January PD Update
Welcome to English Australia’s 2026 PD Updates! I hope your year has begun with fresh energy and inspiration. We’re excited to launch our Professional Development program for 2026, beginning in early February with a hands-on webinar on Teaching Mixed-level Classes, presented by Circular Learning.
This is just the start. Over the next four months, our State PD Fests will bring practitioners together across the country, and we’re currently developing a series of national workshops tailored specifically for Student Services Teams.
There’s a big year of learning and connecting ahead, and we can’t wait to see you at an English Australia PD event soon.
Sophie O’Keefe
General Manager-Operations, English Australia
What’s On
Webinar: Teaching TOEFL iBT® Skills Workshop
Wednesday 4 February 2026, 6-9pm AEDT
ETS invites English-language teachers to attend its upcoming Teaching TOEFL iBT Skills Workshop: an interactive, 3-hour session designed to deepen understanding of the updated TOEFL iBT® and strengthen classroom strategies to support student success.
Webinar: Teaching mixed-level classes
Wednesday 11 February 2026, 3-4pm AEDT
This webinar looks at how to adapt content, process, and product to effectively differentiate learning in an ELICOS classroom. We’ll explore practical strategies to meet each student where they are and support them in achieving lesson aims.
Webinar: Making intensive reading work: Practical strategies for the English language classroom
Wednesday 11 March 2026, 3-4pm AEDT
This practical webinar explores how teachers can strengthen reading skills and deepen comprehension by getting more value from the lessons they already teach.
Webinar: Exploiting learning resources
Wednesday 8 April 2026, 2-3pm
This webinar explores how teachers can identify the real-world communicative purpose of a single resource and use it to design meaningful tasks for skills and language development.
2026 PD Fests
Our State PD Fests are rolling out over the next four months, bringing rich opportunities for collaboration and networking across the sector. Keep an eye out for our upcoming call for abstracts in your state—we’d love to see your ideas on the program. Presenting at a PD Fest is a fantastic way to share your ideas, contribute to sector-wide practice, and build your confidence and experience as a conference presenter.
You can now register for all PD Fests by clicking on the ‘Register’ button below.
QLD PD Fest – 21 March, UQ College
SA PD Fest – 2 May, Greenwich College
PD West – 9 May, venue to be confirmed
NSW PD Fest – 23 May, Macquarie University College
VIC PD Fest –20 June, Hawthorn Melbourne
We’d like to thank our generous PD Fest sponsors:
Join our Academic Managers Mentorship Program
Expressions of interest to join our AMSIG Academic Managers’ Mentorship Program as a mentor or mentee are now open! The Program aims to support new or aspiring Academic Managers by pairing less experienced managers with more experienced managers to facilitate the sharing of knowledge across the English Australia network. Please note, you must work for an English Australia member college to join this Program.
During the Mentorship Program, mentors and mentees meet virtually four times between March and September. In addition, mentors and mentees attend three virtual workshops throughout the Program. In 2025, Program participants reported benefits such as increased confidence, valuable professional networks and practical tools for navigating leadership challenges.
To express interest in joining the Mentorship Program in 2026 as a mentor or mentee, please complete our expression of interest form by 13 February 2026.
Express interest in joining our Mentorship Program
You can read more about the program aims, expectations and timeframe in the Mentorship Program Guidelines below.
Read Mentorship Program Guidelines
New Online Learning Courses
Over the summer, we’ve been busy adding new courses to our English Australia Online Learning platform. You can see some of the new courses we’ve added listed below. By completing these courses, you will earn a certificate of professional development and 4 CPD points.
Not signed up for Online Learning?
Members of English Australia can register for our Online Learning LMS by clicking on the button below.
Register for English Australia Online Learning
Optimising developmental teacher observations: Ensuring a positive and productive process
Providing insights and practical guidance for academic managers and other staff who conduct classroom observations. Includes recommended practices spanning from initial scheduling to post-observation feedback and follow-up. With The Queensland Institute.
Help! I know the word but I can’t hear it: Improving Listening skills
Covering key teaching and learning challenges in the Listening classroom, features that can hinder decoding the stream of spontaneous speech, and some practical tools that aid the teaching and learning of Listening. With Tanja Hafenstein.
Unlocking first language in the classroom: Linguistic inclusion in ELT
Exploring how drawing on learners’ own languages (pedagogical translanguaging) can enhance inclusion, foster collaboration, and strengthen communication skills. With Allen Davenport.
