Dear ICIS members,

This year there will be more than 25 presentations focusing specifically on intercultural issues at TESOL 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. As Ramin writes on our Facebook page,

Through academic sessions and collaborations with other interest sections, we will be presenting on topics such as critical cultural theory and classroom practice, the sharing of immigrant and refugee voices through personal narratives, the representation of diverse cultures in EFL/ESL materials, and how [computer-assisted language learning] and technology can be used to promote cultural awareness and intercultural exchange.

Indeed, there will be much to choose from. More details of the sessions can be seen here. Come join us for insightful discussions at the TESOL convention in Chicago!

Our academic session this year:

Criticality in Language Education and Development of Intercultural Competencies

Thursday, 29 March, 3 pm–4:45 pm, Room N227a in McCormick Place, North Building

When meeting the challenges presented by an increasingly globalized world, criticality is one of the goals of education in both pre- and postsecondary contexts. In this session, panelists discuss what criticality is and how it can be integrated into curricula and pedagogy, and they conclude with reflections on lessons learned from practice.

Speakers:

Natalia Balyasnikova, University of British Columbia, Canada
Roxanna Senyshyn, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Amy Alice Chaste, University of Iowa, USA
Barbara Lapornik, Liceo Scientifico, Italy

Among questions addressed by the speakers are the following.

• What is criticality? How different is it from critical thinking and critical pedagogy?

• How is criticality conceptualized (e.g., components, process)?

• Why is criticality important in language education and in the development of intercultural, communicative competencies?

• How is criticality practiced? What kinds of criticality are taught and learned in different education contexts (e.g., language education, teacher education)?

• How is criticality developed? Assessed?

• What lessons have we/panelists learned from our own practice (and research) about criticality? What advice for developing criticality do we have?