Developing Purpose and Meaning-making With Your Students | IEW2024

Discover how social connectivity, self-care, and active engagement can elevate language learning. Leave with practical tools to cultivate a meaningful, student-centered approach to language education. Join us on November 22 at 18:00 Moscow time for an inspiring workshop with Dr. Mark Lane-Holbert, educational psychologist and faculty fellow at the University of South Florida. This event is held as part of International Education Week. Join us for an engaging workshop designed for English language teachers and educational leaders working with youth, focused on integrating purpose-based best practices into language education. This session explores how fostering students’ sense of purpose and meaning can enhance engagement, improve achievement, and support long-term development. We’ll connect these principles to global trends in education and explore classroom applications, discussing the role of purpose in meaning-making and motivation. The workshop will also feature an overview of findings from the Youth Meaning Index (YMI), a survey of over 10,000 youth across nine countries, revealing key drivers of meaning that inform students’ educational experiences and overall perspective on life paths. Participants will explore actionable strategies based upon current research to implement purpose-based learning in classrooms. Participants will walk away with a clearer understanding of how purpose and meaning-making can enrich their teaching practice, and some practical activities to do so. Who is it for: Any teachers. Speaker: Dr. Mark Lane-Holbert is an educational psychologist and faculty fellow at the University of South Florida, whose research focuses on purpose interventions, applied linguistics and cross-cultural learning. He is the primary research consultant for the Youth Meaning Index, a partnership with Voluntas and UNICEF in several countries. Mark was a K-12 special education/ESOL teacher and school counselor for over 15 years before earning his PhD. He served as both a Peace Corps teacher and educational researcher abroad, focusing on second language learners, migrant and refugee student integration. He has also worked with youth and young adults in recovery from trauma and addiction throughout his career. With a passion for helping youth find purpose and meaning in the field of positive youth development, his educational philosophy centers on transforming student challenges through a holistic reframing of success. International Education Week (IEW) is a celebration of global learning and cultural exchange, designed to expand horizons and foster connections across borders. Held from November 18-22, IEW will feature a diverse array of events, including lectures, workshops, and interactive sessions, where educators and students alike can explore the future of education and innovation.