Blog Archives

With sustainability being one of IATEFL’s main strategic focuses, we include environmental impacts in all areas of decision-making and planning within the association.

Here’s what IATEFL is currently doing to address the impact of the association on the environment. We share this information, and encourage additional ideas and suggestions, in order to give other organisations and individuals ideas of what they might do, and also to learn from others ourselves.

Practical initiatives IATEFL has taken as an association

1. We have significantly reduced the amount of paperwork, forms and letters we print and post to members.
2. All committee meetings are run online, or face-to-face at the annual conference. This reduced the amount of IATEFL-related travel, as well as making the most of the opportunity presented by the annual international conference.
3. We have very significantly increased the ratio between our online events and our face-to-face events throughout the year.
4. We have introduced digital versions of most of our publications for those who prefer this format.
5. Almost all members join and renew their membership online, without the need for the printing and sending of paper forms.
6. Delegates and exhibitors register for IATEFL events online.
7. The printing we still do is on forestry commission assured sustainable paper and using natural (as opposed to synthetic) inks.
8. The use of fully biodegradable polybags for the postage of membership publications.
9. Members not requiring a membership card can opt out of receiving one by post, and instead have all their membership information sent only by email.
10. We have a programme of regularly reviewing our online and digital footprint, and removing from the internet and archiving content and files wherever and whenever possible.

Practical initiatives taken at IATEFL Head Office

1. Head Office staff have moved to partial working from home. This has substancially reduced the carbon impact of travelling to work, as well as energy usage at Head Office.
2. We use one communal printer/photocopier at our Head Office for the limited printing we do, rather than individual printers each with their own consumables.
3. We have an ongoing strategy of digitising information and data wherever possible, to avoid printing and unnecessary use of paper.
4. Old computer equipment is donated to relevant charities.
5. We recycle paper, boxes, containers and food waste, with our shredded organisational paperwork being used locally as beddings for animals.
6. We use tea towels, Tupperware pots and plates, cups, glasses and cutlery to avoid disposable and throw-away alternatives.
7. Our heating is set on timers to ensure no energy is wasted overnight, on working from home days, at weekends, and in areas of the building and times of the year when heating is not required.
8. Our staff car share and use public transport for work travel where and whenever possible.

Practical initiatives at IATEFL’s annual international conference

1. Our delegate badges are printed on hard-wearing paper cards, without needing clear plastic badge holders.
2. We have recycle bins for delegate badges and programmes, as well as around the venue for all other waste.
3. We use recycled cardboard signage for delegate information where appropriate / possible.
4. We have reusable cups for delegates, replacing the previous reusable bottles so that they can be used for both hot and cold drinks.
5. We ensure there are water stations at the venue for delegates to refill their own cup or container.
6. We distribute IATEFL pens made from recycled cardboard.
7. Our printed conference programme is supplemented by a more comprehensive digital version (session abstracts, speaker bios etc.) thus reducing the impact of printing, transporting and distributing a larger, heavier printed programme.
8. We promote the use of public transport (negotiating discounts for delegates wherever possible) and car shares as ways for delegates to travel to and from the conference.
9. We encouraging speakers to share their handouts and PowerPoints online, rather than printing out lots of copies in order to give to delegates.
10. We encourage exhibitors to think and be more environmentally aware, celebrate the steps they have taken, and share our environmental objectives with them.
11. We have a ‘Sustainability partner’ to champion delegate engagement on how, they too, can make a difference.
12. Our delegate bags are made of cloth, rather than plastic, which can then be folded up and reused as a shopping bag.
13. We use suppliers close to the conference venue wherever possible to reduce the impact of transportation, including the printing of our conference programme.
14. Delegates can download their certificates from their ‘dashboards’ rather than us printing one for each delegate or sending them out afterwards by post.
15. We engage with the venue to identify their sustainability credentials, making clear this is part of our decision-making process. We share and celebrate where significant steps have been taken.

If you have an idea or suggestion for how IATEFL can further reduce it’s carbon footprint please email your idea to:

[email protected]

Would you like to make a difference in the English language teaching profession and help shape the future of IATEFL?

With the current incumbants reaching the end of their terms, we welcome nominations for two positions on IATEFL’s board of trustees:

Company Secretary and Chair of the Membership Committee

Being an IATEFL trustee gives you opportunity to help shape the association’s future, to drive change, to support English language teachers around the world, and to make a difference. It is also a wonderful way to build your profile and professional network within the English language teaching profession, working as part of a team in collaboration with seven other trustees, and supported by IATEFL’s Head Office team. Being an IATEFL trustee is regarded by many as an internationally recognised and respected position to hold in the world of English language teaching.

