The annual meeting of the ELT clans took place in Edinburgh last week. The IATEFL conference brought English Language Teaching professionals from all over the world together to share best practices in learning and teaching. 

As ever, it passed in a whirlwind of talks, fleeting conversations, hugs, and coffees. In this post, I will attempt to share some of my highlights, though I think I could probably write an entire book on it!

People

In Scotland, they say that "people make Glasgow," but last week in Edinburgh, "people made IATEFL." It is always a joy to catch up with familiar faces, make new connections, and meet online friends in real life. I've been attending IATEFL since 2009, so walking between sessions and spending time in the exhibition hall tends to lead to multiple fleeting hugs and conversations, reminiscent of a family wedding! There is never enough time!

This year, I was particularly delighted to catch up with people I've worked with on recent projects from National Geographic Learning, Nile, and The Hands Up Project. I also had the pleasure of meeting Shélynn Riel from The Teacher Think-Aloud podcast (sponsored by Ellii) in real life for the first time. This was particularly exciting as I have only met her online while recording a podcast episode about being an ELT nomad! 

Talks & workshops

As always, the quantity and quality of teacher development sessions was overwhelmingly high. It was difficult to choose which sessions to attend. Topics included AI, critical media literacy, visual literacy, mediation, inclusion, diversity, and sustainability as well as all the usual methodology, pronunciation, and grammar geekery. 

Here is a sketchnote from Jade Blue's fantastic session on Visual Literacy.

For more visual notes, check out my blog post where I share all my sketchnotes: https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/posts

Speaking at IATEFL

One of the things that I love most about IATEFL is the community spirit in sharing expertise. It feels just as good to attend a talk or workshop as it does to deliver one. This year, my session was entitled Real Role Models: Authentic Voices That Make an Impact. It was sponsored by National Geographic Learning to promote books and resources I have created for them: Voices, Impact, and Teaching through Crisis.  

The session explored the importance of authentic role models in language learning. Inspiring humans can give us the confidence to know that we can achieve what may at times feel impossible. And supportive teachers can help learners to believe in themselves and reach their true potential. 

I shared some of my own role models (my parents, Jenny Graham, various National Geographic explorers, Roza Salih, etc.) and was particularly fortunate and honored to have one particularly epic human in the audience: Ali Waters. 

Ali has inspired people all over the world to pick up over one million pieces of litter! I consider her to be my youngest role model, as she has achieved all this by just eleven years old! Supported by her own role models at Kids Against Plastic and her fabulous parents, Harry Waters and Gema Galán Estévez, Ali delighted my audience with her changemaking tales. 

You can find out more about Ali's #1MillionLitterPick challenge on the Kids Against Plastic website or by following her dad: Harry Waters @RenewableEnglish. Ali's new target is two million and you can help her by logging any litter picks on the app. 

A closing plenary to change the world

Not only did Ali steal the show during my session, but she also blew us all away with her powerful questions at the closing plenary with her father. IATEFL wanted to recognize the importance of learner voices, so they invited her to speak and reflect on her own learning experiences to pose 5 Burning Questions. 

Here is my sketchnote from the session. Please excuse the "burnining" spelling mistake! I guess it shows that I am not a robot! 😉

More info & further reading

If you would like more about the IATEFL conference this year, I recommend checking out Sandy Millin's blog, where she posts detailed notes from sessions she attends: 

https://sandymillin.wordpress.com/category/iatefl/iatefl-edinburgh-2025/

You can also scroll through the IATEFL social media pages or search for #IATEFL2025 on various social media platforms. If you would like to attend, become a member or follow them on socials. Speaker proposals are usually accepted from July to September. The conference will be in Brighton, UK, next year. 

What are your favorite conferences? Did you attend IATEFL this year? What were your key takeaways and highlights?