On behalf of the Affiliate Leadership Council (ALC) I am honored to extend warm greetings to all affiliate leaders. The ALC is a growing family and it is a privilege for us to reach out to all continents with our warm welcome. We thank all affiliate leaders for their role in ensuring that high-quality English is accessible and taught around the world, which is one of the values of TESOL International Association. Read More

This issue becomes possible thanks to affiliates’ contributions from all over the world - from Asia and Oceania through Africa and the Middle East, Europe and Eurasia, Caribbean, Central and South America to North America! I haven’t expected so many great articles for the TESOL Affiliates Summer News 2012! Thank you for your prompt and on-time responses which makes this issue be available in September 2012. Read More

This write-up records a week-long initiative to strengthen Teachers Associations from seven countries in South Asia. The objective was to share best practices and learn specific skills related to running and extending their associations effectively. In addition, it explored ways of creating stronger links between TAs in the region. Read More

TESOL Arabia team has close to 60 committed professionals giving countless hours of their own free time, and often at their own expense, to organize events and miniconferences over the course of one academic year. In this year alone (2011/2012), over 40 different events held by TA chapters and SIGs have benefitted hundreds of language professionals in the United Arab Emirates and in the Middle East. Our annual conference serves an even wider community. All these efforts impact thousands of students across the region. Read More

In this article, I describe my experience at the 2012 TESOL International Convention and English Language Expo, where I was reminded of the importance of networking professionally and building personal friendships. I also report on a couple of events sponsored by my affiliate, TESOL Arabia, Dubai: the 18th Annual TESOL Arabia International Conference and Exhibition and the Franklin Global SpellEvent. Read More

Teachers' interest in EAL and additional needs is often ignited at precisely those points, when, for example, they are faced for the first time with a bilingual learner with Aspergers Syndrome, or a newly arrived pupil whose language development is causing them concern, creating a huge motivation for deepening their professional knowledge of this (Dr Tony Cline, University College, London). Read More

Founded in 1987, ARTESOL celebrates its 25th anniversary of affiliation to TESOL this year. The ARTESOL 25th Anniversary Conference, “The Dawning of the ELT Digital Age,” held on 11-12 May 2012, focused on the use of technology as a powerful tool to connect different EFL teaching contexts throughout the world. Read More

Since 2009 ARTESOL has helped organize local Franklin spelling events in cooperation with TESOL. In Argentina, these competitions were always held in Buenos Aires. The strong commitment, interest, and enthusiasm shown by the participating schools honored these educational events and proved to be worthy of ARTESOL’s deepest respect and gratitude. Read More

Puerto Rico Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (PRTESOL) is well on its way to putting all the pieces together for its extraordinary 39th Annual Convention, to be held this year at the Intercontinental Hotel in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, 16-17 November 2012. Our theme for this year is “Journey Into English as a Global Language: Embracing Diversity.” Read More

Each May, New Jersey TESOL/New Jersey Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/NJBE) hosts a 2-day statewide spring conference of professional development workshops mirroring the format of international TESOL’s annual convention. The conference is held at a centrally located New Jersey hotel/convention venue. Noted speakers are invited to deliver keynote addresses while others are invited to present workshops on relevant topics and successful strategies and methodologies. Read the article to learn how this event has been successful for over 40 years. Read More

PennTESOL-East (PTE) shares a few quick tips for being a local conference affiliate, focusing on the areas where the local affiliate is the most involved. We had a great time working with TESOL during the March conference! Read More

To empower teachers and make changes that lead to effective ESOL instruction, TESOL has held Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, for the past 7 years. During Advocacy Day, TESOL members from around the country meet to learn about governmental educational policy, talk with legislators, and voice our opinions. Read More

Dr. Deborah Short is scheduled to speak at TexTESOL IV’s regional conference to be held in Houston, Texas, on 20 October 2012. The conference theme is “Extreme Makeover: Moving Language Learning Into the Future”;in addition to Dr. Short’s presentation, there will be breakout sessions for all instructional levels. Read More

Each year at TESOL’s annual convention the affiliates gather at the Affiliate Assembly. This year, as well as formally reporting the work of the Affiliate Leadership Council and presenting our annual awards, we gathered to network and share our concerns and challenges as affiliates. Read all about the event and see the photos. Read More

Grappling with the group dynamic can be a challenge in any ESOL setting. This review of CATESOL’s Best of Affiliate session (at TESOL 2012) explores strategies to address the challenges and exploit the benefits of having diverse personalities work together. Read More

MinneTESOL had the honor of sending a panel of members to the TESOL Convention in Philadelphia to present one of six “Best of Affiliate” presentations. The panel, consisting of Susan Ranney, Kelly Grucelski, Kelli Meyer, Molly Sanders, and Rainbow Espinosa, presented “Minnesota Stories About Teaching Academic Language.” Read More

Teaching ESL to the blind is a challenge and sometimes an obstacle in an educational context that is full of sympathy and low expectations. The writers provide the readers with relevant recent research findings and a real ESL experience of a visually impaired teacher teaching a class of visually impaired students. Read More

TESOL International Association (TESOL) and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs have formed a partnership to connect resources from various sectors in the United States with organizations abroad that are interested in English language teaching (ELT) products and services. This collaboration will entail forming a multi-sector initiative to respond to the global demand for English language learning. Read More