Dear SPLIS members,

It was wonderful to meet so many SPLISers last March at the 2013 TESOL convention in Dallas, Texas. What an amazing opportunity to mingle with greatness and learn from experts in our field! I hope to see you all again for the new convention in Portland, Oregon, next March.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to those who submitted and reviewed proposals for the 2014 TESOL convention. Thanks to their dedication to our IS and our field, we will have another round of outstanding presentations next year. If you have not submitted any proposals this year, please consider submitting one for the 2015 TESOL convention in Toronto, Canada, and/or becoming a reviewer for SPLIS. You’ll find these experiences very inspirational!

I have presented my research work at different conferences all around the world, but there is none like the TESOL convention. Regardless of where it is held, I always feel home—surrounded by kindred spirits so avid for new knowledge and so passionate about their work. I cannot wait to experience what the 2014 TESOL convention in Portland, Oregon, has in store for us. The convention not only helps TESOL members keep abreast of the latest research findings, pedagogical innovations, and trends in our field, but it also provides them with plenty of opportunities for networking and meeting old and new friends all over the world. You surely do not want to miss it!

Tamara and I have been working closely to bring to you three insightful InterSection sessions for the Portland convention. We teamed up with English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Applied Linguistics (AL), and International Teaching Assistants (ITA) Interest Sections and invited three panels of experts that will address issues that concern our ISs. In addition, our academic session will feature John Levis, Murray Munro, and John Murphy, who will discuss what teachers need to know about pronunciation teaching. We will soon hear about other presentations as TESOL updates its convention website. Stay tuned for more to come.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the newsletter. It is full of refreshing ideas and motivating teaching tips. Please consider sharing your ideas and work with our membership through our SPLIS newsletter and e-list. We want to hear from you. Let us know what we can do for you.

Veronica Sardegna, PhD

Veronica Gabriela Sardegna is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Texas at Austin where she teaches courses on methodology, pronunciation, and second language acquisition for both the MA and doctoral programs in foreign language education. Her current research work focuses on the effectiveness of using language learning strategies and instructional technology for improving ESL/EFL students’ pronunciation and business writing skills.