NATECLA Scotland Conference 2025

Title: NATECLA Scotland Annual Conference

Date: Saturday 15th November 2025

Time: 10:30 – 15:30

Location: Paisley Campus, University of the West of Scotland (UWS), High St, Paisley PA1 2BE.

Cost: £35 members / £70 non members

NATECLA Scotland are delighted to invite you to the 2025 Annual Conference, a day of ESOL presentations, workshops, discussions and networking.

The programme will include:

• Opening Plenary

• Facilitated networking and mingling sessions focusing on ESOL Literacies teaching, ESOL Policy in Scotland, and Teaching in the Community

• Parallel workshops led by experienced practitioners

• Designated exhibitor space with opportunities to meet and talk with a range of organisations

This in-person event will bring together ESOL professionals from across Scotland and beyond, offering a valuable chance to share practice, gain new insights and connect with colleagues.

Details

10:30 Registration (tea and coffee provided)

11:00 Start – 15:30 finish

11:00 - 12:00 Opening Plenary

12:00 - 12:45 Session A - 3 Facilitated mingle sessions

12:45 - 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 - 14:15 Session B - 3 parallel workshops

14:15 - 14:35 Afternoon break

14:35 - 15:30 Session C - 3 parallel workshops

15:30 - Conference close

Speakers:

Opening Plenary 

💗 “Stepping Outside of Ourselves”: Teacher wellbeing and emotion labour in the ESOL classroom (Orsolya Dunn)

Overview
The ESOL field has been experiencing turbulent times in Scotland and beyond. Under-resourced provision, fragmented services, and rising demand have created increasing pressure on those working in ESOL.

This plenary will share the findings of a practitioner research project focusing on the wellbeing of ESOL practitioners. While these professionals play a vital role in supporting students’ wellbeing and achievements, their own experiences and needs are often overlooked.

Focus of the Talk
Based on interviews with ESOL practitioners working with refugees and asylum seekers in Scottish colleges, this talk will explore:

• The emotional labour involved in ESOL teaching

• The impact this work has on practitioners’ wellbeing

• The extent to which teachers can engage in wellbeing practices such as self-care

Presenter Bio
Orsolya Dunn has over 20 years of experience in English language teaching across a wide range of contexts. She has taught in Hungary, Italy, and the UK, in ESOL, EAP, and EFL roles.

She is currently an ESOL Lecturer at Ayrshire College and a Doctorate in Education student at the University of Glasgow.

Parallel Sessions (Order TBC)

⚖️ Language, Power, and Policy: Unpacking Neoliberal Narratives in ESOL (Declan Flanagan) 

Overview
This practitioner-focused workshop explores how neoliberal ideology shapes discourses around bilingual and multilingual learners (BMLLs) in English language and higher education. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 1992), participants will examine a media case study of a Syrian refugee’s educational journey.

Focus of the Workshop
The session will investigate how narratives of resilience, meritocracy, and self-sufficiency:

• Celebrate achievement while obscuring systemic barriers (e.g., funding cuts, IELTS requirements, restrictive migration policies)

• Commodify English and frame language learning as an individual responsibility rather than a structural issue

Interactive Activities
Through engaging tasks, participants will apply CDA across three levels—textual, discursive, and socio-cultural—to:

• Critically unpack the “deserving refugee” narrative

• Reflect on implications for classroom practice

• Consider strategies to embed critical literacy in ESOL teaching

• Identify opportunities for advocacy and promote equitable pathways for learners

Presenter Bio

Declan Flanagan is an experienced ESOL practitioner, researcher, and founding member of NATECLA (Island of Ireland). He has over 20 years of teaching experience across primary, secondary, community, FE, corporate, and higher education.

At Queen’s University Belfast and Dublin City University (DCU), he develops and delivers TESOL, EAP, and research methods programmes at undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels, with expertise in qualitative methodologies and culturally responsive supervision.

His research and practice focus on ESOL/EAL policy, refugee education, curriculum design, employability programmes, and practitioner development.

📖 The Influence of Reading on Vocabulary Acquisition (Eliza Kelly)

Overview
This workshop explores the relationship between reading and vocabulary acquisition among English language learners, grounded in current research in the field of second language acquisition. The session will begin with a brief overview of key studies and theoretical frameworks that highlight the role of reading in facilitating vocabulary growth and language development.

Aims of the Workshop
The primary aim is to bridge theory and practice by demonstrating how research findings can be translated into classroom strategies.

Takeaways for Participants
By the end of the session, participants will leave with:

• Evidence-based ideas for integrating reading meaningfully into ESL instruction

• Practical classroom activities to support learners’ vocabulary development

• Insights into the role of reading in promoting fluency and overall language proficiency

Presenter Bio

Eliza Kelly has over 17 years of experience in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). She began her teaching career in 2009 in South Korea, before transitioning to adult education in Canada, where she completed her CELTA and earned an MA in TESOL (2014).

She is currently an ESOL Lecturer at Dundee and Angus College in Scotland, with a primary interest in vocabulary development and the role of reading in supporting vocabulary acquisition among adult learners.

