Begin with the end in mind
TESOL provides a copy of the proposal rating rubric in the call for proposals.  Read it. What would you need to do in order to be sure that your proposal received a high score in each category?  Now write your session description with the rating rubric in mind.

Think of your audience
When we teach writing, we remind our students to think about the audience. Who will be reading what you write? TESOL proposals are reviewed by members of the Association’s 21 Interest Sections. Be sure that you take the time to familiarize yourself with these groups and choose the most appropriate one to review your proposal. Then think a little more deeply. If you selected the Secondary Schools Interest Section to evaluate your proposal, think about the concerns of average high school teachers. What is likely to be on their minds? Does your session description meet the readers where they live and address questions that they care about?

Be focused—but not too focused
You know how you have to advise your students when they are doing research projects about how to pick a topic?

There are two extremes: in one, the topic is so broad and general that it doesn’t really say anything in particular. And the other is that it is so specific that there isn’t anything that anyone else can learn from it. If you are planning to share your own experiences in the classroom, be sure to include an application section where you clearly describe how the lessons that you have learned can be transferred into another learning context for other teachers. In other words, don’t be overly self-centered. Be sure to consider the implications of your experience for other teachers.

Understand the difference between the abstract and the session description
When you submit your proposal you write up two different summaries of your presentation. One of these, called the abstract, is a 50-word paragraph that will appear in the conference program book if your presentation is accepted. So the main audience for this short summary is the convention-goers who are trying to decide between multiple events on the program. You want to entice participants to attend your session, but only by giving a clear and accurate description of what you will talk about. However, the reviewers of your proposal will also be basing their evaluation on the 300-word session description.  The main audience for this piece of writing are the members of the Interest Section who are peer reviewers of the proposals. In this piece of writing, you want to convince the proposal readers to select your presentation for the conference program. Remember, they will be evaluating it according to the five areas outlined in the proposal rating rubric found in the call for papers, but the convention-goers don’t get to see this, only the peer reviewers do.  Clear on the difference?

Don’t write your proposal online
There are two key written portions of your proposal: the abstract and the session description. Don’t write these in the online submission program. Write them on your computer in your word-processing program. Take some time to adjust and fine-tune them. When you are completely satisfied with them, and have had time to make revisions, then copy and paste them into the online submission system.

Write clear outcomes
One of the criteria for on the proposal rating rubric asks if your proposal contains clear outcomes.  What do you expect that participants will be able do or know at the end of the session? Consider adding a line near the end of your proposal that reads something like this: “At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to  . . . .”  This sentence should make clear the outcomes that you anticipate.

Demonstrate your scholarship
One of the criteria for selection asks if your presentation refers clearly to relevant theory, practice, or research. Don’t do this in a vague, general way. The reviewers want to know that you are up on the research or how your ideas connect with those of others in the field. Cite one or two experts and give the references. Use APA citation style.  “As Smith (2011) states, ‘Learners are more motivated when they are interested in the subject.’”

Let it sit for a while
It is difficult for most of us to be objective about our writing. We think that we write well and we like what we see. One way to help us look at our own writing more objectively is to leave it alone for a while and then return to it a few days later. You’ll often see ways that it could be improved after you have a little distance.

Get a second opinion
Surveys show that about 80% us think that we are above-average drivers—but this can’t possibly be the case!  Most of us think that our own writing and ideas are pretty good—but we can always benefit from the opinions of others. Print out a draft of your proposal and a copy of the proposal rating rubric. Ask a colleague to review it critically. Incorporate their suggestions into your draft.

Good luck in writing your proposals. Hope you’ll make it onto the program!  Do you have other ideas for how to write good proposals? Please add them in the comments below.

In Japan, it really feels like spring is here.  The weather is warm, the trees are green, and the birds outside my window are . . . My apologies for getting off track.  It’s just the effect of spring (smile).

I wanted to get you all thinking about using technology creatively to meet the needs of your students.  In addition, please remember that as technology changes, so can your programs.

For example, one program that a team at Sony created (many, many years ago) used fax machines and a textbook to conduct a business correspondence course to meet learner needs.  That was when the fax was popular, of course!

At Kanda Gaigo Career College in Tokyo, I later created P-Mail, which was E-mail for pharmaceutical company employees in an ESP course.   Why did I create P-mail?  In Tokyo, the competition among language training providers was fierce, so I was seeking to customize and personalize a course during the time that E-mail was popular.   P-mail was used to supplement the training provided on site and to cover topics at a deeper level.   The students had to respond to each P-mail before their next weekly class meeting and received feedback by E-mail as well.

