KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Prof. Judit Kormos
Prof. Judit Kormos is a Professor of Second Language Acquisition at Lancaster University. She was a key partner in the award-winning DysTEFL and Comics for Inclusive Language Learning projects sponsored by the European Commission. She is the lead educator of the Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching massive open online learning course offered by FutureLearn. She is the co-author of the book Teaching Languages to Students with Specific Learning Differences with Anne Margaret Smith. She has published widely on the effect of dyslexia on learning additional languages and is the author of multiple research papers that investigate the role of cognitive factors in second language acquisition
New perspectives on inclusive language teaching: Building on research findings to enhance language learning for all
A key challenge teachers face in the classroom is how to deal with learner diversity and how to cater for the variety of students’ needs. In this presentation, I focus on cognitive variation among students and discuss the impact of cognitive individual differences on language learning. I will showcase some of the inclusive language teaching methods that recent research has found to be effective in supporting the development of key language skills. The talk will conclude with suggestions on how further support can be offered to cognitively diverse language learners so that they also become successful in acquiring additional languages.
Dr. Mustafa Akıncıoğlu
Dr. Mustafa Akıncıoğlu is an Associate Researcher at the University of Oxford, where he has been actively publishing in the field of English Medium Instruction (EMI) since 2014. He holds a PhD by Existing Published Work, specializing in EMI higher education policy, quality, and professionalisation. As the Founding Convenor of the BALEAP EMI Special Interest Group (EMI SIG), Dr. Mustafa has played a pivotal role in advancing research and dialogue in this field. He has contributed to numerous international educational development projects, successfully undertaking diverse roles. His research interests span EMI, higher education policy and quality, professionalisation of higher education, Critical EMI, Critical EAP, learner autonomy, and Critical Discourse Analysis.
Re-Thinking EMI University: A Critical Dialogue on Policy, Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, and Institutional Excellence
The professionalisation of EMI universities is often discussed as an aspirational goal, yet the challenge remains: how can institutions move beyond fragmented, ad hoc approaches to establish a structured, quality-driven framework that ensures both lecturer development and student academic success? This presentation engages critically with the intersection of EMI policy, interdisciplinary pedagogy, and institutional quality enhancement, proposing an evidence-based model for sustainable academic excellence.
At the core of this discussion is a pragmatic solution that rethinks EMI policy and governance, fosters interdisciplinary teacher collaboration, and establishes rigorous frameworks for EMI lecturer professional development and certification. Crucially, it aligns EMI instruction with cognitive and disciplinary rigor to enhance student academic learning outcomes. More than a theoretical exploration, this presentation introduces a research-informed, adaptable model designed for practical implementation across diverse EMI university settings—one that ensures measurable improvements in teaching efficacy and student achievement.
Thom Kiddle
Thom Kiddle is Director at Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE), the UK’s leading specialist language teacher development institute. He has worked at NILE since 2011, after moving back to the UK from Chile where he was head of academic research and educational technology at the Chilean-British University. He has previously worked in Portugal, the UK, Australia and Thailand in language teaching, teacher training and language assessment. He has a Master’s degree in Language Testing from Lancaster University and the Cambridge DELTA, and his role at NILE involves strategic and organisational management, and training and consultancy in a range of areas including testing and assessment, learning technologies, materials development and language teaching methodology.
Thom is also Chair of the Eaquals Board of Trustees; treasurer and a founding director of AQUEDUTO – the Association for Quality Education and Training Online; and a member of the British Council English Language Advisory Group.
He has published articles in Applied Linguistics, Language Assessment Quarterly, and System journals, and book chapters on a range of themes including Digital Language Learning Materials, Quality Assurance in Language Education, Online Teacher Education Course Design, and Evaluation. Thom is a regular presenter and chair at international and national ELT conferences and was a plenary speaker at IATEFL 2021.
Key Teacher Competences in the 2020s
This presentation will look at the professional competences teachers need in the face-to-face and online classroom as the decade develops, and the implications for initial teacher education and in-service teacher development. We will consider the role of language change and language choices, content and language integration, digital technologies, remote learning and Artificial Intelligence, teachers’ assessment principles and practices, and awareness of the learning environment. These are all potential areas for effective teacher development, and may empower teachers to deal with the challenges of this exceptional decade. The invitation is to consider these competences in the light of the upheaval in teaching and learning which we all experienced over the first years of the 2020s, alongside the undercurrent of developments in Artificial Intelligence applied to education, and to examine how teachers may need to reframe and refocus their role. This choice of areas of focus in this talk is not intended to be exhaustive, nor inflexible, but rather a reflection on trends which have been emerging over some time, and are thrown into stark relief by current realities and discussions of possible futures.
Kevin McCaughey
Kevin McCaughey is the Regional English Language Officer for Central Asia, US Embassy in Uzbekistan and has offered trainings to teaches in 40 countries, and in such widespread and exotic locations as Kamchatka, Madagascar, Moldova, Yemen, and Zanzibar. He is the primary designer of American English’s most popular publication Activate: Games for Learning American English. He likes when teachers incorporate physical tools and when a lesson has a surprise.
21st-Century-plus Presentation Skills for Teachers and Robots
In this engaging plenary, Kevin McCaughey explores how teachers can become more effective presenters in any setting: classrooms, staff meetings, conferences—anywhere they are told “the floor is yours.” With humor, and frequent audience surveys and polls, Kevin reveals 10 common Teacher Talk Trip-Ups—mistakes he's made himself—and offers simple, practical strategies to fix them. Along the way, he challenges educators to rethink how they use their voices and presence to connect, lead, and inspire. The session closes with a timely question: As AI continues to reshape communication, will public speaking still matter—and what does that mean for language teachers?
Dr Ulugbek Nurmukhamedov
Dr. Ulugbek Nurmukhamedov teaches in the MA TESOL program at Northeastern Illinois University (USA). His research interests include second language vocabulary and computer-assisted language learning. He has published in these research areas in various journals, including TESOL Journal, ELT Journal, Language Teaching, and the International Journal of Lexicography. Since 2021, Ulugbek has co-authored with his Uzbekistani ELT colleagues five empirical papers and ten book reviews in prestigious academic journals. His book (with Randall Sadler) is titled New Ways in Teaching with Games (2020, TESOL Press).
Language Teachers’ Research Engagement: Myths and Realities.
The “publish or perish” phenomenon is a global reality in academia, and it is becoming increasingly prevalent in Uzbekistan’s English Language Teaching (ELT) context. Many ELT educators, including pre-service and in-service teachers as well as graduate students in foreign language education programs, face increasing pressure to publish in high-quality peer-reviewed academic journals but in the process often encounter significant challenges. Drawing from his extensive collaborative research projects and publications co-authored with Uzbekistani-based ELT colleagues, in this engaging session Ulugbek will: (1) debunk some common myths about academic publishing and (2) offer practical guidelines that help novice as well as experienced language teachers engage in (i.e. reading) and engage with (i.e., conducting) research that can support language instruction. The attendees will not only gain valuable insights about scholarly writing for research publication purposes but also explore useful resources that help them navigate the complex world of peer-reviewed journals.
