Tan Bee Tin (University of Aukland)

LANGUAGE LEARNING WORKSHOP (face-to-face, live streamed section)

Learn how to

• Foster creativity
• Motivate learners
• Support playfulness
• Encourage exploration

WORKSHOP INFO

In this workshop, drawing on my two decades of experience, I will explore the concepts of ‘creativity’ and ‘interest’ in the context of language teaching.

PART 1

The first part will focus on creativity, exploring its meaning within the field of language teaching and learning. I will introduce key principles that educators can use to foster creative and playful language use among learners. Through practical demonstrations, I will showcase activities and techniques designed to encourage students to experiment with language and transform it as they create new meanings.

PART 2

In the second part, we will expand on creativity by integrating research on the concept of interest. Among the many perspectives used to understand students’ complex language learning behaviors, ‘interest’ is a crucial element for deeper, more meaningful learning. It is a pedagogically significant concept that merits careful discussion. will examine the role of interest in language teaching and learning, its importance, and how it complements creative language instruction. Our discussion will address several key components of language teaching—topics, texts, tasks, and talk—and how creativity and interest work together to enhance students’ engagement and language learning through these elements.

PRESENTER BIO

Tan Bee Tin is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching at the School of Cultures, Languages and Linguistics (the University of Auckland, New Zealand).

She has a strong interest in language education in Asia and has conducted research in various Asian contexts (e.g. Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar). She has published in the areas of language teacher education, language creativity, and language learning, the role of interest in language learning, and teaching English in peripheral contexts.

She is the author of ‘Unpacking Creativity for Language Teaching’ (published by Routledge, 2022) and ‘Stimulating Student Interest in Language Learning: Theory, Research and Practice’ (published by Palgrave MacMillan, 2016).