So after three years working in a fantastic school in Aranda de Duero (a small town a couple of hours north of Madrid), it was time for a move. With plenty of ELT horror stories out there I checked out my new academy through various contacts/friends of friends etc. All feedback came back positive so it was time for to move to Cordoba in Andalucia, Spain in September.
As the first term enters it's last week (if two days can be classed as a week...), I can reflect on a really enjoyable, interesting and productive term. A great team, a good school ethos, wonderful students and loads of scope for development. The question for me now is how to continue to develop as a teacher in my new role and what to do first? I still want to do DELTA Module 2 but after reading more about it, I am not convinced I will be ready for the planned February start. But am I just putting it off? If I don't do it now, will I ever do it? etc. It will be decision time over the Christmas break.
What doesn't need a decision however is when to do my first conference presentation. For the past three years I have attended the TESOL-Spain conference and always found them to be inspiring, informative and a great opportunity to take some time out of the usual preparation/teaching cycle to think and discuss ideas. This year I attended the ACEIA conference in Seville for the first time. Although it was a lot shorter - too short? - I got exactly the same things out of it. The seed was sown. In the interests of pushing myself and seeing what I could do, I came back from the conference determined to speak (or at least apply to speak) at a conference in 2016. I duly applied to a conference in Madrid in February and last week was told I had been accepted. I have got over the feeling of "what was I thinking of?" and am starting - nervously admittedly - to look forward to it.
Any tips, advice, thoughts etc about doing a first conference talk would be really welcome.
As the first term enters it's last week (if two days can be classed as a week...), I can reflect on a really enjoyable, interesting and productive term. A great team, a good school ethos, wonderful students and loads of scope for development. The question for me now is how to continue to develop as a teacher in my new role and what to do first? I still want to do DELTA Module 2 but after reading more about it, I am not convinced I will be ready for the planned February start. But am I just putting it off? If I don't do it now, will I ever do it? etc. It will be decision time over the Christmas break.
What doesn't need a decision however is when to do my first conference presentation. For the past three years I have attended the TESOL-Spain conference and always found them to be inspiring, informative and a great opportunity to take some time out of the usual preparation/teaching cycle to think and discuss ideas. This year I attended the ACEIA conference in Seville for the first time. Although it was a lot shorter - too short? - I got exactly the same things out of it. The seed was sown. In the interests of pushing myself and seeing what I could do, I came back from the conference determined to speak (or at least apply to speak) at a conference in 2016. I duly applied to a conference in Madrid in February and last week was told I had been accepted. I have got over the feeling of "what was I thinking of?" and am starting - nervously admittedly - to look forward to it.
Any tips, advice, thoughts etc about doing a first conference talk would be really welcome.