Read Maríaa Carla`s report on the Conference: For the first time in many years, I was the lucky one to win the free ticket to the FAAPI Conference. At first, owing to my busy lifestyle, I doubted whether I would be able to attend. Then, as the excitement took hold, I invited a close friend to join me and off we went. This ticket was a springboard towards an incredibly enriching experience.
FAAPI 2016 was unlike any other before- it was one with a difference. It was the special 41 st edition, since many dates coincidedd: 25 years of the first FAAPI in San Juan, 200 years of our Bicentenary as a nation and
400 years of Shakespeare ´ s death.
As the logo shows, the triangular figure consists of an arrangement of small triangles that interact in a variety of hues of colours, signifyingg collaboration and multidisciplinary work:“ Growth throughh co-operation”. This image creates an arrow head which symbolizes the idea of growth, while resembling the mountainous landscape in San Juan.
I really consider that this logo represents what this 41 st FAAPI edition was all about: a great variety of academically well-prepared plenaries and semi plenaries
, concurrent sessions, commercial presentations and sponsored workshops.
Noteworthy among the excellent national and international speakers present at this event were: Silvanaa Richardson, Claudia Ferradas and Malena Solda, Luke
Prodromou,
Aziz Abu Sarah, Len
Unsworth, Jair Félix, Lucy Crichton and Dave Alan.
Some of the presentations that affected me strongly were: Claudia Ferradas ´ lecture which commemorated the
400 th anniversary of Shakespearee ´ s death and dramatized a series of scenes from Shakespeare ´ s plays as well as a sonnet together with Malena Sola. It was an authentic delight for Shakespeare lovers.
Aziz Abu Sarah ´ s presentation exploring the power of education to heal conflicts between hostile communities in the
ELT class was a spine-chilling experience for all the attendees- he received a warm and spontaneous standing ovation.
Jair Félix ´ s speech focusing on how to help students develop awareness of the wider world and their own role as world citizens held a clear message that language teachers should integrate global issues into their
ELT class.
Luke Prodromou ´ s plenary presenting techniques to develop 21st century skills was thoroughly motivating and encouraged us to put them into practice as soon as possible. Mónica Rodriguez Salvo ´ s concurrent session on“ Mindfulness for Educators
” provided a practical guide to discover how Mindfulness can improve students’ and our academicc outcomes in addition to our welll being.
The array of venues, which were within a wide walking distance of each other, provided us with the opportunity to take in the fresh air as we strolled through“ Parque de Mayo”.