Claudia Ferradas

Dr Claudia Ferradas is a teacher educator, poet and writer of educational materials. She graduated as a teacher of English from the Instituto de Enseñanza Superior en Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramón Fernández”, Buenos Aires, where she taught language and literature for many years and was Academic Secretary.

She holds an MA in Education and Professional Development from the University of East Anglia, UK and a PhD in English Studies from the University of Nottingham, UK. She is a visiting lecturer in intercultural studies at the Universidad Nacional de Luján and an Affiliate Trainer with NILE (Norwich Institute for Language Education) in the UK. She is also a consultant for Oxford University  Press.

As a presenter and teacher trainer, she has worked in more than twenty countries and has co-chaired the Oxford Conference on the Teaching of Literature (Corpus Christi College) on five occasions. She has published poetry collections in English and Spanish and has participated in numerous anthologies. She is also a podcaster and a singer. 

Beyond Language: Global Skills in the English Language Class

At the turn of the century, language teachers, researchers  and materials writers started giving a lot of thought to the skills the new century would demand. Soft skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, critical digital literacy and intercultural competence were identified as central aims. 

Twenty years later, as those assumptions were being evaluated and reconsidered, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Lockdown posed new educational challenges and the urgent need to address global issues became self-evident. 

How has this scenario impacted on ELT methodology and contents? Have the so-called 21st century skills helped us face unprecedented circumstances? Are we paying enough attention to mediation and environmental issues? Does AI provide us with new tools or does it create new obstacles? We will reflect on these questions and suggest ways in which we may bring these considerations into our teaching practice to develop global skills.