Speaker
Description
This workshop focuses on harnessing the potential of digital tools to promote independent learning in university-level English language teaching. Through an interactive, hands-on approach, participants will explore Aspire, a new digital learning platform developed by Learnlight and Oxford University Press. The session begins with a practical demonstration of how Aspire can be used to support learner autonomy, showcasing its features and educational potential. Participants will then engage in designing their own learning tasks that incorporate Aspire, tailoring them to suit their teaching context and student needs. This design activity encourages educators to reflect on how such digital tools can supplement and enhance traditional teaching methods. The workshop concludes with a discussion on the broader implications of using platforms like Aspire to foster not only student independence but also essential global skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Together, we will examine both the opportunities and challenges that come with integrating digital resources into English language education, especially in the context of preparing students for an increasingly connected and technology-driven world. Ultimately, this session aims to empower teachers with practical strategies and insights to make their instruction more engaging, effective, and future-ready.
Biography
Matthew is an experienced educator with over 5 years of experience in ESL working in the UK and Vietnam. He has background in Psychology and experience in ESL teaching in a huge variety of settings – public schools, private schools and language centres. This allows him to bring a wealth of expertise in getting the best out of language learners into a professional development context, allowing teachers to help their students reach their full potential.
He is committed to helping teachers create classroom environments which encourage collaboration, critical thinking and risk-taking from their students. He firmly believes in peer- teaching and facilitating idea-sharing and tips for best practice between colleagues as the most sustainable way to foster a culture of continuous improvement in any educational setting.
He enjoys learning about innovative approaches to language instruction, and reflecting on how we can strive to create meaningful communication between students in a world where strategies sometimes struggle to keep up with changing learner dynamics, attitudes to technology and the changing role of English as a communicative device.
