Author & Educator, University Lecturer, English Language & Literature | Public & Motivational Speaker
Katherine Reilly is an ELT Teacher Trainer and Author of numerous publications in children’s literature, teaching materials and ICT. Katherine has taught at numerous academic venues and professional events, including the University of Athens, the University of Limassol, the Malta ELTC Conference, and the Innovate ELT Conference at the Oxford TEFL training center in Barcelona. She has also contributed to British Council training sessions, spoken at multiple IATEFL SIGs events, and has delivered a TEDx talk focused on inclusivity, respect, and acceptance in educational settings. Her expertise includes training school faculties in inclusive teaching methodology and diverse educational materials adaptation. Katherine has also contributed to the field as a voiceover artist for various ELT publishers and as a regular contributor to ELT NEWS magazine.
She has authored a range of educational materials and creative works, including ‘The Show Must Go On,’ ‘The Adventures of Ben & Friday,’ her guidebook ‘The Road to Femininity,’ and her academic handbook ‘Breaking Barriers – Inclusive Approaches to Modern Language Teaching.’ Katherine has collaborated with Express Publishing to create the Short Tales Series, a collection of 18 readers for young learners designed to enhance language acquisition through engaging stories. Her contributions to Prime Press Publishing include numerous publications, 20 in total, under the alias ‘Catherine R. Jones’, focusing on ELT pedagogy and teaching materials for educators.
She has provided training to employees in both public and private organizations, advocating for workplace diversity. Her contributions extend to humanitarian efforts, including teaching underprivileged children and serving as vice principal at the Refugee School of Athens. These experiences inform her research and advocacy for equity in education, emphasizing the importance of accessibility and representation.
She has spoken on behalf of organizations which empower and support women, namely ‘Mexoxo’ and ‘Women on Top’ in internationally known conferences such as the ‘Delphi Economic Forum’, ‘Live a Legacy’ and ‘Be an Ally Forum’. As an ambassador of ‘Worldplaces’, an initiative supported in Greece by the Generation Red 2.0 organization, she has strived to promote the rights of all women in today’s workplace.
Katherine has collaborated with the Greek National Opera as Production Consultant and has scripted short films and videos for independent filmmakers. She has hosted events such as the annual ‘I’m Positive’ at the Onassis Cultural Centre of Athens promoting HIV visibility, the ELT Excellence Awards in Education, and the award ceremony at the Animasyros Film Festival in Syros. In her free time, she collaborates with a modelling agency as a part-time model for concept photography and is a member of the HUMAN CAST organization which promotes the artistic endeavors of marginalized individuals. In 2023, Katherine starred in Pantene’s advertising campaign for promotion of diverse and inclusive workspaces.
Thank you for coming to our event on ‘Breaking down barriers’ in the ELT classroom yesterday. It was a lovely atmosphere and the discussions in the chat were extremely interesting. We hope you enjoyed it!
Don’t miss our panel event on 5 July with Katherine and Amina answering questions on the same topic:
originally published in ELT NEWS printed magazine.
Educators of times past gone have always been depicted amidst the surroundings of literary works. Their receding foreheads and hunched backs are illustrated prominently as they are presented in such a fashion as to infer that their everyday occurrences strictly revolve around the never-ending accumulation of knowledge. Their lengthy beards and withered spectacles, a symbol of dedication to the sciences, literature and arts, have inspired younger scholars of our days to follow suit. Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI) along with other modern technological advancements, which expose humanity’s potential to levels of evolution never before conceived. Research requires mere minutes, if not seconds to complete. Whereas, educators of old would dedicate hours or even days to simply gain access to materials and bibliography usually restricted to an entitled few. Ah yes, we now live in the Golden Age of Information and Innovation. ELT has thrived in this context as the blooming question arises, ‘Do we need to uphold or even surpass our personal limitations as educators?’