Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

Find useful resources and tips for teaching English with interactive apps and sites.

EdTech

From January 25 to 28, ESL&nbsp;Library attended the 2022 <a href="http://www.fetc.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Future of Education Technology⁠⁠&reg; Conference</a>&nbsp;(FETC) as an exhibitor! FETC takes place in Orlando, Florida, and explores how technology is shaping the future of education. We chatted with Ken Volcjak, our Director of Strategic Partnerships, and asked him a few questions about his time at FETC. Here&rsquo;s what he had to&nbsp;say.&nbsp;

MELISSA: What&#39;s your history with FETC? Have you been to an FETC conference&nbsp;before?

KEN: Actually, this was the first time I&rsquo;ve attended FETC in person. I&rsquo;ve known about the conference for years and the excellent reputation it carries as a crossroads for (predominantly) US and Canada-focused EdTech knowledge sharing and dealmaking. In years past, I&rsquo;ve unfortunately had timing conflicts with other conferences or other obligations, so I&rsquo;m incredibly happy to have been able to finally attend this&nbsp;year!

MELISSA: Why was it important for the ESL Library team to attend the FETC&nbsp;conference?

KEN: Visibility as an exhibitor at FETC immediately elevates your status in the EdTech industry. It speaks to the dedication and passion your company places on innovative, balanced, and proper application of technology solutions to the betterment of teaching and learning outcomes. So, our booth presence alone, expertly managed by our amazing team, placed us in a very positive, visible&nbsp;light.

MELISSA: Can you set the FETC stage for us? How was the conference set&nbsp;up?

KEN: The stage at FETC was arranged in&nbsp;similar fashion to many&nbsp;conferences:&nbsp;

<ol>
	<li>Hundreds of (typically) one-hour sessions offered up&nbsp;a multitude of EdTech-related topics&nbsp;spread out over the course of four&nbsp;days.</li>
	<li>A large Expo Hall was&nbsp;open for three days where hundreds of companies displayed their various EdTech solutions to an audience of teachers and administrators. Of particular note, the ESL Library booth looked incredible&mdash;very bright, fun, and super inviting. Equally important, it was well placed. Our team secured a primo spot near the hall entrance with close proximity to the main&nbsp;sponsor, <a href="https://www.prometheanworld.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Promethean</a>, so that helped immensely in steering traffic to ESL&nbsp;Library.</li>
</ol>

<img alt="ESL Library booth at the FETC 2022 conference" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2066/content_esl-library-booth-fetc-conference.jpg" />

MELISSA: What sessions did you attend? What were some of the key takeaways from those&nbsp;sessions?

KEN: I managed to attend several sessions in between meetings and researching companies in the Expo Hall. Here&rsquo;s a&nbsp;sampling:

<ul>
	<li>&ldquo;Immersive Reader is Everywhere&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li>Key Takeaway: Immersive Reader is an amazing tool for ELLs. It checks several boxes for accessibility and is easy to&nbsp;integrate.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>&ldquo;Interoperability: EdTech Stuff Should Just Work Together&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li>Key Takeaway: There are still multiple education data standards floating out there for US K&ndash;12. We need to keep our finger constantly on the pulse of this topic to determine which/when to&nbsp;implement.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>&ldquo;A District LOR Solution to Support Flexible Digital Lesson Design&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li>Key Takeaway: Some companies, such as <a href="https://www.safarimontage.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SAFARI Montage</a>, are creating large-scale (i.e.,&nbsp;state-wide) content distribution solutions using a Learning Object Repository (LOR) that&#39;s&nbsp;cloud-hosted by <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-ca/free/search/?&amp;ef_id=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_99C_XOjUrToxlCPun6kz-2TPUrzKr7-kMdHFPSi9dEyQAjODojvjhoCNpEQAvD_BwE:G:s&amp;OCID=AID2200157_SEM_CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_99C_XOjUrToxlCPun6kz-2TPUrzKr7-kMdHFPSi9dEyQAjODojvjhoCNpEQAvD_BwE:G:s&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_99C_XOjUrToxlCPun6kz-2TPUrzKr7-kMdHFPSi9dEyQAjODojvjhoCNpEQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Microsoft Azure</a>.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>&ldquo;Leadership + Innovation + ELLs = Vocabulary Achievement&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li>Key Takeaway: As we create tools and activities focused specifically on vocabulary acquisition, it&rsquo;s helpful to consider a semantic reasoning approach as evidenced in products such as <a href="https://infercabulary.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">InferCabulary</a>, whereby students acquire an understanding of words in multiple contexts, mimicking to some extent how young children first acquire vocabulary understanding in their native&nbsp;language.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ul>

MELISSA: What session was your favorite and&nbsp;why?

