Even though the 2012 TESOL convention is still a few weeks away, it is time to get prepared and learn what we can expect in Philadelphia in March. As the chair of ALIS, I have been in charge of the proposal review process and the organization of InterSection sessions. I am glad to report that 111 proposals were submitted to ALIS; the TESOL Convention Organizing Committee has accepted 27 (24%) of the proposals based on our reviewers’ evaluations. Of the accepted proposals, there are 17 individual papers (14 research-oriented and 3 practice-oriented), 3 colloquia, 6 Hot Topics sessions, and 1 workshop. In addition, there are also 4 poster sessions.

Our interest section is involved in two InterSection sessions, one as a primary sponsor and one as a cosponsor. The one with our interest section as the primary sponsor is entitled “Scope and Enhancement of Linguistic and Methodological Knowledge for Teachers.” The panelists of the session include Keith Folse of the University of Central Florida; Noel Houck of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; and Lawrence Jun Zhang of the National Institute of Education of Singapore. All three of them are experienced and well-published TESOL teacher educators. At the session, they will discuss, with concrete examples, what types of linguistic and methodological knowledge (i.e., knowledge in grammar, lexis, pragmatics) are essential for TESOL professionals and how teachers can enhance such knowledge to make their teaching more successful.

The InterSection of which we are a cosponsor is entitled “Pursuing Excellence in NNEST Writing: A Focus on Genres.” The NNEST (Nonnative English Speakers in TESOL) Interest Section is the primary sponsor of the session. Dr. Howard Williams is a panelist representing our IS. The other panelists include Luciana de Oliveira, An Cheng, Christine Pearson Casanave, and Lindy Woodrow. The panelists will discuss how nonnative English-speaking (NNES) writers can develop competence in writing and how a focus on genres can help. They will address the issues by examining nonnative English speakers’ writing and exploring the needs of NNES writers at different levels.

I hope many of you will be attending TESOL 2012. I look forward to seeing you all!