About

Teaching Boys English – Raising the spirit of boys in English

This conference will elevate the place of boys’ natural dispositions in the effective teaching of Secondary English. It’s for any educator who seeks to do the best for the boys in their classrooms and schools. We are collecting together a group of outstanding educators, authors and academics who answer the call to do better for boys.
Those who teach English to boys know the subject can be a vital, expressive and profound experience for their students – the careful selection of approaches that are known to work for young men is essential in this. Our conference will bring together our collective wisdom on teaching boys english.

Conference Dates 
Wednesday 1 May - Friday 3 May 2024

Location
Christ's College, 33 Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch

Conference Strands
The Practice – Classroom practices that elevate boys’ experiences and success in English
The Author – Authors who speak for today’s young men and who exemplify the power of writing as an extension of young men’s identity
Tangata whenua/Indigenous kaupapa – Meaningful methods of integrating Matauranga Māori and indigenous ways of knowing into the English classroom
Journalism and Filmmaking – In line with practices of authenticity. Examples of how media and journalism can bring meaning and purpose to an English programme. 
Reading and Writing – The nitty gritty of how to make reading and writing the thriving centre of boys’ learning lives
 

Contributors
Author and teacher Airana Ngarewa - Author of  “The Bone Tree” 
Academic Claudia Rozas Gomes - Lecturer in Critical Studies in Education and member of the NZQA Subject Expert Group who are developing the NCEA Level 2 English Standards
Author and teacher Tania Roxborogh - NCEA Implementation facilitator for Mana ōrite mō te Mātauranga Māori, Author and PhD candidate in Māori knowledge as it applies to English teaching and the study of Shakespeare.
Ministry of Education Lead for English and Author, Laura Borrowdale
Poutama Pounamu - Leaders of change in Matauranga Māori as it applies to English

Literacy Connections - Specialists in Structured Literacy as applied to the secondary teaching environment and exponents of the Writing Revolution. The workshops from the Literacy Connections team will equip you with the knowledge you need properly to meet our boys' reading and writing needs.

Conference Timetable
Wednesday 1 May
17:00 – Registration
18:00 – Film  

Thursday 2 May
09:30 – Coffee - Welcome
10:00 – Conference launch - Mihi Whakatau 
10:15 – Keynote 1
11:30 – Workshop 1
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Keynote 2
14:45 – Coffee
15:15 – Workshops 2 - Experts, Authors, Lecturers, Researchers
18:30 – Conference Dinner - Dining Hall

Friday 3 May
09:00 – Workshops 3 - 5 Strands
10:15 – Coffee
10:45 – Keynote 3
12:00 – Farewell

Workshop Abstracts: 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16GHb3wa9N-ZmBDtPCvfwq6HO2T_B9ngQ4_c1U6Q3cCM/edit#gid=0

Workshop Sign-up: 
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5E2n6GIR5ILY4duAXLltO07iUy8C-yhgX6JfKhSM4ILkAEg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Local accommodation options
Novotel, Cathedral Square https://all.accor.com/hotel/6592/index.en.shtml
Observatory Hotel https://observatoryhotel.co.nz/
Hotel Give https://hotelgive.nz/
Hotel Montreal https://www.hotelmontreal.co.nz/
Orari Bed and Breakfast https://www.orari.co.nz/
Majestic on Mayfair https://mayfairluxuryhotels.com/
Breakfree on Cashel https://all.accor.com/hotel/B3J2/index.en.shtml
Ibis Christchurch https://all.accor.com/hotel/5983/index.en.shtml