KEN: There were a lot of great sessions, but I think my favorite was coined &ldquo;No Questions Should Go Unanswered.&rdquo; This session was hosted by <a href="https://paper.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Paper</a>, a fast-growing startup, that&nbsp;provides 24/7 academic support to help students with what they need, when they need it. Especially recognizing the degree of unfinished learning caused by&nbsp;the pandemic, this represents a solution for many school districts struggling to catch up and level the playing field for their student body, including large ELL&nbsp;populations.&nbsp;

<img alt="ESL Library Team selfie photo and booth at the FETC 2022 conference" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2067/content_esl-library-team-booth-fetc-conference.jpg" />

MELISSA: What was the best part about the FETC&nbsp;conference?

KEN: There were so many super positive aspects of the conference, but I have to say that the best part of the conference was to finally meet in person and work alongside some of my amazing ESL Library colleagues! Video conferencing technology has come a long way, but there&rsquo;s still a dimension that can&rsquo;t be replaced by in-person exchanges. I hope there will be more opportunities in the future for such interactions within the&nbsp;company!

MELISSA: Is there anything else you&rsquo;d like to share about FETC?

KEN: There is one other item that should be illuminated. ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s attendance at FETC this year was an incredibly smooth, professional, and highly successful endeavor for the company. Rightfully, huge kudos need to be extended to everyone who was on the ground in Orlando, the team orchestrating all of the logistics behind the scenes, everyone involved with the continual betterment of our incredible content and platform, and those providing second to none service to our customers. I know I left the conference with a great sense of pride for what we&rsquo;ve accomplished, but also immense optimism for the plethora of opportunities that lie ahead&mdash;and that&rsquo;s attributable to EVERYONE on the awesome ESL Library team. Thanks, all!

<div class="whiteBox">Related Lesson

<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120"><img alt="a touchscreen with a map on the screen" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2032/content_72_classrooms-of-the-future.png" /></a>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120" target="_blank">Classrooms of the Future</a></h2>

In this lesson, students discuss the effects of technology and what school might look like in the future. In addition to discussion questions, this lesson also includes a vocabulary review and a group&nbsp;task.
</div>

Did you attend this year&rsquo;s FETC conference? If you went, share your FETC reflections in the comments&nbsp;below!

Our 2022 FETC Reflections

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From January 25 to 28, ESL Library will be attending the 2022 <a href="http://www.fetc.org/" target="_blank">Future of Education Technology&reg; Conference</a>&nbsp;(FETC) as an exhibitor! FETC takes place in Orlando, Florida, and explores how technology is shaping the future of education. We chatted with Mari Lasnetski, our Chief Impact Officer, and asked her a few questions about FETC. Here&rsquo;s what she had to say.

MELISSA: What&#39;s your history with FETC?

MARI: I&#39;ve been attending FETC for over 20 years. It has truly become a gathering place for the most innovative education leaders from around the world. &nbsp;

MELISSA: Why is it important for the ESL Library team to attend the FETC conference?

MARI: I&#39;ve gone to FETC as both an attendee and a vendor. Whether I attended as an attendee or as a vendor, it has always been a collaborative place; a time for exploring best practices and important topics that are top of mind to education leaders. It&#39;s a fully engaging experience. &nbsp;

MELISSA: What have been some of your biggest takeaways from past FETC conferences?

MARI: I always leave FETC with a more precise notion of what is really important to education leaders. I develop professionally by learning from pioneers in the educational technology space. It&#39;s also an opportunity to reconnect with friends and make new lifelong professional friends that are as passionate as I am about educational technology.

MELISSA: What are you most looking forward to about the 2022 FETC conference?

MARI: I&rsquo;m looking forward to heading down those escalators and feeling the energy and anticipation that starts&nbsp;to creep up as soon as the venue opens its doors. Then the fun, reconnecting, and learning begin!

<div class="whiteBox">Related Lesson

<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120"><img alt="a touchscreen with a map on the screen" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2032/content_72_classrooms-of-the-future.png" /></a>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120">Classrooms of the Future</a></h2>

In this lesson, students discuss the effects of technology and what school might look like in the future. In addition to discussion questions, this lesson also includes a vocabulary review and a group task.
</div>

Are you attending this year&rsquo;s FETC conference? If you&rsquo;re going, let us know what you&rsquo;re most excited about in the comments below!

