Labels

Upcoming CPD Opportunities Winter 2025/2026

Upcoming CPD Opportunities: Winter 2025-2026


It's beginning to feel a lot like.....the end of term! For those of you who celebrate it, here is my early Christmas present: the latest collection of (mainly free) CPD opportunities available over the next three months.

As usual, if you notice I've left anything out that might be useful, please feel free to pop it in the comments.

And as they say in my adopted homeland: Bon Nadal, Bones Festes i Bon Any!



PRESENTERS: Various – see programme 
DATES & TIMES: Monday, 9th – Friday, 20th February
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: Macmillan
TYPE OF EVENT: Free online event
SUMMARY
From 9th to 20th February 2026, join us for two weeks of inspiration and innovation designed to transform your teaching. This year’s programme brings 20 talks from 24 leading voices from around the world to explore the most relevant topics in education today—AI in the classroom, inclusive learning, creative project-based approaches, and strategies to boost learner confidence and engagement.
Discover fresh ideas, practical tools, and a vibrant community of educators at the ultimate online event for English language teachers. Don’t miss your chance to learn, connect, and get inspired!





TITLE: Creating lesson aims that support progress for young learners
PRESENTERS: Matthew Ellman and Anna Bejshovcova
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 10th February - 10:00 (GMT) & Thursday, 12th February 2026 - 16:00 (GMT)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: Cambridge University Press & Assessment
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Great teaching starts with great lesson design. But how can you plan effective lessons quickly and easily? In this session, we'll go through the whole lesson design process for a young learner class, from learning aims, to materials and activity selection, through to consideration of feedback and tailored follow-up. You’ll learn what to prioritise so that your learners always leave their lessons better than when they arrived!



PRESENTER: İrem Gedil
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 10th February 2026 - 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This webinar examines how generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can be used to provide formative feedback on student writing in higher education contexts. It explores how teachers can guide AI responses through the use of clear assessment criteria, annotated sample papers, and written performance expectations to ensure feedback is consistent and pedagogically meaningful. Practical examples will illustrate how AI-generated comments can support students’ revision processes and enhance the efficiency of feedback practices. The session will also consider key limitations, including issues of reliability, validity, and the need for teacher oversight. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how AI tools can complement human expertise rather than replace it. The webinar aims to offer evidence-informed insights and practical strategies for integrating AI into assessment and feedback processes responsibly.


TITLE: ‘Feel good fast’ A spotlight on a practical approach to staff and student wellbeing
PRESENTER: Fiona Dunlop
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday, 11th February – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: Modern English Teacher
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
How can we implement good wellbeing practices in our school for both staff and students? Why does this matter, and what are the implications of not addressing staff and student wellbeing sufficiently?

In this interactive webinar, Fiona Dunlop will take the approach, as with safeguarding, that staff and student wellbeing should run through everything we do, is clear, transparent and practical and is the responsibility of everyone. She will address three main areas where the concept of wellbeing can be enhanced:

- The role of the organisation or school; the values, practices and systems
- The role of leadership – from principal to teacher (the manager in the classroom)
- The role of the individual, be it staff or students, responsible for our own wellbeing

She will then go on to explore a number of tried and tested activities.  These range from simple tasks such as breathing exercises to a deeper wellbeing tool that students and staff can build into their daily lives. We will then discuss a number of practical tips which participants can implement and see the impact of immediately. Finally, we will end by raising awareness to when something may be more than wellbeing but a bigger welfare concern and how to manage this as a teacher either with a colleague or a student.

This interactive webinar is designed for both managers and teachers, and aims to provide a balance of input and practical guidance tailored to the individual to create a wellbeing environment for all within the workplace.




PRESENTERS: Burcu Kayarkaya & Selahattin Yılmaz
DATES & TIMES: Monday, 16th February – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Teaching, Evaluation and Assessment SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Assessing L2 students’ argumentative writing quality requires attention not only to the presence of key components including thesis, evidence, counterargument, and rebuttal, but also to the depth of reasoning that connects these elements. Many EFL students can produce structural components yet struggle to justify their claims clearly. This study investigates whether AI-mediated dialogic practice via ChatGPT 5.1 can improve argument quality in a B2-level writing course. In a quasi-experimental design, both groups receive instruction on argumentation, but the experimental group also engages in AI-supported pro–opponent exchanges in which the AI challenges claims, questions evidence, and presents counterarguments for students to rebut. Essays from both groups will be rated with an analytic rubric aligned with CEFR principles and adapted through stakeholder input. By foregrounding assessment outcomes, the study examines the potential of dialogic AI to support instructional design and evidence-based evaluation in argumentative writing.




