Plenary Speakers

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Matthew Benton

Fake News and Post-truth: Media Literacy Education for English Language Learners

Plenary Description:

In this talk, we will discuss the urgent need for media literacy education in the English language classroom. We will first talk about different types of media and the myriad challenges facing young language learners as they try to make sense of the world in the 21st century. We will discuss the related role of K-12 English teachers as facilitators of critical thinking skills. We will then focus on a range of tools, resources and activities that can be used by English teachers to successfully integrate media literacy education into their language classes.

Short Bio:

Matthew Benton is an English Language Specialist with the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Programs, administered by Georgetown University. He is also CEO of Mentora Education Group and Director of Foreign Languages at Bahcesehir College, based in Istanbul. He has worked for nearly two decades in the field of language education, including positions as a teacher, curriculum developer, author and editor, department head, and senior manager. His interest in critical thinking and media literacy education comes from nearly a decade teaching the Theory of Knowledge course in the IB’s Diploma Programme. He also enjoys volunteering, reading, traveling, cooking and playing guitar.

Sabina Skenderovic Bukvić

Service Learning: Learning English While Contributing to the World around You

Plenary description:

In this talk, Sabina Skenderović Bukvić will take us on a journey to discover the potential of service learning. Through presentation of several small-scale projects that have already been implemented, we will gain knowledge on how English language class can propel serving our community and shape students who take responsibility for both their learning and behaviour and who become aware of the impact they can make on the world around them.

Bio:

Sabina Skenderovic was born in 1982 in Gradačac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She gratuated at the University of Tuzla in 2007 and completed her MA in 2013. She is currently working on her PhD thesis at the University of Tuzla. She is the founder of Center for Foreign Languages Big Ben, Tuzla which currently employs 9 teachers and has over 400 students. She has participated and held workshops at numerous international conferences for ELT professionals. In 2010 she won the second prize in Innovative Use of Technology Competition, organised by Microsoft Company and British Council. In cooperation with American Corner Tuzla and the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has completed several projects. In 2019 she was selected to be one of the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina in an internatinal training in Budva, Montenegro. Moreover, she was a teacher trainer at TELTs seminar funded by the US Embassy, Drama Based Institute seminar and November to Remember course for teachers, organized by Sharing One Language organization, the UK. In 2020, she received an award: Super Woman of Solidarity for her volunteer work during the pandemic. In 2021, she received and award: Person of the Year 2021 in the field of education for the assistance she provided to both public and private school teachers. She has been volunteering for 20 years and this inspired her to experiment with service leaning.