Upcoming CPD Opportunities: Spring 2025

Spring is in the air! (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere). It's the time of year when I get confused about whether the clocks have already gone forward - every morning seems considerably lighter than the day before! With spring comes new energy: a chance to dust off those winter blues and try something new, and a perfect opportunity for a little professional spring cleaning. So here is the latest in the seasonal collection of links to ELT events.

I started these summaries to help me keep track all the CPD opportunities available. As it seemed useful, I decided to share and the response has been great – thank you for all your support!  Although I update the posts regularly, I can still miss things – so if there is anything you think might be useful, please let me know in the comments.

TITLE: Secret Lives of Consonant Clusters

PRESENTER: Jonathan Marks

DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 24^th May 2025 - 13:00 (UK time)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: IATEFL PronSIG

TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar

SUMMARY

Consonant clusters are often neglected, but impede learners’ ability to understand and be understood ….. especially since clusters are often reduced in spontaneous speech, which also contains ‘illegal’ clusters. I will introduce legal and illegal clusters, suggest ways of helping learners negotiate clusters in speaking and listening, consider implications for ELF, and show how cluster instability throws light on spelling.

Registration/Info 

TITLE: BESIG - Building the IMAGE: Navigating Negative Feedback with Cultural Awareness

PRESENTER: Alexandra Covell

DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 24^th May, 2025 - 15:00 (UK time)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Business English SIG (BESIG)

TYPE OF EVENT: Webinar: £15; Free for IATEFL members

SUMMARY

Giving negative feedback in a global business setting can be challenging, especially when cultural differences shape how the feedback is perceived. The IMAGE approach offers a practical framework for delivering feedback that is clear, constructive, and culturally sensitive. Through this interactive workshop, attendees will explore how to identify key issues, navigate cultural nuances, and create a two-way dialogue that fosters collaboration. The session will focus on:

● Providing attendees with strategies for offering solution-focused feedback with empathy and support.

● Equipping attendees with practical tips for guiding learners in handling feedback conversations confidently, improving communication, strengthening relationships, and enhancing team dynamics in diverse professional environments.

Registration/Info 

TITLE: Professional Development Certificate in Teacher Wellbeing

PRESENTERS: Sarah Mercer

DATES & TIMES: Monday, 26^th May, 2025 – 10:00 (GMT)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: Castledown

TYPE OF EVENT: Free online course/webinar

SUMMARY

TBA

Registration/Info

 

TITLE: Are Your Students ‘Future-Ready’?

PRESENTERS: Sean Bermingham

DATES & TIMES: Tues. 27^th and Weds. 28^th May, 2025 – 21:00 (ET) and 9:00 (ET)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: National Geographic Learning

TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar

SUMMARY

In today’s rapidly evolving global job market, students entering the workforce need more than just academic knowledge; they need future-ready skills that will help them adapt to new challenges and opportunities in the global workplace and beyond. So how is the need for “future-ready skills” different now from in the past, and what role might these skills play in a language learning classroom? In this interactive webinar, we’ll explore what we mean by ‘future-ready skills’ and look at some practical ways for incorporating them in English language curricula and lessons.

Registration/Info 

TITLE: Assessing speaking skills for A2 Key and B1 Preliminary

PRESENTERS: Claire Ross & Sangeeta Sathe

DATES & TIMES: Thursday 29th May 2025, 10:00 (GMT+1)  and Tuesday 3rd June 2025, 16:00 (GMT+1)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: Cambridge University Press & Assessment

TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar

SUMMARY

Unlock the secrets to excelling in the speaking components of the A2 Key and B1 Preliminary exams. In this webinar, we’ll guide you through the practical application of assessment criteria, share ideas and talk about ways to give constructive feedback that makes a difference. We'll also showcase brand new guides for teachers to boost your confidence and skills in evaluating your learners' speaking.

Registration/Info 

TITLE: Arts Integration in Foreign Language Instruction

PRESENTERS: Various (see programme) 

DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 31^st May, 2025

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: Sabanci University, Türkiye/Eaquals

TYPE OF EVENT: Free Online Conference

SUMMARY

An exciting opportunity for language educators: the Arts Integration in Foreign Language Instruction (AIFLI) Online Conference, taking place on 31 May 2025. This event is organised by Sabancı University School of Languages, an Eaquals-accredited member, and is supported through the Eaquals Member Event Fund, with additional in-kind support from Sabancı University.

The conference will focus on arts integration in foreign language teaching, with the goal of introducing educators to this creative and engaging approach, and providing practical strategies for implementation across diverse language contexts.

This event also offers a valuable opportunity to reconnect higher education instructors who took part in:

-          the Arts Integration in English Language Instruction Online Course (2022), and

-          the SLTeDOL Arts Integration in Foreign Language Instruction Online Course (2024).

Participants will hear from experienced practitioners, explore real-world examples, and leave with adaptable, innovative ideas to enrich their language teaching practice.

There is no registration fee for this online event.

Registration/Info 

TITLE: LASIG: Translating holistic and learner-centered approaches into EFL classroom practice

PRESENTERS: Prof. Dr. Danuta Wiśniewska, Gabriella Kovács (plenaries)

DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 31^st May, 2025 - 09:00 to 17:30 CEST (Local time, Poznan, Poland)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY: IATEFL LASIG

TYPE OF EVENT:  Local F2F event

Early bird pricing

IATEFL members: £35

Non members: £45

Early bird will finish on 31st April 2025. The following charges will apply from the 1st May until 28th May, when online booking will close.

Standard pricing

IATEFL members: £50

Non members: £60

SUMMARY

Join us for our LASIG event Translating holistic and learner-centered approaches into EFL-classroom practice, organized at the University Adam Mickiewicz Poznan, Poland on 31 May 2025. This event will focus on motivational aspects in the tertiary sector as well as in school settings that already provide learners with some responsibility for their learning.

Registration/Info 

 

TITLE: 4^th Chat & Chill Café

PRESENTERS: Annie Altamirano & Elizabeth Cicconi

DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 31^st May – 16:00 (CET)

LANGUAGE: English

ORGANISED BY:

TYPE OF EVENT: Open online chat

SUMMARY

🌟 Join Us for the 4th Chat & Chill Café! 🌟

Hi everyone, The Chat & Chill Café is opening its virtual doors again, and we’d love for you to join us for our fourth session!

The Chat & Chill Café is a friendly, informal space where educators, creatives, and curious minds can:

✨ Share ideas and connect with like-minded people.

✨ Enjoy interviews, short talks, and discussions on literature, music, and more.

✨ Meet new people and reconnect with colleagues—all while having fun!

🎶 The café is interactive, welcoming, and completely free! No membership or registration required—just pop in and join us.

📍 Where? The session will take place on Zoom.

⚠️ Note: Places are limited, so be sure to arrive early—it’s first-come, first-served!

💬 Save the date, and let’s chat and chill together. We can’t wait to see you there!

Registration/Info – no registration required. Zoom link will be published by organisers on their social media closer to the date.