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Allie Weis

Building Mental Resilience: Encouraging Participation Within a Dynamic Classroom​

Length: 45 minutes
Audience focus: Teachers of adolescent leaners, Teachers of adult learners, Academic English teachers, Teacher trainers, Freelance teachers

Classroom dynamics are largely shaped through cultural frameworks; it is only expected that in-classroom expectations and common practices differ between nations. My experience within both American and Belgian classrooms has most significantly prompted me to evaluate the varied importance of participation and willingness of students to share their work. Particularly in Belgium, I’ve navigated classroom cultures in which participation is met with embarrassment and/or fear due to level discrepancies between students.
This workshop aims to provide techniques — including framing learning through games and play, positive affirmation/resilience training, and shifting toward a small-group-focused learning environment — that have proved effective in reducing participation anxiety. While cold calling is an easy way to make students accountable for their learning, these methods encourage participation in a more natural and self-sustaining way.

Biography

Allie Weis, from Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grantee to Belgium for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Speaker's institution

Fulbright Belgium Commission
English Teaching Assistant at Howest Hogeschool