Teachers Always Learning with Rob Dean

While (not particularly) waiting for school to start again, primary and secondary teachers of English may attend free CPD events in as many as five cities, thanks to the Faculty of Political Sciences and Pearson Akronolo. We can welcome Rob Dean as the guest speaker at these forums, conveniently titled “Developing Real Life Communication” (Yes, I am a fan of the Real Life series).

 

Developing Real Life Communication ELT Forum

                When & Where:

25 August 2014   Niš

26 August 2014   Kruševac

27 August 2014   Kragujevac

28 August 2014   Novi Sad

29 August 2014  Belgrade

                Who:

Rob Dean, on behalf of Pearson

                What:

Session 1: Say What You Mean; Mean What You Say – Developing Real Life Communication

“Many may remember speaking in a foreign language in their school days as merely being oral repetition of grammar structures, reciting language that was designed with little regard for communicative relevance or true meaning. Things of course have changed, and the classroom of today is much more closely geared towards preparing learners to communicate for real in English for a variety of purposes, be it for business, travel or leisure purposes. This session will look at practical ways of aiding the development of the speaking skill, and will pay particular attention to the importance of REAL functional English as opposed to the artificial grammaticised variety from the classrooms of years gone by.”

Session 2: Things to do on Monday

“Preparation-free, student-centred, age-adaptable, multi-sensory, materials-free, highly versatile… do these describe the sort of language practice activities that you like? If so, come and join us for a selection of highly practical ways of adding a bit of spice to next Monday’s lesson (as well as Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s…)”

How:

Please, register either online or call Pearson Office in Serbia at  +381 11 301 88 38; or contact their local representatives.

 

More info:

here

2nd Conference on Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education in Belgrade

As announced at ELTA’s 12th Conference, the British Council is organising the Second Conference on Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education. The conference,  consisting of plenaries and workshops, will be held on 14 June 2014 in Sava Centre in Belgrade. David Crabtree, Sally Farley, and Phil Dexter will share the UK experiences and offer practical advice and solutions to teachers in Serbia. While waiting for the application process to open on 2 June, you  can familiarize yourself with the (preliminary) agenda and the presenters’ bios.

The good news for all those unable to attend is that livestream will be available in English, Serbian and Serbian sign language. And maybe all teachers will benefit eventually from the  pre-conference roundtable discussions on 13 June organised for policy makers, relevant international organisations and institutions, as well as headteachers and principals.

Coursebooks newsflash

1.

For state school teachers: You can find the catalogue of the coursebook approved by ME for 2014-2015 here.

A couple of reminders:

• If you teach in a vocational school, please remember to check “Средње стручне школе (стручни предмети)” as it is here that you might find a title you need, e.g. Explore Medical English.
• There are a few new titles on the list, e.g. Close-Up. It is also likely that the list is not final yet, as more titles are to be approved (or rejected).

2.

NELTA and the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš are organizing a round-table discussion titled “Уџбеници у настави енглеског језика: за континуитет у развијању ученичких компетенција“, with a lot of important points to cover, also providing separate sessions for primary and secondary teachers. In additional to getting a Certificate of CPD and 1 accredited point, you can share your insights and find answers or guidelines to some of the problems that ail you: what are the procedures when selecting a coursebook, what things to consider, what competencies should students master at what stage, etc.

Where: the Faculty of Philosophy, Niš

When: 17 May 2014

It would help if you found time to fill in this survey by the organizers.

The agenda and more info here.

Come to ELTA Conference! (2-in-1)

Just a quick note:

In case you really needed an extra reason to come to Belgrade for the twelfth ELTA Serbia Conference,

please be informed that the very weekend of the conference you may get additional good vibes should you decide to join the eleventh Museum Night 

• or go to the 19th Ring Ring International New Music Festival,

• or enjoy another On High Heels concert by the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra,

• or indulge in one of the many plays ….

and I better stop here lest the quick note become a regular full-length post.

So, why not come to the 12th ELTA Serbia Conference “BACK TO THE FUTURE”?

E-Teacher Scholarship Program for Serbia 2013-2014

You can (and should, for that matter) apply for  the E-Teacher Scholarship Program for Serbia. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, October 25, 2013.

