12th International BelNATE-IATEFL conference
- By (Val) Valiantsina Holubeva
- Posted Oct 25, 2016
"...God, viewing such behavior as rude and disrespectful,
confounded their speech so that they could no longer
understand each other and scattered them
around the world...."
(the "Tower of Babel" story)
In November 2016, Minsk is hosting a significant event: the 12th International Conference of Teachers of English.
It might look like a regular professional event, but if we remember the crucial mission of teachers of English, which is to reverse the Curse of Babel and to empower peoples and individuals with a universal language, then the significance of the event will become apparent.
Hundreds of English language teachers and presenters from other countries will get together to share their mastership in teaching English as a global language, to talk about the prospects, the immediate and strategic needs in the field and establish contacts for future projects.
The professional community of teachers of English have been holding this kind of conferences biannually since 1994. They have been traditionally organised by BelNATE (Belarusian National Association of Teachers of English), an affiliate member of IATEFL.
This year the teachers will look into how to teach the English language and literature in the context of the 21st-century reality, and also how to adjust the operations of BelNATE to the needs of today's teachers of English as a global language.
Please, watch Valiantsina Holubeva's address to the current and future BelNATE members and share it with every English teacher you know. Let's start building capacity NOW. (Credits: Natalia Kulinkovich from #TeachersTalkShop for making this video possible and to Natalia Pylilo, the creator of the video).
To be updated, to meet the best teachers of Belarus and the pain points made by the key-note speakers, follow us here and also on Facebook (click here).
If you have not registered for the Conference, never mind: take part in the discussion online, come forward with your proposals, make problem solving suggestions - do what you can do to help us all move forward.
Here is what you can do for BelNATE:
Help YOUR association help YOU, and remember, that
stars shine brighter when they shine together.