ESL Library at the 2022 FETC Conference

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Have you heard about the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/esl-talk/id1548652844" target="_blank">ESL Talk podcast</a>? As described on their Apple Podcast page, ESL Talk is &ldquo;a podcast for English teachers by English teachers.&rdquo; In each episode, the hosts and their guests discuss various teaching topics, methods, and approaches specifically pertaining to ESL teachers. Here are some key takeaways from their episode on teaching adult learners.

<h3>Define rules, expectations, and objectives</h3>

Whether you&rsquo;re teaching online or in a physical classroom, it&rsquo;s important to establish the rules, expectations, and objectives.

To ensure everyone is on the same page, be honest with your students and involve them in the process of setting rules, expectations, and goals for the class. You may wish to use our <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2127" target="_blank">My Language Goals</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2224" target="_blank">Goal-Setting &ndash; Can Do</a> Assessment Tools to not only learn about your students&rsquo; goals but to also help your students set realistic and achievable goals.

<h3>Tailor lessons to adult learners&rsquo; needs and interests</h3>

When compared to young learners, adult learners typically have different goals and motivations. Whether their goal is travel-related, work-related, school-related, or something entirely different, it&rsquo;s important to have a flexible approach when teaching adult learners.

Find out why they are interested in learning English and tailor your lessons to fit their needs and interests.

Lessons should be meaningful and relevant for your students. They should relate back to their goals. For example, if your students are learning English for a travel-related reason, you may want to use lessons from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/122/lessons" target="_blank">Travel English</a> section. Likewise, if your students are learning English for a work-related reason, you may want to use lessons from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/135/lessons" target="_blank">Functional Business</a> section.

Ultimately, it&rsquo;s important to provide your adult learners with lessons that they will connect with and find value in.

<h3>Empower adult learners to use English</h3>

Empower your adult learners by encouraging them to speak in English as much as possible in the classroom. Make sure they know that their English doesn&rsquo;t have to be perfect and that it&rsquo;s okay if they make mistakes. It&rsquo;s just important to try and start getting familiar with the language.&nbsp;Check out this <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/key-takeaways-from-esl-talk-podcast-on-speaking-strategies" target="_blank">blog post</a> to learn more about effective speaking strategies.

<blockquote>
 Teachers, do you have any tips for teaching adult learners? Let us know in the comments below!
</blockquote>

Key Takeaways from ESL Talk Podcast on Teaching Adult Learners 

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Did you watch <a href="https://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMN4YoqRDW0&amp;t=1714s&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">teaching tricks for your online classes in 2022</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.

<h3>Play games with your students</h3>

If you haven&rsquo;t been doing so already, make it a goal for 2022 to start including games in your lessons. A fun and interactive game will not only help your students to engage with the content but it will also increase their motivation for learning. For some ideas on games to play with your students, check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/key-takeaways-from-tefl-international-webinar-on-ice-breaker-games" target="_blank">blog post on icebreaker games</a>.

<h3>Create personalized lessons</h3>

This year, try to deliver lessons that are tailored to your students. Think about your students&rsquo; personalities, interests, and needs when creating your lessons. If you don&rsquo;t know much about your students&rsquo; interests and goals, create a questionnaire and ask them to fill it out.

<h3>Provide a clear overview of the course</h3>

At the beginning of every new class, provide your students with a clear outline of the course. Give your students an objective that outlines what they can expect to accomplish by the end of the class and the specific steps that will be taken to reach this goal. Having an organized plan and a specific goal in mind will help your students stay focused and inspired. For more tips on organization, check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/key-takeaways-from-esl-talk-podcast-on-the-importance-of-organization" target="_blank">blog post on the importance of organization</a>.

<h3>Find creative ways to keep your students&rsquo; attention</h3>

As we enter 2022, teaching online is still popular and is not going away anytime soon. In online settings especially, student&#39;s&nbsp;attentions spans are short. Try to provide lessons in different ways. Offer a variety of tasks and activities. Try to incorporate surprises into your lessons! An example of a surprise can be as simple as picking your students&#39;&nbsp;names out of a hat and asking them to answer a question. Surprises will get their attention and keep them on their toes.

Teachers, what are your tips for teaching online? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Online Teaching Tricks

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Have you heard about the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/esl-talk/id1548652844" target="_blank">ESL Talk podcast</a>? As described on their Apple Podcast page, ESL&nbsp;Talk is &ldquo;a podcast for English teachers by English teachers.&rdquo; In each episode, the hosts and their guests discuss various teaching topics, methods, and approaches specifically pertaining to ESL teachers. Here are some key takeaways from their episode on the importance of organization.

