Festival

The International Festival of Mentoring Teacher-Research in ELT (2024–25)

Organized by MenTRnet and supported by  British Council,  Pilgrims Teacher Training Journal and IATEFL Research SIG
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Free online events and recordings during 2024–25 showcasing teacher-research mentoring initiatives around the world.

The festival’s aim is to map and draw lessons from these initiatives and to inspire others to engage in mentoring teacher-research and/or to organize teacher-research mentoring support schemes. With this new emphasis on mentoring, the festival builds on two previous international festivals showcasing teacher-researchers’ own experiences, in 2017 and 2021, respectively.

9–10 March – IATEFL ReSIG Teachers Research! Online 2024 conference – launch event for the festival. Video record in preparation

16 March – ‘Best of EVO’ – TESOL CALL Interest Section – 30-minute presentation about the Mentoring Teacher-Research Electronic Village Online. Video-recording.

9 April – British Council Teacher Educator Community webinar on ‘Teacher education and practitioner research – how can one support the other?’ by Richard Smith. Video-recording and associated handout.

4 May – IATEFL ReSIG webinar – ‘Challenges in mentoring teacher-research, and how to overcome them’ – showcasing the work of mentors of research at the Teachers Research! Online 2024 conference. Video-recording and full programme with links to posters.

8 June – ‘The work and impact of NETRUZ (Network of English Teacher Researchers In Uzbekistan)’ – webinar led by Elyanora Menglieva and Ella Maksakova. Video-recording and Booklet of Success Stories created for the event.

20 July  – ‘EAR-Thailand #2024 project – Successful practices in a teacher-research mentoring programme’ – Webinar about work within the EAR-Thailand #2024 project  (fomerly, MDEAR (Mentor Development for Exploratory Acton Research) (King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi / British Council Thailand / RELO Thailand / ThaiTESOL). Video recording.

31 August – Mentoring teachers new to research in the Electronic Village Online – Webinar showcasing work by mentors, arising from past Teacher-Research for Professional Development Electronic Village Online (EVO)  (EVO) sessions, led by Ruben Mazzei and Mariana Serra. Video recording.

14 September – Mentoring teacher-research in a Teacher Association Community of Practice: Experience from Rwanda – Webinar about work within ATER (Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda), led by James Mbonyuburo, Laurent Ahishakiye and Jean Damascène Uwamahoro. Video recording

19 October – 13:00–14:30 UK time – School Improvement through Mentoring Exploratory Action Research – Webinar showcasing work in the British Council’s Partner Schools programme, led by Sirin Soyoz, Ghazala Sajjad and Fareeha Bashir. Further details and registration.

…. and further monthly events culminating in the Teachers Research! Online 2025 conference on 29–30 March 2025, including a panel discussion in January 2025 about introducing teacher-research mentoring into pre-service teacher education.

The Festival is chaired by Professor Richard Smith and is being organized with the support of a grant from the University of Warwick and the Economic and Social Research Council (grant reference ES/X004635/1)