Please read the role descriptions below, and complete the relevant nomination form. This call is only for current individual members of IATEFL (including individual, student early career, retired and Associate members). The closing date for applications is Thursday 9 February 2023.

Key links:

• Role descriptions for the roles for the two roles
• Nomination form for IATEFL Secretary role
• Nomination form for Chair of Membership Committee role

Introduction

IATEFL Associates are an integral and valued part of the IATEFL community. They are all established teaching associations based in a particular country or region. IATEFL provides resources and support for new and developing teaching associations, and then a range of benefits for IATEFL Associate teaching associations. This includes facilitating networking, collaboration and discussion between the teaching associations, discounted membership of IATEFL for members of Associates, recognition for the teaching association as an IATEFL Associate, highlighting of Associate events on the IATEFL website and in a regular Associate eBulletin which also contains Associate and IATEFL news, opportunities to benefit from funding, projects and support, free registration for the IATEFL International Conference for a representative of each Associate and an additional, specific, Associates Day exclusively for them on the day before the conference as an opportunity for collaboration, networking and information sharing. This is all offered at no cost to these teaching associations, and is funded through IATEFL’s charitable initiatives and kind donations. It helps to create a wider, global family to the benefit of all.

IATEFL wishes to enhance and further develop this network, and the opportunities and benefits it can offer to teaching associations. In doing so it wishes to treat all teaching associations equally and fairly, giving them all the same opportunities, and support them all in the amazing role they play supporting English language teaching professionals in their area of the world. As part of this we announced at our conference in Belfast, at the Associates Day and then as part of the Annual General Meeting, a review of how we can support Associates, and also add clarity, in terms of use of logos and branding.

Update

Following the Annual General Meeting, where the Trustees introduced as one part of the Strategic Development Plan, this review of the use of the IATEFL name and logo, concerns have been raised by some as to the implications of this. We wanted to provide you with the wider context for this proposal and how we plan to work with Associates to create a clear and inclusive guide for Associates’ use of the IATEFL name and logo. 

1. The main remit of the Board of Trustees is to safeguard the Association and secure the fulfillment of its mission in the context of solid governance and management. This implies detecting potential risks and taking the necessary measures to avoid them.
2. In our publication ‘A History of IATEFL’ and minutes of the Board of Trustees meetings show that in the mid-1990s, IATEFL branches in various countries, established to promote membership of IATEFL, became national teaching associations, and the relationship changed to them being affiliates, and then IATEFL associates.
3. Since 2007, the IATEFL Associates Handbook has clearly stated that no Associate would be able to use the IATEFL name followed by the name of the country where the associate is located. In addition, for the last seven years, the IATEFL logo cannot be used by Associates and a specific ‘IATEFL Associate’ logo is provided. Currently, there are six national teaching associations who use the acronym IATEFL in their name.
4. The word IATEFL in a name could be seen as preferential and an advantage given to an association which may not be the only association in the country and would, therefore, be discriminatory to other associates. The presence of an IATEFL-named association might also dissuade other associations from the country from joining IATEFL. This goes against the strict IATEFL policy which ensures anti-discriminatory and pro-inclusive decision-making including treating all IATEFL Associates equally.
5. IATEFL Head Office receives enquiries on a regular basis from people confused that, in joining one of these six IATEFL Associates, they believe they have joined IATEFL itself. Some want to book for an event at the member price, some wish to submit a proposal to present at conference, some wish to join an IATEFL Special Interest Group, some wish to volunteer.
6. If an English teacher sees an association in their country with the name IATEFL in its title, perhaps sees a similar logo and the same association colours, may not see reference to any other IATEFL on that website or sees reference to IATEFL as a national association such as “IATEFL UK” or “IATEFL WORLD”, then this does cause real and understandable confusion. This confusion often extends to social media.
7. An added complication arises when an association bearing the IATEFL name and logo does not renew their agreement yet continues to use IATEFL branding.
8. IATEFL does not have any involvement in associations’ membership, decision-making, policies and financial management, or even in their decision to maintain IATEFL associate status.
9. IATEFL will be consulting with concerned parties over the next three months. Following this, IATEFL will be working closely to facilitate the mutually agreed adjustments which can resolve these issues. IATEFL aims to have completed this process by May 2024.
10. IATEFL counts on the respectful and active participation of all interested parties involved as we all move forward towards the next chapter in the relationship between IATEFL and its valued Associates.