<h3>Organization is a mindset, approach, and idea</h3>

As a mindset, organization involves knowing what things you have to do. It is the checklist that&rsquo;s in your head.

As an approach, organization involves what you do as a teacher. It is ensuring that your lessons are organized and have a purpose.

As an idea, it is showing your students how organization is helpful by being an example.

Preparation is key. Check out this <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-make-a-lesson-plan" target="_blank">blog post</a> for help with making a lesson plan.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;If you fail to plan, then you should plan to fail.&rdquo; 
&mdash;Daniel&rsquo;s high school science teacher
</blockquote>

<h3>Organization is important for reaching goals</h3>

Not only is organization important for achieving your own goals, but it&rsquo;s important for your students&#39; goals too. If you&rsquo;re not organized, then your students won&rsquo;t be organized. If your students aren&rsquo;t organized, then they won&rsquo;t be able to succeed.

Use these Assessment Tools to find out what your students want to accomplish with their language learning:

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2127">My Language Goals</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2224">Goal-Setting &ndash; Can Do</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Without organization, it&rsquo;s very difficult to achieve your goals.&rdquo;

&mdash;Daniel
</blockquote>

<h3>Organization can look different</h3>

There are plenty of ways to improve your organization skills. Figure out your goals, write them down, and make a plan;&nbsp;put all your meetings and appointments into a calendar;&nbsp;use sticky notes for thoughts and ideas; set reminder alarms on your phone; or use our <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/106/resources/2169" target="_blank">Weekly Planner</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/106/resources/2461" target="_blank">Monthly Planner</a>.&nbsp;Figure out what tips and tricks work for you and stick with it.

When it comes to your students, learning a new language can be overwhelming. Break down what your students need to learn into smaller, more manageable goals. Give them checklists, rubrics, and step-by-step guides. Encourage them to use a planner or agenda.

Check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2352" target="_blank">ready-made templates</a> to create your own checklists, rating scales, and rubrics.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not organized in your approach, that will translate to your teaching and students might not be satisfied or happy with the lesson they received.&rdquo;

&mdash;Daniel
</blockquote>

<h3>Organization is linked to mental and physical wellbeing</h3>

While it&rsquo;s important to be efficient and organized, it&rsquo;s also important to not push ourselves too hard. Learn how to prioritize everything that you need to do. Don&rsquo;t procrastinate, but strive for a balance. Take time to relax and recharge.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Listen to your body. When you are tired, take a rest.&rdquo;

&mdash;Daniel
</blockquote>

<div class="whiteBox">Related Lesson

<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3715"><img alt="A computer with clock and notes" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2017/content_72_Procrastination_Thumb.png" /></a>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3715">Procrastination</a></h2>

In this lesson, students learn about and discuss why people procrastinate. This lesson includes grammar practice with the future perfect tense and a productivity challenge.
</div>

Teachers, what tools do you use to keep yourself and your students organized? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from ESL Talk Podcast on the Importance of Organization 

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Did you watch <a href="https://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvnj6qzhimY&amp;t=2s&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">crucial skills ESL teachers should develop in 2022</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.

<h3>Embrace flexibility&nbsp;</h3>

Make it a goal for 2022 to be more flexible. Become familiar with various teaching methods and different classroom settings. Having a toolbox of multiple teaching approaches will help you to be proactive and adjust when needed. You&rsquo;ll be able plan lessons quicker and predict potential issues.

<h3>Learn something new</h3>

Ongoing learning and professional development is important. Set a goal to learn one new teaching methodology next year. Consider attending a webinar or a conference too.

<h3>Improve online teaching skills</h3>

Over the past two years, teaching has changed drastically. Even as schools open back up around the world, teaching online is still popular and is not going away anytime soon. That being said, continue to work on improving your online teaching and lesson planning skills.

<h3>Make more time for your students</h3>

When teaching online, it can be hard to build relationships with your students. It&rsquo;s okay to take a break from the lesson to just talk with your students and share with each other. Consider building it into your lesson plan so it becomes routine.

<h3>Think big</h3>

Build a personal brand for yourself online. Make a Facebook page, Twitter account, or Instagram account to better engage with your current students. Promote your language learning services and connect with potential students. Think of yourself as a business owner and plan for the years ahead.

Teachers, what are your goals for 2022? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Crucial Skills to Develop in 2022 

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Find fun games and activities for teaching English to young learners and middle schoolers. 

