TESOL Italy (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is a non-profit Italian organization founded in 1975. It has approximately 400 members in Italy and abroad and is an affiliate of TESOL International Association.
The two-day national convention hosts over 50 talks, workshops and poster sessions given by national and international experts in the field of ELT. The book and educational material exhibition offers the latest in ELT materials and software, as well as information regarding study abroad programs. The convention offers a wonderful opportunity for professional development and networking.
The British Council will be present at the Conference with, among others, the plenary speaker Ruth Horsfall, Young Learner Courses Manager for the British Council in Spain.
Title and Abstract: Meet the Micro: bit: Coding and Making in the English Language Classroom
Thinking, planning, designing, discussing, presenting, questioning and problem solving. These are just some of the core skills that micro: bit lessons can help develop in order to enhance the learning experience for students in our ELT classrooms. Through using these handheld programmable microcontrollers to learn basic coding principles and to make interactive models and games, we can inject lessons with innovation, creativity and imagination as well as increasing motivation, engagement and teamworking. Ruth and her team at the British Council in Spain have pioneered the integration of micro: bit lessons into the ELT curriculum and in her talk she will be discussing the value and outcomes of the project and showing how progress in learning English can be given a boost both in terms of confidence and language skills alongside the development of 21st Century skills.