How can you get involved?

• If you are a member of an IATEFL Associate, we encourage you to contact them with your thoughts which will then be fed into the consultation process.
• If you are a current member of IATEFL and would like to share your thoughts, please click here. This member consultation will run until Friday, 30 September 2022.

Between the 18 and 24 June 2022, the IATEFL Head Office team will be undertaking a series of challenges to raise the profile (and hopefully some funds) for IATEFL Projects, and we invite you to join us!

What are IATEFL Projects?

IATEFL Projects was a concept shaped during the Presidency of Carol Read and was launched in 2013 with the first award being made in 2014. The idea behind IATEFL Projects was to offer IATEFL Associates, particularly those who did not fall into the ‘very high’ category of the United Nations Human Development Index, the opportunity to apply for a grant to run a project designed to make an improvement to language teaching and learning in their local or regional teaching community, and to also to provide opportunities for less experienced teachers to take an active role within the delivery of that project. This remains at the heart of what IATEFL Projects aims to achieve, with priority being given to those projects that have a cascade or ‘ripple’ effect, with knowledge or skills gained by a key group of individuals, who have been the recipients of the initial funding, being taken back to the wider ELT community in their local context so a lasting legacy is created.

Very quickly, the slogan for IATEFL Projects became, ‘small grants making a big difference’ and the feedback from those Associates who have benefited from funding has overwhelmingly been that it has made fundamental differences to their communities and teaching practices. Prof. S Rajagopalan, head of the ELTAI project said, “the grant helped us to empower a large number of our members with new skills in using internet tools in ELT…It will naturally result in the enhancement of learning in their classrooms”.  Kessia Kiwia, a teacher at Twiga Primary School in Dar es Salaam said about the TELTA funding, “we have created a Community of Practice in our ward where teachers meet and share what they have, all teachers are able to network, so even after the project ends, learning will continue.”

Winners so far

Five awards have been made to date with recipients being the English Language Teacher’s Association of India (ELTAI) in 2014, Cameroon English Language Teaching Association (CAMELTA) in 2015, Côte d’Ivoire Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (CINELTA, formerly CI-ATEFL) in 2016, Tanzanian English Language Teachers Association (TELTA) in 2019 and Angolan English Language Teachers Association (ANELTA) in 2020. You can find a little bit more about the projects that they undertook on our website and we hope their ventures may inspire other Associates to apply in the future. At our recent conference in Belfast, the recipient of the 2022 grant was announced as Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA) who will be undertaking an extremely important project to upskill marginalised female teachers in the Sudur Paschim (far western) province, particularly in the area of information and communications technology (ICT). We look forward to reporting back over the next few months on the progress of this project and to sharing the impact the funding has had in the region.

Thanks Thom!

IATEFL Projects is largely financed from charitable donations, and we have been extremely lucky to have had the continued support from long term member, Thom Jones, who has undertaken some daunting, and quite frankly, crazy challenges in order to highlight the work of IATEFL Projects and to raise much needed funds for this very worthy cause. His support started in 2015 when Thom, alongside round-the-world cycling record holder Julian Sayarer, cycled the 1,120 kilometers from Frankfurt in Germany to Manchester in the UK, camping in hedgerows along the way, before arriving at the IATEFL conference to much fanfare. They were supported in their venture by telc gGmbH, who then very generously matched the total donations raised. Since then, there have been equally hare-brained (but always appreciated) efforts that usually involve significant levels of discomfort which make the rest of us envy and pity him in equal measure!

Plans for this year

His efforts stirred something in us at Head Office and as the pot of money available for IATEFL Projects is currently extremely low, we thought it was time that we took it upon ourselves to undertake some of our own challenges and hopefully generate a bit of sponsorship money. We are designating the 18 to the 24 June as IATEFL Projects Week and during this time, all Head Office staff will be undertaking their own personal challenges; some of them will be physical, some of them mental, but each of them will be tailored to the individual because the IATEFL community will know, as educators, that whilst we all have things that test our abilities or require great effort and determination, one size does not fit all. During the week we will be sharing stories about our challenges; what prompted us to choose it, low and high points and photos from our adventures.

Our challenge to you!

