SIG news
Business English
The 38th IATEFL BESIG Annual Conference
We are happy to share that registration for our 38th IATEFL BESIG Annual Conference is now open on the IATEFL website. It is to take place from Friday 7 November to Sunday 9 November 2025 at the President Hotel, Kifisias 43, Athens, Greece. All information can be found following this link.
Also, the Call for Proposals is live. It includes:
- Proposal guidelines
- First-time speaker scholarship information
- Submission form link
- Deadlines for submission and notification of acceptance
You can find all information necessary following this link.
Register for our webinar in June
Join Prof. Almut Koester on 29 June at 15.00 (UK time) for a webinar about Creativity and Communication in Business.
Creativity is highly valued in business and professional practice. In business, not only individual creativity but also group creativity plays an important role. But how does group creativity come about and how can it be encouraged? What kind of language and communication leads to creative outcomes? To answer these questions, this webinar reports findings from a research project on workplace creativity and discusses their relevance for Business English teaching.
Follow this link to register and get more information.
The Break Room
The ever-popular Break Room is continuing in 2025. Join us for our relaxed monthly meeting where you can meet other BESIGers as well as get to know people just interested in Business English.
This year our Break Rooms will be extra special as we celebrate 40 years of BESIG. Keep an eye out on our social media.
Bring your BESIG buddy and join us on Wednesday 25 June 2025 at 18:00 UK time. During this Break Room we are going to share and discuss the results of our Membership Survey. Be an active part of our wonderful community and join us for a lively conversation about the future of IATEFL BESIG!
Hope to see you there! Follow this link for log-in details.
FINAL CALL – IATEFL BESIG Member Survey
This year, we proudly celebrate 40 years of IATEFL BESIG – and we couldn’t have done it without you, our valued members. As we look ahead, we want to hear your voice: What do you love? What would you like to see next?
Please take a few minutes to complete our short member survey. Your feedback will help us shape the next chapter of our journey together.
Your opinion matters – and it only takes a few minutes!
Follow this link to access the survey. It will be open until 20 June.
Marjorie Rosenberg and Silke Riegler, IATEFL BESIG Joint Coordinators
Find us on social media via our YouTube, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook page and Facebook group to stay up to date with our regular news and updates.
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Learning Technologies
Once Upon a Game…Where Stories and Games Spark Learning
Join us on Saturday, 22 June at 14.00 (UK time) for a dynamic end-of-year webinar featuring Jamie Keddie and Nick Michelioudakis. In this special session, Jamie will explore a story-based approach, ‘videotelling’, offering practical ideas to get learners thinking, speaking, and creating. Nick will explore gamification through the use of AI, showing how to motivate and inspire learners using practical examples. Register here.
Special issue newsletter – final call
There is still time to contribute to our upcoming special issue, Going Green: Leveraging Technology for Sustainability. If you would like to submit a contribution, please take a look at our guidelines. The final deadline for submission is Sunday, 29 June. Only those that adhere to the guidelines will be considered. You can check out teachers’ previous posts here for inspiration. If you have any questions or ideas for future editions, please get in touch with the editor, Susana.
Meet our new committee members – and join us!
We are pleased to welcome Panagiotis Ruby Polygen as our new Administrative Officer, and George Palomino as Joint Events Organiser alongside Eftychis Kantarakis.
We are always happy to hear from members who wish to get involved in the SIG’s work. If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, please email the coordinator: [email protected].
Collaboration invitation
LTSIG actively collaborates with Language Associations, universities and publishers around the world. If your organisation is interested in co-hosting a future webinar, newsletter feature or event, we would be happy to hear from you.
More events will be announced soon – stay connected by following us on social media
Maria Diakou, LTSIG Coordinator
Find us on social media via Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and Instagram.
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Materials Writing
MaWSIG Scholarship – Brighton 2026
Like last year, we are offering a scholarship to cover the expenses of those who are interested in materials writing and development to attend both the IATEFL conference and the MaWSIG Pre-Conference Event, as well as giving a presentation as part of our Showcase. The scholarship is for applicants hoping to speak at the IATEFL conference for the first time, and bring fresh perspectives on materials. For more details about our scholarship, check this website: IATEFL Scholarships Brighton 2026. Applications close at 16.00 (UK time) on 18 June 2025.
