2025 Awayday speaker and talk information
9.45 am (Presentation)
Friday 3rd October
On the same page: better collaboration with vendors and publishers
After introducing Westchester and outlining briefly how they work with freelancers, Rebecca and Emma will explore the elements of effective collaboration.
Working with vendors and publishers can be a hugely rewarding part of freelance life, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. From differing expectations to unclear briefs, even the most experienced freelancers can find themselves out of sync with the people they work with.
In this session, Rebecca and Emma will examine how to build stronger, smoother working relationships with vendors and publishers, whether you're just starting out or looking to fine-tune your approach. We'll cover practical strategies for clearer communication, managing feedback, handling scope creep, and setting boundaries, all while maintaining professionalism and protecting your time.
You'll leave with real-world tips, insights from both sides of the table, and the confidence to get (and stay) on the same page with your collaborators.
Rebecca Durose-Croft
Managing Director, Westchester Education
Rebecca Durose-Croft oversees Westchester's global education team and projects. She brings a wealth of experience in educational publishing, having previously worked in editorial and project management roles for Oxford University Press, Pearson Education and Cambridge University Press. Rebecca has worked across print, digital, and online platforms and has extensive knowledge of UK and international curricula.
Emma Hudson
Content Director, Westchester Education
Emma Hudson has over 12 years' experience working within educational and academic publishing, including delivering large and complex projects across both print and digital for Pearson Education. From print books, to apps, to online platforms, she enjoys all aspects of creating high-quality content for learning. Working closely with clients and freelancers, she oversees all editorial aspects and fosters positive working relationships to help deliver projects on schedule, collaborating to find solutions along the way.
10.10 am (Presentation)
Friday 3rd October
Tech with purpose: making it work for learning
In this interactive talk, we'll explore the many roles technology can play in and beyond the classroom. The key question is not whether we should use technology or AI, but how we can use it meaningfully and critically to support learning. This session invites educators and publishers alike to revisit digital tools with a fresh lens: moving beyond buzzwords and flashy design to focus on the purpose these tools are meant to serve.
Jo Szoke
Teacher Educator | Author, Short & Simple English
Jo Szoke is a freelance teacher educator, AI-in-education specialist, and EFL teacher. She trains pre-service and in-service teachers and university staff at a Hungarian university and on Erasmus training programmes, and has been working closely with several international publishers for years (running workshops and webinars, writing materials and blog posts). Her book on AI literacy development by DELTA Publishing came out in 2025.
10.35 am (Presentation)
Friday 3rd October
Smart briefing: elevating expertise with AI
In this session, we'll explore how AI tools can transform the way publishing houses create and manage commissioning briefs for coursebook authors and editors.
Discover practical strategies to streamline your brief-writing process, from generating comprehensive templates that capture pedagogical requirements and learning objectives, to maintaining consistency across multiple coursebook projects. We'll demonstrate how AI can help synthesize market research, competitor analysis, and curriculum standards into clear, actionable briefs that set your whole team up for success.
Paulo Dantas
Managing Partner, Troika
Paulo Dantas is currently the director of pedagogy and head of product at Everybody Loves Languages, an Edtech company that develops language learning platforms. He is also a founding partner at Troika and has been involved in language teaching for over 20 years as a teacher, teacher educator, course designer, materials writer and coursebook editor; in the last few years, Paulo has explored ways in which technology and innovation impact teaching and learning and has developed apps, platforms and other digital products for language learning and teacher education. As an EdTech specialist, he has served as an international expert panellist for the Horizon Report Higher Education – International (2016, 2017, 2018), and its Brazilian version as well. He is also an official collaborator of the Artificial Intelligence in Education hub at Oxford University (AIEOU). Having attended Federal University of Pernambuco (Social Studies), Paulo holds a post graduate certificate in teacher development from the University of Chichester and the Cambridge ESOL DELTA.
11.30–12.50 pm
(10-minute Lightning talks)
Friday 3rd October
Current trends in ELT coursebooks for Primary learners
This talk gives an overview of Emily Kopieczek's MA TESOL research. The literature on trends in ELT coursebooks for young learners is limited, with existing studies focusing on content only. Emily's research offers perspectives from the creators and users of the materials – publishers and teachers – obtained via a series of interviews and a survey. The presentation will cover three key trends in coursebooks for Primary learners: 21st century skills, Assessment for Learning and inclusivity. It will look at how the trends were identified, how and why they were chosen for inclusion from the publishers' perspectives, and how teachers feel about the trends. The research paints a picture of ELT Primary education as an increasingly holistic endeavour, with teachers acting beyond the scope of language instructor.
Emily Kopieczek
Editor | Project Manager, Edits by Emily
Emily Kopieczek has worked in ELT publishing for over a decade. She held roles in house at Taylor & Francis and Macmillan Education before going freelance in 2019. Emily provides a variety of ELT editorial services, including copyediting and proofreading, but particularly enjoys project management. In addition to holding the CELTA and APM Project Management Qualification, she is an Advanced Professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), and co-authored the second edition of the CIEP's guide to Editorial Project Management. In order to advance her knowledge of ELT theory and practice, she recently completed an MA in TESOL with the University of Birmingham, with her dissertation on current trends in coursebooks for Primary learners earning a very high distinction.
11.30–12.50 pm
(10-minute Lightning talks)
Friday 3rd October
Accessible learning: D/deaf-friendly materials
In this talk, Sam will explore key principles for developing deaf-friendly educational materials. Recognizing that every D/deaf or hard of hearing learner has unique needs, this session will present practical guidelines which are applicable across a range of educational contexts. Using speaking and listening activities from language materials as examples, Sam will demonstrate how the guidelines can be used to adapt materials.
