Upcoming CPD Opportunities Spring 2026
Upcoming CPD Opportunities: Spring 2026
Spring is springing again here in the northern hemisphere, and with the change of seasons comes the new blogpost with the latest batch of (mostly free and online) CPD opportunities. I’ve been posting these seasonal summaries for over three years now! If you look back at post from previous years, there’s not very much to see, as I delete events after they have happened. However, I have saved the original (full) posts and it’s remarkable how they serve as snapshots of the zeitgeist and hot topics in ELT at the time.
Looking forward to this season, it is clear that everything AI continues to assert its dominance, but the human side – in particular, diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion – are right up there with it!
As usual, please let me know in the comments if I’ve missed anything.
And hope to see some of you in TESOL-SPAIN in March, and IATEFL in April!
Jessica
TITLE: Creatividad 4.0: Reinventar tus clases con IA
PRESENTER: Ervin Daleth Ostos Santos
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 3rd March 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40am (CET)
LANGUAGE: Español
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Este webinar se centrará en el uso creativo de la inteligencia artificial (IA) en la enseñanza del español dentro del Programa de Lenguas Modernas de la Universidad Özyeğin. La combinación de herramientas como ChatGPT, Canva AI y Genially ha permitido transformar contenidos lingüísticos en experiencias visuales, narrativas y motivadoras.
La sesión mostrará cómo diseñar materiales con IA que integren elementos gramaticales, léxicos y culturales mediante formatos innovadores como viñetas, carruseles y videos educativos. Asimismo, invitará a reflexionar sobre el papel creativo de la IA para fomentar la participación estudiantil, dinamizar las clases y fortalecer la conexión entre la didáctica y la tecnología.
Durante el webinar se compartirán estrategias, recursos visuales y ejemplos reales que servirán de apoyo a los docentes interesados en incorporar la IA en su práctica educativa de manera innovadora, participativa y creativa.
TITLE: The 7th C in ELT: Connection – Embedding Empathy, Inclusion and Real-World Relevance in Language Learning
PRESENTER: Sushil Penuti
DATES & TIMES: Saturday, 7th March – 15:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This session is about something simple but powerful. What if we added a 7th C—Connection—to the familiar 21st-century learning skills? Alongside critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity, learners also need to feel seen, heard, and connected to each other, to their learning, and to the world around them.
I will be exploring practical, flexible ways to bring that sense of connection into the language classroom. Strategies like writing from a character’s point of view, working together on meaningful projects, or using stories to reflect on identity and values, these kinds of tasks encourage empathy and real-world relevance—no matter where in the world you teach.
The strategies shared are easy to adapt for different contexts, age groups, and levels; a high-tech urban classroom, a large mixed-level group, or a lower-resource rural setting. They don’t require fancy tools, just thoughtful practice, and a desire to make language learning more human.
Wherever you're teaching, this session offers simple but powerful ways to help learners grow—not only as English users, but as people. And that’s something every classroom can benefit from.
TITLE: EAQUALS Annual International Conference 2026
PRESENTERS: See programme
DATES & TIMES: Thursday, 12th – Saturday, 14th March, 2026
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: In-person conference, Berlin, Germany
SUMMARY
If your calendar has been waiting for something exciting to land on it, this is it! We know many of you like to think ahead, so now’s your chance to secure your place for 12–14 March 2026 in Berlin.
Why this year’s conference is worth planning for:
Our 2026 programme is designed to bring together thought-provoking sessions, practical insights, and hands-on case studies across key areas such as:
- Developments in language education
- Best practice in teaching and learning
- Course design, the CEFR & assessment
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Leadership & Management
We’ve made sure the content ticks all the boxes:
• Expect practical solutions you can take straight back to your institution.
• Explore current trends with real-world applications.
• Gain perspectives on multiple languages and diverse educational contexts.
Whether you're leading a team, designing programmes, training teachers, or researching the next big shift in language education, you’ll find sessions that genuinely support your professional growth.
The conference will take place at the H4 Hotel Berlin Alexanderplatz, right in the heart of the city. It’s very central, well-connected, and has easy transport links.
We’ve secured a special conference discount, giving you several room options at reduced rates at two adjacent hotels. Please use the following links and make sure to grab a room early!
TITLE: Belonging Matters
PRESENTERS: Mai Tuyet Ngo, Donna Lim and Yustinus Calvin Gai Mali
DATES & TIMES: Friday, 13th March – 09:00-11:15 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: British Council
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinars
SUMMARY
Session 1 (09:00-10:00): Creating happy classrooms for English learning - Mai Tuyet Ngo
This session focuses on teacher and learner well-being, drawing on classroom practice to explore how joy, emotional safety and positivity can enhance English learning. The presentation will share practical ways teachers can create happier, more connected classrooms.