As a teacher trainer, I also created T-mail.   In the corporate service division of the career college, there were 100-200 trainers working with various corporate clients each month.  Most of these trainers were working on a project basis, so I was looking for a way to create a community and provide weekly training.  A T-mail consisted of several sections such as a motivational note, company information, business vocabulary, a cultural item, a teaching tip, and an administrative item.   These T-mail later evolved to focus on specific types of training for teachers, including T-mail programs focused on customer service and global issues respectively.

More recently, I have been experimenting with Google Groups due to the success that the ESP IS had with the TESOL ESP IS Community Discussions 2011-2012.   I am focusing on leadership development online, and what I am doing is not specifically “principled ESP” (because the English communication needs of the learners are not immediate), but I can definitely imagine how Community discussions could be an important part of an ESP program, especially when we communicate online in writing with others around the world.

So, I would encourage you all to enjoy the warm weather . . . I mean, please enjoy experimenting with the technology to meet the needs of your learners.

I’ll see you next week!
Kevin

This paper identifies six principles to help policymakers, researchers, and practitioners develop effective English language teaching policies and practices in varied contexts. From the executive summary:

The principles are collaboration, relevance, evidence, alignment, transparency, and empowerment (CREATE). While acknowledging the complexities inherent in the process of language policy and planning, this white paper also includes a discussion of how these principles have emerged as a result of the demands of globalization and the interests of the local populations of countries in which the teaching and learning of English is having a major impact.

As more and more countries struggle to meet the global demand for an English-speaking workforce, developing an effective and fair language policy has become an increasingly salient issue. For example, Luis Fortuño, governor of Puerto Rico, has just announced a plan to make Puerto Ricans as fluent in English as they are in Spanish by 2022. Last December, Thailand announced its English Speaking Year 2012 initiative to prepare for its economic integration, along with other ASEAN countries,  into the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. Some have argued that English is key to successful integration.

And yet, as English supplants local languages, some communities have expressed anxiety about losing their identities. In India, where an estimated 850 languages are spoken, the Toto people are struggling to retain their language and cultural identity as the economy demands that they learn Hindi and English. In the Philippines, another linguistically diverse nation, Tagalog and English are displacing minority indigenous languages as the country strives to form a national identity. Languages are dying so rapidly in the Philippines that Manuel Lino G. Faelnar and Junika P.  Soriano, writing for the Defenders of the Indigenous Languages of the Archipelago, have called the situation “quite appalling.”

Language policy can even be used as a weapon, as China has used it in Tibet, to assimilate a minority culture. According to Free Tibet, a nonprofit organization that supports Tibetans’ right to self-determination, “The use of Tibetan is being systematically wiped out as part of China’s strategy to cement its occupation.” The Chinese government has promoted its language policies by limiting the use of Tibetan in classrooms and textbooks, causing students to protest in Qinghai province. Some students and monks have demonstrated their resistance by self-immolating.

As the authors of this TESOL White Paper note, the stakes around English language policy are high, and they call for policy makers and other stakeholders to recognize the consequences. “The unique sociocultural, political, economic, and historical aspects of each individual country or setting need to be taken into account when developing language policies and ELT programs and standards appropriate to these contexts.” The principles-based approach they recommend in this TESOL White Paper acknowledges the difficulty of developing fair and effective English language teaching practices and policies, and it offers policy makers, teachers, and other stakeholders a place to begin what should be a complex and inclusive discussion.

I hope you will read and share this white paper with your colleagues. If you have any comments about the paper, please share them below.

How have language policies affected your classroom? How have they affected your relationship with your students and your peers? How might language policy and education reform in the United States benefit from a principles-based approach?

Why get involved? Participants in last year’s Advocacy Day were asked that very question,  and they came up with a list of their Top 10 Reasons to Participate in TESOL Advocacy Day 2012:

1. You will gain in-depth knowledge about federal policy issues affecting English learners, their teachers, and schools. In addition to detailed policy briefs and other background reading provided before the event, TESOL Advocacy Day features Congressional staff, federal officials, and other experts discussing the latest key policy issues for the field. You will learn a tremendous amount of information in a short period of time – and how it impacts the profession.

2. You will learn detailed information about the inner-workings of Congress and the legislative process. Staff from Congressional offices and other speakers will also provide information on how Congress really works and how you can make an impact. More importantly, you will learn about what is going on right now, and participate directly in democracy.

3. You will empower yourself with valuable information you can bring back to your community on how to be a better advocate for your local teachers and schools. What is happening in Washington, D.C., does have an impact locally. Learning about federal policy and current developments, as well as having the experience of meeting with federal officials, will empower you to be a more effective advocate in your community.

4. You will discover that sharing your voice with policy makers is not as difficult as it seems. The thought of meeting with an elected official can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. By participating in TESOL Advocacy Day, you will receive step-by-step instructions on how to contact your elected officials, make your appointments, and conduct your meeting. This makes the whole process much easier and prepares you to meet effectively with legislators.

