Ms Margarita Kosior on the stage of the 14th ELTA Serbia Conference

On 20-21 May 2016, Ms Margarita Kosior, an English Studies Department Lecturer, attended the 14th ELTA Serbia Conference, which took place in Belgrade, with the central theme "One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world (Malala Yousafzai, 2013)".

During the event, Ms. Kosior delivered a talk entitled "Teaching for Social Justice: From Social Context to Teaching Content" representing the local teachers' association, TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece. During her session she presented, among others, ideas implemented at and promoted by the English Studies Department. Ms Kosior argued that the English teaching profession has acquired new aims ranging beyond the merely linguistic development of the students. With the guidance of inspiring educators, English language learners become well-informed and responsible global citizens.

Moreover, Ms Kosior recommended a number of ways in which this can be accomplished: the use of TED talks, YouTube videos and documentaries, engaging students in silent discussion, or working on projects involving various kinds of oral presentations, to mention just a few.

In the spirit of the conference, Ms Kosior convinced the audience that raising awareness of global issues and fostering social responsibility should be among the aims of every educator. The audience consisted of educators from Serbia, but also representatives of various teachers' associations and nationalities, which opens doors to potential collaboration in the future.