Fall 2025 Winter 2026 Newsletter
We are proud to present the latest highlights from our community. This edition captures a year of significant transitions and remarkable professional achievements, reflecting our collective commitment to excellence in English Language Teaching (ELT) despite the challenges of our time.
Leadership & Vision
The newsletter opens with a powerful message from TESOL-Ukraine President Olena Ilienko, titled “From Challenge to Strength.” Following our 2025 elections, our leadership team—including Vice-President Hanna Podosynnikova and National Coordinator Ganna Gusieva—continues to guide the organization toward deeper international integration and local empowerment.
Methodology & Classroom Innovation
Our members have been busy “digging deeper” into pedagogical strategies. Key features in this issue include:
- Curiosity through Plot: Olena Ilienko and Anna Gusieva (Kharkiv) explore strategies for building curiosity using “Cues to Climaxes” in the EFL classroom.
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Visual Writing: Olha Moroz (Kremenchuk) shares a practitioner’s guide to developing communicative writing through student-created visuals.
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The Story Lounge: A deep dive into the innovative “Story Lounge” concept by the Sumy team (Lyudmyla Hnapovska, Veronika Kolomiets, and Kateryna Panchenko), showcasing how storytelling fosters community and language acquisition.
Professional Development & Global Reach
TESOL-Ukraine continues to bridge the gap between local needs and international standards:
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Fall 2025 & Winter 2026: We recap the success of the “Digging Deeper!” course and the Winter Symposium led by Lucia Shelley (USA), which offered high-impact strategies for Ukrainian practitioners.
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Partnerships: Highlights from our vibrant collaborations with TESOL-Hungary and MELTA, as well as reports from the IATEFL and TESOL International conventions.
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New Horizons: Updates on EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) teaching by Iryna Zuyenok and a look at the future of our field with Serhii Petrenko’s “Back from the Future.”
Upcoming Milestones
We are already looking ahead to a packed 2026 schedule:
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Introduction to CELTA 2026: A specialized preparatory course (Feb–May 2026) to help our teachers master learner-centered classrooms.
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Smart Teaching with AI: Ongoing workshops to integrate cutting-edge technology into our teaching portfolios.
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The 2026 National Convention: Save the date for our premier annual event from May 22–24, 2026, where we will gather to “reflect, reimagine, and rebuild.”
“Our community is stronger than circumstances. We are here because we believe in what we do.”