Session 2 (10:15–11:15): Including learners' languages in English teaching – with Donna Lim and Yustinus Calvin Gai Mali
This session brings together two teacher educators to discuss how multilingual realities shape English teaching in Southeast Asia. Speakers will explore how teachers use learners' home languages as a resource, challenge 'English-only' assumptions and promote inclusive, culturally responsive practices. Donna Lim will focus on young learners and Yustinus Calvin Gai Mali will talk about pre-service teachers. Learn about strategies that you can use in your classroom, wherever you teach.
TITLE: Dealing with group assessment: the need for collaborative assessment literacy
PRESENTER: Dr Peter Levrai
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 17th March – 15:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Testing, Evaluation & Assessment SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
In language education we utilise a lot of groupwork, having students interact and communicate with each other. It’s good to talk. We can also ask them to collaborate more formally and complete course assignments together, like a group presentation, group essay, or group report. While there are learning affordances to students working together, there are challenges when it comes to assessment.
This webinar will draw on research conducted in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) context, exploring the beliefs and practices of EAP professionals around collaborative assessment. This will help illustrate the need for educators to develop their collaborative assessment literacy and provide the necessary questions to consider to be able to successfully navigate what can be a complex, but rewarding, type of assessment.
TITLE: A spotlight on teachable aspects of spoken grammar
PRESENTER: John Hird
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 17th March 2026 – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Modern English Teacher / Pavilion Publishing
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Spoken grammar is often neglected in the classroom. Much of the grammar covered in published ELT materials and taught globally perpetuates the standard ELT syllabus, which is largely based on ‘tidy’ and very often more written-like grammar. Spoken grammar can be defined as elements of natural spoken communication, but which have not yet become part of our everyday teaching syllabuses.
This practical session looks at a handful of the many aspects of spoken grammar that can easily be incorporated into our teaching to help our learners better understand and use language as it really is used and thus connect more naturally and confidently with the real world.
This interactive webinar is designed for all teachers looking for creative ways looking for something beyond the traditional approach to grammar. By the end of the session, you will be equipped with a number of practical and simple approaches to teaching spoken grammar that you can use in your own classrooms.
The MET Spotlight Series shines a light on key topics and themes we’ve explored in MET. In these webinars, our fantastic MET contributors explore their chosen topic in more detail, and share their expertise alongside practical tips, useful ideas and more.
Image copyright: Getty images
TITLE: Teacher educator webinar series review 2025–2026
PRESENTERS: Graham Stanley, Şirin Soyoz & Ellen Darling
DATES & TIMES: Thursday, 19th March – 12:00 – 13:15 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: British Council
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Join us for an interactive review of the themes and key messages from series four of our monthly webinar programme. We will discuss and reflect on some of the most important current issues in teacher education.
TITLE: Bridging Learning Gaps in Mixed-Ability Classes through AI
PRESENTER: Hamed Hashemian
DATES & TIMES: Wednesday, 18th March – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Trinity College London
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This webinar offers practical, research-based strategies for boosting participation in large, mixed-ability classrooms. Participants will explore challenges of diverse learner needs and discover how AI tools promote inclusivity through translation and differentiation. Ideal for educators of all backgrounds, even those new to AI, seeking to enhance engagement and learning outcomes.
TITLE: TDLIVE with Sandy Millin
PRESENTER: Sandy Millin
DATES & TIMES: Thursday, 19th March – 16:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Teacher Development SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
TDLIVE is TDSIG’s project where we promote a meetup for our community and an expert in our field for a one-hour conversation, where participants can ask questions, comment, and share their views with the guest.
TITLE: Beyond Words: Enhancing Visual Literacy with Generative AI
PRESENTERS: Dr. Özlem Zengin & Züleyha Tulay
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 24th March 2026, 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
In the modern language classroom, decoding images is becoming as crucial as decoding text. As Generative AI transforms how we create content, it also offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance students’ visual literacy. This webinar explores the meaningful intersection of AI tools and visual communication strategies.
We will move beyond basic image generation to explore how tools like Napkin AI, Gemini, and ChatGPT can facilitate complex storytelling and vocabulary retention. We will demonstrate how to use NotebookLM to synthesize sources visually and employ Claude (Anthropic) for descriptive nuance.
Participants will discover how to integrate these tools not just as novelties, but as core components of a communicative curriculum. We will showcase “fun” yet rigorous activities—from AI-assisted storyboarding to analyzing visual metaphors—that boost student engagement and critical thinking. Join us to discover practical, time-saving workflows that turn the language classroom into a visually immersive learning environment.
