BOTC 2023

29 September | 10:15 – 11:00 | ZOOM

The growing imperative to master Global Skills in English

The pandemic has accelerated international online communication and more than ever, Young Adults are working in an international environment. Coupled with this, life and the world of work have become more complex and human beings need to develop Global Skills in reply, differentiating ourselves from Artificial Intelligence to compete in the jobs market. In this 45-minute academic talk, we will explore how teachers of English as a foreign language can help their learners to master these Global Skills in English, drawing on modes of communication and language systems described in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) that we may not traditionally include in our courses. There is much we can do with teens and Young Adults, even at lower levels, to help them to collaborate, show empathy, use intercultural competency, and develop digital literacy in English. We will make specific reference to the descriptors of the CEFR updated to 2018 to identify the communicative activities to be developed at each level.

Darragh O’Grady was born in Dublin, Ireland and studied languages and teaching English as a foreign language at the National University of Ireland.  He holds a master’s degree in English literature from the same institution. He started his EFL teaching career with adults and teenagers in the 1990s in Dublin and moved to Mexico City in the year 2000. Since then, he has worked in different areas of foreign language teaching and testing for all levels and ages and in various contexts and countries. His areas of interest today are the teaching of foreign languages for specific and academic purposes. He owns and runs a small language center in Mexico City specializing in these disciplines.

www.britanico.edu.pe