Welcome to our training page

Upcoming training dates

March 2025

• 20 Mar 25

  Teaching mixed-level English classes

  Do you find catering for ESOL learners with different levels a challenge? In this LU interactive session we’ll look at a range of ways of differentiating learning outcomes, activities and materials (including the use of AI) with Entry-level learners. We’ll consider practical ways of adapting speaking, listening, reading and writing texts and tasks for different learners in the same class. The session will give you ideas for activities to inspire you and your learners! Thursday, 20th March, 4.30pm – 6.30pm (GMT)
  Go to link Learning Unlimited
• 20 Mar 25

  Supporting ESOL learners with maths

  This training will aim to give teaching staff much more confidence in supporting ESOL learners who are on their maths programmes of study. It will provide a deeper understanding of the needs of ESOL and explore relatively simple strategies and teaching ideas that can be put into immediate use. Time: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
  Go to link OTC
• 20 Mar 25

  Lunch & Learn sessions: Supported Employment – supporting autistic adults & adults with learning disabilities

  This session will introduce Supported Employment, which provides work placement opportunities for autistic adults and adults with learning disabilities to transition into paid employment. Attendees will learn how to support individuals in this process and how to get involved. The session will be delivered by Stephanie Brown, from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM.
  Go to link Skills House Bradford
• 20 Mar 25

  Enhance Online Learner Engagement: Insights from a University Language Centre

  Join Dr. Sal Consoli from the University of Edinburgh for a free online webinar on sustaining psychological engagement in online English language learning. Discover key insights from a research study on how digital tools, task design, and emotional appeal impact learner engagement. These findings and practical tips can be applied to various learning settings. TIME: 4-5pm
  Go to link NATESOL
• 25 Mar 25

  Missing in action: sociolinguistics for language and literacy teaching

  Mainstream approaches to language and literacy teaching often foreground idealised models of language and language users, and spend little time considering real language use in real social contexts. This LU training explores how ESOL practitioners can incorporate vital sociolinguistic insights into their practice, highlighting powerful elements of real-world language use such as the roles of culture, gender, social class and power relationship – and suggests some practical classroom activities that focus on sociolinguistic aspects of language. Tuesday 25th March, 9.30am – 11.30am (GMT)
  Go to link Learning Unlimited
• 27 Mar 25

  Participatory photography and creative writing in the English classroom

  Nowadays nearly everyone has a smartphone with camera and photo album, making it an invaluable resource for teachers and learners. Taking and sharing photos allows learners to express themselves, share their worlds and articulate thoughts and ideas on topics significant to their lives. This builds community and is a catalyst for creative writing, including poetry. This LU session will explore how photography supports and enriches language learning in the ESOL classroom and look at activities to try in the classroom. Thursday, 27th March, 9.30am – 11.30am (GMT)
  Go to link Learning Unlimited
• 29 Mar 25

  Coalition for Language Education

  The Coalition for Language Education unites various sectors of language education with the shared belief that more should be done to enhance the linguistic and expressive potential of people in the UK. This event aims to: Reflect on innovative local projects across different educational levels, focusing on both challenges and successes. Discuss strategies to embed and sustain these innovations in UK language education. We are excited to have a diverse group of participants sharing their initiatives, with the goal of fostering conversations, connections, and collaborations.
  Go to link Coalition for Language Education

April 2025

• 01 Apr 25

  The naked teacher Part 2: Working with emergent language

  Emergent language is any unplanned language item that arises naturally in a learning context. As a teaching approach closely linked to the ‘naked’ or mostly resource-free approaches referred to above, working with emergent language has many benefits for learners and teachers alike. This LU webinar explores the responsive and language skills practitioners need to adopt this very learner-centred, participative and increasingly recognised methodology, and highlights some practical techniques for implementing this approach in your practice. Tuesday 1st April, 4.30pm – 6.30pm (GMT)
  Go to link Learning Unlimited
• 01 Apr 25

   University of Jyväskylä, Finland: Online seminar invite

  Join the next online guest seminar in the 2024-25 series at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland! At 15:00pm East European Summer Time (Note the time difference – 2 hours ahead of the UK) Birgül Yılmaz (University of Exeter, UK) will present her talk titled “Language, (in)securitisation of migration and counter-securitisation.” The seminar will be live-streamed with an interactive Q&A session. Everyone is welcome to attend!
  Go to link 01Apr 25
• 09 Apr 25

  Northern Race Equality Conference

  The conference, coordinated by the Race Equality Network, the Ella Baker School of Organising, and Inclusive North, will bring together activists, advocates, organizations, lawyers, researchers, and academics to discuss building a society where racial justice is the norm. The event will be interactive, educational, and welcoming, offering a collective opportunity to learn and become more effective champions of equal rights and justice.
  Go to link Ella Baker School of Organising
• 24 Apr 25

  Participatory ESOL: taking stock

  Participatory ESOL: Taking Stock – Seminar Overview Time: 16:00 – 17:30 In 2022-23, a group of 11 practitioners from diverse sectors, including FE, adult education, and the charity sector, came together to reflect on the current state of Participatory ESOL (PE) in England. Through written reflections, group discussions, classroom observations, and data sessions, the team explored the realities of PE classrooms, addressing challenges, doubts, and aspirations within this growing community of practice. The findings of this reflective research project have been published, and a series of podcasts are available for listening. Join us for a seminar where we will discuss the research methods used and highlight key reflections that emerged from the project. Presenters include Amy Jowett (Xenia), Becky Winstanley (English for Action), and Melanie Cooke (King’s College, London). For more details, visit our Padlet: https://tinyurl.com/36227a8x.
  Go to link ESOL Research Community

May 2025

• 14 May 25

  Lesson Planning for the 21st Century course

  The course offer is online, as well as in-person classes. The online course will be in the morning (9:15am to 12:00pm) and the in-person, in the afternoon (1:15pm to 4:00pm). The course will last for 6 weeks. It is free for residents of South Yorkshire, but we accept participants from other areas, for a fee. Details can be obtained by emailing me at the address: millar18edu@gmail.com
  Go to link 21st Century Educators

June 2025

• 12 Jun 25
  04 Jul 25

  Linguistic justice: a summer school for teachers

  All Dates: 12 June 2025 | 04 July 2025 - please note this is a multi-date training event.

  This FREE summer school will be led by Dr Ian Cushing, Senior Lecturer in Critical Applied Linguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr Cushing, an ex-school teacher, is a world-leading scholar in issues of language and social justice, whose work focuses on the production and maintenance of linguistic inequalities in schools. The summer school is fully funded by MMU AHEAD’s scheme, with all travel, expenses, and refreshments paid for.
  Go to link MMU
• 27 Jun 25
  28 Jun 25

  NATECLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2025

  All Dates: 27 June 2025 | 28 June 2025 - please note this is a multi-date training event.

  Join ESOL teachers, managers, academics and others working in the field for a weekend of inspirational guest speakers, superb workshops, discussion sessions and social activities.
  Go to link NATECLA