Learning Together and Growing Together at ETAS PD Day 2026
At the beginning of September, I travelled to Bern to give a presentation at the English Teachers’ Association of Switzerland Professional Development Day.
I was honoured to have my workshop, ‘Write it. Notice it. Say it. A Multi-sensory Diary Approach to Language Learning’, accepted for the event. This year’s theme was ‘Learning together, growing together: The power of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in ELT professional development’.
An Early Start and a Grand Apéro
My journey began with a 03.45 am start for a taxi to Bristol airport at 05.00 on Friday. These days, I don’t bounce back quite so easily after getting up at that hour!
That evening, ETAS had organised an apéro and pub quiz at the Kornhauskeller Restaurant & Bar, a magnificent Baroque former granary. It was a lovely way to meet other attendees and presenters. Our team, ‘The Difficult Ones’, even came second!
Insights and Inspirations in Bern
The PD Day was held at the International School in Bern, a delightful, airy venue with light-filled classrooms and a vegetarian cafeteria. I felt quite envious of the schoolchildren.
Louise Carleton-Gertsch opened the day by exploring how English language classrooms can help young people develop the capabilities they will need in a rapidly changing world. She ended with a motivating message of warmth and humanity.
Other sessions introduced me to the plain language movement, explored cultural differences in business communication, and considered how to deal with difficult people. Ian McMaster’s first point was that the difficult person may be the one looking at you in the mirror!
‘Write it. Notice it. Say it.’
Then it was my turn.
Luckily, I’d tested my set-up beforehand. I’m very glad I did, because my laptop wouldn’t connect to the screen. Fortunately, my friend had brought hers, and I managed to transfer my presentation to it.
After that, everything went well. I was delighted by the response. Many participants told me they planned to try the diary approach with their own learners, and I’m really looking forward to hearing about their experiences.
Wrapping Up a Wonderful Experience
My final workshop, led by Laura Kennedy, gave us practical speaking activities for Cambridge C1 Advanced learners.
The day ended with a raffle and a glass of delicious Swiss wine. Despite buying seven tickets, I won nothing, while several colleagues seemed to win again and again!
It was a wonderful experience, full of warmth, learning, and new connections. I’d definitely like to return next year.
Tags: #ETAS #EnglishLanguageTeaching #TeacherDevelopment #BusinessEnglish #EnglishImmersion #LearnerGeneratedContent