Young Learners

Did you watch <a href="https://www.teflonline.net/" target="_blank">TEFL International</a>&rsquo;s webinar on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CngJcsVT7FE&amp;ab_channel=TEFL%26TESOLCourses-ITTT" target="_blank">useful tips for teaching ESL to children</a>? If you missed it, don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;we&rsquo;ve got you covered. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.

<h3>Incorporate hands-on activities into lessons</h3>

When teaching online, it can be difficult for children to focus. Keep their attention by incorporating hands-on activities into your lessons. When possible, sing songs, play games, and use flashcards. Get your students moving. Encourage them to get up and stretch, walk around, or dance if they&rsquo;re feeling up for it!

<h3>Try not to talk for long periods of time</h3>

When teaching children, be mindful of how long you talk for. Avoid losing the attention of your young learners by not talking for long periods of time. Instead, break up your lesson with different activities and always have a few extra activities planned in case your students need a break.

<h3>Interact with your students and have your students interact with each other</h3>

Get your students talking. Involve them in your lessons by interacting with them. Make it a goal to speak individually with each child once per class. Have your young learners work in groups and in pairs whenever possible too.

<h3>Review the material with your students</h3>

Young learners typically need more review than adults. Review the material with your students each class to make sure they understand the content. Make connections between new material learned and past material learned. Create meaning and show how the information relates to one other. Try to create connections between the material and your student&#39;s&nbsp;lives.

<h3>Praise your students</h3>

Students learn better when they are motivated and feel at ease. Encourage your students and build them up at every opportunity!

Teachers, do you have tips for teaching young learners? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Takeaways from TEFL International Webinar on Tips for Teaching ESL to Children

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On the second day of our ESL Library Virtual Conference, we were fortunate to have <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-robyn" target="_blank">Robyn Brinks Lockwood</a> join us for a panel discussion on elevating teachers&rsquo; voices and the future of English language education technology. If you missed it, you can watch a <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">recording of the session</a>.

The session began with a discussion on trends in the English language education, publishing, and technology spaces. Some of the trends discussed were blended learning, the importance of critical thinking, 21st century skills, and teamwork. We also discussed the differences between project-based learning and design thinking.

Project-based learning is teacher driven. It usually explores a narrow area and seeks to answer a specific question. The end product is the same for every student. For example, every student might be instructed to make a poster or write&nbsp;a&nbsp;report.

Design thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test) on the other hand is more broad. Students don&rsquo;t have to focus on just one question; they have the opportunity to explore more areas and the end goal could be different for each student or group of students.

Whether you&rsquo;re implementing project-based learning or design thinking, Robyn emphasized implementing these techniques in small steps and stressed that they don&rsquo;t have to be implemented all at once.

Another trend we discussed was flipped learning. A teacher asked Robyn if she had any strategies for students who don&rsquo;t do the assigned pre-class work. Luckily, Robyn had plenty of helpful ideas for addressing this issue:

<ul>
	<li>Homework shouldn&rsquo;t be long or difficult</li>
	<li>Homework should be short and accessible</li>
	<li>Homework doesn&rsquo;t have to be more than 10 minutes</li>
</ul>

Robyn stressed that students tend to do the pre-class work if it&rsquo;s short and accessible. She also emphasized that flipped learning is versatile and that there&rsquo;s more than one way to flip a classroom. Similar to project-based learning and design thinking, flipped learning can also be implemented in small steps.

Teachers, are you familiar with any of the trends that we discussed? Which ones have you implemented in your classroom? Which ones do you want to try? Let us know in the comments below.

For more highlights and takeaways from our first-ever conference, check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/esl-library-virtual-conference-2021-highlights-takeaways" target="_blank">this blog post</a>.

ESL Library Virtual Conference: Panel Discussion with Robyn Brinks Lockwood

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Social-emotional well-being was a major theme throughout the ESL&nbsp;Library&nbsp;Virtual Conference that took place on September 17 and 18. Day 2&nbsp;began with a Coffee Talk devoted entirely to social-emotional well-being.

We started the session by checking in with each other and sharing how we manage our mental health throughout the day. Tanya&nbsp;Trusler, our Director of Language Development, said that she likes to take a walk after work while Ann&nbsp;Dickson, our US Editor, practices <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/practicing-mindfulness-in-the-classroom" target="_blank">mindfulness</a>. Tara&nbsp;Benwell, our VP of Publishing, explained how the <a href="https://www.donut.com/" target="_blank">Donut app</a>&mdash;an app that pairs co-workers up for a virtual chat and coffee&mdash;gives her a fun and relaxing break every couple of weeks.

