IATEFL Hungary: Ken Wilson's 10 quotes to make you think (Plenary)

In this plenary, Ken Wilson did precisely what it said on the tin (aka, the programme) – he gave us 10 of his favourite quotes, which when applied to language teaching, had the potential to get us reflecting on what we do, and even become inspired to make some changes.

In a lively, engaging and entertaining talk, Ken presented quotes of thinkers, leaders and famous people from different times in history.  It was peppered with pearls of wisdom, and Ken’s own reflections on his teaching experiences. There were anecdotes and valuable insights offered along the way, but the point that earned a round of applause (hardly surprising given what we do) was that ‘the teacher is more important than the tool’ – a reference to teaching and technology.  We need to start asking, not ‘What is it?’, but ‘What can I do with it?’ Ken added, in favour of new technologies, that it’s not a bad thing to get more in line with the digital generation’s more interactive style.

We certainly left the session feeling it was time to think out of the box. Ken’s talk can be found on his blog. Googling Ken Wilson will get you there. You can watch an interview with Ken in which he talks about the quotes here