Igniting Inspiration: Reflecting on Queensland's PD Fest 2024
QI team present at QLD PD Fest
30 April 2024 I The Queensland Institute
Peter Viteetarm presents at QLD PD Fest 2024.
On the 23rd of March 2024, English Australia hosted its annual Professional Development Festival (QLD PD Fest), bringing together over 200 educators from colleges across Queensland to share best practices and sector insights.
The Queensland Institute Co-Founders, Philippa Coleman, and Fiona Wiebusch were joined by team members Vicki Bos, Peter Viteetarm, and Leslie Qingmiao Cheng to participate in this enriching event. As we reflect on the day, we are impressed by the high-quality presentations delivered by our colleagues and the valuable insights shared.
A Great Start to the Day
The day began with a moving performance by the UQ Voices Choir, a community choir for international students focused on building belonging on campus. Sponsored by Allianz Care and proudly supported by the UQ School of Psychology and The Queensland Institute, the choir's stirring rendition of Alicia Key’s ‘Lifeline’ set the tone for a day filled with support and professional learning. Vicki Bos conducted the choir, inviting audience participation.
Watch the choir performance HERE.
Presentation Highlights
Among the many standout presentations, our team enjoyed the following sessions:
Vicki Bos, The Queensland Institute
Beyond the red card: Empowering learners to work in English in the classroom
Vicki's inspiring presentation provided an innovative approach to helping students to work in English during classroom activities. Her ingenious paper-based tool, underpinned by positive behaviour support principles, offers a practical solution to a common challenge in ELICOS classrooms.
See all the resources on Vicki’s Padlet HERE.
Sermin Erden, TAFE QLD
Language, culture, and coexistence: The Impact of L1 on L2 Production in Multilingual Communities
Sermin's insightful presentation explored the influence of a learner's first language (L1) on their second language (L2) production, emphasising the importance of understanding this relationship in multilingual classrooms and communities. Her real-world examples resonated deeply with the audience.
Peter Viteetarm, QUT College & The Queensland Institute
Role-play reversal: From burden to benefit - changing current attitudes towards role-plays in ELICOS
Peter's engaging presentation challenged prevailing attitudes toward role-plays in the ELICOS classroom, demonstrating how performance techniques and video can transform role-plays into valuable learning tools, putting students’ Tik Tok skills to great use!
Tanja Hafenstein, UQ College
Help! I know the word but I can't hear it - Improving listening skills
Tanja's practical presentation addressed the challenges of teaching and learning listening skills, extending upon Field and Caldwell’s work, focusing on decoding and intensive listening. Her insights and tools for teaching listening were invaluable.
Katie Clancy, UQ College
Empowering writers: enhancing the writing process with minimal prep and maximum impact
Katie shared highly practical strategies for enhancing students' writing skills, offering valuable insights into the writing process. Modelling the effective use of exam.net for process writing and targeted feedback in the classroom.
Niki Joseph, eflwriters - freelance
Beauty and the Beast: AI for teachers
Niki's presentation explored the use of AI tools to create engaging activities for students, providing valuable tips for incorporating AI into teaching.
Download all of the PowerPoint slides HERE.
Final Thoughts
Once again, the QLD PDFest was a resounding success, offering a wealth of knowledge and insights for English language educators.
We extend our gratitude to all the presenters for their valuable contributions and to English Australia and industry sponsors, including venue host, UQ College, and the conference committee for organising such a fantastic event.
We are already looking forward to PD Fest 2025!
What’s coming up?
English Australia Conference Call for Papers
Abstract submissions close on Monday 6 May for the English Australia conference to be held on 11-13 September 2024 at the Pan Pacific Hotel Perth. Time to submit! Click HERE to learn more.
AI in ELT Ideas Exchange
Join members of the English Australia Ed Tech SIG 30 May 2024 at 4.00-5.00pm (AEST) for an informal online discussion to share ideas about how we are using Gen AI tools for our lessons. Click HERE.
Click HERE to read the submission guidelines.
