Brighton (recap conference day 3)

Our last day of IATEFL. We start the day by going to different sessions. Sophie chose a session about ADHD, I chose a session about isolation, identity, and polarisation. Nowadays we see people choosing isolation more and more often (earphones, looking at the world through our phones, emailing instead of calling, etc.). This can be used in a positive way, for instance by giving learners assignments to video themselves (and send it to their grandmother, so they'll probably get some positive feedback), or make someone join the class online, because talking to a screen is so much easier than talking in real life. Some quotes the presenter used that stuck with me: "we all love to be loved" and "we don't just teach a language, but also values and feelings". 

The second session we wanted to go to was sadly already full, so instead we sat outside on the beach for a while. Such a shame ;)

One of the featured events was a talk about AI and formative assessment. This talk was based on the results of research, after they'd asked about 1000 teachers worldwide their views on the use of AI, the worries, hopes, etc. AI is being used in more and more shapes and forms. It is embedded in different things and also used for things like assessment. Regarding the latter, this hasn't been researched enough yet, but there are big differences in results, so also not always trustworthy results. AI also has good sides, as long as it is used in a correct way. The mindset question is important here: it's not about the easy result, learners need the friction, because that is where the learning happens. Some other takeaways: formative should stay formative (so advise, not pass/fail!), we shouldn't repeat the mistakes of social media with AI, and finally the goal should remain for our learners to learn strategies of learning. We brought the summary of the report with us, but we'll look up the complete report when it becomes available. Interesting stuff.

The session about pathways to inclusion (especially for those with autism) sadly rubbed us the wrong way. Autism isn't a disorder, it isn't something that needs to be cured. What it is, is something that teachers should be aware of. The only thing the lady said that I agreed with, is what she said of how to help those on the spectrum if they run into difficulties like not knowing what to do or how to do it (ask the learner! Why don't you want to participate? What do you need to be able to do this?). The lady probably meant well and maybe just chose the wrong words to use, but like someone in another session said: Words aren't innocent, they carry meaning. 

Luckily the session after this one was a very merry session. It was about music and other forms of art and how you can use it in your classroom. This session was one of the highlights of the conference for us. Her lesson material seemed like a lot of fun and a great way to encourage critical thinking. When students get used to these art forms being used, the step to using poetry isn't as big anymore, so that's another bonus. Especially for Gen Alpa it is important to learn to read between the lines. Art is a great way to teach them this. I've emailed the lady that gave the talk, so hopefully she'll share her material. 

I had planned to attend one final session after this. I thought it would be a talk, but it turned out to be a workshop. By then, my brain was fried and I decided to skip that final session so that we could have an early dinner and turn in early, because on Friday we're going to Salisbury!

My final thoughts on the conference (what I wrote for my TEFL5 assignment):

When reflecting on IATEFL 2026, I can’t help but start at the beginning: so many people! So much passion. Starting our first conference day with the first-timers meet-up has been an inspired decision. It helped us make our very first connections with other attendees and it sort of helped us over our cold water fear. We knew we weren’t the only first-timers and we even knew some faces now!

Halfway through our first day, we came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t worry about our level of English anymore and that our courses at Windesheim are truly comprehensive. Things that were new or welcome reminders for those that had been teaching for years, were old news to us. This made us change our approach to the conference. From then on, we only chose things which sounded new to us.

There were some talks that weren’t all that interesting after all, but one of those ended up being a case of being in the right place at the right time. During a talk about mental health, I sat next to a lady that had just given a presentation. She felt as if she had bungled her presentation and she was somewhat depressed. During our talk as part of that session, I shared my observation with her. I hadn’t visited her presentation, but she struck me as someone who really wants to help others, to do well in that regard and that maybe sometimes tries a little bit too hard (and forgetting herself and her goal in the process). It turns out that her therapist had basically said the same thing to her and me telling her that, based on a conversation of 5 minutes helped her feel better. So, even though I hadn’t learned anything from the presenter, the session was good after all. Sometimes it’s not about what you get out of something, but what you can give.

The conference was different from what I’d expected academically speaking. But it has given me a lot of insight into myself and my skills as a teacher in training. That is also a valuable takeaway. I am not an extreme social animal and after a full day, I need some time to process it all and to recharge, so that’s why we haven’t visited any of the other social events (only the first-timer meet-up). You’ll never find me taking the kinds of photos Erasmus took, with lots of people, unless others ask for it. During the event, I’ve made connections on a personal level and even connected with a few on LinkedIn, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever be one of those attendees who return year after year to meet the same crowd. I can appreciate the enjoyment of others that do like that, it probably just won’t be me. Despite this, I would absolutely recommend IATEFL to others, especially to those who do love those kinds of activities with big crowds. There’s a very good reason why people call it the biggest and best event available.