ESOLSIG: Advocating for ESOL learners in systems of constraint

Join IATEFL ESOLSIG, Dr Bronagh Catibusic, Mike Chick, Dr Fiona Gallagher, Dr Shadi Karazi and Sam Shepherd for this online event.

The field of ESOL is growing exponentially, as is the global human crisis of forced displacement and migration. ESOL teachers, many of whom are volunteers, have to navigate the complexities of this crisis, often alone, advocating for their learners and addressing their learner’s multidimensional needs. Our online event will take a close look at how we are advocating for learners, especially in the many systems of constraint our learners, and we have to work within.

Traditionally ESOL was perceived to be a small slice of the English language teaching field but with the increase in demand for ESOL classrooms, teachers, and relevant ESOL is now a reality that cannot be dismissed. Join us to look at how we can move ESOL forward and advocate for our learners and ourselves.

The day will be a combination of examining policy issues, practical ideas for the classroom and networking with like-minded colleagues.

Download the flyer here

About the presenters

Sam Shepherd is an ESOL teacher and CELTA trainer working at Kirklees College, based in Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. He has taught in a wide variety of contexts, from international EFL to community and college based ESOL in England. He has been interested in materials-light and student-driven ESOL practices for some time, as well as the policy context of ESOL. Classroom technology has also been a long-standing interest, often in terms of when not to use it, as much as about when not to.

Mike Chick has worked in language teaching for over twenty-five years. At the University of South Wales, he is a TESOL teacher education lecturer and is the University Refugee Champion. His research interests surround language education for migrants in Wales and he is currently researching social justice in language education.

Dr Bronagh Ćatibušić is an Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics in the Centre for Language and Communication Studies (CLCS) in Trinity College Dublin. Prior to her current role, she was the director of Trinity’s Centre for English Language Learning and Teaching (CELLT). She has previously lectured on the teaching of English as an additional language (EAL) in Dublin City University and has been involved in research on language and migration for the Council of Europe and other organisations. Her research and publications relate to language acquisition and pedagogy, plurilingual and intercultural education, and migration studies. She also has a long record of teaching and community engagement with refugees and migrants in Ireland.

Dr Fiona Gallagher is an Assistant Professor in the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (SALIS) at Dublin City University, where she lectures in ESOL, English for Academic Purposes and Multilingual and Refugee Education. Before this, she worked as a teacher and CELTA teacher educator in Sudan, Italy, Spain, Ireland, the US, Australia and Portugal. Her research interests lie primarily in the fields of second language acquisition, TESOL and bi/multilingual education with particular reference to: L1 use in language learning and teaching; translanguaging and plurilingual pedagogies; and teaching and learning in the linguistically and culturally diverse primary and secondary school classroom. https://www.dcu.ie/salis/people/fiona-gallagher.shtml

Dr Shadi Karazi is a lecturer, researcher and learning technologist at Dublin City University. He has extensive expertise in supporting individuals and programme teams to implement appropriate technological solutions to specific learning challenges. His publications and research interests relate to Engineering, eLearning, and Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning. He is actively involved with the Irish-Syrian community in Ireland. 

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