Traditional vs. Modern:
Rethinking Methodologies for the Future of Education
Online Event
2nd edition
Presenter
Alice
Istrate
Teacher Trainer
SPEAKERS
Adrian
Underhill
Author and
Teacher Trainer
Scott
Thornbury
Author and
Teacher Trainer
Date: 30 JANUARY 2025, 17:00 — 20:00 | ZOOM
Join the Second Fischer ELT Masterclass – An Exclusive Event for Romanian Teachers
Discover a new way to connect with the leading minds in English Language Teaching (ELT) through the Fischer ELT Masterclass series. These events are meant to inspire you, help you learn, and start meaningful conversations about teaching.
After the success of our inaugural event with Alan Maley and Paul Dummett, we’re thrilled to announce the next chapter in this journey — an exclusive online masterclass featuring two of the most influential voices in ELT: Scott Thornbury and Adrian Underhill.
With our host, Alice Istrate, we’ll dive into an exciting debate: Should we preserve traditional teaching methodologies, or is it time to reinvent them for today’s classrooms?
In each edition of the masterclass series, we aim to highlight an important debate for the Romanian education system.
This time, we are focusing on the distinction between traditional and modern teaching methods.
On one hand, traditional methods offer structure and consistency, while on the other, reinventing education with new, tech-driven, student-centered approaches can foster creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.
The participation ticket costs 98 RON and includes: access to the interactive conference (where you can engage with both participants and speakers), as well as a copy of Scott Thornbury’s book, 101 Grammar Questions, published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, delivered via courier free of charge.
Don’t wait – save your spot now and join us for this exclusive event!
MEET THE SPEAKERS
(Click on each name for details about the speaker and their presentation)
Alice Istrate
Teacher Trainer
Alice Istrate graduated the University of lasi, Romania, with a BA in English and Romanian. She works as a freelance ELT professional and is involved in teaching, teacher-training and assessment. She has been a Teacher of English for over 20 years and has worked with a range of students, from children and teenagers to adults and corporate students.
She has worked with different employers and partner organisations, from state schools to private language centres and NGOs and has had different roles. As an English Lead for British Council Bucharest, she liaised with teachers, Romanian authorities in the field of education and teacher training, as well as British organisations and assessment bodies. As a trainer, Alice delivered a range of courses on ELT methodology and contributed to many national conferences for Teachers of English with plenary speeches and workshops.
Adrian Underhill
Author and Teacher Trainer
Adrian Underhill is a teacher trainer, consultant, writer and speaker. He’s a past President of IATEFL, ex trustee of International House London, and current series editor of Macmillan Books for Teachers. Projects at the moment include challenging the assumptions of today’s received teaching wisdom, the future of teacher training, inquiry practices, styles of group facilitation, storytelling, and allowing playfulness and improvisation into classroom learning. Overall, his main focus is helping learners have a voice in the world. He has a small jazz band that performs in bars and restaurants.
Challenging handed down assumptions in our current methodology
Our assumptions about learning affect how we teach. But are we aware of them, where did they come from, and do we even agree with them? Taking the area of pronunciation I’ll look at three areas where (I suggest) our assumptions and resulting methods have failed learners by prioritising the cognitive over the physical, the sequential over the holistic, separation over integration, and the piecemeal over self-expression. I will illustrate with fresh sets of activities based on recent thinking which participants can try out in their classes.
Scott Thornbury
Author and Teacher Trainer
Scott Thornbury has taught and trained in Egypt, UK, Spain, and in his native New Zealand. Until recently, he taught on an online MA TESOL program for The New School in New York. His writing credits include several award-winning books for teachers on language and methodology, including About Language (Cambridge) and The New A-Z of ELT (Macmillan). His latest books are 30 Language Teaching Methods,101 Grammar Questions, and 66 Essentials of Lesson Design (all Cambridge). He is also the series editor for the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers. His website is www.scottthornbury.com
Teaching language or teaching communication?
It may seem obvious that, as language teachers, our job is to teach language. But language as a body of facts, or as a set of skills? Traditionally, languages were taught as the former – as facts, and principally as facts about grammar. But the whole point of the communicative approach was (surely!) to move the focus on to language as a means of communication, and that the best way to learn to communicate is by communicating. So, what happened? In this talk I’ll explore that question.
Masterclass Agenda
17:00 – 17:10 – Welcome word – Alice Istrate
17:10 – 18:00 – Challenging handed down assumptions in our current methodology – Adrian Underhill
18:00 – 18:50 – Teaching language or teaching communication? – Scott Thornbury
19:00 – 20:00 – Debate and Q&A – Should we preserve traditional methodologies or focus on reinventing them for modern classrooms?
Masterclass-ul a fost un eveniment foarte bine gandit, cu speakeri de la care avem ce invata. A fost un flux foarte mare de informatii, asa ca astept cu nerabdare sa ne trimiteti inregistrarile intalnirii. Felicitari pentru idee si pentru organizare!
Toate cele bune si un weekend de poveste!
Alecsandra P.
Multumesc și felicitări pentru masterclass, colegii mei au venit ffff încântați! 👏
Irina T.
Congrats for your effort!
Adriana D.
Thank you for everything !
❤️❤️❤️
Mihaela C.
Congratulations! Keep up the good work!
Andreea V.
Very nice experience!
Anca L.
Alaturati-va comunitatii Fischer English HUB!
Impreuna vom fi mai creativi si mereu la curent cu tendintele noi in predarea limbii engleze!
