans ages 5 to 65 and levels from beginner to advanced.
With experience across cultures and contexts, Colin focuses on designing interactive, human-centred learning that strengthens dialogue, participation, and professional confidence.
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 Ramy
Ramy Rashad Abdelreheem
Teacher trainer
Ramy Rashad Abdel Reheem is an experienced English Language Teaching professional with over 16 years in ELT and more than 6 years in teacher training. He currently works as a freelance Teacher Trainer, alongside roles as an ESL instructor and IELTS trainer. His qualifications include Trinity DipTESOL, CELTA, CELT-S, TKT, and Cambridge
Train the Trainer certification. Ramy specialises in curriculum design, exam preparation, and practical teacher development, and is known for delivering clear, learner-centred training that bridges theory and classroom practice.
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 Chris
Chris Fry
Retired EFL Teacher
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 ten years ago, he is still actively interested in EFL with a particular interest in Extensive Reading and getting students to apply Generative Artificial Intelligence to their spoken English rather than written English.
About Joanna
Joanna Ryan
Young Learners Coordinator, teacher trainer
With 20 years of teaching experience in both Asia and Europe, Joanna has spent her career making learning fun—and helping other teachers do the same. She has taught in classrooms big and small, working with learners of all ages in a wide variety of settings.
Now, as a teacher, trainer, and Young Learners Coordinator, she loves developing and sharing practical, real-world strategies to keep students engaged and classrooms running smoothly.
About Jane
Jane V. Sinepol
English trainer and a language coach
Jane V. Sinepol is an English trainer and a language coach. Master in Global Communications, interpreter and PR-manager by training.
Working with grown-up, acknowledged and ambituos professionals, Jane still often deals with students’ insecurity as they speak English. This is where games come in to shift attention from language performance to living the language and using it freely. Jane took a game master course to explore the possibilities of the narrative games mindfully and has recently been testing it with her adult students.
About Maria
Maria Sologub
English teacher, teacher trainer
She is an English teacher with 18 years’ experience, working with learners from preschoolers to adults. She currently teaches high-level students and English teachers. A certified teacher trainer with NILE and a full DELTA holder with distinction, she has worked as an invited teacher on CELTA courses at IH Izmir.
She now runs a private DELTA Module 1 preparation course, consults DELTA Module 2 trainees at ITI, and speaks at conferences on supportive, learner-centred, and SEL-informed teaching.
About Liudmila
Liudmila Kurzina
A freelance teacher and mentor
I have been working as a Second Language English Teacher for over 15 years. I have a wide range of experience in planning lessons, organizing group and pair work, developing tailor-made teaching materials, giving feedback, managing classroom, creating friendly and inspiring atmosphere in my lessons.
I have great experience in holding extra-curricular events: celebrating holidays, organizing speaking clubs for learners, and creating programs for teachers. I have taken part in different conferences for teachers and educators both as a speaker and a participant. I myself am an eager learner. My motto is “Live and learn”.
About Elena
Elena Kolesnikova
Co-founder of Prismio games
Elena is a co-founder of a game-based project where games become a method for teaching, team building, and coaching. Earlier in her career as a teacher of Russian for bilingual kids Elena used to teach Russian using English.
That was where she realized that intrinsic motivation to speak a language is crucial for successful studying. That’s why she started building a new game-based methodology to help kids actually speak and communicate, not just memorize words or patterns.
About Itamar
Itamar Ortega
Spanish teacher and teacher trainer
She holds a degree in Hispanic Philology from the University of Barcelona and a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language. She has worked as a Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) teacher in various contexts and has been teaching at Oxford House Barcelona for over 10 years.
In recent years, she has also served as Director and tutor of the ELE Teacher Certification courses, focusing on teacher training. Her areas of interest include teacher training and development, and cognitive linguistics applied to second language teaching.
About Alice
Alice Copello
English Language Teacher
Alice Copello was born and raised in Italy, and she started teaching English as a foreign language in 2010 while working on her CELTA and her BA in Language Studies and TEFL at Swansea University.
She has taught in the UK, Austria, Germany and Spain as a teacher, director of studies and pre-sessional university lecturer. After her DELTA and MA TESOL, she started writing materials for Cambridge University Press and then moved to sunny Barcelona where she freelanced for 2 years before becoming the head of the teacher training team at Preply. She eventually missed the classroom too much, so she’s now teaching again at Oxford House.
About Maria
Maria Tinel
Maria Tinel is an English language teacher committed to helping learners build strong communication skills. With experience teaching a range of levels, including exam preparation classes, she combines clear instruction with an adaptable teaching style.
Maria continues to expand her professional knowledge to ensure her students receive effective, up‑to‑date guidance in their language learning journey.
About Giorgia
Giorgia de Musso
Giorgia de Musso is a Director of Studies, CELTA trainer, and teacher from Northern Italy. She specializes in teaching young learners and teenagers, and her main interests include democratic education, power dynamics, and fostering student choice and ownership in the learning process.
About Alla
Alla Tantsura
Learning Experience Designer
Alla Tantsura is an English language educator and researcher based in Zagreb, Croatia, specialising in AI-assisted language learning and intercultural competence.
She has taught English to IT professionals at Yandex and Akvelon, holds a Master’s degree in Foreign Language Education from Moscow City University, and has presented research on AI-mediated assessment at international conferences.
About Nikol
Nikol Mircheva
Language Teacher
With a career spanning language schools, high schools, and summer camps, Nikol has taught English and Spanish to learners of all ages, from kids to adults. She believes that language is most effectively learned when it’s tied to real life.
