Mahmoud Hamedi Baranlou

Mahmoud Hamedi Baranlou is an English Instructor at Özyeğin University in Istanbul, Türkiye. He holds the Cambridge DELTA (Modules 1, 2, and 3) and the Cambridge Train the Trainer qualification and has over ten years of experience teaching English across primary, secondary, and tertiary education contexts. Throughout his career, he has taught learners of diverse ages and proficiency levels, including young learners, secondary school students, and university preparatory students. In addition to his classroom teaching, he has designed and delivered teacher-training workshops and professional development sessions for English language teachers, focusing on practical classroom applications and learner engagement.

His professional interests include teacher development, classroom interaction, storytelling in language teaching, and effective use of teacher talk to promote meaningful learning experiences.

Once Upon an Active Class: Storytelling Strategies to Boost Student Participation

Student disengagement and low classroom participation remain common challenges in ELT. This practical workshop explores how storytelling can be used to spark curiosity, increase learner involvement, and create meaningful opportunities for communication.

Through demonstrations and hands-on activities, participants will learn simple, classroom-ready storytelling techniques—including prediction, strategic pauses, and collaborative storytelling—that can be applied to grammar, vocabulary, and speaking lessons. Teachers will leave with practical tools to transform passive learners into active participants and make lessons more engaging, memorable, and interactive.