📘 Creating Lessons with Real-World Outcomes (ESOL Scotland – Dinushriya Spybey & John Weeks)

Overview
Over the past few years, ESOL Scotland has worked with learners in the community to find practical ways of linking classroom learning to real-world opportunities. This has included:

• Organising class trips

• Supporting community projects

• Planning activities that help learners use English in meaningful settings

This learner-centred approach has motivated and empowered both tutors and learners, reframing language learning in fresh, practical ways.

Focus of the Workshop
Building on this experience, the presenters have now developed a structured approach to using real-world experiences as outcomes when planning programmes. This makes it easier for tutors to integrate practical opportunities into their teaching.

In this interactive session, participants will take away practical ideas on how to plan a programme of lessons working towards real-world outcomes in their own teaching contexts.

Presenter Bios

Dinushriya Spybey
Dinushriya is the Senior Development Worker in ESOL Scotland’s Volunteer Tutor Project. She oversees community ESOL provision delivered by volunteers, including tutor training and learner support. She also leads the development of ESOL Scotland’s community curriculum and runs the Coordinators of ESOL Volunteers in Scotland Network (CEVS).

She has over 15 years’ experience teaching ESOL in both community and accredited settings.

John Weeks
John is a Development Worker at ESOL Scotland for the ESOL+ project, and previously for the Multiply-funded ESOL and Numeracy project. He also designed and delivered ESOL Scotland’s first digital skills course and works alongside Dinushriya in developing the community curriculum.

In both tutoring and development roles, John has supported learners to engage in a wide range of real-world opportunities. Most recently, learners from his digital skills class took part in organising and promoting an event for the Refugee Festival Scotland.

He has over 10 years of teaching experience across both private and community contexts.

🌸 Promoting Safe Spaces, Confidence and Belonging: Advocating Women Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and Migrants to Access Female-Only ESOL Classes (Juana Simpson)

Overview
Female learners from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds are often eager to learn English to support their children in school, access employment, and integrate into their communities. However, barriers such as childcare and cultural/gender differences can prevent participation in mainstream classes.

For the past 25 years, a women-only community centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has proactively recognised the demand and value of women-only ESOL classrooms.

Focus of the Workshop
One ESOL practitioner facilitated task-based activities with female learners of refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant backgrounds to highlight the benefits of women-only ESOL spaces.

This session will:

• Share authentic learner statements on studying in a female-only environment

• Explore how women build a community of safe and shared learning

• Provide examples of classroom topics suited to women-only contexts

• Discuss practitioner perspectives on teaching in such spaces

Discussion Opportunity
Participants will be invited to consider the benefits of women-only ESOL classes and reflect on the differences between female-led and male-led provision in these environments.

Presenter Bio

Juana Simpson is a qualified ESOL and EAL practitioner with 13 years of experience in Northern Ireland. She has taught English in both formal and non-formal settings, and currently teaches:

• ESOL in a women’s community centre

• EAL in a secondary school

She actively advocates for equitable English language provision for refugee and asylum-seeking learners through her work as a representative of NATECLA Island of Ireland branch and as a joint convenor of the NALDIC Northern Ireland Regional Interest Group.

Her teaching practice champions equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, translanguaging, and multilingualism, always foregrounding learners’ voices and narratives.

🎭 Learning by Sharing: English Learners and the Transformative Power of Cultural Exchange (Marzanna Antoniak)

Overview
This workshop explores creative ways to take language learning beyond the classroom, rooted in cultural heritage and shared experiences.

Drawing on the facilitator’s extensive practice, the session will highlight how empowering learners as performers, writers, and activity leaders can be truly transformative.

Focus of the Workshop
Participants will:

• Explore how cultural exchange can foster pride in learners’ identities

• Reflect on how shifting power dynamics can encourage agency, confidence, and respect

• Exchange ideas for meaningful activities that strengthen English skills while valuing learners’ cultural heritage

Presenter Bio

Marzanna Antoniak is a multilingual culture animator, community development practitioner, language teacher, and trainer specialising in communication across linguistic diversity.

Her work centres on:

• Strengthening cohesion and accessibility

• Building inclusive, multi-ethnic communities

• Showcasing cultural diversity through exhibitions, festivals, and publications

She has also published articles and zines, curated cross-cultural events across Scotland, and currently works as Glasgow Network Coordinator at Migrant Voice and ESOL Lecturer at Glasgow Clyde College.

🪞 Who Are We When We Teach?: Understanding ESOL Teacher Identity (Paula Barrowcliffe)

Overview
This interactive workshop explores Language Teacher Identity (LTI) and its significance in ESOL contexts. Practitioners often take on multiple roles for their students — teacher, cultural mediator, mentor — which shape both classroom experiences and professional selves.

Focus of the Workshop
Through a mix of activities, participants will:

• Develop a clear understanding of what LTI is and why it matters

• Reflect on their own evolving identities as ESOL practitioners

• Explore ways to support the development of teacher identity in their own contexts

Presenter Bio

Paula Barrowcliffe is a Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at the University of the West of Scotland. She has extensive experience in the ESOL sector, supporting learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Her research interests focus on:

• Language teacher identity

• ESOL and internationalisation

• The influence of multicultural and multilingual identities on educational practic