TESOL Brings the World Together in Chicago
Couldn’t attend the 2018 TESOL Convention in Chicago, Illinois, USA? Maybe you missed some of the 1,000+ sessions during the week? We have you covered with some of what you may have missed!
On 27 March, the 2018 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo opened in Chicago. Recognized for its vibrant history and rich linguistic diversity across its many neighborhoods, Chicago served as the perfect backdrop for a convention that centered on preparing current and future educators for engaging English learners in a dynamic and diversified world. The convention attracted more than 6,000 professionals from more than 100 countries and 120 exhibitors, and it featured cutting-edge classroom tools and brand new publications.
The world-renowned skyscrapers that dot the Chicago skyline and thousands of excited participants were not the only highlights of the 2018 Convention, however, as this year’s sessions not only reflected the diversity of Chicago, but also provided a variety of valuable opportunities for attendees to engage in new and exciting advances in the English language teaching and learning field. To begin this year’s Convention, Shabana Basij-Rasikh, a leading advocate for girls’ education, gave the opening keynote to a crowd of thousands inside the Arie Crown Theater. During her address, Basij-Rasikh shared her experiences growing up in war-torn Afghanistan and the challenges she has faced in establishing her country’s first and only all-girls boarding school. Overall, TESOL 2018 offered more than 1,000 sessions, ranging from language assessment to technology, immigration, adult education, public policy, and more.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh gives the opening keynote at TESOL 2018.
Most important, the 2018 Convention proved that regardless of the world’s current political climate, where attendees came from, or their role in the TESOL field, the unifying themes of recognizing quality English language education and a commitment to improve the educational experiences for all English learners are as strong as ever. As the association looks ahead to its next annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, this commitment to quality English language education will only continue to strengthen and evolve.
Convention Highlights and Online Resources
Keynotes
Continuing the trend of past Conventions, web access expanded to even more sessions and speakers, with recordings of several keynote addresses (available soon), including Ester de Jong’s presidential keynote, “TESOL as Nexus: Strategies for the Future,” Zoltán Dörnyei’s “English Language Learners in the 21st Century,” and Mary Helen Immordino-Yang’s “Embodied Brains, Social Minds, Cultural Meaning: Why Emotions Are Fundamental to Learning.”
Advancing the Profession
As TESOL continues its mission to advance English language education around the world, a series of sessions were offered to highlight several major strategic initiatives being undertaken by the association. A special session, “Advancing the Future of the TESOL Profession,” was convened, in which TESOL President de Jong discussed TESOL’s forthcoming strategic plan, and author Deborah Short and former TESOL President Denise Murray each spoke about two new and exciting initiatives. (See photo, left, from the session.)
While introducing The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners™, Short provided insight into this pivotal set of universal guidelines for the teaching of English learners and previewed a brand new publication from TESOL Press, The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners: Grades K–12, which debuted in Chicago and is now available online. Short and her writing team also held an in-depth session on the new book to a standing room–only crowd of enthusiastic TESOL professionals.
In addition to the unveiling of The 6 Principles, Murray presented on the “Action Agenda for the Future of the TESOL Profession,” the findings of which resulted from last year’s Summit on the Future of the TESOL Profession and offer a guide to strengthening and improving the TESOL profession for years to come. Murray also held a separate session that provided an expanded look at the information gathered from the summit and the full Action Agenda.
Attendees in discussion at a networking session.
PreK–12 Day
The annual PreK–12 Day provided teachers and administrators with the opportunity to participate in more than 20 workshops that concentrated on topics such as early childhood education; advocacy strategies; refugee concerns; and teaching math, writing, and reading to English learners. During his keynote address at PreK–12 Day, Jake Scott spoke about his experiences teaching disenfranchised English learners, and how that led him to become a math rapper, math-centric picture book author, and educational leader, empowering his students through song and spoken word.
TESOL Awards
Also presented during TESOL 2018 were several awards to individuals who have had a significant impact on both the association and the field. Receiving the James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL was former TESOL President Christine Coombe, while the Presidents’ Award and TESOL Teacher of the Year Award were presented to Jim Cummins and Scott Freiberger, respectively.
TESOL award recipients.
Click here for a full list of this year’s award winners.
Closing: Annual Business Meeting and Taste of Chicago Celebration
To close the Convention, TESOL held its Annual Business Meeting, where hundreds of TESOL members filed into the Grant Park Ballroom of the McCormick Place Hyatt to get an update on the association’s progress over the past year. Along with financial updates from executive director Christopher Powers, de Jong presided over the passing of the gavel to new president Luciana C. de Oliveira.
Attendees celebrate at the Taste of Chicago Reception.
Once the official business of the Convention concluded, it was time to party! Hundreds of attendees gathered to sample some of Chicago’s most iconic foods to celebrate a very successful week in the Second City.
Atlanta Welcomes the TESOL World in 2019
It’s never too early to start planning for next year’s Convention, which will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, USA on 12–15 March 2019. The deadline for all proposal submissions is 1 June 2018. Information for proposals will be available soon.
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