TITLE: From global to local: Writing materials teachers can actually use
PRESENTER: Patricia Ibiapina
DATES & TIMES: Friday 27th March – 15:15 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Materials Writing SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar for IATEFL members; £5 for non-members
SUMMARY
How can we write materials that truly support teachers working in underserved contexts? In this webinar, I will share insights from mentoring primary school teachers in Ladakh, India, where pupils learn English as a second language but have little exposure to it beyond the classroom. Many teachers had limited methodological training, so the success of lessons depended heavily on the adaptability and clarity of the materials provided.
Drawing on this experience, I will explore practical strategies for materials writers to make their work more accessible and impactful across diverse contexts. We will look at ways to:
- Embed cultural relevance while ensuring global intelligibility.
- Design flexible tasks for large and mixed-ability classes.
- Build in teacher support without overloading the page.
Participants will leave with practical takeaways for creating context-responsive materials that empower both teachers and learners.
TITLE: Dispositif efficace d’accompagnement qualité pour les enseignants par le mentoring et le coaching
PRESENTER: Rima Rabeh
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 31st March 2026 - 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: Français
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Ce webinaire explore la mise en place d’un dispositif efficace d’accompagnement qualité pour les enseignants dans une institution de langue. Dans de nombreuses écoles, les enseignants travaillent de manière autonome, parfois isolée, avec des expériences et profils très variés. Le mentoring et le coaching deviennent alors des leviers essentiels pour accompagner le développement professionnel continu, renforcer la cohérence pédagogique, créer une culture de collaboration et de confiance, et améliorer la satisfaction ainsi que la rétention des équipes.
Nous aborderons la différence entre mentoring et coaching et montrerons comment choisir ou combiner ces deux approches selon les besoins de l’institution. Un retour d’expérience issu du CLL illustrera concrètement l’introduction du dispositif, les obstacles rencontrés et les leviers de réussite.
Le webinaire proposera également une démarche simple pour mesurer l’impact sur la qualité de l’enseignement et sur le bien-être du personnel. Les participants repartiront avec un cadre clair, reproductible et adaptable à leur réalité institutionnelle.
TITLE: Fostering Transversal Competences in Language Teaching
PRESENTER: Isil Ozdemir
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 7th April 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Language classrooms today are no longer limited to teaching grammar and vocabulary; they have the potential to become spaces where learners engage with the world more meaningfully — especially when global or sustainability-related themes are used intentionally. Such themes allow learners to explore real-world issues through language, helping them connect classroom learning to their lives and experiences beyond it.
Within this framework, fostering transversal competences — including global, critical, and creative literacies — becomes a key aim of language education. These competences not only help learners question information, consider multiple perspectives, and express ideas in original and informed ways, but also strengthen core language skills by giving them a meaningful communicative purpose.
This webinar focuses on practical, classroom-friendly ways of integrating these competences into everyday teaching. It introduces adaptable frameworks that transform familiar reading, writing, and discussion tasks into opportunities for inquiry, reflection, and creative expression. By grounding language teaching in sustainability and SDG-related contexts, the session illustrates how global issues can serve as meaningful vehicles for developing both language proficiency and deeper thinking.
Participants will leave with practical insights and flexible strategies to design lessons that inspire curiosity, empathy, and critical awareness across diverse teaching contexts.
TITLE: Intelligenza artificiale come partner di studio per studenti di italiano
PRESENTER: Arco Jannuzzi
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 14th April 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: Italiano
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
L’intelligenza artificiale è tanto inevitabile quanto complessa da integrare nelle classi di lingua. Questa presentazione vuole provare a dare una prospettiva dell’IA non come nemico giurato delle nostre classi, ma come partner di studio per gli studenti, in particolare in situazioni di italiano LS, quindi non appreso in Italia, nelle quali uno dei problemi più grandi è l’utilizzo delle abilità comunicative al di fuori del contesto-classe. Nel webinar verranno proposte alcune attività per provare a potenziare le abilità di comprensione del testo scritto (reading), produzione del testo scritto (writing) e produzione/interazione orale, tutto autogestito dagli studenti con l’aiuto dell’intelligenza artificiale.
TITLE: Integrating Socio-Emotional Learning in the Teenage Classroom
PRESENTER: Nancy Katsikari
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 21st April 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This presentation aims to equip EFL teachers working with teenage learners with effective strategies and tasks targeting the teenager of the 21st century.
