TESOL Board Connect: Conferences and Professional Development
by Joyce Kling
I attended my first TESOL convention in 1998 in
Chicago, Illinois USA. I was an MA student in TESOL at the time and was simply
in awe of those who were presenting, the magnitude of the event (conference
planning is an art!), and the breadth and depth of quality presentations
focused on research and professional development. It was there I experienced
for the first time the energy and excitement that ignites when professionals
come together to exchange knowledge, experience, and ideas.
I relive this excitement each time I engage in some
type of TESOL networking or professional development. And while we have all
been thrilled to be able to meet virtually through the plethora of platforms
available to us, I think we can agree it is not the same as when we can meet in
person. Therefore, as we begin to travel again and meet for face-to-face
events, there is an even greater heightened sense of exhilaration. The buzz at
TESOL’s most recent event held in June proved this. For the first time, TESOL
held a regional conference in Central Asia, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the
feeling was palpable.
For the past year, TESOL has been partnering with
American Councils for International Education; the U.S. Embassy, Tashkent; and
the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan to support teacher professional
development and English language enhancement as part of the English Speaking
Nation Secondary Teacher Training Program and to collaborate with George Mason
University (GMU) to deliver the Teacher Development Training of Trainers
program for Secondary Public School Teachers. The
program has drawn on the efforts and contributions of TESOL
instructors, coaches, and the English Speaking Nation core trainers and regional
peer mentors to provide cascading professional development modules on TESOL’s The
6 Principles of Exemplary Teaching of English Learners®
and GMU’s Teaching
English Through English course. This training is expected to reach
more than 15,000 teachers across Uzbekistan in total. Already, almost 400
teachers in Uzbekistan have completed their TESOL Core Certificate
Program.
The TESOL
2022 Regional Conference, held at Inha University from 13–16 June
2022 in Tashkent, welcomed more than 500 attendees from across the region and
beyond. In addition to the peer-reviewed sessions, four speakers were invited
to give keynote presentations.
Left to right: Gabriel Díaz-Maggioli, Christine Coombe, Joyce Kling
Dr. Christine Coombe
kicked off the event to a packed auditorium with a presentation focused on the
quest for academic excellence in English language teaching. Through personal
narratives and focused clarification of current elements of academic work, she
provided a roadmap for pursuing academic excellent in the field. Similarly, Dr. Dave Chiesa
engaged the audience with a rationalization for the inclusion of
social-emotional learning in support of student success in the foreign language
classroom. On the third day, Dr. Gabriel
Díaz-Maggioli offered a broad range of techniques and procedures
for continuous professional development. He provided multiple examples of how
teachers can work together to move beyond their comfort zones and challenge
themselves to continue to grow over the course of their careers. The final
keynote was provided by Dr. Joan Kang Shin. In her
presentation, she discussed frameworks and practical strategies for successful
media literacy instruction in our English language lessons.
Bringing together English language teaching
professionals from this region for a professional conference was a huge
success. Not only because of the presentations and the networking, but because
this event provides a template for holding regional events around the world.
Building on this momentum, TESOL will look for partnerships and alliances to
provide access to regional professional development.
Left to right: Joan Kang Shin, Dildora Khakimova, Woomee Kim
In addition to
these face-to-face events, TESOL continues to focus on providing access to
members in our virtual space. Many of you may have just participated in the
annual Advocacy
& Policy Summit held in Washington, DC, in June.
Looking ahead, TESOL will be hosting our virtual conference ELevate from 18–19
October, with sessions focused on student-centered learning, trauma-informed
practices, and family engagement, to name a few. Of course, our communities of
practice continue to offer webinars online. You can find out more information
about the rich and diverse options available to you as a member on both social
media and myTESOL.
Joyce Kling,
PhD, is an associate professor at the
University of Copenhagen, where she teaches second language teacher education
courses to preservice and in-service teachers. Over the course of her career,
she has worked as an English language ESL and EFL teacher, program director and
administrator, teacher trainer, researcher, materials developer, author, and
consultant. Her research interests include English as medium of instruction
(EMI), teacher cognition, and language testing and assessment. Her work appears
in TESOL Quarterly, Journal of English-Medium
Instruction, as well as several edited volumes and monographs. The
most recent publication is a coauthored monograph entitled The
Evolution of EMI Research in European Higher Education (2022, Routledge).
She is currently TESOL International Association president
2022–2023.
TESOL Blogs
Interested in writing a blog for TESOL?
Read the submission guidelines and send us your post!
Check out some of the most recent TESOL Blogs:
|
The Importance of Body Language for Effective Oral Communication, by Judie Haynes
For those educators who are teaching multilingual language learners (MLLs), body language is an important topic to address. Teachers of MLLs need to impart to their students that speaking to others is more than putting words together. If we create in MLLs an awareness of how they use voice and body language to communicate, we can help them become aware of the nonverbal behaviors that will equip them to express themselves in a more effective manner. Read more. |
|
5 No-Prep Activities Using Photo Apps, by Brent Warner
We’ve all had those moments in class: We need to fill a few minutes, break the ice with newly formed groups, personalize the lesson, or just plain change pace when things aren’t working. A lot of teachers keep a handful of no-prep activities up their sleeve for just such occasions. While many students are used to hearing “put your phones away” from the front of the class, today we’ll look at a few no-prep activities that encourage students to build a positive connection between their phones and learning. Read more. |
|
5 Activities to Explore Cultural Diversity, by Naashia Mohamed
Culture is more than artefacts, rituals, and traditions. It is derived from the understanding we acquire through living together as a community and our connections to others within it. I have written previously about the importance of avoiding tokenism, celebrating multiculturalism, and diversity. There are many ways to reflect on our own behaviours, values, and perspectives as a first step toward increasing our knowledge and understanding of others.
In this post, I would like to share five activities that could be used to deepen our understanding of cultural diversity and encourage culturally responsive interactions within the school/educational institution. These activities could be used as part of a professional learning program by educators, or as classroom activities for older students. Read more. |
Previous Article
;){kind=small}
