On 5 April, the 2016 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo opened in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, marking the 50th anniversary of TESOL and 53rd international convention in the association’s history. Baltimore, a city that embraces bilingualism and multicultural education, as well as its own unique linguistic heritage, served as the perfect venue for such a momentous and memorable convention. The convention attracted more than 6,400 professionals and 122 exhibitors, featuring cutting-edge classroom tools and brand new publications. Also featured at the convention was the Job MarketPlace, which attracted 38 recruiting companies and more than 350 job seekers.

Location and association milestones were not the only highlights of the convention. The programs and sessions not only reflected the diversity of the city and attendees, but provided valuable opportunities to cross beyond familiar borders in the English language teaching and learning field. Approximately 1,000 sessions were offered, ranging from language testing and assessment to technology in language learning, bilingual education, and public policy. Furthermore, the 2016 TESOL International Convention featured nearly two dozen invited speakers, addressing topics such as communication, intercultural awareness, technology, and ELT contexts in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other locales.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the 2016 convention was that regardless of how many miles each attendee traveled to get to Baltimore, or their role in the TESOL field, the unifying themes of recognizing quality English language education and a commitment to improve the educational experiences for ELLs remained solid. As the association looks ahead to its 51st annual convention in Seattle, Washington, USA, this commitment to quality English language education will certainly only strengthen and evolve.

PreK–12 Day and New Community College Day Kick-Off the 2016 Convention

Alongside the annual PreK–12 Day was the introduction of Community College Day. Community College instructors and administrators were invited to the all-day event held on the eve of convention. The program consisted of 20 workshops on topics ranging from curriculum redesign and grammar instruction to language standards and assessment. The continuation of PreK–12 Day provided teachers and administrators with the opportunity to participate in workshops that concentrated on topics such as ELL teacher evaluations; unaccompanied minors in the United States; and teaching ELL math, writing, and reading.

Convention Highlights and Online Resources

Continuing the trend of past conventions, web access expanded to even more sessions and speakers, including a livestream of each keynote speaker, including Aziz Abu Sarah’s opening keynote, “Revolutionizing Education: Building Peace in a Divided World,” Dr. Jeanette Altarriba’s “Beyond Linguistic Borders: Language Learning Cradled in Language,” Dr. Anne Curzan’s “Survey Says… Determining What English Usage Is and Isn’t Acceptable,” as well as Andy Curtis’s presidential keynote. In case you missed any of the keynotes, webcasts of each keynote can be accessed here. Additionally, session materials, handouts, and presenter contact information can be found here.

To close the convention, TESOL put on a wonderful celebration to mark its 50th anniversary. While the weather proved to be an adversary, not even an April cold-snap could stop the party. Thousands of members and attendees came to mingle and sample traditional Baltimore delicacies, including a delicious crab dip and ballpark-style hot pretzels and hotdogs. And, of course, no anniversary party would be complete without cake! As the night wound down, songs were sung, friendships were made, and a sense of accomplishment and excitement for the future filled the air. While this was certainly a memorable TESOL convention, there are still more milestones to be reached and more innovations in the field to be made!

“TESOL 2.0: Engage, Enrich, Empower” in Seattle, Washington, USA in 2017

It’s never too early to start planning for next year’s convention, which will head west to Seattle, Washington on 21–24 March 2017. The deadline for all proposal submissions is 1 June 2016. The call for proposals is now available here.