ITAIS Newsletter - March 2018 (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
LEADERSHIP UPDATES
•  LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
•  LETTER FROM THE CHAIR-ELECT
•  LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY
•  LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
ARTICLES
•  USING YOUGLISH WITH ITAS TO INCREASE INPUT AND SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES
•  INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATES IN THE ITA TRAINING CLASSROOM
•  TEACHING SMALL TALK SKILLS: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF NETWORKING
ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY
•  WHAT IS THE ITA INTEREST SECTION?

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR-ELECT

Derina Samuel, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

Dear ITAIS,

It’s hard to believe that the 2018 TESOL convention is coming up within the month! I look forward to seeing many of you in Chicago!

As the chair-elect, I was responsible for organizing the 2018 TESOL ITAIS academic session. The session, titled “Research-Based Assessment Practices for ITA Programs,” will feature Dr. Jing Wei (Center for Applied Linguistics), Dr. Pamela Pollock (Harvard University), and Dr. Veronica Sardegna (University of Pittsburgh). As ITA practitioners, all of us are involved at some level in the assessment of English oral proficiency. In this session, our featured speakers will share their research in assessment and provide some practical ideas to apply in our programs. I’m very much looking forward to this session and do hope you will join us on Thursday, 29 March 2018 at 9:30 am in Room N227a, McCormick Place.

As you may have heard, there are a few changes that we will need to navigate in the coming year, but I am confident that the core of the ITAIS community is strong, and so we will continue to support each other through the process! I look forward to all the great sessions our interest section will offer and the interactions with each of you at the convention.

See you soon!

Derina