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Gabriella Veber

How to teach writing formal letters in a motivating way

Audience focus: Teachers of adolescent learners, Teachers of adult learners, Business English teachers, Teacher trainers, Freelance teachers

Abstract

Having fun is one of the fundamentals to learning and progress – especially when it comes to the „horror” task of
writing letters. In this practical, hands-on workshop we will look at ways to boost teacher and learner motivation by
some tried and tested on-and offline activities ranging from the simple to the complex ones. Many times have they
helped develop a positive, co-operative atmosphere in class and encouraged my students to practise this skill to near
perfection. Participants will receive the link to the Genially creations.

Biography

I graduated from ELTE in 1990. Since 2006 I have worked as an accredited Euroexam (B1-C1) and an advanced level Matura examiner too. I became a mentor in 2013 and the vice-president of the National Association for Language Teaching and Examination in 2020. Currently I teach at a high school.
As a trainer I started in 2015 with workshops on how to help my colleagues enhance efficacy mixing traditional and online materials.
With the arrival of the Covid crisis I showed colleagues how to obtain the best result using online platforms. I introduced them Edpuzzle, Quizlet, Quizizz, Biteable, Kahoot, LearningApps, ISLCollective and Genially. This was a 3-part series, with a special focus on how to adapt others' creations and how to take their first steps to start developing their own educational materials. I have also provided tips on how to maintain a good balance between on- and offline activities. Since the goal of these events was to help colleagues from all fields of school life, I used my first language, Hungarian. This series proved to be a huge success, with a maximum of 126 fellow teachers.
From then on, I have been trying to support colleagues adapt to the challenges of (a)synchronous teaching and offering tips in task-based learning as well as online exam preparation.