Argentina TESOL was founded in 1987. Looking back on 25-year-old ARTESOL’s history, we feel proud of being a TESOL affiliate. This status has allowed us to effectively work to improve professional expertise and quality in the ELT field in Argentina while connecting ARTESOL to the rest of the world. We are deeply grateful to TESOL for this. We are also grateful to all the ELT professionals who have constantly supported ARTESOL in its mission.

ARTESOL 25TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE

The ARTESOL 25th Anniversary Conference, “The Dawning of the ELT Digital Age,” was held at Estación General Belgrano in Santa Fe, Argentina, 11-12 May 2012.

The event was endorsed by the government of the city. At the opening ceremony, Pablo Tabares, Secretario de la Producción del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Santa Fe, addressed the audience. Then, Neal Murata, deputy cultural affairs officer, U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires, and Graciela Martin, on behalf of Argentina TESOL, welcomed participants to the convention.

Two plenary sessions were conducted by U.S. Department of State specialist Dr. Deborah Healey. Her presentations dealt with the use of technology in the teaching of English as a foreign language. Dr. Lisa Morgan, regional English language officer, also made two concurrent presentations at the event.

There were four semi-plenary sessions, three of them conducted by prestigious teachers from Argentina, and one by Dr. Dayna House, senior English language fellow in Argentina. Their presentations dealt with cutting-edge issues in the TESOL profession, such as ICT, designing digital materials, working with videos and DVDs, and adapting to change. All presentations were related to the convention main theme: “The Dawning of the ELT Digital Age.”

Classroom practitioners and classroom-centered researchers specializing in all educational levels conducted a total of 33 concurrent presentations in four categories: papers, demonstrations, workshops, and poster sessions.

Over 200 EFL professionals attended the 2-day convention. Teachers from all over Argentina and visitors from neighboring countries such as Chile and Uruguay were present.

The University of Arizona Teacher Training Program organized an ARTESOL Pre-Conference Institute (PCI) for participants at the ARTESOL 25th Anniversary Conference and other English teachers in Argentina interested in attending. The PCI trained ESL professionals in one module from the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Program.

The 2013 ARTESOL Convention will be held 10-11 May 2013 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The event will be endorsed by Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata and Universidad CAECE. John Segota will be a keynote speaker.

Graciela Martin, ARTESOL president, is a graduate from the Instituto Nacional Superior de Profesorado “Joaquin V. González.” She has worked at ICANA for 21 years. She is the academic coordinator at ICANA Belgrano, the online courses project leader, and a materials developer.

Ana María Rocca, ARTESOL past president, is a public translator of English. She earned a Diploma Superior en Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) and is a researcher and teacher of English at the reading comprehension chair, School of Philosophy and Letters, Buenos Aires University, and at Secretaría de Extensión, Buenos Aires University.