14 Teachers Walk into a TESOL Convention…
Fourteen teachers walk into a TESOL Convention in Baltimore. They listen to keynote speakers who inspire and surprise, go on school visits, revisit an old issue from a new perspective, learn from each other at the Electronic Village (EV), meet old friends, give presentations, make new friends, begin networking, question everything, or meet a teacher whose story has a lot to say about our field.
Three weeks later, the conference is over and they are back from their zombie-mode post-conference blues. They have caught up with grading and everything else (because it’s possible, right?). Now these 14 teachers meet again online to share a thought about their time at #TESOL16, a conference insight, a summary of a session that impacted them. Something about the TESOL Convention that made it memorable.
I have met most of these teachers at TESOL Conventions, in grad school, or my Twitter PLN. Many of them know each other online as well. It is moving to witness how teachers of ESOL are so willing to share, to reflect, and to engage with one another. These short posts represent some of that collaborative spirit, and I hope you all enjoy learning about #TESOL16 through their words.
Adriana Picoral – On Beliefs
Courtney Elizabeth King – 1st Time TESOL Attendee
Elizabeth Killingbeck – Making Screencasts Work
Jose Torres – Networking
Kevin Berry – Getting My Professional Feet Wet
Kimberley Kreicker – K-12 Perspectives at TESOL
Laura Soracco – EV and Social Responsibility
Matthew Noble – Deconstructing Conferences
Omar Longus – Meeting Saiful
Rob Sheppard –A New Perspective
Shaeley Santiago – Linguistic and Cultural Origins
Victor Tam – Inspired by Andy Curtis
Wilma Luth – Connections
Zhenya Polosatova – Highlights and Learning
TESOL Thoughts 
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Great blog! Loved reading the various visions and reflections!
Me too. I love how varied they all are.
Absolutely enjoyed reading different perspectives & insights.
I too enjoyed both Aziz Abu Sarah and Andy Curtis’s plenaries. Really made me feel the work I’m doing….is making a difference!
I also enjoyed presenting for the first time on using Vision based activities in the classroom to increase motivation & engagement.
Not enough time to pen all thoughts…but will definitely visit the Electronic Village in Seattle!
Thank-you Laura for putting this together! Sad I missed your Twitter session. Digital literacy is something I want to focus on next time!
It was wonderful meeting new & old friends! See you all at TESOL Seattle!
Thank you very much for putting this together Laura – looking forward to reading the reflections by and from others! Great to feel connected – thank you for being the Connector to us all!
Every teacher has to realised that we have to lean on each other to be able to get the highest motivation .
We can always find ideas written in books but never new ways of innovating, this is what teachers have been able to put into practice experiencing the results and telling us their comclusions.
Thanks for commenting, Susana. And, yes! Listening to each other does seem to be a powerful way to develop professionally.
Laura,
I just had a read through your post about the poster sessions you attended. I think you make a really good point of looking past the role of an instructor as simply a language facilitator.
Acculturation is extremely important in helping to lower the affective considerations in regards to a specific target language, but taking this a step further to examine the issues in the wider world and the empowerment this gives to language learners is crucial in their development, too.
Some great thoughts coming out here!
I hope to see you in Seattle next year.
Lewis Thompson (NGL)
Hi Lewis,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I do think examining global issues is important for ELLs, but what really called my attention from these poster sessions was how they showed English language learning happening by involving students in their local reality. I would love to develop more chances to involve my students in local projects.
And yes, hope to see you at the TESOL Convention next year 🙂
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