ALC Newsletter - 03/16/2015 (Plain Text Version)
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MATE CONFERENCE REPORT 2014
The 10th Annual Affiliate Conference for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language took place on 8–9August 2014. This year, we collectively decided to organize the conference in Leogane, Haiti (Victoria Plaza Hotel), a city located west of Port-Au-Prince and approximately 55 minutes (in traffic) away from the main international airport. Our theme this year was “Strengthening ELT in Haiti: Trends, Roles and Responsibilities.” We had about 100 attendees from throughout the country, mostly young professionals eager to make a difference. The conference was a tremendous success, due in part to the financial support received from Belinda Braunstein, Meced, California; Rosa Aronson, Reston, Virginia; Denise Mussman, Saint Louis, Missouri; Dan Hester, Fremont, California; Stephen Hanchey, New Orleans, Louisiana; Ralph Gousse, Apopka, Florida; Jayme Adelson Goldstein, Northridge, California; Matthew Allen, Lafayette, Indiana; Mandisa Richardson, Moreno Valley, California; Deborah Crusan, Springfield, Ohio; Kara Hunter, San Bernardino, California; Monrovia Richardson, Moreno Valley, California; Yilin Sun, Bellevue, Washington; Maude Langford, Santa Rosa, California; Kate Mastruserio Reynolds, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Rachael Roberts, Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom; Josue Alejandro, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico; Andrelina Bastien Italien, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; some of our partners, such as IATEFL and TESOL International Association; and, finally, the Monrovia Foundation for Haiti. In the opening remarks, Mr. Hervé François Alcindor, the advocacy representative of MATE TESOL Haiti, welcomed the teachers and took a 2-minute silence in honor of Jean Frantzy Italien’s father, who suddenly passed away. Then Mr. Alcindor highlighted the work that MATE-TESOL Haiti has implemented in the country. He also urged the MATE-TESOL Haiti members to always keep up the good work to promote English language teaching and learning in Haiti. Mr. Alcindor engaged the participants in pronunciation and phonology activities, sharing some practical ideas on how to effectively teach English in a classroom environment. Throughout his presentation, he emphasized the key role pronunciation can play in helping English language learners to successfully master the language. We had the privilege to have among us Dr. Yilin Sun, president of TESOL International Association. In her presentation, Dr. Sun shared several vocabulary teaching/learning strategies based on recent developments in research and teaching practice. She also introduced a few free online tools for vocabulary learning. The purpose of vocabulary learning includes both remembering words and the ability to use them automatically in a wide range of language contexts when the need arises. Vocabulary learning strategies, therefore, should include strategies for using as well as knowing a word. Dr. Sun engaged participants in activities that would facilitate metacognitive strategies as well as application strategies. Professor Beth Wiens emphasized the value of time management, and she explained how we could manage our time. People budget money, but not time. We need to set goals and determine how to spend our time. Beth also demonstrated that “failing to plan is planning to fail. Set goals and plan thenwrite down your activities every 30 minutes.” Dr. Christine Coombe discussed the topic “10 Characteristics of Highly Effective EFL/ESL Teachers.” She explained the difference between EFL/ESL teachers and also demonstrated five ways to lead in the classroom.
Finally, Mr. Alcindor announced next year’s MATE-TESOL Haiti conference in August and the 2015 TESOL Annual Convention and English Language Expo in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He gratefully acknowledged the support of board members and President Jean Frantzy Italien, and he also thanked all the participants. The delegates reported that the conference was a huge success. Jean Frantzy Italien currently serves as MATE president. He is the founding father of Miragoane Association of Teachers of English (MATE), Haiti. He previously taught English as a foreign language for more than 10 years. In 1996, he started an English institute in Miragoane. It was the first English school ever established in the Southern part of Haiti. In September 1997, he took his first-year seminar in English entitled “English for the Year 2000 and Beyond,” sponsored by the U.S. Information Service, Cultural Affairs Office, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In 2000, he started workshops and meetings to initiate a professional English organization in Haiti. In 2003, he founded MATE as a regional English association to provide professional training and workshops to the English teachers in Haiti. In 2005, Jean Frantzy founded MATE TESOL Haiti. Also, a partnership between MATE Haiti and IATEFL UK was established. |
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