2015 Excom Election addresses

It's time to elect a new Executive Commitee, and this year we have three new people putting themselves forward for election. Before you decide whether to approve them, here are their election addresses, so you can find out about them:

Rosemary Benard:

I started my teaching career on the JET programme in 1992 in Japan after a first degree in French and German at Aston University, UK. Having completed the RSA DipTEFLA course at Swansea university, I got itchy feet again and went to teach in Dublin. I combined having my children and teaching privately in Northern Ireland and Scotland until 2010 when we emigrated to France. It was during this period that I also branched out into environmental impact assessment on a new school project for an architects' practice. I am now the Director of Studies at a language school in Toulouse.

Dianne Chen:

Originally hailing from California, Dianne has been living and teaching English in Bordeaux for the past six years. She started her tefl career in Taipei, Taiwan, which she misses tremendously, except for the heat and pollution. In her spare time, she can most likely be found scouring the internet for lesson plan inspiration or feeding her crafting habit.

Wojtek Koszykowski:

Teaching English as a second language was my childhood dream which came true when I was 18. I started from YL but discovered very quickly that it was not my cup of tea. Hence, I started to teach young adults and adults which has been inspiring and energizing. I hold B.Sc. in Business Administration, M.Sc in Management and I am currently working on my PhD in creativity. I did my CELTA a long time ago and more recently followed a stimulating DELTA course in Strasbourg. After many years of teaching in different countries and working as a DoS, I moved to Brest in 2010 where I have been in charge of Language Department in the local Business School. I am particularly interested in creativity in EFL, learner-autonomy and pronunciation. Apart from teaching, I work as a photographer, I enjoy hiking along the Ocean coast and watching Judge Judy every day.

33rd Annual TESOL France Colloquium: November 14, 15, 16

33rd Annual TESOL France Colloquium: 

November 14, 15, 16 2014

with Stephen Krashen and Carol Read
and a host of other speakers and presenters

November 14,15 16th 2014.
Friday: 17:00-21:00
Saturday 9:00 - 19:00 + Special Dinner, Reservations Required
Sunday 9:00-17:00

Click here to access the Registration form

Click here for important information for delegates

Venue:
Télécom ParisTech
49 rue Barrault
75013 Paris, France
(map and directions here)

Please bring a photo ID to present at the venue entrance.

This event is FREE to TESOL France members and exhibitors.
Non-member registration fee: €49 euros.
Please bring exact change.

If you like, joining TESOL France, €49 (or renewing your membership) will be possible on the day. If you would like to join, simply fill out the pre-membership form here.

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For our three day colloquium we are welcoming talks from English Language Teaching fields which focus on the teaching and administration of language from working with young learners to business English as well as how to promote yourself. More than 60 presentations and 14 poster presenters will be available for your choosing. Times of exchange and sharing will be the overriding atmosphere of the conference as you will have many opportunities to mingle, be challenged, learn, share and take home ideas in order to improve your teaching and interactions with students and administrators.

Here are two abstracts for our Plenary speakers:

Stephen Krashen:
Developing Academic Language: Not just the easy way but the only way

This presentation presents a simple hypothesis: We develop academic language by reading. Nearly all of the conventions of academic language, its special vocabulary, grammar and discourse style are subconsciously absorbed, or acquired, from reading texts written in the academic style that are relevant to us.
Extensive self-selected reading alone will not develop full academic language competence, but develops the background knowledge and language competence that makes academic reading comprehensible. Self-selected reading is the bridge between conversational and academic language competence.

Carol Read
Reflections on how to be a highly effective teacher

In this session we will take for granted that teachers need to be confident in their subject knowledge and skilled in the craft of teaching in order to achieve desired curriculum outcomes. Instead we will aim to explore the more intangible personal capacities, attitudes and beliefs that make for highly effective teachers who have a profound influence and make a long-lasting difference to the lives of their learners. We will consider the role of the teacher as educator in fast-changing social and technological times. We will also discuss a notion of professionalism that supports learners in leading fulfilled and productive lives as citizens in both a local and global context. Among the areas that we will investigate during the session will be self- awareness, personal development, emotional intelligence and engaging with other people. There will also be opportunities to reflect on your own ideas about what it means for you to be a highly effective teacher in your context.

Grammar survey

Could you please complete this survey about English Grammar for a French app developer. They are developing an app to help students of English with areas they usually find tough and want some help selecting what to include.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8ZFNDHY

Thanks!

-Phil