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!
TITLE: Mother tongue-based multilingual education insights from India
PRESENTER: Lina Mukhopadhyay
DATES & TIMES: Monday, 1st December, 2025 – 17:00 PM
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL ESOL SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Globally, about 40% of children lack access to education in their home language (UNESCO GEM Report, 2016), which hinders academic development. This is especially true in India, where many children from low socioeconomic backgrounds speak diverse home languages that are rarely used in schools, particularly in low-cost English-medium institutions. While the Indian National Education Policy (2020) and National School Curriculum Framework (2023) recommend mother tongue–based multilingual education to strengthen early literacy and numeracy, implementation remains difficult due to the complexity of linguistic diversity, limited teacher training, and concerns over reduced exposure to English. Research shows that many children in India struggle with reading fluency and comprehension in both regional languages and English (Menon et al., 2017; Pratham, 2024; Tsimpli et al., 2020; Vogelzang et al., 2024).
To address these challenges, our reading intervention project, launched in 2019, developed and tested a multilingual, learner-centered pedagogy for English classrooms. Positive outcomes from this work highlight the benefits of mother tongue–based multilingual education (UNESCO, 2016, 2019; NEP, 2020). The teacher training module designed through this project has the potential to improve education and economic outcomes in India and other multilingual Global South contexts, while also informing global research on reading and comprehension in linguistically diverse settings.
TITLE: Using Generative AI to develop writing skills for secondary learners
PRESENTERS: Dr Evelina Galaczi & Ana Clara Petersen
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 2nd December 2025 - 11:00 (GMT) and Thursday, 4th December 2025 - 16:00 (GMT)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Cambridge University Press and Assessment
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
In the age of artificial intelligence, will students still be taught to write essays in 10 years? What can AI offer? What are its biggest pitfalls? Using practical examples from Cambridge coursebooks, we will explore how best to integrate AI into writing instruction and how to support and inspire developing writers.
TITLE: BESIG: Online end of year party
PRESENTER: Community event
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday, 3rd December - 2025 18:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Business English (BE) SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free online event
SUMMARY
You’re invited to the IATEFL BESIG End-of-Year Party on Wednesday, 3 December!
Join us online for a relaxed and festive session filled with fun, community, and a few
surprises along the way.
Bring your favourite drink, snack, or holiday treat and settle in for an evening of
connection and celebration with fellow BESIG members and friends.
We can't wait to see you there!
TITLE: Rethinking global issues: AI, equity and climate – webinars
PRESENTERS: Various – see programme
DATES & TIMES: Friday, 5th December 2025 – 12:00 – 13:00 and 13:15 – 14:15
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: British Council
TYPE OF EVENT: Free webinar series
SUMMARY
In these two webinars, our expert teachers from sub-Saharan Africa will help you rethink two global issues in English language education: artificial intelligence and climate action. In our first session, you will learn how AI can be a force for justice, allowing you to create inclusive learning spaces that allow all your English language learners to thrive. In our second session, our speakers share how they have used indigenous knowledge and set up research projects to help learners find solutions to climate issues where they live, developing their English language skills through practical, real-life projects.
Session 1: 12.00 - 13.00 (UK time) AI for equity in the English language classroom - Mohammad Saif al-Din Hamza
AI is reshaping the world, but who gets to benefit? This practical webinar will challenge you to rethink AI's role in English language learning, not as a neutral tool but as a force for justice. You'll learn how AI can help you plan equitable lessons, where all your learners have the tools to thrive. We'll also explore how using AI in class can break down barriers, personalise learning and create truly inclusive spaces. Finally, we'll discuss the risks of using AI, including possible bias, exclusion and the digital divide.
Session 2: 13.15 - 14.15 (UK time) Research, gardens and eco-islands: Climate action in ELT - Khadija Ismael Suleiman, Christopher Liberty, Happygod Macha, Muhaymina Talib Omar
This session will help you to get creative on the theme of climate action to really engage your learners. Whether it's investigating climate solutions from local indigenous knowledge, planting and maintaining a school garden, or even taking a class to do research on an eco-island, our presenters will share the place-based, experiential lesson activities they have planned and taught, helping their learners find real solutions to local problems.
TITLE: Early Career Support Session on Connectivism in ELT
PRESENTER: Henrique Ribeiro
DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 6th December 2025 – 14:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL TTEdSIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
If you are an IATEFL Student or Early Career Teacher member, why not come along to our Early Career Support sessions. These sessions are free, regular, online, instructional drop-in sessions, designed to help support those who are still in the early stages of their career.
The 30 minute drop-in session for December is on the topic 'Connectivism in ELT' and will be hosted by IATEFL TTeacher Training and Education Special Interest Group (TTEdSIG) committee member, Henrique Ribeiro.
Connectivism in ELT: Building Networks for Early Career Growth
In today’s digitally connected world, English Language Teaching (ELT) is increasingly shaped by networks—of ideas, resources, and people. This Early Career Support session explores connectivism and the power of collaboration in professional growth. Through discussion and practical examples, this session will help early career educators build meaningful professional connections and develop strategies for lifelong, networked learning in ELT.