5. You will make a difference and give your students a voice by  communicating concerns and needs directly with policy makers and elected officials in Washington. Although policy makers and elected officials receive information from constituents all the time, nothing is more powerful or effective than a face-to-face meeting where you can relay needs and concerns directly. Moreover . . .

6. You will provide a face for the field of TESOL to elected officials and representatives. More and more information is available every day about the needs of English learners in education, and the body of research continues to grow. However, the voice of the teacher is one that is often missing in policy circles. Fill in the gap and provide a face to the field by relaying what it’s like in the classroom.

7. You will have the opportunity to be heard and respected as a professional and expert in the field. No one is a better expert on what is happening in your classroom than you are. Elected officials and policy makers rarely have the opportunity to talk directly to ESL experts and classroom teachers, so most officials and their staff members will be eager to hear what you have to say.

8. You will get to walk the halls of power in Washington, D.C. Operate like a Washington insider and walk the halls of Congress. You’ll have a full day for meetings, so you will have time to see and explore Capitol Hill.

9. You will gain solidarity with a network of other like-minded TESOL professionals from across the United States. TESOL Advocacy Day is a collective experience for all involved, so a great camaraderie develops among all the participants. Learn from others who have been here before, and hear about similar situations in different areas of the country. More importantly, you will create a network of support that you can return to throughout the year.

10. You will benefit from an unparalleled leadership development experience. Ask anyone who has participated before – you will leave TESOL Advocacy Day a changed person and an empowered leader.

Bonus!

You will have a terrific addition to your CV/resume. (No explanation necessary.)

Extra Bonus!

You may be able to participate for free!

Every affiliate of TESOL International Association is eligible for one complimentary registration for TESOL Advocacy Day 2012. If your affiliate hasn’t yet identified a delegate for this year, contact them to see if they will support your participation.

Affiliates should contact Valerie Borchelt or John Segota with the name of their delegate to register.

Special thanks to Margo Hernandez, Julia Maffei, Jennifer Morrison, Paula Schlusberg, Anne Shoemaker, and Debbie Vaughn for their contributions.

Have you participated in TESOL Advocacy Day? Do you have other reasons you would add?

• higher education survey summary
• adult ESL survey summary
• K–12 ESL survey summary
• primary and secondary EFL survey summary

TESOL’s Professional Development Committee encourages you to share your experiences with your peers.  What are your most important professional development needs, successes, and/or challenges?  Please make sure to mention the specific context in which you teach, and also share any specific effective practices in professional development you recommend for your colleagues.

As a doctoral student of leadership communication/discourse & leadership development and the teacher of an undergraduate seminar titled Organizational Leadership, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of leadership skills for our students already in or seeking leadership positions.

If you are interested in learning about leadership, there are many resources available.  In this post, I would like to share with you information about the following organization: Center for Creative Leadership (CCL).

My suggestion is that you visit the white papers section of the CCL website, where I found the following titles:

• Future Trends in Leadership Development
• Grooming Top Leaders
• Boundary Spanning Leadership

I hope that the white papers listed above give you some ideas for preparing those future leaders in your programs for their new roles and assignments.

Now, it’s back to research and data analysis for me during this Golden Week break in Japan.

I’ll see you next week!

Kevin

One of the main types of “principled ESP” training that I have done in Japan is with very small classes (of one or two students).  The students are of a very high level (e.g., attended graduate school in the United States) and are preparing for their new assignments overseas.

In regard to the content of the class, the students are the experts.  (I discovered a long time ago that I should learn from such students rather than to try to teach them the content in which they are already specialists.)

What kind of material can I provide to such students?  I can give you one example.  I was working with two students from the public sector who were being transferred to the United States and Canada, respectively, immediately after the completion of the three-month program.  They had already completed MA degrees in their fields of expertise in different educational institutions in the United States and had acquired extensive international experience in their professional roles using English (i.e., international conferences, presentations, etc.).

The weekly class was two hours in length, and the following approach was very successful:

1. Each student was given 45 minutes of presentation time during which the student gave a professional presentation of his/her choice and fielded questions.
2. Each student was also given 15 minutes of presentation time during which the student gave a presentation of his/her choice on the area where the student was to be relocated.

My role was to actively participate as an audience member and to provide feedback to each student.  In addition, the students were encouraged to record the sessions for review and self-evaluation.

Needless the say, the students were the most important resource of the class!

I’ll see you next week!

Kevin

In the TESOL ESP IS, we are grateful for the opportunity to publish in the journal of the IATEFL English for Specific Purposes Special Interest Group titled Professional and Academic English that Mark Krzanowski, Prithvi Shrestha, and the IATEFL ESP SIG have provided.

