Thank you to our sponsors

Bob’s Red Mill
Pearson
Saddleback Educational Publishing
Burlington English

Overview

F2F Saturday, November 9, 2024, 9:30-5:30

A one-day face-to-face conference will be held at Harmony Campus, Clackamas Community College, 7738 SE Harmony Rd., Milwaukie, OR 97222. (near Clackamas Town Center Mall)

Online Sunday, November 10, 2024, 9:30-5:30

A one-day online conference will be offered Sunday, with some of the same presenters as the f2f.

Conference theme: Building the Future of ESOL

This conference is focussing on two aspects of the future of ESOL: a) the use of AI and IT in language teaching, and b) opportunities for teaching domestically and abroad.

We will have a number of innovations at this conference. They include:

A ”World of Learning” moving close, where teachers listen to stories from other countries and then share their own.

A “Topic Talk” speaking/discussing format, similar to super-organized poster sessions.

Presentation training or help if requested,

Sharing reflections in a Takeaways session

Plenary Speakers

Kathy Harris

Saturday 9:50 - 10:50; Sunday 2:40 - 3:40

Presentation:

Digital Literacy for Remote and Online Language Learning Kathy Harris

Kathy Harris, PhD has been interested in adult learning for more than 20 years, especially adults learning English as a second language. She teaches ESL teacher education pedagogy courses in the Department of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University, where she is also a member of the Literacy, Language, and Technology Research group. She conducts trainings and creates professional development materials for adult education teachers in national projects such as LINCS ESL Pro. Her current research focuses on the importance of digital skills and access for adults for purposes of work, health, and education.

Nik Peachy

Saturday 11:10 - 12:10 (London 7:10-8:10 pm); Sunday 9:50-10:50 am (London 5:50-6:50 pm)

Presentation:

Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Creativity in Language Learning

Nik Peachey is Director of Pedagogy at PeacheyPublications https://peacheypublications.com/ an independent digital publishing company that specializes in the design of digital learning materials for the English language classroom.

He has been involved in Education since 1990 as a teacher, trainer, educational consultant and project manager. He has more than 25 years experience of working specifically with online, remote and blended learning environments.

He has worked all over the world teaching, training teachers and developing innovative and creative products. He is a two-time British Council Innovations award winner and has been shortlisted six times.

His books include:

ChatGPT in the Language Classroom https://payhip.com/b/heORW
Team Building Activities for the Remote Classroom: https://payhip.com/b/GWJg
Hacking Creativity: https://payhip.com/b/HDeb
Digital Tools for Teachers - Trainers Edition: https://payhip.com/b/B34N
Thinking Critically through Digital Media: https://payhip.com/b/CjXN
Digital Video - A Manual for Language Teachers: https://payhip.com/b/5n90

Innovations

Avoiding the “No Impact on Monday Syndrome”

A common problem with most conferences is that the good things participants learn have no impact on their teaching later, and even tend to be forgotten. We will use a three takeaways method to help seal in learning. A short session will be held at the end of each day where participants are asked to write 3 things they learned that they want to remember. Then, you will share one with a partner and be asked to write a short action plan to use a takeaway.

Novelty and Emotion

Novelty, emotion, and social bonding, cause dopamine release and thus, increase learning. The bonding comes through the group discussions we are planning. For emotion, we will show at least one moving video like “Be a Mr. Jensen,” “Where the Hell is Matt?” or “English for Beginners”.

The Moving Close

The bonding and sharing that goes on at a conference is just as important, if not more so, than hearing presentations. Teachers sharing stories of experiences that helped them grow can also serve as valuable professional development. As E. O. Wilson said, “The stories we tell ourselves and others are our survival manuals.” Our brains are built to learn from stories; our hearts are built to be moved by them.

Future of ESOL Topic Talks

This is a tried and true way to do short presentations that is far superior to poster sessions (chaotic) and symposiums (serial killers). Basically, 4-5 presentations are done simultaneously in the same room, in three rounds. Speakers do a short intro of their topic and then go to different corners of the room. Participants are asked to join one of the presenters. A bell is rung to mark the beginning of the presentation and 15/20 minutes later rung again, marking the end. Participants move to the next presenter of their choice and the same presentations are done again. In addition, the presenters will be told to present for no more than half the 15/20 minute time period, to allow the participants to discuss the topic.

This is a perfect way for novice presenters to get their feet wet.

Starting Your Career” strand

Our focus is on building the future, so we will include a “Starting Your Career” strand oriented towards new and prospective teachers, especially on Sunday. We will invite TESOL students to come (and speak), some teacher recruiters for programs abroad, and similar ideas for those just getting into the field. We realize that students are not ”funded” like most of our attendees, so we might have to make special invitations.

Presenter Help

The quality of a conference is proportional to the quality of the presentations, so we are offering presenters help at various stages. Experienced presenters (though novices also work) are available to help speakers at any part of the presentation process from brainstorming to the final rehearsal.