Our wonderful community of teachers also shared their own thoughts and insights about building emotional resilience in our students and ourselves. Some of these amazing ideas were:

<ul>
	<li>Movement breaks</li>
	<li>Yoga breaks</li>
	<li>Breathing exercises</li>
	<li>Singing and dancing breaks</li>
	<li>Game breaks&nbsp;(scavenger hunt, I Spy, Simon Says, or Tic-Tac-Toe)</li>
	<li>Critical thinking session where students can share a reflection with no comment from others</li>
	<li>Thought jar where students can anonymously express how they feel</li>
</ul>

After exploring our new <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning" target="_blank">Social-Emotional Learning collection</a>, the session ended with an optimistic closure:

<blockquote>
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Later that morning, we continued the conversation with <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-dr-katie" target="_blank">Dr. Katie Welch</a>. Katie discussed how to incorporate social-emotional learning into adult ESL classrooms. When it comes to incorporating social-emotional learning into the classroom, there are three signature practices:

<ul>
	<li>Welcoming ritual</li>
	<li>Engaging practices</li>
	<li>Optimistic closure</li>
</ul>

The welcoming ritual takes place during the first five minutes of class. This ritual should welcome your students, set the tone, and build community. Katie recommended greeting students by name and pronouncing their names correctly. After greeting students, Katie also recommended using a feelings wheel to do an emotion check-in and connect with students.

Next up is engaging practices. According to Katie, engaging instruction can foster collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and self-efficacy. Engaging practices should engage the brain but should also include &ldquo;brain breaks,&rdquo;&nbsp;which are short mental breaks that help students stay focused and attentive. Brain breaks are especially necessary with virtual learning. Zoom fatigue is a real thing, so be sure to take breaks to breathe, stretch, and move. Crossing the mid-line can also energize the brain!

Lastly, there is the optimistic closure. Whether it&rsquo;s affirmations, a quote, or just a word, it&rsquo;s important to conclude with something positive and uplifting.

Katie stressed that it&rsquo;s also important to take care of yourself first! As we mentioned above, you can&rsquo;t pour from an empty cup!

Teachers, what does self-care look like for you? How do you incorporate social-emotional learning into your classroom? Let us know in the comments below.

For more highlights and takeaways from our first-ever conference, check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/esl-library-virtual-conference-2021-highlights-takeaways" target="_blank">this blog post</a>.

If you missed either of these sessions, be sure to <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">check out the recordings</a>.

ESL Library Virtual Conference: Social-Emotional Well-Being

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Our first-ever ESL&nbsp;Library Virtual Conference took place September 17&ndash;18 with 800+ attendees from more than 81 countries. The theme for our inaugural event was Empowering Teachers in the Digital Age.

As per tradition, I always try to make time for a post-conference reflection with a few highlights and takeaways. I love having a summary to look back on as well as something to share with those who were unable to attend.

<h2>3 Highlights</h2>

<h3>1. Social Networking</h3>

Improving communication around the world has always been ESL&nbsp;Library&#39;s core mission. Based on the feedback we&#39;ve received about the conference, it&#39;s safe to say that attendees, speakers, and ESL&nbsp;Library staff all appreciated the opportunity to connect in this welcoming space at this challenging&nbsp;time.

We used the chat, the Q&amp;A, raised hands, direct messages, speed networking, and virtual theme-based tables to check in and learn from each other. There was an overwhelming feeling of positivity and optimism that I think we&#39;ve all been craving. Did you feel&nbsp;it?

<h3>2. Speakers</h3>

Our invited speakers and ESL&nbsp;Library staff covered a wide range of topics including publishing trends, blended learning, the flipped classroom, social-emotional health, assessment, and the rise of EdTech.

We were grateful to learn from&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-russell-stannard">Russell Stanndard</a> (Teacher Training Videos),&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-fely">Fely Garc&iacute;a L&oacute;pez</a> (Flipgrid), <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-dr-katie">Dr. Katie Welch</a> (Welch Education), <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-robyn">Robyn Lockwood</a> (Stanford University), and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/meet-the-esl-library-virtual-conference-speakers-dr-margaret-e-malone">Dr.&nbsp;Meg Malone</a> (ACTFL).

