Affiliate News - May 2021 (Plain Text Version)
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PERU TESOL HOLDS FIRST VIRTUAL CONFERENCE Florentina de la Cruz de Pelaez, President - Peru TESOL Association, Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru
As we flashback to February 2020, it was apparent that Peru TESOL would have to alter the delivery of its XXVIII National Convention. A pandemic was looming, Peruvian teachers were concerned about travel within Peru, and contributors from abroad were considering whether or not they could travel to Peru. The Peru TESOL Board of Directors decided to launch a virtual conference, to be held in the same time frame the association has met for past 28 years during the Peruvian Independence Day holidays. The Peru TESOL Webmaster organized a delivery system through Google Meets, enabling the planning for the 2020 conference to move ahead. The Peru TESOL webinar theme was Teaching English in Peru during the Pandemic. Our webinar was offered at no cost to our membership in place of the Annual Convention from July 31 to August 2, 2020. The Webmaster as well as the regional directors and leadership of the Peru TESOL Association managed the process ofselecting abstracts for presentation, organizing the three-day online conference, and enrolling nearly 300 participants from all regions of Peru - from the Pacific coast, the Andean region, and the Amazon jungle. Speakers were mainly from Peru; however, there was also participation from North America and Europe. The highlight of the conference opening was a YouTube video of the Peruvian national anthem, sung by our great Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flores. A hallmark of the Peru TESOL conference is the presentation of research projects by participants who wish to qualify for hours of Inservice training required by their teaching institutions. The Selection Committee evaluates the submissions and certificates are awarded to participants completing the projects. The 2020 projects provided particularly rich evidence of the persistence and creativity of Peruvian English teachers who continue their work in the most challenging of circumstances. Following the 2020 conference, and in honor of the Peruvian national holiday, we all met for a "happy hour" to share conversation and a pisco sour. Our successful initiative of 2020 will be followed by another online conference to be held July 31 through August 2, 2021: The Peru TESOL Association XXVIII Convention theme for this year is Challenges and Achievements. Biodata Florentina de la Cruz de Pelaez received an undergraduate degree as a foreign language teacher from the National University of Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru. She also holds a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. She taught at The Catholic Language Centre University in Trujillo and Federico Villarreal University in Lima and currently serves as President of, Peru TESOL Association. |
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