Dear IEPIS Members:

Warm greetings to all IEPIS members―and to all other TESOL members who subscribe to our IEPIS Newsletter and our IEPIS community discussion forum. IEPIS has had a very productive year as we participated in the TESOL 2011 Convention, started preparations for the TESOL 2012 convention, made the transition to the new TESOL Community, and began to plan necessary updates to our governing rules. We always welcome ideas about how to enhance IEPIS resources that are available to members, so we hope that you will take the opportunity to let us know about your needs.

IEPIS AT TESOL 2011 IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

IEPIS had a very strong presence at the TESOL 2011 Convention. Thanks to the high number of proposals submitted for review, IEPIS could offer more sessions at the convention. IEPIS also conducted an InterSection session, with English as a Foreign Language IS as cosponsor, on the topic “The Changing World of IEPs with Globalization.” This panel explored the impact of globalization on the configurations of IEPs. The panel introduced several innovative ways to set up IEPs that enhance the more traditional practices in IEPs in the United States and Canada.

IEPIS also conducted a second InterSection, cosponsored by the Higher Education IS, on “The Role of IEPs in Higher Education.” This panel addressed the political, administrative, and academic issues that confront IEPs in colleges and universities.

An academic session, one of the highlights of the program at the TESOL convention, is a panel presentation that enables a group of experts in the field to address topics of current relevance to the interest section. The 2011 IEPIS Academic Session, entitled “Real-World Academic Writing: What English Programs Need to Know,” with over 200 attendees, brought together a panel of experts who addressed issues about writing instruction that concern IEPs. Panelists shared insights about typical genres and characteristics of written assignments in undergraduate and graduate program, and they discussed the challenges of written assignments in academic courses and the implications for writing instruction within IEPs.

LOOKING FORWARD TO IEPIS SESSIONS AT TESOL 2012 IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

We are very much looking forward to participating in two InterSections at TESOL 2012. The first one combines panelists from IEPIS with those from the Speech, Pronunciation, and Listening Interest Section (SPLIS) and the Teacher Education Interest Section (TEIS). In this InterSection session, speakers will explore best practices in pronunciation instruction as they relate to teacher education and intensive English programs. Is it best to integrate pronunciation with other skills, or address pronunciation in a separate course? Should teacher education programs offer pronunciation training through specific pronunciation courses, or offer training that integrates pronunciation practice with other skills? These and other questions concerning the place of pronunciation will be addressed by the panelists to share ways that teacher education programs can structure curriculum to prepare teachers to meet the needs of English language learners studying in intensive English programs.

The second IEPIS-sponsored InterSection at TESOL 2012, entitled “Creatively Designing Intensive Business English Programs to Meet Learner Needs,” will be conducted with the English for Special Purposes Interest Section (ESPIS). In this session, presenters will share insights about effective approaches to designing special-purpose curriculum to meet the needs of learners through intensive business-English courses.

IEPIS will also offer an Academic Session with expert panelists speaking about “Transitioning IEP Students to University Reading.” This Academic Session will discuss themes such as developing reading rate, fluency and comprehension, text knowledge, vocabulary acquisition, and becoming a strategic reader, with applications to curriculum and instruction.

In addition to these sessions, IEPIS will offer an even stronger presence at TESOL 2012. Many thanks to everyone who submitted proposals: IEPIS received 275 proposals―a record number―for TESOL 2012, showing a high degree of professionalism and willingness to share expertise. The number of proposals received allows us to offer more than 65 additional sessions at the convention. Great appreciation also goes to the more than 100 proposal reviewers who carefully rated the proposals to ensure a high quality of IEPIS presentations.

Even if you are not able to attend TESOL 2012, please look for messages from TESOL about opportunities to access recorded sessions and to attend some sessions virtually. Also, many presenters are willing to share presentation slides or handouts with those who are unable to attend the convention.

TRANSITION TO THE NEW TESOL COMMUNITY INTERFACE

Although IEPIS is not the largest interest section in TESOL in terms of numbers of members, we do enjoy the most active discussions by far in the new TESOL Community. In May 2011, TESOL updated its social media interface, changing from former e-list discussions to the new community forums for each interest section. More than 1,300 members participate in the IEPIS Community online discussions, with almost 600 exchanges as of early November. The topics of these discussions cover a wide variety of issues, ranging from practical matters, such as recommended materials and placement tests, to deeper pedagogical concerns, such as the role of standardized tests in academic placement and the cultural factors of plagiarism and academic honesty.

No topic is too trivial or too substantive for an IEPIS discussion. All topics receive responses, sometimes to the individual who poses a question, and more often to the entire IEPIS Community, generating even more practical, thoughtful, and encouraging discussion.

UPCOMING IEPIS DEVELOPMENTS

IEPIS, like other interest sections, has been called on to review and update its governing rules to correspond to TESOL’s standing rules and to reflect changes that have taken place since the last revisions. Some of these changes are simply in terminology, such as the change from “E-List Manager” to “Community Manager.” Other changes will require more discussion and voting by IEPIS members, such as changes to the composition of the Steering Committee and the question of allowing other TESOL members to vote for IEPIS officers. Please look forward to these discussions in our community forum, and make your voice heard by voting on the questions. Our plan is to have the revisions in place before the next TESOL convention.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN IEPIS

Please consider participating as an active volunteer in IEPIS: serve on a committee, submit a proposal for the next convention, review proposals, write an article or book review for the IEPIS Newsletter, lead a discussion in the IEPIS community forum, suggest a project for IEPIS to undertake, or nominate yourself to run for a leadership office in IEPIS. Interacting with this dedicated, global group of teachers, administrators, and other professionals can enhance your professional skills and knowledge and will certainly help others to grow as professionals too. I look forward to meeting you at the convention and in our IEPIS Community forum.

Kind regards,

Carol