Social Media Vacancy
We would also like to let you know that the applications to our social media vacancy are now closed and that we’re reviewing who will be our next social media coordinator. Watch this space for when we announce who our new social media coordinator is.
For more information about our speakers and their talks, keep an eye on our Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Heather Buchanan, MaWSIG Coordinator
Find us on social media: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and Instagram.
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Teacher Development
Web Carnival 2025
Join us for “From Past to Present: Milestones In Teacher Development,” a transformative online conference for EFL teachers worldwide, on 28 and 29 June 2025. This year sees TDSIG celebrate its 40th anniversary, and in this two day conference we will focus on different aspects of how teacher development has changed over the decades, and will continue to transform in the future. This dynamic event offers a comprehensive platform for educators to enhance their skills, exchange innovative ideas, and learn from a range of global perspectives in EFL teaching.
Registration will be open soon.
Upcoming TDLive
TDLive is back! Join us for a thought-provoking session with Michelle Worgan on 20 July at 14.00 (UK time). The topic is Young Learners and Inquiry-Based Learning.
Save the date, bring your questions, and get ready to be inspired! Only for TDSIG members!
Are you a YL teacher? Do you work with YL teachers? Do you want to encourage curiosity in your classroom? If you answer ‘yes’ to at least one of those questions, join us to talk with Michelle Worgan and discover how to foster independence, creativity, and engagement in your learners through inquiry-based learning. Registration information will be sent to you by email soon.
Scholarship Applications
Scholarship applications for the IATEFL 2026 annual conference Brighton are now open! TDSIG offers two scholarships: the Michael Berman Scholarship and Early Career Teacher Scholarship. Go to https://tdsig.org/scholarship/ to find out more about all of the conference scholarships on offer.
Support TDSIG
We have designed a series of packages to maximise sponsors opportunities to participate in TDSIG’s activities. With each package, there are a variety of possible options which sponsors can choose from, depending on their marketing objectives. They are created to enable them to tailor their support to fit their particular needs, resources and priorities.
TDSIG is a part of lATEFL, a registered charity. We are entirely run by volunteers who give their time in order to offer support and development opportunities globally. By sponsoring TDSIG, you are making a valuable contribution to our mission
Find out more at tdsig.org/sponsorship
James Taylor and Cecilia Lemos, TDSIG Coordinator
Find us on social media via Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
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Pronunciation
Theme for our October 2025 online conference
The results are in! After two months of voting our members and followers have chosen the theme for our October 2025 online conference. With 47% of the vote, the successful theme is Beyond intelligibility: Expanding our approach to pronunciation instruction. We will shortly release a call for papers for this event and welcome all proposals, so keep an eye on your inbox and our social media channels.
Register now for our June webinar:
On 21 June at 12.00 (UK time), we will be joined by pronunciation and business specialist Tetiana Lesyk who will discuss just how essential pronunciation is to the world of international business. For more details, see below:
Webinar title – Sound Business: Integrating Pronunciation into Business English for Real-World Impact.
Date and time – 21 June at 12:00 (UK time).
Abstract
In high-stakes business contexts, mispronunciation can cost clarity, confidence, and sometimes contracts. Yet pronunciation remains overlooked in Business English teaching. In this webinar, we’ll explore how integrating targeted pronunciation work (such as stress, intonation, and key sounds) into Business English lessons improves professional communication, boosts learner confidence, and enhances global intelligibility. I’ll share real-life examples from my work with C1-C2 corporate clients in banking, law, private business sectors, and demonstrate how pronunciation and listening skills can be woven into business topics without sacrificing professional content. Join us to discover practical ways to make pronunciation a natural, essential part of your Business English teaching.
