The Top Ten Sessions to See at TESOL 2002 in Salt Lake
Recommendations from the ESL MiniConference Online!
There are nearly 1,500 different presentations, papers,
plenaries, posters, workshops and demonstrations scheduled
for the April 9-13 TESOL 2002 Convention in Salt Lake City,
Utah. Once we arrive at such an event, things pretty quickly
can become a blur as we touch base with colleagues, visit
the exhibitors and wade through the inch-thick conference
program book. TESOL has provided a very convenient online
version of the program,
but even that takes a considerable investment of time and
patience to work your way through.
That's why ESL MiniConference Online previewed the
entire conference and recommended the top 30 or so
events for each day, in our March edition of the
newsletter.
Now, just two weeks before TESOL 2002 kicks off,
we've whittled that list of recommendations down
to the TOP TEN MUST-SEE EVENTS at Salt Lake City!
We've left off the noon-time plenaries, which are all great of
course, but which you don't need much help to find.
The ten sessions selected below represent a diversity
of themes and issues in the field of ESL today. These
speakers are some--certainly not all--of the trend-setters
in TESOL right now. You should expect to see their names
and ideas a lot over the next decade.
Enjoy the conference! See you there.
Are we cultural imperialists?
A corpus study on most common idioms
Teacher training challenges in rural East Africa
Active learning in CALL classrooms
Learning through games
Using kiva as a versatile teaching technique
English as a global language: Counting the cost
Incorporating Somalian oral tradition into L2 classrooms
Servant leadership in educational administration
Teacher questions and critical thinking
2002 ESL MiniConference Online
Wednesday, 7:30 am-8:15 am, Salt Palace Meeting Room 151A
Are we EFL teachers, in our zeal to "convert" our students to English rhetoric, logic, and culture, also guilty of a kind of cultural imperialism? Armed with our zeal for communicative competence, do we also undermine the cultures of the societies in which we are teaching?
Gaylene Levesque, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan; Nina Lawrence, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
Wednesday, 8:30 am-9:15 am, Salt Palace Meeting Room 150B
The presenter will discuss the problems with most existing idiom teaching materials, describe a corpus-based study of the use of idioms, and report its results including lists of the most frequently used idioms by data types and the patterns of their use. Pedagogical implications will also be discussed.
Dilin Liu, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Wednesday, 3:00 pm-3:45 pm, Salt Palace Meeting Room 251A
The presenter discusses challenges encountered while instructing teachers in EFL methodology in rural Tanzania, with particular emphasis on the perspective of a trainer from a dominant Western culture. Responses to the challenges are discussed and evaluated, and learning experiences are shared for the interest of others teaching in this area.
Eleni Pithis, Athens, Greece
Wednesday, 4:00 pm-4:45 pm, Salt Palace Meeting Room 251A
This demonstration focuses on the development of CALL tasks that encourage interaction and active learning in the classroom. Participants briefly explore task examples and then produce tasks for their own teaching contexts. These tasks are later shared.
Joy Egbert, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA; Diana Yang, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA; Gina Petrie, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
Thursday, 7:30 am-8:15 am, Salt Palace Meeting Room 250E
games are an effective teaching aid when they have an education objective. They offer an alternative opportunity for EFL learners to practice grammar, oral fluency, or vocabulary. Presenters will discuss whether games can suit learning objectives, will encourage participants' suggestions and ideas and will share effective games for linguistic purposes.
Monica Aparicio, The English Place, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Maria Laura Rossi, Teacher Development Centre, Olavarria, Argentina
Thursday, 2:00 pm-2:45 pm, Salt Palace Meeting Room 151A
Kiva, a discussion technique borrowed from Native Americans, can be applied to the language classroom, especially at intermediate or higher levels, to promote listening and speaking, encourage turn-taking, and lead toward reflective and evaluative skills. The presenter explains what a kiva is and demonstrates its use in the classroom.
John Aydelott, American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Friday, 10:30 am-11:15 am, Salt Palace Ballroom I
It is now commonplace to hear of English as a global language. This is so not only in educational contexts, but in the popular media as well. However, we have relatively little information on the impact of English as a global language on educational policies and practices in educational systems around the world. The presenter shares the results of a study carried out across several countries in the Asia-Pacific region into the impact of English as a global language. The study indicates trouble ahead unless governments and educational bureaucracies take steps to change certain fundamental aspects of their current practices.
David Nunan, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Saturday, 8:30 am-9:15 am, Salt Palace Meeting Room 151D
Many adult Somalian refugees arrive in the classroom lacking literacy skills. It is in the art of oral poetry and song, however, that Somalians excel. This presentation offers background information on the historical, educational, and cultural circumstances faced by this population and describes how instructors can capitalize on this oral tradition in the classroom.
Kristin Reichardt, Grossmont College, San Diego, California, USA
Saturday, 8:30 am-9:15 am, Salt Palace Meeting Room 258
Servant leadership is a philosophy concerning the ethical use of power and authority. Its central meaning is that a great leader is seen as a servant to others. The presenter discusses the origins and characteristics of servant leadership and elicits ways it can be implemented in educational institutions.
Terry Williams, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Saturday, 3:00 pm-3:45 pm, Salt Palace Meeting Room 250F
The presenter reports on research about the way teacher questioning techniques reflect pedagogical purposes and influence the interactional norms in the ESL classroom. These norms, together with students' educational backgrounds, contribute to the adjustments students need to make in mainstream classes. Implications for ESL programs are discussed.
Kathie Godfrey, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA