As global Covid-19 pandemics have unprecedentedly impactedELT professionals at all levels during the past few years, existing challenges and new opportunities demand more innovative, diversified, and sustainable ELT practices and policies that can lead to better education today. For innovation, language educators and educational policy makers need to consider how best recent technological advancement, with its interactive and immersive characteristics, can provide new alternatives for learning. For diversity in language education, it is important to provide inclusive and equitable quality language education to ensure learners, irrespective of gender, age, and ethnicity, have equal access to life-long learning. To sustain quality education, ELT professionals call for effective language learning and teaching practices so that language education endeavors can be promoted and sustained.
This conference aims to reexamine English teaching, coming up with ways to innovate, diversify and sustain English teaching and learning. What is the situation at the various levels of learning—primary, secondary, and tertiary? Are our pedagogy and assessment appropriate and how can they help learners? How can theory be applied to classroom practice?
While the conference will focus on these areas, proposals on all aspects related to teaching and learning in the language classroom at all levels are invited for submission, ranging from pure research to case studies, comparative work to methodology and pedagogy. The following areas will be of particular emphasis:
Primary School Teaching Issues.With the push for bilingual education, many of English teachers are required to teach subjects in English. What are their concerns? How do we ensure quality and equality of education? What issues are of relevance to primary school teachers?
Secondary School Teaching Issues. One of the complaints of some teachers is that all students use the same materials and are expected to progress at the same rate; yet often students fall behind. Grouping classes by ability can be controversial. The secondary level is where most students get the bulk of their English training. How do we attend to individual needs? What are the different issues that affect learning in junior high, senior high, and vocational schools?
TeacherTraining. Considering various concerns at all levels of ELT, how can teacher educators helpour pre-service and in-service teacher training address these issues?
Technology.Digital technologies and distance learning have now been in use for many years. While many schools have invested a lot of money on the hardware, have there been any positive results? How do we make the best of technology to innovate pedagogy?
Research. There is continuing need for research in traditional areas of English teaching and learning to suggest more effective ways to facilitate student learningincluding studies on methodology as well as research into related fields such as second language acquisition, psychology and the rapidly-developing neurolinguistics to better inform teachers of how learning actually occurs.
Testing and Evaluation. Nowadays most universities require the passing of an established English test (GEPT, TOEFL, TOEIC, or others) at a certain level before graduation. Though controversial, this trend is set to stand. While these tests meet established standards, other tests have not been so rigorously scrutinized, yet we use them to determine students’ grades and ultimately their futures. What has been done or what can be done to make our everyday tests better? How can these issues be addressed effectively?
Other Areas:
EMI, bilingual education, Bridging Theory and Praxis in ELT; Enhancing Professional Development of English Teachers; Classroom Practice; Teaching Strategy; Improving Students’ Motivation; English as Lingua Franca; Strategies and Effects of English as Medium of Instruction throughout the Educational System; Globalization and International Education; Intercultural Communication Competence and Its Development; AI, Technology, and Their Presentation in Literature; Mobile Learning; Multi-Literacies and Trans-Languaging;The Influence of Technology on Translation; Digital Language Learning and Teaching: Implementation and Effectiveness;Language Education and Intercultural Communication; Learner Identity and L2 Learning;Comparative Literature and Culture Studies
Language
The languages of the conference are English and Mandarin Chinese. Papers to be presented in Chinese must have titles and proposals submitted in Chinese. If a proposal is submitted in English, then the paper should be delivered in English.
Types of Presentations
Presentations of original studies or effective practices in English or foreign language teaching are invited. There will be six types of presentations:
Papers. These are formal lecture presentations on something the presenter has done in relation to either theory or practice. The abstract should include a synopsis of the paper, a central idea, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. The duration is 30 minutes including time for questions and comments from the audience.
Workshops. These are demonstrations or discussions which focus on hands-on teaching experiences or techniques and in which the audience is expected to be actively involved. The one-page abstract should include a statement of the presenter’s central purpose and a description of the tasks to be performed during the workshop. The duration is 60 minutes including time for questions and comments from the audience.
Colloquia. A colloquium provides both formal presentation and participant discussion. It is a forum for a group of scholars to discuss a current issue in the field and provides an opportunity for discussion among those in attendance. Presenters exchange papers in advance and make formal responses to each other’s positions. The organizer of the colloquium is responsible for securing the participation of people representing various viewpoints in the field before submitting a proposal. Each participant/presenter in the colloquium should submit a one-page abstract and fill out the presentation proposal form. In addition, the organizer should write a one-page abstract which summarizes the content of the whole colloquium in general. The individual abstracts and proposal forms along with the general colloquium abstract must be submitted in one package. The duration is 105 minutes.
Panel Discussions. This is an opportunity for a group of scholars to discuss current issues in TEFL and for open discussion among all in attendance. It is less formal than a colloquium; members of the panel present their points of view and exchange opinions with the audience, but they do not give formal paper presentations. The one-page abstract should include, in addition to a synopsis of the issue(s) to be discussed, a brief schedule of the presentations and the discussion time. The duration is 105 minutes.
Poster Sessions. A poster session allows for informal discussion with participants during the time that a self-explanatory exhibit is on display. The duration is 30 minutes.
Publishers’Sessions. In these sessions, representatives of publishers demonstrate how a textbook or other teaching material can be applied in the classroom. The duration is 60 minutes. Publishers MUST indicate their session is a Publishers’ Session on the Presentation Proposal Form; otherwise, the session will be vetted as a regular presentation.
Criteria for Selection.All proposals will be subject to a blind review by a team of ELT experts selected by the Conference Coordinating Committee. Relevance to the theme of the conference and to English language teaching practice in Taiwan and the neighboring regions, quality of research, and originality of approach are among the major considerations in acceptance of papers. The committee reserves the right to turn down proposals for presentations without assigning reasons.
Steps in Submitting a Proposal
(1) Prepare one copyof the abstract without your name or other identifying information. The abstract should be double-spaced (12 point), with one-inch margins, and fit on one sheet of A4 paper (about 200 words). (Abstracts written in Chinese or other languages should be typed on computer and follow a similar format.)The title should appear on the first line and be limited to 10 words.
(2) Prepare one copy of the two-page Presentation Proposal Form (or two forms if there are two presenters, etc.). For Colloquia and Panel Discussions, send one form for EACH member of the panel, including the discussion leader/moderator.
(3) Submit the abstract(without your name) and the two-page presentation data form (one for each presenter) by email before March 1, 2023(deadline). NOTE: Email submission should be sent to2023etaconference@gmail.com
Presenters will be limited to a maximum of one individual presentation (paper or workshop) and one joint presentation per person.