To register, click here https://pronsig.www.iatefl.org/events/
Upcoming deadline for our 2026 PronSIG scholarship and for our 2026 Activities and Materials award
18 June is the deadline for both PronSIG’s 2026 action research scholarship as well as our 2026 Materials and Activities award.
Materials and Activities award 2026
In an effort to continue sharing knowledge and innovative practical pronunciation materials and techniques, PronSIG’s encourages teachers to submit a favourite pronunciation-based exercise, game, or worksheet of their own creation on any pronunciation feature to our 2026 Materials and Activities award.
For more information on our Materials and Activities award, click here.
To see the 2025 winner, check out Speak Out! issue 72 for our winner’s full write up of her activity.
Action research scholarship 2026
Continuing with the theme of our 2025 PCE day, PronSIG’s 2026 scholarship invites educators to consider how games and gamification can be used in our classrooms for pronunciation purposes beyond the ‘five-minute-filler’ activity. This scholarship seeks to support educators who are passionate about exploring creative methods to improve English pronunciation.
Click here to learn more about the scholarship and how to apply.
Stay informed of PronSIG events
Remember to keep an eye on your inbox where you’ll receive updates from PronSIG and IATEFL via coordinators’ emails and monthly Ebulletins. You can also learn of the latest news by following our social media channels Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn as well as our website https://pronsig.www.iatefl.org/.
Gemma Archer & Adam Scott, Joint PronSIG Coordinators
Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date with PronSIGs latest goings on and like, comment and share our activities to your networks.
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Literature
New newsletter published soon
Our publishing manager, Laura, is working on the next edition of the LitSIG newsletter. It will be published in July. The newsletter will mainly cover a selection of contributions from the recent IATEFL 2025 Edinburgh annual conference.
We always welcome submissions for our newsletters. We would love to hear from you if you have done something interesting and newsworthy in literature, film or the creative arts. We would love to share your experiences and insights with the larger community of our present and future members.
Webinars and other events
We are in the process of putting together our webinar program and other exciting events for the coming weeks and months. Eugenia, with the support of other LitSIG committee members, has been busy putting together the following program:
Friday 13 June, a webinar with Annie Altamirano (to be announced in more detail soon);
LitSIG web conference in August or September (to be decided);
a Teacher Education Panel on Saturday 25 October (on the role of literature in teacher education);
a webinar on literature in December (probably with Barbara Lapornik).
We will be back with detailed information as soon as possible.
Please check our website and social media channels for further information.
Gerhard Finster, LitSIG Coordinator
Find us on social media via Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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Testing, Evaluation and Assessment
June webinar
Registrations are open for our June webinar. Neus Figueras and Carolyn Westbrook will present: ‘The CEFR Companion Volume and the Handbook: What’s in them for teachers?’. Join us on 17 June 2025, 17:00 (UK time). For more details and registration, click on this link.
Find us on social media via Facebook and Instagram
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Young Learners & Teenagers
Web conference: call for speakers
The Young Learners and Teenagers SIG is pleased to announce its annual three-day conference to take place online from 28 – 30 November 2025.
The call for speakers is now open! This year’s theme is Real Teachers, Real Classrooms. Practical solutions for today’s YLT challenges.
We’re looking for actionable insights on:
- Classroom management
- Inclusive teaching
- Engagement techniques for teens
- Multilevel instruction
- Assessment without over-testing
Share your expertise with a worldwide community of teachers! Submit your proposal: https://sites.google.com/www.iatefl.org/iateflyltsig/events
Deadline: 30 June
Leticia Moraes and Leandro Paladino, Joint YLTSIG Coordinator
Find us on social media via Facebook, YouTube and Instagram
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Privacy notice
By answering a call for contributions, or submitting a speaker proposal, to an IATEFL Special Interest Group (SIG) you are agreeing to share your details with the relevant committee member(s) of that IATEFL SIG, rather than to IATEFL Head Office.
The information included in your submission will be used only for the purpose defined in the call, and will not be disclosed to any third party or be used to send unsolicited emails. Any data that is no longer required by the IATEFL SIG for this specific purpose of the call will be deleted.