A focus on teaching IELTS - Full seminar | British Council Seminar Series

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• published: 28 Jan 2014
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This is a live streamed event. To register interest in watching please visit http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/british-council-seminar-series-1018803047. Preparing lower level students for IELTS Fiona Aish and Jo Tomlinson This interactive seminar will begin by outlining the issues faced in the classroom when approaching IELTS at a lower level, covering topics such as language proficiency, exam techniques and academic skills. It will then look at how these challenges can be overcome by exploiting conceptually and linguistically appropriate material for this level in the four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing. Overall, the seminar aims to offer teachers ideas and insight into teaching IELTS at A2 and B1, as well as offer a forum for discussion on the issues surrounding lower level exam preparation. Who is this for? All experienced and non-experienced teachers of IELTS. Attendee preparation Before attending, teachers should think about the challenges they face when teaching IELTS at lower levels, and also come prepared with any ideas that have worked in their classroom environment with these levels. Biographies Fiona Aish and Jo Tomlinson are directors of Target English, a company specialising in exam preparation and academic English. They are IELTS teacher trainers and have co-authored a number of books including 'Collins Listening for IELTS, and 'Get Ready for IELTS Writing'. When not teaching, their work includes consulting on test development, and exploring the benefits of diagnostic work. IELTS Task 2: is creativity possible, desirable and/or necessary in the IELTS classroom? Sam McCarter Is it possible to encourage creativity while preparing students to write a response to IELTS Writing Task 2 in the academic version of IELTS? This seminar looks at preparing students for answering Writing Task 2 in the academic version of IELTS, specifically exploring whether it is possible, desirable and/or necessary to be creative in the IELTS classroom. The various factors that prevent or stifle creativity in writing among students, in general, and in IELTS, in particular, will be explored. This will be followed by an examination of the basic language features in Writing Task 2, such as classification/ the organisation of ideas and cause and effect, that students need to be able to master so that they can develop competence in writing in IELTS, and in writing generally. The following questions will also be explored: whether it is possible to encourage creativity in writing, as the features above are mastered; and whether such creativity can be taken beyond the confines of the IELTS classroom, the exam and into the rest of students' writing careers. A range of strategies to encourage and stimulate creativity will be discussed, along with making the writing process enjoyable so that students can produce writing that they can be proud of rather than 'getting writing out of the way', and not looking at it again. Who is this for? Teachers with some experience of IELTS, those new to teaching IELTS and those planning to start teaching IELTS. Aims To encourage teachers to create conditions for 'creative space' in the IELTS classroom. Attendee Preparation Before attending participants are encouraged to consider which factor they think hinders creativity most in the IELTS classroom? Biography Sam McCarter's teaching career spans a period of more than 30 years. Sam is the author of textbooks and apps for IELTS (Macmillan and IntelliGene), medical English and EAP (OUP). He has also edited glossaries for CD-ROMs on tropical medicine. His interests include teaching methodology, and writing fiction.