PRESENTER: Gian Luca Longo
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 17th February 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: Italiano
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Questo webinar offre un’esplorazione critica e pratica di come l’intelligenza artificiale possa essere integrata nella didattica linguistica contemporanea, con particolare attenzione all’insegnamento dell’italiano a parlanti non madrelingua. Verranno presentate strategie per l’utilizzo dell’intelligenza artificiale nella progettazione di attività comunicative, nella personalizzazione dei percorsi di apprendimento e nella creazione di materiali didattici coinvolgenti, contestualizzati e adattabili. La sessione metterà in luce come l’intelligenza artificiale possa supportare gli insegnanti nella gestione della complessità linguistica e culturale, favorendo l’interazione, la riflessione metalinguistica e l’autonomia degli studenti. Attraverso esempi concreti, il webinar discuterà le potenzialità e i limiti degli strumenti digitali, con l’obiettivo di promuovere un uso consapevole e pedagogicamente fondato dell’intelligenza artificiale. È rivolto a insegnanti di lingue, formatori e progettisti di curricula interessati a innovare la propria pratica didattica mantenendo rigore metodologico, centralità dello studente e coerenza didattica.

TITLE: From Needs Analysis to Lesson Design: Structuring Activities Around Professional Needs
PRESENTER: Dylan Gates
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday 18th February – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: Trinity College London
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
The webinar will provide teachers with a systematic approach to lesson design for adult professionals, starting with a targeted needs analysis to identify professional communication gaps. Participants will learn a simple framework to balance practice in fluency, accuracy, and clarity, enabling them to create a customizable bank of lesson templates.



PRESENTERS: Elsie Enanga and Yasmin Chaudhuri
DATES & TIMES: Friday, 20th February – 12:00–15:30 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: British Council
TYPE OF EVENT: Free online event
SUMMARY
Join us on 20 February for three interactive sessions designed to help you promote equality through your English language teaching. Explore practical strategies to bridge the divide in tech-challenged classrooms, overcome barriers in under-resourced settings and equip your learners to succeed, whatever their circumstances.

Session 1: Elsie Enanga - Transform your language teaching with low-cost tech tools
12.00–13.00 (UK time) 
How can we bridge the digital divide when teaching in resource-constrained settings? In this webinar, we will explore some simple, low-cost digital tools that can be easily integrated into your English language classes. You will learn practical techniques including how to use smartphones for recording and analysing learner speech and how you can leverage laptops for data analysis and to create personalised learning experiences. Join us to find out how readily available and affordable tech tools can bridge the digital divide in language education and create a positive, engaging learning environment.  

Session 2: Yasmin Chaudhuri - Bringing social justice into diverse English classrooms
13.15–14.15 
How can we bring social justice themes like equity, diversity and inclusion into our English language lessons? And how can the inclusion of these themes help with the specific challenges faced by secondary and adult learners in rural, semi-urban and urban contexts? In this webinar, you will explore how integrating real-world issues like gender equality, environmental justice and human rights can make your lessons more meaningful. You'll also learn techniques for assessing the impact of your approach and discover how your teaching can inspire confidence, empathy and action in your learners.

Session 3: (Speakers to be confirmed) Teachers share: Resources for social change
14.30–15.30 (UK time) 
Three expert teachers from around the world will share practical ideas for resources that you can use in your classroom for social change.





TITLE: Skill Shift: Scaling Employability Skills for Talent Deployment
PRESENTER: Rohit Das
DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 21st February – 15:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Business English (BE) SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
In a rapidly evolving job market, scalable talent deployment is more than just technical know-how. This webinar explores the critical employability skills that drive workforce readiness, adaptability, and long-term success. Join us as we breakdown the shift needed to align education, industry, and individual potential for a future-ready talent ecosystem.



PRESENTER: Dorothy Zemach
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday 24th February – 18:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Materials Writing SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
The rise of ebooks and print-on-demand paperbacks has made self-publishing possible for individual authors. Find out how to assess your work and ideas for self-publishing viability, and then learn what is involved in bringing a book to fruition. We’ll cover different ways self-publishers create covers, handle art and audio, arrange for editing and proofreading, and address marketing and sales. I’ll include best practices and commonly accepted conventions for 2025-2026.




TITLE: Learners’ Collaborative Video-Production: Key competencies for the Attention Economy Era
PRESENTER: Sylvia Karastathi
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday, 25th February 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: English 
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
How are we preparing language learners for ‘an economy of attention’, where ‘fighting for attention dominates everyday culture’? This talk will draw on insights and experiences from a research project conducted in a higher-education context working with video-presentations and discuss how we can facilitate the development of visual and critical literacy skills to help students navigate the new attention landscape.






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts