Overview

Conference Opening: Saturday 10 July 18:30 in Te Marae, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Also on this day, language immersion experiences at Wellington Girls' College and Goethe Institut, organised by Future Learning Solutions (not part of this conference) 

Day 1: Sunday 11 July at Wellington Girls' College, Thorndon
8:00 registration, 8:30 start, 11:00 Dr Seals Keynote Address, 13:45-14:30 NZALT AGM, 16:00 day finishes

Conference Dinner: Sunday 11 July 18:00 at Rydges Wellington and Atura Wellington

Day 2: Monday 12 July at Wellington Girls' College 
8:30 registration, 8:45 Dr Conti Keynote Address, 13:20-13:45 Individual Language Assn AGMs as required, 15:10 conference closes

Our keynote speakers are Dr Gianfranco Conti and Dr Corinne Seals.

The presentations, workshops, and discussion forums (World Cafés) at the NZALT 2021 Conference will address both the front end and the back end of the New Zealand Curriculum.

There are numerous opportunities for teachers to expand their language-teaching “toolkit”, including sessions on task-based learning. digital tools, the benefits of reducing teacher questioning and refining the co-construction of oral language, teaching learners how to listen, the effective use of brain breaks, managing the demands of multi-level classes, differentiation techniques, tips for preparing students for Scholarship, advice from the National Languages Moderator, and more.

In addition to these “how to” sessions, there are many that focus on the bigger-picture ideas that are of pressing relevance to all educators in Aotearoa in 2021. Many of the papers and workshops address questions of equity and inclusiveness. There are a number of presentations dealing with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Other titles include “Growing Global Citizenship through Language Learning”, “Tongan values and the impact on language teaching and learning: the critical role values play in developing policies for language teaching”, “Gender and Language: addressing the nature of gender and language and the changing nature of gender identity”, and “What we learn from students and what we do with it: practical ways to ensure inclusiveness”.

There are also sessions with a focus on the Tapasā Framework, Māori medium classrooms, the Digital Technologies Curriculum, cross-curricular learning, and “Voices from those involved in the NCEA Change Package for Languages”, a presentation designed to enhance understanding of some of the decisions that have been made for languages.

The NZALT 2021 Conference allows teachers of languages a unique opportunity to meet with colleagues and academics in relevant fields of study, and to build their own pedagogical understanding and dispositions. It also offers a forum in which to consider the relationships between language learning and current topics of high interest in education both in New Zealand and across the world.