TITLE: Flip the Script: A Practical Framework for Reimagining Classroom Engagement
PRESENTER: Dr Ngan Phan Le Hai
DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 6th December 2025 – 15:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This interactive webinar introduces Flip the Script, an innovative approach to English language teaching based on the FLIP framework. The session explores how to transform traditional teaching methods into dynamic, student-centered experiences that promote learner autonomy and critical thinking. Participants will engage in hands-on activities designed to challenge their current teaching practices and will walk away with practical strategies for flipping their classroom approaches. By focusing on real-world examples, this session offers a fresh perspective on well-known teaching concepts, making them more engaging and effective. The content is adaptable to diverse teaching contexts, from online learning environments to face-to-face classrooms, and is relevant for educators worldwide who are seeking to innovate and improve their teaching practices, regardless of their students' age or proficiency level.
TITLE: Working in international teams; how can AI help?
PRESENTER: Ian McMaster
DATES & TIMES: Sunday, 7th December, 2025 - 14:00 PM
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Learning Technologies (LT) SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Working in international teams very often involves using English as a lingua franca — and inevitably involves collaborating with people who have different communication styles, preferences and working styles. This can be highly stimulating, but it can also be frustrating and can lead to misunderstandings, communication breakdowns and inefficiency in teamwork.
In this workshop, we will explore some ways in which generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT and co.) can help team members and team leaders to reflect on their attitudes when working internationally, to communicate and collaborate more effectively and, ultimately, to achieve better business results.
The workshop will not presume that participants are experts in using AI but will instead brainstorm, present and discuss ways of using the technology.
Participants will be asked to brainstorm reasons for using AI in business generally and, more specifically, in international teams. Suggestions for specific tools will be collected and discussed.
We will also look at and evaluate the ways that ChatGPT claims to be able to help international teams to improve their communication skills and, as a result, to work more effectively.
Finally, we will brainstorm a set of seven top tips for better international communication. We will compare the tips suggested by the presenter, those from the workshop participants and those provided by artificial intelligence. Who will come up with the better tips?
TITLE: Mentoring and professional development
PRESENTER: Nelson Arditto
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 9th December 2025, 12:00 – 13:15 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: British Council
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar (for Teacher Educators)
SUMMARY
Who is this webinar for?
Please note that the content of this webinar is tailored for teacher educators and teachers who are engaged in facilitating the professional development of others.
What is this webinar about?
Whether you’re new to mentoring teacher educators, beginning your own journey as a teacher educator, or guiding teachers directly, this webinar will help you reflect on and strengthen your mentoring practice. Join Nelson Arditto, teacher educator, e-moderator and instructional designer, to explore assessment and reflective development mentor talk, directive and collaborative feedback, and other key strategies for effective mentoring.
TITLE: Empowering self-study with Generative AI: smarter study skills for today’s learners
PRESENTERS: Mark Meredith and Jasmine Silver
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 9th December 2025 - 10:00 (GMT) and Thursday, 11th December 2025 - 16:00 (GMT)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Cambridge University Press and Assessment
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Many students are turning to generative AI tools, but not always in ways that help them learn. This webinar is designed to help teachers guide students to use AI more thoughtfully and effectively to support their independent thinking and study skills. We’ll look at common mistakes students make when using AI and share simple, practical strategies you can use in the classroom. By encouraging students to see AI as a learning partner and not just as a shortcut, we can help them build confidence and take more ownership of their learning.
TITLE: Macmillan Educating Adults Day
PRESENTERS: Various – see programme
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday, 10th December 2025 – 10:00, 15:00 & 21:30 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Macmillan Education
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
"The most valuable skill of the 21st century is not memorisation, but adaptability" - Heather E. McGowan
Teaching adults means adapting to diverse needs, tight frameworks, and fast-changing expectations. In this three-part event, we explore how to stay flexible and focused in that reality.
From reworking a syllabus to suit your own teaching context, to applying the latest research on how adults learn best, to supplementing a coursebook without overwhelming your lessons — each session offers practical strategies that speak to the same challenge: making informed, intentional choices in the adult English language classroom.
Session 1: Lindsay Clandfield - From Intricate to Adaptable: Reimagine the modern coursebook
Session 2: Dr Carolina E. Kuepper-Tetzel - How our memory works and why it matters for education
Session 3: Karolina Kotorowicz-Jasinska - Beyond the Coursebook: Smart Supplements for Engaging English Lessons
The event will take place live 3 times on Wednesday 10th December at 10am, 3pm, and 9:30pm UK Time.
TITLE: Using Poetry to Decode and Enhance Comprehension Skills Amongst Young Learners
PRESENTER: Unnati Ved
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday, 10th December 2025 – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Trinity College
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This webinar will explore how teachers can introduce poetry to young learners and teenagers in an engaging way by making it fun and relevant. The webinar will include practical ideas and poetry resources to help enhance decoding and comprehensions skills amongst YLs and teenagers.
TITLE: “It’s time to level up!” A spotlight on improving our teaching of teens
PRESENTER: Chris Roland
DATES & TIMES: Thursday, 11th December 2025 - 15:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Modern English Teacher
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
At first, teaching teenagers can feel a little overwhelming. After an initial period, most teachers settle down and either adapt to an ‘I can survive this’ sort of state, discover they can get better in slow increments, or realise they have taken to teaching the age range quite well and embrace it.
The questions we shall focus on in this interactive webinar are: How can we get better after that initial period of two, five or even ten years of teaching teens? What is advanced methodology for teens teaching, if even there such a thing?
By the end of the session, participants will have a clear set of directions in which to take their own teens teaching should they choose to do so, or options to suggest to their teachers, if they occupy a supporting role such as co-ordinator, senior teacher, director of studies or school owner. Suitable for all language teachers of teenagers, including those who teach languages other than English, and all experience levels, including new teachers and seasoned veterans.
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