Dr. Shelley Wong, associate professor at George Mason University and TESOL past president, was the keynote speaker. Mrs. Comfort Davis Mingot, chair of the Social Responsibility Interest Section, international and national representative and past president of MATE-TESOL HAITI, organized in collaboration with the MATE-TESOL HAITI leadership. Mr. Sabino Morla of Escuela de Idiomas, Facultad de Humanidades, UASD, Ciudad Universitaria, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, actively participated.

On September 21, at 9:30 am, the program was officially launched by Marie Denise Bellabre, the mayor of Miragoane, who, in a succinct speech, pointed out the importance of the English language in the education system of the country; she further emphasized that mastering English can greatly contribute to the economic development of Haiti and encouraged English language learners to continue learning the language in order to prepare for their higher studies and find better job opportunities.

The theme of the workshop was “Where the Ginkgo Tree Grows: Planting Seeds for Curricular Innovation in English Language Teaching.” Dr. Shelley Wong used the Ginkgo tree as a metaphor for transformation and change in English language teaching. During her presentation, she raised some pertinent questions, such as “How can English teachers contribute to a sustainable and just future?” and “What concrete and realistic steps can be taken to plant seeds for change?” She further presented an ecological approach to curriculum and instruction, which, she said, stemmed from diverse interdisciplinary approaches, including action research and dialogic, critical, and culturally responsive pedagogy. In fact, learning in community, problem posing, learning by doing, and knowledge for whom were the four features of dialogic pedagogy that were used by the participants to engage in an ecological approach to curriculum design in TESOL.

Mr. Sabino Morla, from the Dominican Republic, developed the theme “Learning by Reading Short Stories,” and two the stories he used were “The Little Piglets and the Wolf” and "After Twenty Years.” He also introduced and participated in the discussion that followed after the screening of the video Haiti and the Dominican Republic: The Roots of Division.

I presented “Tips for Teaching Speaking” during which I highlighted the importance of the use of the framework Encounter, Clarify, Internalize, and Fluently use (ECRIF) to teach speaking skills. The ECRIF framework not only fosters a student-centered environment but also is grounded in pair work and group work aimed at promoting, learning in community, problem posing, and learning by doing. This pedagogical approach rooted in the philosophy of the pedagogy of the oppressed was geared to making English language teachers’ conscious of their role as models and spokespeople for students while teaching students how to speak out.

I also facilitated the question-and-answer period at the end of the screening of the video Haiti and the Dominican Republic: The Roots of Division. This documentary presents a brief but deep insight on the roots of division between the Haitians and the Dominicans. The reason for the screening of the documentary was to acknowledge the importance of the problem between the neighbors and reflect on some element of solutions with the help of the teachers present. At the end of this reflection and discussion period, a Peace Project Proposal was elaborated and presented to the United States Institute of Peace with both countries fully represented and implicated.

As part of the workshop program, the presenters also met with the heads (administrative and security) in Miragoane of the United Nations Missions in Haiti to learn more about the mission, discuss how to become partners in working for peace in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and accept security protection.

Dr. Shelley Wong, Comfort Davis Mingot, and Sabino Morla together with attendees at the MATE-TESOL-sponsored conference in Haiti.

MATE-TESOL gratefully acknowledges the support of TESOL International Association, the International Association of Teachers as a Foreign Language, Wonderful Institute, the Office of Public Affairs, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, and the Haitian-American Institute.

All the attendees left the conference with a great feeling of satisfaction and said that the topics that were developed and the discussions that followed had a great impact on them.

Comfort Davis Mingot, current chair Social Responsibility Interest Section, National and International Representative of MATE-TESOL HAITI, and a part-time ESL Instructor at Medtech and LADO International Colleges.