In this regard, I was very happy when Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan offered to share his recent article on ESP with the world via the TESOL Resource Center (TRC).

Abrar-ul-Hassan, S. (2012). State-of-the-art review: Revisiting the ins and outs of ESP practice. Professional and Academic English, 39, 4-11.

As many of you probably know, Shahid is a past chair of the ESP IS and now serves on a TESOL committee.

The article itself is a detailed look (based on the literature) at the “principled ESP” in the TESOL ESP IS PowerPoint submitted to the TRC.

Therefore, I strongly encourage you to read this article and to contact me if you have any resources that you would like to share worldwide!

FYI - Actually, three articles by TESOL members appear in Issue 39, including one by Akiko Tsuda (“Developing an ESP Course and Materials for Dietitians”) and one by me (“TESOL ESPIS Community Discussions 2011-2012″).

I’ll see you next week!
Kevin

• Organize your notes and handouts. Remember how desperately you wanted to make sure that you got a handout for each session you attended? Well, what are you going to do with all of those now?  Don’t just let them get buried in a pile in a corner of your desk.  Set aside an hour this week to pull them out and review them. Then, on a piece of paper or in a new document summarize a few key points that were useful and interesting for you. Do the same for those notes you scribbled. While you’re at it, why not write up a summary of a session for an Interest Section newsletter?
• Reread the program book. It is frustrating when there are multiple sessions on the program that you’d like to attend. But until you have mastered the art of being in two places in the same time, you have to pick just one. Meanwhile the information that you wanted from the other sessions is still available. The email addresses of the presenters are in the back of the program book. Don’t be shy about sending an email to a presenter to ask for a copy of handouts or presentation slides. Most presenters are happy (and flattered) to be asked. And there’s no need to make an abject apology about how you couldn’t make their session. Everyone understands the scheduling problems. These days many presenters make their slides and handouts available on personal or professional websites. Some presentations will become available in the TESOL Resource Center.  You can also do a search on SlideShare. So don’t hesitate to ask—and don’t put this off until next month, because you’ll run out of steam to do it.
• Follow up on your new contacts. Before you forget who those people were, jot a note on the back of their business card. When and where did you meet? What did you talk about? Were you supposed to send them something?  Is there a way that you can connect or collaborate in the future?  Should you get connected on  LinkedIn or Twitter?
• Start planning your own presentations for next year.  While the excitement is still flowing, think now about what you might submit to present at next year’s conference.  What was new or interesting?  What good ideas do you have to share?  Surely you saw a presentation or two where you said to yourself, “I can do better than that!”  And you probably can!  Download a copy of the  Call for Proposals for TESOL 2013 in Dallas Texas. The deadline for submissions is 1 June 2012. Maybe you could collaborate with a colleague. Not ready to present? How about  reviewing proposals? Reviewer application deadline is 20 April.
• Review the publisher’s catalogs. There’s never enough time to work your way through the entire exhibit hall. So take out some of those publishers catalogs  that you stuffed in your bag and look through them carefully. Focus on what would be most useful for you and your students. Then follow up with a request to your local representative or the publisher’s website or phone number.
• Make some ideas actionable. When you get back to the real life of your job, it’s hard to find time to implement your new ideas from the conference. Make a resolution to put at least one new idea into action. You might also set aside a certain time each week to read one of those new books that you brought back.
• Share the professional wealth. Probably not everyone from your program was able to attend the conference. Schedule a brown bag lunch or an afternoon workshop to share a little of what you learned. If your trip was sponsored by your institution, let them know that it was a good investment and that you’d like to come again next year. Part of building our profession is sharing our knowledge with others.

Have you got other ideas for how to make the most of what you learned?  Please share them in the comments below.

Of course, some TRC resources would be available to TESOL members only, but TESOL members would be able to use these resources in their various professional activities around the globe.

This is very good news!

As ESPers, our work is clearly cut out for us.  We need to fill the TRC with resources that are valuable for ESPers.  In this way, we create the TESOL Dream Center described in previous posts.

One resource that I noticed at a booth at TESOL 2012 was American English Online, provided by the U.S. Department of State.  According to the site:

The Office of English Language Program staff in Washington, D.C. provides academic expertise, advisory and consultative assistance, and materials resources worldwide. They also organize several exchange programs that send American academics overseas at the request of American Embassies or Consulates to conduct activities related to training, methodology, curriculum development, needs analysis, textbook development, program evaluation, and English for Specific Purposes (ESP).

 People around the world need English communication skills in their work and in their training, and ESPers are dedicated to meeting such immediate, real needs.  So, if you know of any ESP resource that would be of benefit to ESPers around the world, get ready to share it!

I’ll see you next week!

Kevin

PS – I am now Immediate Past Chair of the TESOL ESP IS (2012-2013).