Editorial
Dear HLT Readers,
Welcome to the February issue of HLT. First some Pilgrims News. We are making plans for the summer teacher training in Segovia. The offer is really impressive and you can find our new summer programme here. We really hope to welcome you there.
A special feature is our new offer: teachers who would like some of their pupils to experience a Pilgrims summer course for children and teenagers should guide them to https://younglearners.pilgrims.co.uk/ and let the team know at hello@pilgrims.uk. If 2 pupils book a summer course, the teacher who advised them will not be charged for his/her own teacher training course; what is more, if 3 pupils book a course, neither the accommodation nor the course will be charged.
Pilgrims teacher training courses are special, and the trainers create an environment that empowers attendees to develop their own resolute teaching identity. You can find out more about the trainers and follow links to examples of their publications here. You can read more about the Pilgrims philosophy and ethos in Pilgrims News: Pilgrims Summer 2024 in Segovia and 50th Anniversary of Pilgrims in 2024 by Till Gins, Lead Officer.
In the meantime, we may meet at IATEFL Brighton Conference which will be attended by Pilgrims trainers and there will be stand there. So, we can meet, chat, and make plans.
In this issue of HLT you can read about other interesting conferences (10th International Conference on Higher Education Advances, June 18 - 21, 2024. Valencia, Spain, International Publishers Exhibition: Forthcoming Events, and EISTA ’24 Conference: Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications) and other developments (Call for Papers: Imminent Global Environmental Catastrophe, and A New Call for Applications for ASHDRA Awards)
In this issue you can read about the reasons for storytelling in Story Telling Today: Part 2 by Bink Venery, Engaging Students with a Story by Jamie Keddie, and find out about some practical examples and an impressive project you may wish to join in Tell a Child in Gaza’s Tale: An Invitation by Haneen Jadallah and David Heathfield. Also if you would like to work with refuges from Ukraine and offer free online English lessons to help them resettle, please read Letter 7 in the To the Editor section.
Those interested in technology and AI will surely enjoy reading Automating the Creation of Dictionaries: Are We Nearly There? by Michael Rundell, ChatGPT and the Question of Authentic Knowledge, by A.G. Elrod, and Should Universities Go Virtual? Exploring Student Perspectives on the Pros and Cons of Online Education by Ahlam Said Al Rawahi, Oman
There are some very interesting ideas and new trends in language teaching in Design Thinking: Can It Be an Alternative Approach in English Language Education? by Evrim Üstünlüoğlu, Building Foundations for Cooperative Learning by George M Jacobs and Xinran He, and Overt Teaching: Setting the Stage for Effective Feedback by Mark Heffernan, and David Byrne. And of course, even more in the Publications section.
Those of you into teacher education and teacher development will enjoy Journal Writing in Practicum: A Tool for Reflection and Feedback by Meera Srinivas and Mahananda Pathak, A Change in the Curriculum May Bring Unexpected Results: A Case Study of Introducing Educational Drama into ITT, Mariela Mondaca, Lessons Learned Teaching Abroad Part 1 by Stephen Mullen, and Four Activities to Increase Your Happiness at Work by Duncan Foord.
There are also some ideas for your lessons (Pop Culture Conventions and Literacy Learning by Paolo Nino Valdez, and Being Creative: Things I find Useful by Andrew Wright) some Humour and Poems
Enjoy the February issue. In the April issue we hope to celebrate 25 years of our magazine. If you would like to contribute an article or your voice to this special issue you will be more than welcome.
I am waiting hopeful to hear from you and in the meantime enjoy the February issue of HLT.
Hania (Hanna) Kryszewska
HLT Editor