A welcome from Dr Charles Boyle, Programme Director
A very warm welcome to the OTA Masterclass for English language teachers. We invite you to join ELT colleagues from across the globe in what is a truly vibrant, international learning community.
This year, for the first time, we're delighted to be holding the OTA Masterclass in the stunning and historic Oxford University setting of Christ Church. We look forward to welcoming you to Oxford this summer where a professionally enriching and memorable learning experience awaits.
Masterclass workshops
Each morning you will participate in two 90-minute workshop sessions of your choice. You choose one workshop per week. The workshop options for 2022 are:
Afternoon lecture series
After lunch we invite you to join us for a stimulating and informative plenary lecture or seminar:
- If you don't mind me asking: The power of questioning in the classroom - Charlotte Rance
- Do you speak 2022? Contemporary English in the Classroom - Jon Hird
- Are you ready for intelligent machines? - Shaun Wilden
- The three dimensions of content in a CLIL lesson - Phil Ball
- The Ethic of Excellence - Donna Lee Harris
- Getting the most from your Professional Development - Charlotte Murphy
- Could you be getting more out of in-class assessment? - Ben Knight
- Visual Literacy in the ELT Class - Hanna Kryszewska
Please click here to see the synopses of each lecture.
Schedule

Monday - Friday
09:15 - 10:45 Workshop
10:45 - 11:15 Tea break
11:15 - 12:45 Workshop
13:00 - 13:45 Lunch
14:15 - 15:15 Lecture
The programme provides 42 hours of tuition, comprising:
- 30 hours of workshop meetings
- 8 lectures
Please note that the exact timings of the sessions may change.
After class you can relax in Christ Church's tranquil grounds, or immediately step into the bustle of the busy city streets beyond the college walls and explore one of Britain’s most beautiful cities. During your stay, a rich and varied social programme will help you to make the most of your time in Oxford.
Social programme
We've carefully tailored your social programme to allow you plenty of free time to explore and enjoy Oxford. You will also benefit from the services of two programme assistants who will be available to offer information on social activities in Oxford. We've arranged a number of optional social activities (all at no extra cost) during your course which may include the following:
- Guided walking tour of Oxford
- Oxford scavenger hunt
- Great British Quiz Night
- Canal walk
- Punting on the River Cherwell
- Oxford parks walk
- Pub visit with tutors
Meals and refreshments
We invite you to join us for an opening drinks reception and dinner on Sunday 10 July, and for a gala four-course dinner on Friday 15 in the Dining Hall. On your final evening in Oxford, we'll meet for a farewell open-air drinks reception in the Master's Garden and gala four-course formal dinner.
Breakfast
A full English cooked breakfast or a continental breakfast is served in the college Dining Hall.
Refreshments
Tea, coffee and refreshments are served during the morning break.
Lunch
A buffet lunch is served in the college Dining Hall. You can choose from a number of hot main course options or help yourself to the salad bar.
Dinner
A three-course dinner is served in the Dining Hall.
Weekend Meals
Please note that only breakfast is served on Saturday July 16 and Sunday July 17.
The venue
Christ Church, a constituent college of the Univeristy of Oxford, is ideally situated with the busy city centre on one side, and the peaceful, green spaces of Christ Church Meadow on the other. It was founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, and is one of the larger colleges of the University of Oxford. It is home to Oxford's cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and Christ Church Picture Gallery which houses an important collection of Old Masters paintings and drawings.
Christ Church has a number of architectually significant buildings including Tom Tower, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, Tom Quad (the largest quadrangle in Oxford) and the Great Dining Hall, which was also the seat of the parliament assembled by King Charles I during the English Civil War. The buidings have featured in films such as Harry Potter and The Golden Compass.
OUP book display
During the programme, representatives from Oxford University Press will be present to showcase current and forthcoming ELT publications. All teachers will be offered a discount on OUP's ELT publications purchased during the programme.
Your tutors
Shaun Wilden - Tutor for Escape the Classroom!
Mr Shaun Wilden is an educational technologist, teacher trainer, and teacher of English with more than 30 years of classroom experience. He holds an MA in technology and education. Having spent two decades teaching abroad, Shaun now lives in Oxford but continues to travel to give talks and workshops about the use of technology and language teaching. He has published a number of books and articles on the use of technology in education. He now lectures and tutors on information technology and online education on a number of programmes for international students and teachers for the University’s Department for Continuing Education.
Jon Hird - Tutor for Dyslexia
Jon Hird is a teacher, teacher trainer and ELT materials writer based in Oxford. He teaches at the University of Oxford and frequently gives teacher-training talks and workshops in the UK and overseas. He has written and contributed to many ELT publications for a number of publishers. His most recent publications include Oxford Learner’s Pocket Verbs and Tenses and components of the Language Hub, Roadmap, Navigate, Keynote, Oxford EAP and Life course book series. He has also written and adapted a range of materials for learners with dyslexia.
Hanna Kryszewska - Tutor for Mediation
Hanna Kryszewska is a teacher, teacher trainer, trainer of trainers and mentors, author of resource books and course books and senior lecturer at the University of Gdańsk, Poland. She co-wrote: “Options for English” - PWSiP, 1991, “Learner-based Teaching” (OUP, 1992), “Reading on Your Own’ (PWN, 1995), “Towards Teaching”, (Heinemann, 1995), “Stand-by Book”, S. Lindstromberg, Ed. (CUP, 1996), “Observing English Lessons”- A Video Teacher Training Course, and “The Company Words Keep” (DELTA, 2012).Since February 2006, she has been the editor of website magazine ‘Humanising Language Teaching.’
Charlotte Rance - Tutor for Teaching Teenagers
Charlotte Rance is a teacher trainer, author and educational consultant. She has worked in the English language teaching industry for almost two decades, and specialises in working with young learners and teenagers. Charlotte has worked in numerous countries around the world, and has spoken at a wide range of institutions and international conferences. Her priority as a trainer is to provide practical advice and suggest a range of effective strategies that teachers can successfully adapt and implement in their own teaching contexts.