Sam Grey
Writer | Editor | Consultant
Sam Grey has worked in educational publishing for over 15 years and has previously worked in-house for various publishers, most recently as a Managing Editor for the British Council in the Middle East. Now a freelance writer, consultant and editor, she is also the trustee of a local deaf charity – a role which is close to her heart, having been deaf since birth.
11.30–12.50 pm
(10-minute Lightning talks)
Friday 3rd October
The impact of AI in the role of the materials writer
This talk is a summary of an MA dissertation on the present and future impact of AI in the role of materials writer. Part of the dissertation involved an online survey with ELT materials writers and editors, who were asked their views on AI in ELT. They were also asked to assess, in a blind test, four short reading comprehension tasks, three of which were written by AI and one by a human writer. This assessment of the items according to specific criteria provided valuable insights into two main questions: whether AI is already able to write ELT assessment items to the level of human writers, and which LLMs fare better at the task. The results and views collected in the survey will be the main focus of the talk.
Edward Alden
ELT Materials Writer
Edward Alden has been involved in the ELT industry for the last 25 years, having worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, academic manager, principal, and for the last 13 years, materials writer. He has had the opportunity to work with most of the major ELT publishers, striving to develop online and printed materials with which learners truly engage, affectively and cognitively. He recently concluded an MA in ELT at the University of Southampton, focusing his dissertation on the impact of AI in ELT.
11.30–12.50 pm
(10-minute Lightning talks)
Friday 3rd October
Getting the best out of your authors
This talk will explore authors' needs and perspectives. It will discuss how these can be addressed by all those who work directly with authors (commissioning editors, author managers, development editors) to make writing a positive experience for them, whilst at the same time improving quality and timeliness. The main aspects will cover recruiting authors with the requisite skills and availability; ensuring authors fully understand the brief; building a good working relationship and providing constructive feedback. You will leave with some new ideas and renewed enthusiasm for making the author experience as good as possible.
Carol Usher
Editor, Clearwordz
After leaving science teaching in 2001, Carol sought to combine her science expertise with her writing skills. She found her first role as a freelance editorial project manager specializing in KS3 chemistry, and Clearwordz was born. Her initial project involved managing a KS3 Raintree series on the Periodic Table through the complete publishing process.
In 2005, Carol joined Nelson Thornes and progressed through several roles from production editor to science development editor, and ultimately to publisher.
When she relaunched her Clearwordz business in 2010, Carol expanded her freelance editorial services across multiple educational publishers. Her expertise now spans commissioning, author management, content development and training authors (including some in Mongolia). Having guided numerous authors through the writing process – and being an author herself – Carol brings valuable perspective from both sides of the publishing relationship.
11.30–12.50 pm
(10-minute Lightning talks)
Friday 3rd October
The Compass: the ultimate collaboration exercise
The Compass is a short, collaborative activity designed to onboard and energise teams working together for the first time. It offers project managers a practical tool to quickly understand the working preferences and motivations of their team. By encouraging early connection and mutual awareness, The Compass helps lay the groundwork for effective collaboration. Ultimately, it serves as a reflective prompt for the vital question 'How can I help you perform and achieve in your role?' .
Whether used at the start of a project or during check-ins with on site teams or freelancers, it's a simple yet powerful way to build trust and drive potential.
Leonora Child
Content Lead, Hyphen SA
Leo Child is a seasoned leader in international education with over 20 years' experience spanning curriculum innovation, talent development, and project management. She has created over 50 bespoke educational programmes for international markets and trained hundreds of teachers. Her expertise includes ELT, enrichment curriculum design, and e-learning. An experienced presenter and certified safeguarding specialist, Leo has led training conferences and collaborated with top UK independent schools. She holds a Cambridge DELTA and an MA in Applied Linguistics & TESOL, and is completing her CPTP in Instructional Design. After a year of freelance collaboration with Hyphen SA, Leo recently joined the team full time as Head of Content.
2.00 pm (Networking)
Friday 3rd October
Connect and collaborate: speed networking
Networking consistently ranks as one of the top reasons for attending the Awayday. This year, Helen brings a fresh approach with structured speed networking sessions designed to maximize your opportunity to meet potential collaborators in a relaxed but purposeful format. Taking place in dedicated breakout rooms to ensure comfortable noise levels and focused conversations, these organized sessions will ensure you make valuable connections efficiently, while maintaining the friendly, supportive atmosphere that the Awayday is known for.
We provide support and warmly encourage participation throughout, yet we understand that networking can be demanding; feel free to take breaks when needed or join others in quieter spaces, such as the terrace and bar area.
Helen Holwill
Director, Freelance Publishing Professionals
Helen Holwill is co-director of Freelance Publishing Professionals and co-founder of the Freelancers' Awayday. With over 25 years' experience in publishing as an editor, author and project manager, she has worked in-house, on a freelance basis and as an independent publisher. This range of involvement has given her a comprehensive understanding of the different roles and processes in our industry. Helen is passionate about creating a community where freelancers and in-house staff can connect, share ideas and collaborate effectively and in mutually beneficial ways.
4.00pm (Panel session)
Friday 3rd October
The panel session is kindly sponsored by
ITN Education.
Navigating change in ELT and Educational publishing: multiple perspectives on a rapidly changing landscape
Join us for a lively panel discussion that brings together key voices from across the ELT and educational publishing sectors. Our panel will feature representatives from publishing organisations, outsourced service providers, suppliers, and experienced freelance professionals.
Ahead of the event, we’ll gather a range of questions from the ELT and educational publishing community and there’ll be an opportunity to ask further questions during the panel session. We’ll explore the new opportunities emerging for freelancers, and you'll gain practical insights into how different stakeholders are approaching innovation, managing digital transformation, and maintaining quality while adapting to new market demands.
Details on panel speakers will be added in due course.