We know that not everyone has the means to do so but if you are in a position to be able to spare a few pennies for an amazing cause, please donate whatever you can on our Facebook fundraising page. It would also be great if you could share our posts about IATEFL Projects and Projects Week so that more people find out about this great initiative.

Equally, if you feel like joining us with a sponsored challenge of your own we’d love to hear about it and make this an even greater celebration and support opportunity for IATEFL Projects. If you would like to get involved, you can find ‘I support #IATEFLProjects’ resources  or please contact [email protected] for more information.

Thank you for helping us support English language teaching professionals around the world!

Making sure the IATEFL International Conference is a safe and enjoyable event for all

The safety, security and wellbeing of attendees has always been a primary concern when we plan our international conference each year. Clearly, following the last two years, it has taken on even greater significance as we aim to ensure the event is as COVID-safe as we can possibly make it.

Even though restrictions have been removed from travelling to the United Kingdom, as well as many of the requirements for individuals when in public places, the IATEFL conference will nonetheless have a range of steps in place, as well as benefitting from the venue’s measures which have seen it awarded the ‘We’re good to go’ mark, an industry standard demonstrating its commitment to implementing relevant government and public health guidance in relation to COVID-19.

So, what should you expect, and what are we asking you to do whilst you’re with us in Belfast?

What IATEFL and the venue will be doing.

• Hand sanitising facilities are provided at entry points, and key locations throughout the venue.
• Your conference badge will be printed directly on site for you, rather than pre-printed and handed to you.
• The venue itself uses 100% fresh air, rather than air-conditioning, which is heated or cooled as required by the air handling units to a temperature calculated and controlled by the building management system.
• Clear directional signage around the venue is designed to prevent bottlenecks.
• The venue has an enhanced cleaning service focusing in particular on high touch points.

What we’re asking conference attendees to do.

• We’ll be asking all conference attendees to wear a face mask at all times when in the conference venue, except for eating, drinking and presenting.
• Please be respectful of the personal choice of others when you meet them. Some people will be happy to hug, others will prefer to keep their distance.
• We remind all attendees of the importance of washing your hands with soap and water when you can – this is the most effective way of cleaning your hands.
• We advise you to test yourself in advance of attending the conference.
• If you do have COVID-like symptoms during the conference we ask that you do not attend the venue.

Whilst all of this might feel a long way from the normal key focuses of the IATEFL conference: the presentations, the workshops, the networking, the Exhibition, the Careers Fair and the evening social events, if we all work together and follow the guidance we should have a safe, as well as an enjoyable and valuable, experience.

See you in Belfast!

More about the conference and to book your place

You can find out more information about the conference, and how to attend, by visiting our conference website.

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We’re getting closer to our first face-to-face International Conference and Exhibition since 2019, and the excitement is definitely growing. In the coming few weeks we’ll be letting you know about everything that’ll be happening, as well as about the fabulous city of Belfast and all there is to do whilst you’re there! In the meantime, here are some key developments to share with you:

Removal of restrictions on travel to the United Kingdom

The UK government has announced an end to travel restrictions for people entering the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, from 4am on Friday 18th March. This means that it’s no longer necessary to:

• complete a passenger locator form
• show proof of vaccination
• take any pre-departure or post arrival tests

This will apply whether you are vaccinated or not. Please do, however, be aware of any travel requirements imposed by your return country for your return there after the conference, as well as any additional countries you may be passing through on your way to and from Belfast.

IATEFL and the conference venue will, nonetheless, have a range of actions and systems in place during the conference to make the event as COVID-safe as possible. We’ll explain more about these in our next update.

Plenary speaker update

Due to circumstances out of our control one of our plenary speakers, Willy Renandya, will unfortunately not be able to present at our conference in Belfast. As a consequence:

• Our IATEFL President, Gabriel Diaz Maggioli, has kindly agreed to present in Belfast in Willy’s place, on a connected topic of ‘Reading the world and the word’.
• Willy has kindly agreed to present his session ‘Do good readers make good writers?’ in a webinar following the conference, for which all conference delegates will receive free registration.

We’d like to express our thanks to both Willy and Gabriel for enabling us to provide this unique addition to the conference and post-conference programme for delegates.

Conference justification letter for your employer

If you’d like to attend the IATEFL International Conference as an excellent way of enhancing your professional development but need to get the go ahead from your employer, we’ve prepared a justification letter to present to your employer in over twenty languages.

More about the conference and to book your place

You can find out more information about the conference, and how to attend, by visit our conference website.

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