Meet IATEFL's 16 Special Interest Groups
BESIG represents the interests, needs and identity of the business English professional community worldwide. We run an international face-to-face annual conference and a range of online events such as webinars, workshops, as well as an array of networking sessions. We also provide our members with our Business Issues and Conference Selections publications, and a myriad of BE resources, benefits, discounts and scholarships.
Coordinated by Marjorie Rosenberg and Silke Riegler
The focus of this group is on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), also known as English as a Second Language (ESL). Our main interest is language learners, including refugees, asylum seekers or migrant workers, who have come to settle in a country where English is the major or predominant language. Our aim is to promote effective language learning opportunities and to exchange ideas for best practice across different countries and educational systems.
Coordinated by Declan Flanagan & Vivi Bairami
The main focus of the ESPSIG is on English for Specific Purposes, English for Academic Purposes and English for Occupational / Professional Purposes. Our main objective is to disseminate good practice in ESP (as well as EAP and EO/PP) through our membership. Furthermore, we aim to promote models of excellence in ESP to ELT professionals in the UK and abroad through workshops, seminars and conferences, and through publishing of the output in our journal and leading ELT journals and periodicals.
Coordinated by Caroline Hyde-Simon
The Global Issues SIG is a community and platform for critical English language educators who believe that how and what we teach really matters, and shapes our world, inside and outside our classrooms. By promoting critical pedagogies within ELT, GISIG aims to empower and inspire language teachers and learners to challenge economic, social and environmental injustice, and to take action, in our role as global citizens.
Coordinated by Varinder Unlu
IP&SENSIG promotes genuinely inclusive practices, that lead to a sense of belonging and full participation for all within the ELT community. We share good practice and experience, and disseminate information about inclusive teaching methods, materials and resources which help to identify and dismantle all barriers to inclusion and raise awareness of the challenges facing learners and teachers whose specific needs and identities may be unidentified or not acknowledged.
Coordinated by Aysen Deger & Giovanni Licata
The ELT Leadership & Management SIG aims to raise awareness among the ELT profession of management issues; contribute to the development of good management practices within ELT; provide a forum for the discussion of management issues that affect our profession; provide opportunities for, and information about, relevant management training, and, help improve quality standards in ELT.
Coordinated by Josh Round & Barbara Craig
LASIG promotes the development of learner autonomy by exploring how to put students in charge of their own learning. We seek to address the interests and needs of students, teachers, learning advisers, teacher educators, and researchers who are interested in autonomy in language learning and all that it implies. Through our webinars, events, and publications we provide a forum for discussion and opportunities to network at local, national and international levels
Coordinated by Lawrie Moore & Giovanna Tassinari
LTSIG has been focusing on the use of technology in language teaching for over 30 years. It focuses on all aspects of technology used by teachers and students from online tools, computer-mediated communication, corpora and mobile technologies. Although there have been many changes in this field over these years, we remain committed to looking into, describing, and critically analysing the latest learning technologies in the field of language teaching and learning in terms of tools and apps, but mostly their pedagogically-sound application.
Coordinated by Maria Diakou
The Literature SIG promotes teaching and research in literatures in English and the creative arts in general. Our events and publications are aimed at teachers, teacher trainers, researchers and trainee teachers who are interested in working with prose fiction, poetry, extensive reading, film, drama, interactive media, music, the visual arts and creative writing to promote language learning.
Coordinated by Gerhard Finster
The IATEFL Materials Writing Special Interest Group is for:
- teachers who create their own classroom materials
- aspiring writers who would like to get their work published
- published authors
- ELT editors, publishers and designers.
MaWSIG aims to:
- share and promote best practice in ELT materials writing
- offer professional development to writers and editors
- connect our members with other writers and publishers.
Shape the future of ELT materials writing.
Coordinated by Heather Buchanan
PronSIG has been at the forefront of the practice & theory of pronunciation teaching for more than 20 years. We give teachers the opportunity to: exchange ideas about methodology and materials; discuss theoretical matters and, work on the interdependence of pronunciation and other areas of language learning.
Coordinated by Gemma Archer & Adam Scott
The Research SIG is a platform and community of researchers, teachers, students and educators who are interested and involved in English language teaching research. We discuss the latest developments in ELT research, encourage teachers and learners to get involved in doing research, support and organise events around the world, create opportunities for members to publish and share their research via our newsletter and other publications, host webinars, and develop links with and support teacher associations around the world. If you are interested in ELT research, please do join us!
Coordinated by Ernesto Vargas Gil
TDSIG provides a forum for anyone interested in development paths to share their own and learn from the experiences of others. We aim to enable and encourage all categories of teacher to take more responsibility for professional and personal evolution throughout their careers, promote individual and institutional awareness of the importance of teacher development, and encourage the provision of facilities for teacher development which do not already exist.
Coordinated by Cecilia Lemos & James Taylor
TTEdSIG aims to support English language teachers, teacher trainers and teacher educators on the aspects of pre and in-service teacher education, as well as professional development through talks and workshops at the annual IATEFL conference in the UK and around the world. TTEdSIG also supports ELT professionals by publishing articles of great interest in their newsletter and leading ELT journals.
Coordinated by Jim Fuller & Clare Hayward
Developing and sharing expertise in the field of language assessment.
TEASIG is a professional forum set up to address the needs, respond to the interests of, and promote professional development for IATEFL members in connection with testing, evaluation and assessment in all areas of English language teaching. We provide a platform to connect students, teachers, educators, and testing, evaluation and assessment experts worldwide, and keep our members abreast of developments in the field with F2F and online events, publications and regular webinars.
Coordinated by Maria Davou & Joanna Wrzesinska
Linking, developing and supporting early years, primary and secondary ELT professionals.
YLTSIG aims to lead, drive change and set standards in teaching English as another language to children and teenagers (3 - 17 years old). This comprises best classroom practices, age-sensitive teacher education and principled TEYL assessment. For over 35 years, we have been a conduit for sharing age-relevant pedagogies, professional development opportunities and resources as well as raising awareness about protecting children and teenagers learning English.
Coordinated by Laura McWilliams