Our CEO, Ben Buckwold, also shared behind-the-scenes stories and industry insight while our conference host,&nbsp;Tammy Wik, led demonstrations of our own platform and features, including an interactive <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">flashcard</a> workshop that left us all bursting with ideas. Representatives from our Publishing team (Ann, Tanya, and Tara) also enjoyed leading our two morning Coffee Talks, where we chatted with attendees about the evolution of grammar materials and the importance of <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning">social-emotional health</a> for teachers and learners.

<h3>3. Storytime</h3>

Our CEO, Ben&mdash;a natural storyteller&mdash;finally got the&nbsp;chance to share ESL&nbsp;Library&#39;s origin story. If you weren&#39;t able to hear it live, be sure to grab a coffee and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgeVgruJ6OA&amp;list=PL0MvnNQjMzmaFPrxnBSMRLuLGL8l6GpWZ&amp;index=11">watch the recording</a>. While we listened to Ben, we admired the new art on his wall, courtesy of our talented&nbsp;in-house illustrators, featuring topics from our popular <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Discussion Starters</a> section.

<img alt="ben-buckwold-esl-library-conference" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1755/content__ben-welcome-conference.png" />

<h2>10 Takeaways</h2>

This was a single-strand conference, and it soon became clear&nbsp;that&nbsp;I couldn&#39;t&nbsp;miss a minute of it! After coffee breaks and social hours, attendees and speakers automatically bounced back into the next session, so it always felt inclusive and we got to know each other.&nbsp;Here are some of my top takeaways from the speaker sessions.

<ol>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t feel you need to start class by taking up the homework. A&nbsp;pre-class task should be&nbsp;a springboard for the class activity. (Russell&nbsp;Stannard)</li>
	<li>According to language learners themselves, 85% of what they learn is from independent learning. Extramural learning is learning that&nbsp;takes place <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ESLlibrary">outside the walls</a> (or screens) of a classroom and is not necessarily related to the class content. Let&#39;s encourage our learners to be active learners. (Russell Stanndard)</li>
	<li>The pandemic has inspired us to use tech differently, even now that some of us are back in a traditional classroom. We use tech for announcements,&nbsp;for sharing examples, for leaving live-time feedback, and for real-world speaking and writing practice. (Dr.&nbsp; Meg&nbsp;Malone)</li>
	<li>When it comes to assessment, it helps to find out what students&#39; expectations are of themselves. Compare these to your expectations and consider meeting them in the middle. (Dr. Meg Malone)</li>
	<li>When creating your own Flipgrid prompt, try to incorporate the four domains (listening, writing, reading, and speaking). Don&#39;t forget to include&nbsp;lingustic supports.&nbsp;(Fely Garc&iacute;a L&oacute;pez)</li>
	<li>Flipgrid&#39;s <a href="https://admin.flipgrid.com/discovery/partners">Discovery Partners</a> make it easy to find useful content fast. They can also inspire you to get involved and create your own prompts.&nbsp;(Fely Garc&iacute;a L&oacute;pez)</li>
	<li>Design Thinking (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test ), a trend teachers are grativating to,&nbsp;has a background in business. It&nbsp;shares a lot of elements of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/111/lessons">project-based learning</a>, which focuses on a central question that the teacher chooses. (Robyn Lockwood)</li>
	<li>It&#39;s important for teachers to stay active in the industry in order to help publishers develop the materials students and teachers want and need. Teachers can raise their voices by joining local (e.g., TESL London)&nbsp;and international organizations (e.g., TESOL or ACTFL). Join a SIG and get active on a social channel, such as LinkedIn. (Robyn&nbsp;Lockwood)</li>
	<li>Social-emotional learning is not just about the skills we teach. It&#39;s also about the educational culture and setting. (Dr. Katie Welch)</li>
	<li>Provide students with alternative sentence stems&nbsp;to &quot;I don&#39;t know,&quot; such as &quot;May I have more time to think?, May I ask a friend for&nbsp;help?, I&#39;m not sure about that, but I can tell you...&quot;. (Dr. Katie Welch)</li>
</ol>

<img alt="3 signature SEL practices" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1748/content_Tara_ESL-Library-Virtual-Conference-2021-Highlights-Takeaways_Speaker.jpg" />

<h2>Related Resources</h2>

Looking for recordings of our sessions?&nbsp; The&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021">recorded sessions from the ESL Library Virtual Conference</a> are now available!

<h2>Summary</h2>

At a conference follow-up meeting with the organizers and staff, we all came away with a similar feeling. Our first-ever ESL Library Virtual Conference turned out to be much&nbsp;more than any of us expected. With virtually no&nbsp;technical glitches to worry about, our organizers and moderators were able to ensure that everything ran smoothly. The speakers were all well prepared and&nbsp;the attendees were extremely engaged. In fact, so&nbsp;many ideas were shared, we don&#39;t know where to start!

