The Unplugged Conference

The Unplugged Conference was a one-day event which took place on Sat 21 May 2011 at OxfordTEFL, Barcelona, Spain, organised along Open Space Technology lines so as to maximise participation, and with the aim of exploring and debating issues involved in unplugging teaching, teacher training and teacher development.


Blog posts and articles about the conference

The event was organised by the IATEFL TD SIG and sponsored by OxfordTEFL, Barcelona.


Facilitators on the day included:

  1. Anthony Gaughan, (Teacher Trainer, Hamburg School of English),
  2. Duncan Foord (OxfordTEFL, Barcelona and TD SIG),
  3. Lindsay Clandfileld (Author)

and TD SIG committee member Mark Bain (Sabadell)

The key features of the unplugged conference

  1. the focus will be on the interactions between the people in the room, on the here and now, and the face to face
  2. it will foreground participation. You will have the opportunity to take an active part and contribute your ideas as well hear those of others.
  3. it will be productive. Discussions will move towards short team presentations to fellow participants at the end of the day.
  4. it will include language learners. The demonstration class will be with 15 or so real learners from the local community.
  5. it will be small. The maximum number of participants is 80
  6. it will be diverse. Well, that depends on you, but we aim to attract a range of ELT professionals to the conference as individual participants, including teachers, teacher trainers, school directors and publishers. There will not be an exhibition.

Download the poster

[download id=”3″ format=”1″] (for emails, blogs and the web)

[download id=”4″ format=”1″] (for printing and copying in black and white)

[download id=”5″ format=”1″] (for printing out in glorious colour)

More posters to download and print!


Get inspired. Stick these up on the walls in your OST meeting space. Or in your bedroom. Design by Mark Bain.

The Four Principles

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The One Law

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