February 2025
PD Update
The Latest Professional Development Events and News
We have an exciting array of Professional Development (PD) webinars in store for you in the coming month featuring renowned experts in language education and assessment.
Join us for insightful sessions with:
- Mike Mayor – Senior Director, Global Scale of English, Pearson
- Distinguished Professor David Boud – Foundation Director, Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, Deakin University
- Professor Averil Coxhead – Developer of the Academic Word List (AWL), Victoria University of Wellington
These thought leaders will share their expertise on key topics shaping language teaching and learning today. Be sure to check out the event listings below and register to secure your spot!
Upcoming PD Events
Building workforce readiness: Integrating English Proficiency and Human Skills into Language Teaching and Assessment
Webinar: 25 February, 3.30pm-4.30pm (AEDT)
In today’s evolving job market, both English proficiency and human skills are essential to employability. This webinar will focus on two free resources developed by Pearson to enable the monitoring and assessment of English language and humans skills for professional contexts, being the Global Scale of English Learning Objectives for Professional Learners and the Skills Development Framework. Presented by Mike Mayor, Senior Director Global Scale of English at Pearson.
IELTS Teacher Training: Learn from a Cambridge Author
Zoom Workshop: 25 February, 7.00pm-8.00pm (AEDT)
This interactive session with a Cambridge author considers a number of creative ways through which teachers can increase student engagement in their IELTS lessons, specifically with writing skills in mind. *Please note that this workshop is exclusively for teachers based in Australia, New Zealand, or Japan.
Where do we start in designing assessment in an age of generative AI?
Webinar hosted by the Assessment SIG: 4 March, 3.30pm-4.30pm (AEDT)
The availability of GenAI applications for students means that we can’t continue as if they didn’t exist. In student assessment, what should remain the same and what needs to change? This webinar will focus on the principles needed to inform our assessment practices and their implications. Presented by David Boud, Foundation Director of the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning at Deakin University.
Academic Vocabulary: Building Knowledge and Use
Webinar: 25 March, 3.30pm-4.30pm (AEDT)
This webinar will focus on the importance of academic vocabulary to English learners preparing to study at university, providing techniques and resources to support the development and assessment of knowledge and the use of academic lexis. Presented by Professor Averil Coxhead, Victoria University of Wellington.
For access to all of our upcoming PD events please visit our events webpage.
STATE PD FESTS
Our PD Fests were so popular last year that we are running them again this year in five cities around Australia! Not only do English Australia PD Fests showcase the best ideas from the brightest minds in our sector, but they also allow us a unique opportunity to come together in our cities, learn from each other and share our experiences.
We encourage you to submit an abstract to present at your local PD Fest – it’s a great opportunity to take your teaching and career to the next level. As a presenter, you are eligible to enter our Bright Ideas competition, sponsored by Pearson, to win a trip to present at the English Australia Conference in Brisbane this August!
Click on the following links to find out more about presenting and to register:
VIC PD FEST SA PD FEST QLD PD FEST PD WEST NSW PD FEST
Thanks to our PD Fest sponsors:
2025 MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Expressions of interest from mentees and mentors to join the 2025 English Australia Academic Managers’ SIG Mentorship Program are now open. To express interest in joining the Mentorship Program as a mentor or mentee, please complete our expression of interest form below by 5 March 2025.
The Mentorship Program aims to support new Academic Managers by pairing less experienced managers with more experienced managers to facilitate the sharing of knowledge across the English Australia network. During the program, mentors and mentees meet virtually four times between March and September. In addition, mentors and mentees attend three virtual workshops throughout the program. You can read more about the program aims, expectations and timeframe by reading the Mentorship Program Guidelines.
Joining the program as a mentor or mentee offers academic managers a valuable professional development experience and a unique chance to build a national network. Program participants gain a certificate of participation and 15 CPD points. Please note, this Program is only open to English Australia members.
Welcome to our new Special Interest Group Convenors
We’d like to extend a very warm welcome to our new Special Interest Group (SIG) Convenors for 2025-2026!
English Australia has six Special Interest Groups (SIGs) dedicated to specialist areas of ELICOS delivery, providing a platform for members to engage with industry developments, share expertise, participate in professional discussions and attend events aligned to their special interest areas.
Our SIGs are led by a dedicated team of convenors from member colleges who generously volunteer their time to support these groups. We rely on our convenors to help set the direction for SIGs, ensuring they remain current and relevant to the industry. We appreciate their commitment to English Australia and their contribution to advancing ELICOS.
Membership in a SIG offers valuable benefits, including access to in-person and online events, discussion forums, and a dynamic community of practice. Staff from English Australia member colleges are welcome to join multiple SIGs at no cost.
Learn more about our SIGs and join up
We hope to see you at one of our exciting online or in-person events soon.
Regards
English Australia
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