IH Milan's Annual Conference 2024

Join International House Milan for their annual conference dedicated to the teaching of English for teachers from public and private schools of all levels. The conference is a must-see opportunity to stay up to date on the latest trends in the EFL world, listen to renowned international speakers and network with colleagues.

Event Details

• Date: Friday 18th October
• Time: 8:30 - 17:00

• Location: FAST Congress Center in Piazzale Rodolfo Morandi, 2 in Milan

• Fee: Participation is free, reservations required subject to availability.
• Theme: Innovating for the Future: Exploring the Evolving Roles of ELT Educators

Speakers and Presenters

• Vanessa Reis | Developing soft skills in the ELT classroom

Nowadays, we have become so much more than mere language teachers. We have been entrusted with the privilege of preparing our students to become the future citizens of tomorrow. This implies teaching them life skills like self-knowledge, organisational, effective time management and teamwork skills. In this session, we will be taking a look at how we can tweak the coursebook to take learning English to the next level by teaching life and soft skills and engaging students to become the active citizens of tomorrow. Come along for a few good practical ideas to take into your classroom.

Vanessa Reis has been a passionate EFL teacher for the past 28 years and counting. She has taught English language learners from the ages of 3 to 60+. She currently teaches at Escola Superior de Educação in Porto, Portugal, where she teaches English language, literature and various subjects related to the methodology & didactics of teaching English.

• Chris Roland | Release the pressure: Taking the tension out of our teenage classes

Anything and everything you do in a teens’ class will either add to or take away from the existing tension in the room. In this session, I shall talk about how some of our default teaching techniques might add an unnecessary element of strain and I shall draw on ideas I have fielded over the last two decades to offer small tweaks and alternatives. There will be examples, anecdotes and photos from my own classes. Suitable for new and experienced teachers alike.

Chris Roland is a trainer and methodology writer based in Seville. He has taught in the private language academy sector, mainstream schools and held posts with the British Council in Damascus and Barcelona. He is known on the international ELT conference circuit for his lively but practical talks on classroom techniques. He tutors on both Trinity Diploma and Cambridge DELTA courses and has published a number of books.

• Daniel Tse | Reflections on educational technology in language classrooms

The world of ELT stands at yet another crossroads where teaching and learning are being transformed by new technologies. How can teachers harness the power of educational technology (EdTech) in planning and teaching? In search of answers, I shall reflect on my personal experiences of using digital games, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. We shall explore three broad principles behind incorporating technology and consider the implications of this for language learners.

Daniel Tse works as a teacher and examiner in Italy. He has taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at IH Milan since 2019. He works with Young Learners, teenagers, and adults across the full range of CEFR levels

• Elisa Ronchi | AI in ELT

Elisa Ronchi’s session will talk about AI in ELT, how AI works and how you could start using it with some prompting tips.

Elisa Ronchi is a passionate language professional with an international background. She holds a degree in foreign languages and has several years of experience as an English teacher and communication specialist. Currently, Elisa serves as a Digital User Success Consultant for Oxford University Press, where she educates teachers on the effective use of OUP’s digital products and services. Her expertise extends to AI in English Language Teaching (ELT), and she collaborates with teachers to help them leverage technology in the ever-evolving educational landscape.

• Donatella Fitzgerald | New ideas and activities for promoting youth engagement through collaborative projects

In this session, we will illustrate practical examples of collaborative projects in English using a variety of tools and resources and the role of the educator in supporting student outcomes and encouraging students to engage with English beyond the classroom. We will also look at new approaches to teaching and, learning using new technology and Artificial Intelligence tools including MondlybyPearson. All of these new frontiers empower youth engagement in transformative times.

Donatella Fitzgerald is a teacher, teacher trainer and trained to teach Mindfulness in Schools Project (from pre-school to teens) and has completed Module 1 on the Teacher Training Pathway with the Mindfulness Network in collaboration with Bangor University. Her specialist interests are Extensive Reading Projects, CLIL, Citizenship, Mindfulness, Plurilingualism, and Artificial Intelligence in Education. In her current role as ELL Consultant at Pearson she works with teachers and students every day to find solutions to help them achieve their teaching and learning goals.

All participants receive a certificate of attendance. IH Milan is a member of AISLI (Associazione Italiana Scuola di Lingue), Accredited Body for the training of School Teaching Staff (Decree 177/2000 and Directive 90/2003 of the Ministry of Public Education). Participation is free, reservations required subject to availability. State school teachers, in addition to the mandatory registration on Eventbrite to reserve their place, can also register for the conference on the SOFIA platform (ID 85610) so as to be able to download the certificate of attendance directly from the platform.

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