TESOL 2023 Experience by Lisa Allen

TESOL 2023 was amazing for this first-timer! I’ve been to ORTESOL conferences twice and they were great experiences but this was even better because of the International aspect. I didn’t know what to expect or how much of it I would be able to attend because I work full-time during the day but I decided to take two days off and take in as much as I could.

I attended numerous sessions that were really quite amazing in part because of the diversity of ideas and countries represented. Interestingly, it turned out that the one that I found most useful for my current classes was presented by a University Professor from the University of Oregon, Jennifer Rice.

Applying Four Cognitive Psychology Principles to Language Classes. I was not aware of these principles before the conference but now that I am, I’m eager to put them into all aspects of my personal and professional life. The Four Principles are The Retrieval Practice, Spaced Practice, Elaboration, and Growth Mindset.

There was a discussion and then applications of practical examples of how each principle could be applied in language classes with regard to course schedules, syllabi, feedback, assessments, and assignments. I came away with immediate ideas of how to have my students use the Retrieval + Spaced Practice using creative ways to study what they learn like creating quizzes for other students and using schedules that reinforce items just in time to avoid forgetting. Elaboration is easily something to be done in a reflective writing exercise. I did change my syllabus to include enthusiasm for making mistakes and I model doing so in class too. This came from Jennifer’s discussion on Growth Mindset presentation. It was all around fundamental curriculum-building information and very useful to me.