Hello Colleagues!

It's been a busy summer reviewing proposals for the upcoming 2016 TESOL convention. Thank you to those who've submitted so many excellent proposals!

We are working on our goals to expand ICIS collaboration outside of the TESOL convention and to collaborate with other organizations. Please look for members of the ICIS collaborating on panels at the International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC) Conference at Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China 27–29 November. Also, three of our members will be sharing a panel at the Society for Intercultural Education and Research (SIETAR) Conference in Orlando, Florida, USA 14–17 October.

Of interest to you all is the new formation of the TESOL Diversity Forum. As the Diversity Committee is to be sunset in 2016, many of us have felt that there are lingering diversity concerns in TESOL as a field and as an organization. The forum will try to be a voice for these concerns. Have you experienced barriers to participation in TESOL due to some aspect of your identity or social situation? Have you witnessed discrimination, cultural insensitivity, or microaggressions in TESOL related to diversity? This is an important conversation to have, and I welcome you to share your thoughts and experiences. Also, what is working for diversity? Where are there inclusive practices, outreach, and policies that work for diversity? My hope is that as an ICIS we may also include these discussions in our work.

We will be recruiting for a new chair-elect and leadership positions to start following the 2016 TESOL convention. Please look for upcoming emails to participate! We are also working to organize a webinar for the ICIS. More information to follow shortly.

As always, this is your interest section. Please continue to share your ideas and resources with the community and let us know if you have speakers or topics you'd like to include in the webinars and online discussions coming up.

All the best!

Heidi

Heidi Faust coordinates online training for EFL teachers and English learners as the associate director of TESOL Professional Training Programs at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She is interested in equity and diversity in education and the intersections of race, class, and intercultural communication. She lives in Baltimore, and loves to sing and play guitar.