Because of this, she is passionate about creating meaningful lessons that “mix” language acquisition with essential areas like sports and emotional intelligence. For Nikol, teaching isn’t just about grammar; it’s about providing a whole experience where students stay engaged, active, and motivated to communicate.
About Victoria
Victoria Filippova
English Teacher
Victoria Filippova is a passionate Young Learners teacher with over 12 years of experience. In her online classroom, her puppet Shaggy helps create a safe and effective learning environment.
She is the author of Shaggy Phonics workbook, a course creator, she holds a MA in Linguistics and CELT-P and TKT YL certificates. As an ELT speaker, Victoria helps YL teachers use play to make lessons more effective. She shares practical tips through conference talks and her “Shaggy Teacher” blog.
About Aleksandra
Aleksandra Ugolnikova
EnglishTeacher
Aleksandra Ugolnikova is a professional English teacher with more than 16 years of experience in teaching languages and English for Specific Purposes, specializing in English for psychologists. Her work sits at the crossroads of ELT innovation and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), bridging language education and mental health awareness.
Aleksandra is a teacher trainer, regular ELT conference speaker, and co-host of a podcast for educators. With a background in clinical psychology, Aleksandra brings a reflective, human-centered perspective to ELT and delivers training sessions focused on developing teachers’ emotional intelligence. Lives and works in Valencia, Spain.
About Hebatallah
Hebatallah Morsy
Teacher Trainer
Heba is a teacher trainer from Egypt with a strong interest in lesson design and teacher cognition.
Her work focuses on helping teachers examine their instructional decisions and refine classroom language to support deeper thinking and sustainable learning. She is currently completing her MA thesis on improving academic writing in EAP contexts.
About Adam
Adam Isenberg
Founder of Lingadoo
Adam is the founder of Lingadoo, a web-based platform for whole-class ELT games. He combines more than 20 years of experience in English teaching, linguistics, filmmaking, and digital content development.
His Emmy-winning documentary work has explored language teaching, disability, and communication. As a materials designer, he focuses on low-prep, teacher-led, digital classroom tools that keep students engaged without requiring individual devices.
About Usman
Usman Akhtar
Usman has worked in General English, English for Academic Purposes, Business English, YLs, IELTS and ESOL contexts in the UK, Europe and Middle East.
He has also developed EAP and ESOL materials and regularly contributes to the development of CELTA input materials. His interests lie in neurodiversity, assessment methods and emotional intelligence in teacher training.
Our Sponsor
Click on the logo to find out more about our sponsor
Transforming lives through the power of communication and performance
Established in 1872, Trinity College London is an internationally recognised and officially regulated examination board, publisher and independent educational charity. We are known for our cultural heritage, academic rigour and pioneering spirit. We specialise in the assessment of communicative and performance skills covering English language, music, drama and combined arts.
Trinity’s English language exams focus on communicative and integrated language skills that people of all ages and from all walks of life need to perform in today’s interconnected world. Our range of qualifications covers every stage of learning, from beginner to advanced. We offer two skills oral assessments and four skills reading, writing, speaking and listening assessments as well as young learner awards.
We support English language teaching with free training and resources, as well as teaching qualifications designed to help teachers throughout their careers — from early practitioners to experienced professionals.
All tickets include Saturday and Sunday entry, snacks, drinks and an unforgettable experience!
IELT pre-conference event
Leadership tools for ELT professionals
Location: Oxford TEFL
Day: Friday May 29th 2026
Time: 15:00 – 19:30 (includes a break)
Fee: €60 per person
Duncan Foord, Oxford TEFL Director and Leadership Coach
This dynamic 4-hour workshop is designed for ELT teachers, trainers, and managers who want to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose, regardless of their job title.
We will focus on the practical challenges we face: difficult conversations, blurred roles, lack of time, waning motivation, and the pressure to “hold it all together” while supporting others.
Through hands-on tasks, guided reflection, and real ELT scenarios, participants will explore and develop key leadership skills, including:
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- Clear and effective communication in classrooms, staffrooms, and management contexts
- Assertiveness without aggression: setting boundaries, saying no, and being heard
- Time and energy management for sustainable professional practice
- Motivation both self-motivation and motivating others
- Self-awareness as the foundation of credible, authentic leadership
This workshop is highly interactive, practical, and immediately applicable. You will leave with concrete tools, sharper self-insight, and strategies you can use tomorrow, whether you are leading a class, a team, or a whole institution
Sessions
During the conference, you will be able to attend plenaries, workshops, panel discussions, informative sessions and demo lessons.
Speakers and sessions will be announced in mid May 2026.
Theme in 2026: Analogue Minds, Digital Times!
How can teachers create measurable learning impact in a world saturated with technology? The conference focuses on the human side of progress, such as presence, connection and empathy, that turn lessons into learning.
In our usual combination of workshops, talks, panel discussions, demo-lessons and networking in the garden, we’ll look at how to ignore tech or use it purposefully while keeping people at the heart of the classroom.
Find out what our attendees say
Pricing & Registration
Sales ends on 30th May 2026
– SALE ENDED –
€50.00
Super early bird ticket
On sale from November 11th 2025
to December 31st 2025
– SALE ENDED –
€70.00
Super bird ticket
On sale from January 1st 2026
to March 31st 2026
– ON SALE NOW –
€90.00
Standard ticket
On sale from April 1st 2026
to May 30th 2026
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 2026!
Saturday 30th May 2026 | Barcelona, Spain