E-Teacher Scholarship Program – English Teacher Professional Development Distance Learning Program – is the program of the Office of English Language Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. The program offers online courses that train foreign English language professionals in the latest U.S. methods of English language teaching via distance education. Participation is open to teachers worldwide. The 10-week courses will be offered in the spring and summer of 2014. Tuition and materials will be paid by the Office of English Language Programs.

You can apply for the following courses:

1. Introduction to Pedagogy and Practices for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL Methods)
2. Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web (Web Skills)
3. English for Specific Purposes, Aligning Context with Practices and Materials (ESP)
4. Special Education and Differentiated Instruction in EFL Contexts (SpEd EFL)
5. Teaching English to Pre-teens and Teens (TEPT) New for AY2013-2014
6. Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL)
7. Summative and Formative Assessment in Language Learning and Teaching (Assessment)
8. Critical Thinking in Language Learning and Teaching (CT)

More information here.

Lifelong learning programme for teachers start at Novi Sad University

Starting from 1 October 2013, teachers may enroll into a new LLP at the Faculty of Philosophy, Novi Sad University.

More information about the programme and its four subjects here.

General information here.

 

 

Similar LLP is provided by the University of Nis.

Let your students know about A-SMYLE

An opportunity for your students to live with American host families and attend U.S. high schools – for free:

The competition for scholarships is conducted by American Councils for International Education.

Eligibility Requirements – 2014-2015 Academic Year Program:

• Proficient in English
• Currently enrolled in first or second grade
• Citizen of Republic of Serbia or Republic of Montenegro
• Meet US J-1 Visa Requirements for high school students
• Born after January 1, 1997 and before July 15, 1999
• Have not spent more than 3 months of the past 5 years in the US
• Demonstrate leadership potential
• Desire to contribute to community upon return
• Students with disabilities who were born between March 15, 1996 and July 15, 1999 and who are not in the last year of secondary school are eligible for the competition
• If an applicant or any other immediate family member has applied at any time to emigrate to the United States or if any other immediate adult family member (whether estranged or not) is a U.S. citizen or green card holder, it may impact negatively on my child’s final selection for the A-SMYLE Program.

More info here and here.

New EFL syllabuses in Serbia on the way

Secondary school teachers should pay attention to three new syllabi for the first grade:

• second foreign languages – elementary level – for grammar schools;
• foreign languages – the ninth year of study – for both grammar and vocational schools;
• foreign languages – the fifth year of study – for both grammar and vocational schools.

What is new in the syllabuses?

• The aims finally bring us to the 21st century (I particularly like the fourth one: “Развијање способности за самостално, аутономно учење, тражење, селекцију и синтезу информација до којих се долази самосталним радом и претраживањем изворника различитог типа (писани и електронски извори, самостална истраживања на терену, интервјуи итд.)”);
• There is an impressive list of quite well-phrased expected outcomes (we can see the link to future achievement standards);
• In addition to the four skills and mediation, now we have sociocultural competence too (including “учествује у свим видовима модерне комуникације (електронске поруке, смс поруке, дискусије на блогу или форуму, друштвене мреже)”);
• New topics, such as: consumer society – Потрошачко друштво, labour market – Свет рада (перспективе и образовни системи);, and the EU – Европа и заједнички живот народа.

Source webiste: the National Education Council of the Republic of Serbia:

Министарство је упутило Савету предлог наставног програма за страни језик у гимназији за почетни ниво учења, као и наставне програме за страни језик за 1. разред  гимназије и средњих стручних школа за пету и девету годину учења. Пошто није било примедби,

Национални просветни савет једногласно је усвојио наставни програм за страни језик у гимназији за почетни ниво учења, као инаставне програме за страни језик за 1. разред  гимназије и средњих стручних школа за пету и девету годину учења.

Approved coursebooks for primary schools in Serbia

You can view the official excerpt from the catalogue of approved textbooks for primaryschools in Serbia for the year 2013-2014 here.

Or you can browse this list that was put together based on the official excerpt. So as to be more helpful, the list is grouped per textbook titles, with links to more information about the title or the publisher. Use the filters in this list to select the grade or publisher you are interested in.

If you notice an error, please let us know.

Approved coursebooks for secondary schools in Serbia

You can view the official excerpt from the catalogue of approved textbooks for secondary schools in Serbia for the year 2013-2014 here (general English) and here (ESP).

Or you can browse this list that was put together based on the official excerpt. So as to be more helpful, the list is grouped per textbook titles, with links to more information about the title or the publisher.

If you notice an error, please let us know.