09/03/2018
English language teachers from Spain, Brazil and Russia have won the Cambridge English IATEFL Scholarships 2018. The teachers will be funded to attend the annual IATEFL conference for English language teachers, in Brighton UK. The scholarships were:
- Cambridge English Digital Teacher Scholarship, which recognises the use of digital tools and resources to enhance language learning.
- Cambridge English John Trim Scholarship, for language teaching professionals working for Government institutions.
- Cambridge English Dr Peter Hargreaves Scholarship, for English examinations and assessment professionals.
The winners were:
María Dolores Gómez Gómez, an English teacher from Spain, has been awarded the Cambridge English Digital Teacher Scholarship. Dolores described an activity she had devised, using automated speech recognition software to help experienced teachers unlock their creative genius and transform knowledge into practice. The judges were impressed with her insights into how digital tools can transform teaching and learning, from increasing self-esteem to providing immediate feedback.
Winner of the Cambridge English: John Trim Scholarship is Natália de Castro Guerreiro, an Aviation English Assessment Co-ordinator for the Brazilian air force. Natalia’s submission considered how Linguaskill could be used as a language test for Brazil’s community of over 4,000 air traffic controllers. The judges praised Natalia’s ‘well thought out contribution’, and also her thoughts on assessment literacy for teachers.
The Cambridge English: Dr Peter Hargreaves Scholarship has been awarded to Svetlana Bogolepova, Associate Professor at the National Research University, Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Svetlana considered why many Russian adults have a low level of English language proficiency and the potential role of Cambridge English Teaching qualifications in improving the situation. The judges praised her use of data, and acknowledgement of current developments, in her assessment of Russia’s English ability limitations.
During the event our experts will give a series of talks on professional development, our digital innovations and support for teachers preparing for Cambridge English Qualifications. Subjects covered include how we design tests for schools, teachers, how they motivate young learners and how our qualifications link together learning, teaching and assessment. There will also be a number of digital pop-up showcases which will help to answer the question: what will the future of learning look like? These will look at the role of tech innovations such as games, robots, virtual reality and the impact these are having on English language teaching.
Selected talks will be available shortly after the event on the official Cambridge Assessment English YouTube channel.