by Amir Esmaeili
I have been teaching English for about 11 years to a wide age range, miscellaneous proficiency levels, and people from all walks of life. I sincerely believe there is no room for complacency and everyone, irrespective of their profession or expertise, should strive to enhance their skills and knowledge on a regular basis. This attitude has led me to attend a prodigious number of talks intently, take part in workshops actively, and peruse article voraciously. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon an impressive workshop title: ‘Academic Writing Day’ by English Language Teacher’s Association Rhine a couple weeks ago. I did not think twice to sign up. For the sake of brevity, allow me to elaborate on only the first session below.
With a sparkle in my eyes, I entered the virtual room on the due date (August 28, 2021) to find myself in a welcoming atmosphere with endearing smiles as well as amongst erudite lecturers. After exchanging pleasantries, the session began with the first presenter: Dr. Nigel Caplan, an associate professor at University of Delaware. The topic was Teaching/Learning Genre-Based Writing and it did not take us participants long to be entirely enthralled by its appeal and interactivity. From a broad definition of writing and its purpose, we then delved deeper into various writing genres, their structures, or how commonly some modes are misinterpreted as genres. As an example, we dissected a product online review as a distinct genre and discussed the function of each part. Having shed some enlightening light on discrete sections of the review, Dr. Caplan asked us to come up with our own product and do a collective review to put theory into practice. He ran this activity with great panache, involving all of us in the process and drafting the review simulataneously. Not only did we all sense what we had learned to the bone, but also felt as an indispensable member of this workshop. How cool is that!
I consider myself lucky to have met Khanh-Duc Kuttig along with very many other scholars on that day. ELTA Rhine is undoubtedly a fabulous association and rest assured it will not cease to amaze you wih their exciting offers and sessions once you get in touch. Thank you, ELTA Rhine.
Amir holds an MA in TEFL, Cambridge Train the Trainer, and CELTA certificates. He has been teaching English for about 11 years to a wide age range and various proficiency levels. H has also trained teachers, especially IETLS instructors, since 2017 for a number of different organizations.