Thank you to Airmeet for a great platform, and thank you to all of the speakers, organizers, staff, and attendees for helping make this event such an enriching and uplifting experience. We hope you feel empowered to go out and do your best work and also to take care of yourself and your students! And yes, we will do this again!

<img alt="You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first." src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1749/content_Tara_ESL-Library-Virtual-Conference-2021-Highlights-Takeaways_Quote.png" />

<h2>Comments</h2>

Did you attend our first-ever ESL Library Virtual Conference? If yes, you&#39;re part of the history books! Please share a highlight or takeaway in the comments.

ESL Library Virtual Conference 2021: Highlights & Takeaways

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Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

On September 17&ndash;18, 2021, we will be hosting a <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">free two-day virtual conference</a> to explore current teaching trends and the future of education technology. At this conference, you&rsquo;ll connect with organizations and teachers, share your experiences and expertise, and help shape the future of English language education. This article is part of a series of posts introducing some of the conference speakers.

Meet Russell Stannard, an educational technology consultant and the Founder of <a href="https://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/" target="_blank">TeacherTrainingVideos.com</a>. Russell is a multi-award-winning educational technologist known for his work in using technology to enhance feedback, online teaching, and blended or flipped learning.

The idea for <a href="https://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/" target="_blank">TeacherTrainingVideos.com</a> began when Russell was writing about technology and feedback for an English language teaching magazine. People wanted to see what Russell was talking about so he started creating videos. Today, the website is still popular but Russell has expanded the initiative to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/teachertrainingvideo" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> with over 60,000 subscribers.

Russell also gets excited about student creativity and independence, as well as technology that helps teachers in a positive way.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Anything that encourages students to be creative and encourages students to be more independent. Anything that helps teachers be able to do their jobs quicker, easier, and more effectively. Some technologies I really like because they do that but others I don&rsquo;t like because they actually make our job harder.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Russell is also interested in digital literacy.

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a big shift towards these competencies that will allow students to be able to study more effectively and allow citizens to survive in the 21st century.&rdquo;

Russell&rsquo;s work mainly focuses on how technology can enhance feedback. When giving feedback, Russell is a big believer in using screen capture technology to record his computer screen and voice as he marks, and then sending the video with this feedback to students.

&ldquo;They can see their work on the screen, see me going through their work and hear me as I mark.&rdquo;

On September 17, Russell will be joining us to discuss blended learning and how to make lessons more connected. He will explore how to make lessons more interactive, how to get students to engage more with the material, and how to encourage learning outside of the classroom.

To hear Russell speak, be sure to <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">register for our virtual conference</a>. 
&nbsp;

Meet the ESL Library Virtual Conference Speakers: Russell Stannard

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On September 17&ndash;18, 2021, we will be hosting a <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">free two-day virtual conference</a> to explore current teaching trends and the future of education technology. At this conference, you&rsquo;ll connect with organizations and teachers, share your experiences and expertise, and help shape the future of English language education. This article is part of a series of posts introducing some of the conference speakers.

Meet Dr. Margaret E. Malone, the Director of Assessment and Research at ACTFL. Margaret holds a PhD from Georgetown University and has more than three decades of experience in language education. Her expertise includes the development of language tests and materials, teacher training, data collection, and program evaluation. Her current research focuses on language assessment literacy, the influence of the Seal of Biliteracy on language teaching and learning, and the development of shortcut proficiency measures.

Margaret entered the English teaching world in university. When Margaret was an undergraduate student, she took a class on language teaching methods and volunteered at a middle school where she provided support for English learners.

These days, Margaret gets excited about assessment and research.

&ldquo;I love seeing how assessment and research can be used to improve education and make language education available to more students. Reading about ways that language programs serve learners from pre-k to adults reminds me that we are all lifelong learners and language is necessary to learning.&rdquo;

Margaret is also passionate about equity.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;We need to consider what tools our learners need and have and how we can best support them where they are. We also need to remember that people learn differently, and that we need to help all our learners.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

On September 17, Margaret will be joining us to discuss assessment in the digital age and maximizing technology to improve relationships.&nbsp;

&ldquo;During the pandemic, I focused a great deal on relationships and how to strengthen such relationships through online teaching and assessment. I think of assessment as a communication tool, and we need to use our tech tools to foster these relationships.&rdquo;

To hear Margaret speak, be sure to <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2021" target="_blank">register for our virtual conference</a>.