Annual NATE Conference

The 26th International Conference of the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE Russia) “Digital Change in ELT Community” took place on June 2-5, 2021 in Moscow (MISIS). The conference was held in a mixed format in English.

The central topic of discussion at the forum was the digitalization of the learning process, digital methodology, intercultural communication, new approaches to the study and teaching of the English language. Invited scientists from many countries presented their reports. The founder of NATE Professor, Doctor of Philology Svetlana Ter-Minasova and an outstanding linguist of our time, the author of many textbooks, dictionaries and monographs David Crystal answered the questions of young researchers. Thanks to the online format, participants were able to connect to the broadcast from different parts of the world – from Australia and Hong Kong to the United States and Peru to discuss how digitalization is changing the educational process.

Teachers of IvSU, members of the Ivanovo English Language Teachers Association (IVELTA) attended the conference. Dr. Elena Shilova (Vice President of IVELTA) presented the report “Decoding Tourism Slogans: Can They Mark the Country’s Identity?”. Dr. Natalia Lavrentieva spoke about methodological potential of using integrated multimedia tasks in teaching English to students of non-linguistic programmes (digital methodology). Head of the research and educational centre "Contemporary Russian and European Lexicography" Professor, Doctor of Philology Olga Karpova presented the report “Dictionary Use in Digital Era (with Special Reference to English Learners' Dictionaries)”.

One of the innovations of this year's conference was a special section “Young Voices”. Young scientists, senior undergraduate students and graduate students presented the results of their research. Within this section T. Kalacheva, a 4th year student (studying in the Foreign Philology programme) (scientific adviser – Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Philology Ekaterina Grigorieva) presented the report “From Paper to Cyber: the History of Scottish Lexicography Illustrated by J. Jamieson's Dictionary”.

An annual meeting of NATE members was held at the conference. They discussed the results of the All-Russian competition of videos in English “iTravel: Russia. Peculiarities of 2020. My Experience”. The competition was held for the third time. This year the competition was dedicated to the experience gained by the participants during global changes and pandemic in the world and in Russia. More than 400 students of 7-11 grades of secondary schools, as well as students of secondary and higher educational institutions of Russia participated in it.

The competition was traditionally held at the regional, then at the all-Russian levels. The 3rd place in the category of students of secondary and higher educational institutions was taken by the 2nd year students of IvSU Philology (Foreign Philology) programme Safonova Anastasia, Guseva Alexandra and Radyukina Elizaveta (supervisor – Associate Professor Dr. Polyakova Elena).

IvSU initiated the next conference of the National Association of Teachers of English in Russia to be held in May 2022 at our university.

President of Ivanovo English Language Teachers Association, Professor, Doctor of Philology Olga Karpova