Aug 25, 2026

Tuesday, August 25 at 5:00 p.m - Online

When sensitive topics arise, do your students have the language to handle them safely?

How can we prepare learners with practical, usable language for navigating real classroom and workplace tensions? What language helps students disagree, set boundaries, and move forward without conflict taking over the room?

This session explores the PARSNIP framework (Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Narcotics, Isms, and Pork) and its impact on language teaching. Participants will reflect on whether to avoid, adapt, or address controversial topics in ELT classrooms, while exploring practical strategies for navigating inclusion, safety, and critical engagement in diverse learning contexts.

Key points to be covered:

• Unpack the hidden power of PARSNIP in shaping classroom content.
• Challenge assumptions about “taboo” topics in ELT.
• Discover bold, inclusive strategies to engage learners while fostering safe and brave spaces for real-world conversations.

Bio:
Ruba Kallab (she/her) is a TESL-certified teacher trainer and EAP college instructor at Ontario’s public colleges. She holds a Cambridge DELTA certificate and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from York University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Language and Literacies Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.

Please join us on Tutela via the Edmonton Tutela Group or email edmonton@ateal.ca for the session link

See you on the 25th!

Bahareh & Zhuo
Edmonton Local Co-chairs

ATEAL Chapter: Edmonton