Ms Margarita Kosior from the English Studies Department on the stage of the 26th IATEFL-Hungary Annual Conference
Κολέγιο CITY College
Main Campus, Thessaloniki, Greece
21 October 2016

Ms Margarita Kosior from the English Studies Department on the stage of the 26th IATEFL-Hungary Annual Conference

On October 8th, Ms. Margarita Kosior, English Studies Department Lecturer, delivered her talk "Social Issues in ELT: From Social Context to Teaching Content" to the audience of the 26th IATEFL-Hungary Annual Conference "Dimensions, Diversity and Directions in ELT" in Kaposvár, Hungary.

Ms Margarita Kosior, CITY College English Studies Department Lecturer, delivered her talk "Social Issues in ELT: From Social Context to Teaching Content" to the audience of the 26th IATEFL-Hungary Annual Conference "Dimensions, Diversity and Directions in ELT" in Kaposvár, Hungary

Ms. Kosior presented the ways in which she incorporates issues of global importance into her teaching conducted in the University of Sheffield International Faculty.  As the number and the severity of problems we are facing is growing, Global Education is gaining popularity among English teachers. It is no longer a question of whether we should incorporate social issues into ELT, but rather how it can be done.  In order to address this need, Ms Kosior presented a number of activities and tasks she employs in her teaching, but focused mainly on participating in well-structured projects and on various forms of collaboration with other educators and professionals involved in Global Education.

Not every teacher is immediately willing to jump on the bandwagon, since discussion on social issues in an English language class will often result in heated debates, but also, if not conducted properly, in uncomfortable situations. Indeed, many social issues can be considered controversial or sensitive, therefore Ms. Kosior recommended "Toolkit for Learning and Teaching: Teaching Sensitivity and Controversial Topics" published on the University of Sheffield website which identifies the delicate topics, explains what the responsibility of the educator is and provides specific advice on how to manage a difficult discussion in class.

Ms Kosior finished her presentation with an important message: we should not underestimate the value of our efforts, just because they may seem like a drop in the ocean. Every educator's and every student's voice can be heard and should be heard, and every effort can contribute to the greater good, ranging way beyond linguistic competence.

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