Nicolás Melo Panigatti is an English–Spanish translator and English language teacher. He holds a Master’s degree in Advanced English Studies: Languages and Cultures in Contact from the University of Salamanca and the University of Valladolid, and is currently pursuing a PhD in the same field. His research interests include language, identity, and contemporary approaches to English language education, with a focus on how diverse identities are negotiated and represented in teaching and learning contexts.

What is it that lingers in the minds of students long after the content of a lesson has been forgotten? More often than not, it is the moments in which they felt challenged, encouraged or truly seen. Far from being incidental to learning, these experiences define classroom life. At a time when educational spaces are increasingly shaped by digital technologies, the relational dimensions of teaching become ever more significant. Drawing on sociocultural theories of learning, identity-oriented approaches to language and critical pedagogies, this presentation explores how classroom language can shape participation, belonging and learning. Through examples of everyday teacher-student interactions, participants will consider how communicative choices can influence students’ opportunities to engage, develop confidence and construct themselves as capable learners.