Greetings to all TEIS members and colleagues!
I have been reminded often this year of the dedication and generous spirit of TESOLers around the world. Every time I've put out a somewhat frantic (at times, bordering on desperate) call for help, I've received a wave of responses, even from individuals who were overbooked or under deadlines in their own work. My heartfelt thanks to everyone for your kind offers of support. Because of your generosity and hard work, TEIS adjudicated nearly 300 convention proposals. Each proposal must be reviewed by a minimum of three reviewers, so you can see the task was huge! But by working together, we completed it on time and with a great deal of care and expertise. As a result of the hard work of proposal writers and reviewers, TEIS will be well represented in the TESOL 2011 Convention program with 70 proposals and 6 posters.
A few observations for those of you planning to submit proposals for TESOL 2012:
- Use the Reviewer's Scoring Rubric as your guide, available on the TESOL Web site.
- Have several individuals review your proposal for both content and grammar/punctuation.
- Be sure to include citations to pertinent sources providing a research base for your proposal.
- Include a clear statement about what the attendees will take away from your session-this can be materials/handouts, but it can also be new knowledge or ideas.
- Think carefully about the appropriate length for your proposal. There are limited time slots for workshops and colloquia. Approximately one third of our TEIS proposals this year were for workshops and colloquia, but because of the time slots available TEIS was able to accept only two workshops and two colloquia.
As we are busily preparing for the 2011 TESOL Convention in New Orleans, LA, TEIS continues its focus on diversity in teacher education, building and expanding on presentations from past conventions. With the rapid global spread of English, the demand for English language teachers, particularly nonnative-English-speaking teachers, continues. Consequently, it is critical that teacher-educators consider issues related to varieties of English, linguistic imperialism, and English as a lingua franca. To responsibly prepare teachers of English, we must address the interplay between local and global influences in teacher training. This year at TESOL 2011, TEIS will investigate these important issues that influence and shape our work as teacher-educators.
TEIS, partnering with EFLIS and NNESTIS, will lead an InterSection entitled "Contextualizing Teacher Education in International Contexts"; panelists will offer ways that teacher-educators around the globe are addressing these issues in local contexts through teacher preparation and ongoing professional development.
The TEIS Academic Session will examine another aspect of global concerns of teacher-educators: the ways our teachers-in-training understand globalization. The session "East, West Conceptualizations of Globalization in EFL and ESL Contexts" will bring together teacher-educators from around the world to discuss a research project examining how these future teachers understand globalization and EFL/ESL classrooms.
Make your plans to attend as many of the TEIS sessions in New Orleans as possible. Also, look for changes in the way that the interest sections will be meeting and networking at TESOL 2011. The ISs will no longer have booths in the Exhibit Hall but will be meeting in a newly configured space next to the TESOL booth. Look for your IS colleagues in this new space. And we need you at our Open Meeting on Thursday evening. This year, the Open Meetings will last only 1 hour each, giving attendees an opportunity to attend two IS Open Meetings. The TEIS Open Meeting will be held Thursday evening from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. in ENMCC, Room 205. Your presence is needed to keep our IS voice strong. We will be planning for next year's convention in Philadelphia and discussing other matters of interest to our membership. If you have an issue you would like discussed at our Open Meeting, e-mail me prior to the convention (jaustin@uab.edu) and I'll add it to our agenda. Come to the TEIS Open Meeting to see old friends, meet new ones, and let our voice be heard. TEIS is only as vital as its members' involvement (both at the annual convention and throughout the year).
Online balloting has been completed, and congratulations go to our newly elected chair-elect, Jenelle Reeves from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Jenelle will be joining the TEIS Steering Committee at the end of the 2011 convention. Thanks to all who voted, and once again, congratulations, Jenelle!
I've thoroughly enjoyed serving as the TEIS chair this year. I am so appreciative of the kind support and wise counsel provided to me throughout the year by Hema Ramanathan, immediate past chair and the prompt responses and innovative ideas offered by our Chair-Elect Gertrude Tinker-Sachs, Chair-Elect-Elect Anne Walker, Newsletter Editor Hyunsoo Hur, and Webmaster Joel Hardman. You've made my job as TEIS chair this year a joy!
Keep in touch-whether face-to-face or in cyberspace!
