SESSION 3D

Sarah Chamberlain, CQ University
What's in your pencil case?

Abstract
The Pencil Case Challenge is a collection of innovative ideas proposed by a diversity of teachers in response to 'critical teaching circumstances’, specifically minimal preparation time & resources. The Challenge invites teachers to the following question: ‘You have no more than 30 minutes to prepare to teach a lesson, what is on your desk or in your bag or pencil case that you can utilise in your class?’

This workshop-style presentation showcases some responses collected throughout research interviews for Sarah's blog series entitled ‘What’s in Your Pencil Case?’, where experienced teachers reveal their go-to objects and minimal resources. Through group disussion, participants explore how they would use the object in their chosen pencil case to introduce a lesson, and furthermore create extension activities; the workshop concluding with takeaway list of new ideas from attending groups. The Pencil Case Challenge invites teachers to the more-is-less sool of thought, stripping bare of materials to reveal teachers' creativity, pedagogical improvisation & exploration of professional potential, as well as diving deeper into students’ knowledge and emerging language. This session was included in UECA PDFest and MeetELT in Melbourne in 2018.

Bio
Sarah Chamberlain is an ELICOS teacher from Central Queensland University (CQU) English, Melbourne. She holds a Master of Applied Linguistic (UoM). Sarah taught English in Europe and the UK, completing her CELTA in Barcelona as recipient of the Suzanne Furstner study solarship from Cactus Language UK. Her current research involves interviewing teachers about their use of minimal resources within limited preparation time. Sarah is the founder of ReadyTeacher, a platform and service redesigning relief teacher (ET) management.