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Dear ITA Professionals,
I am looking forward to the month of March 2018 as one of the
highlights of the academic year. Two of our most important annual ITA
events will be held in March: the ITA Symposium in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, USA, and the international TESOL convention in Chicago,
Illinois, USA. I hope to see you all at one or both of these events. For
me, it is a chance to gain insight and inspiration, enjoy networking
with far-flung colleagues, and grow professionally through learning from
my peers in formal presentations and through informal conversations.
I will be presenting in an hour-long discussion session from 2
pm–3 pm at the ITA Symposium on the topic of “Classroom Observations for
Assessing ITA Teaching.” Observing ITAs and assessing their teaching is
a significant area of responsibility for many of us. I look forward to
sharing our diverse methods and approaches with a view to surfacing best
practices for implementing this technique.
As secretary of the ITAIS this year, it has been interesting
and fun to work with Stephen Looney (chair) and Derina Samuel
(chair-elect) as I have been on a learning curve to understanding how an
interest section works. Many thanks to both of them for all their hard
work this year, especially to Stephen who has put in so much effort
during this transitional year. He recently completed and submitted to
TESOL the ITAIS transition plan outlining our direction and goals for
the next year. The contents of this document will be discussed at the
business meeting in Chicago: It promises to be an interesting dialogue.
As chair-elect for the 2018–2019 year, I will be responsible
for organizing the academic panel presentation for TESOL in 2019. In
Pittsburgh and Chicago this year, I will be looking for ideas for the
panel theme, and for people interested in participating in the panel.
Please do not hesitate to let me know your thoughts and interest in this
area of our interest section for the upcoming year.
I feel fortunate to be part of a strong and vibrant ITA
professional community. Many thanks to the ITAIS for the year-round
support that enriches my professional experience.
Best wishes,
Mo Burke | 