During adolescence students experience significant emotional, social, and cognitive development which can affect them profoundly. Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) plays a crucial role in fostering emotional intelligence, empathy, and interpersonal skills, which are essential for personal and academic success, and it is believed that it can help teenagers go through this sensitive period of their life. Join us to explore how by integrating SEL into our classrooms, we can create a supportive learning environment that promotes holistic growth.
TITLE: Quiz vidéo en FLE : de la création à l’impact en classe
PRESENTER: Salma Alamassi
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 28th April 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: Français
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Pour améliorer les compétences des apprenants en langues, il faut adopter des pratiques centrées sur la communication et la progressivité, il faut aussi proposer des tâches basées sur des situations réelles pour favoriser la production orale et écrite, et combiner de la compréhension écrite et orale avec l’utilisation des matériels pour enrichir le lexique et bien pratiquer la grammaire, l’enseignement explicite du vocabulaire et des structures en contexte. Favoriser l’apprentissage actif par projets, jeux de rôle et travail collaboratif pour développer l’interaction, la fluidité et la confiance suite d’une évaluation formative régulière avec feedback constructif et autoévaluation pour ajuster les objectifs individuels sont aussi nécessaires. N’oublions pas la différenciation des ressources et des parcours pour répondre aux besoins et styles d’apprentissage plus l’intégration des technologies pour la pratique autonome. Lors de ce webinaire, la présentatrice expliquera comment mettre en œuvre ces méthodes en classe de FLE en s’appuyant sur plusieurs plateformes et des quiz interactifs. Elle mettra particulièrement l’accent sur les quiz vidéo : création, intégration pédagogique, modalités de production par les apprenants et usages en classe, ainsi que l’évaluation des résultats obtenus. La présentatrice partagera son expérience en proposant des activités concrètes, illustrées par ses propres productions et celles des apprenants.
TITLE: Co-Creation in Action: Building a Collaborative Syllabus with Real-World Impact
PRESENTERS: Egveniia Dudnikova & Jane Langley
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 5th May 2026 – 11:00 - 11:40 (CET)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: EAQUALS
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
This webinar explores how engaging teachers as active partners in syllabus and materials development can lead to richer, more authentic learning experiences and stronger learner outcomes. Drawing on SEDA’s recent curriculum redevelopment process, the session showcases a practical model of collaborative course design where teachers contribute ideas, real-world content, and classroom insights that directly shape the syllabus.
Rather than treating the syllabus as a static document created solely by academic managers, this approach reframes it as a living, evolving framework that grows through structured teacher participation. By creating clear pathways for teacher input—such as collaborative planning sessions, materials‐collection facilitation, and reflection channels—we have developed courses that are more relevant, inclusive, and aligned with learners’ real needs.
The webinar will share examples of how teacher-generated content has enriched tasks, project work, and life-skills integration across levels. It will also examine the academic management benefits of co-creation, including increased teacher ownership, improved consistency, and a stronger link between classroom practice and institutional quality assurance requirements.
Participants will leave with actionable strategies for introducing or strengthening collaborative syllabus development in their own context, even with limited time or resources, and with ideas for fostering a culture where teachers feel empowered to shape the curriculum they teach.
TITLE: You, the editor: Avoiding common task design pitfalls
PRESENTER: Luiz Otávio Barros
DATES & TIMES: Tuesday, 26th May – 13:00 (UK time)
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: IATEFL Materials Writing SIG
TYPE OF EVENT: Free Webinar
SUMMARY
Designing language learning tasks is not just about creativity; it also means following certain principles that are rarely addressed in teacher training courses. Since many of these principles only become clear through feedback from others, I’ll share some of the editorial feedback I’ve received over the years to show how to recognize and avoid common task-design pitfalls. With examples from different proficiency levels, I’ll demonstrate how small tweaks in wording, sequencing, or layout can make a big difference in learning outcomes.
Participants will take on the role of editor as we look at flawed samples (including some generated by AI!), try to spot the problems, and discuss possible fixes. They will leave the session with a checklist of red flags and some practical self-editing strategies they can use when creating their own materials.
TITLE: Africa ELTA International Conference
PRESENTERS: Various (See programme)
DATES & TIMES: Friday 29th – Sunday 31st May 2026
LANGUAGE: English
ORGANISED BY: Africa ELTA
TYPE OF EVENT: Face-to-face conference, Nairobi, Kenya
SUMMARY
Save the Date! The 10th Africa ELTA Conference is coming to Kenya
Zetech University, Mang’u Campus, 29–31 May 2026
Theme: ELT in Africa: Carving a Way Forward
Stay tuned for the Call for Speaker Proposals, coming soon!
hashtag#AfricaELTA2026
Registration/Info tbc
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