Going Analog at IATEFL
- meahunt68
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
This year, I am fortunate to be able to attend the annual iatefl conference thanks to the BESIG facilitator's scholarship. I had thought going to Edinburgh in 2025 was not going to be possible but I decided - at the last minute - to throw my hat into the ring and submit a proposal and application. Previous attempts had not been successful, so I was delighted to be offered the scholarship prize this time.
Now the big event is only a few days away and the workshop I am presenting on Thursday 10th April is just about good-to-go. I decided to share an assessment task success story with fellow BESIG-ers which I feel is very timely in the current climate of Gen AI and all things techie and digital. I am going to explore the potential for sometimes returning to an analog way of learning.
The workshop - Forget PowerPoint. Let's Go Analog - takes a multimodal approach to a task-based language learning activity. The original drive behind this idea was the need to find a way to assess oral flunecy that was NOT another powerpoint company presentation. After years of observing and grading students' efforts to talk about a well-known company or their favourite CEO, I really wanted to change things up a bit. Capturing the essence of their findings on a single flip chart and then talking through in a less formal, more personal and communicative way was my goal.
By the end of the workshop, in which I shall ask my colleagues to reflect on how my ideas might be adapted to their own contexts, I hope to emphasise the benefits of a hands-on, personal and no/low-tech approach to language learning and development.
If you want a preview, or if you are stopping by here having attended the workshop in Edinburgh (in room Mentieth at 5:20pm on Thursday 10th April), here is the handout.
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