Plenaries
Friday, November 24th
Translanguaging and Critical Multiliteracies: Emergent Perspectives In English Language Teaching
Both translanguaging and multiliteracies have represented propositions that can expand the principles of English language teaching. These concepts have reshaped the way traditionally ELT have been perceived in terms of theories of language acquisition as well as the way four skills of language have been considered. Furthermore, this talk will focus on exploring activities that aims at expanding students' views regarding critical multiliteracies in the digital world. Emphasis will be given on reading images not as as an illustrative aspect of class, but as visual texts that can be read critically. As far as theoretical backgrounds are concerned, discussion will rely on Rocha and Maciel (2013; 2015), Ifa (2017), Rocha, Maciel and Morgan (2017), Kalantiz and Cope (2012), Ferraz (2015), Mizan (2015), Menezes de Souza (2011), Monte Mór (2015), Duboc, (2015), Maciel and Takaki (2015), Garica (2014), Canagarajah (2017), among others.
Ruberval Franco Maciel has a doctorate in English Linguistic and Literary Studies from the University of São Paulo (USP) and a sandwich doctorate from the Centre for Globalization and Cultural Studies at University of Manitoba, Canada. He is currently an undergraduate and post-graduate professor of Letras and an International Relations and Academic Mobility assessor at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), as well as a researcher associated with the Centre for Globalization and Cultural Studies at University of Manitoba. He also coordenates the international agreement between UEMS and Glendon College (York University satellite) in Toronto. His main interests include Applied Linguistics, public policies for language teaching, translanguaging, multiliteracies, and critical literacy.
On NOT Teaching Culture: A Discourse Approach to ELT
When teaching “culture,” many EFL teachers focus on the simple academic learning of various traditions, rules of behavior and values of one or more groups of people. In this workshop, we will explore reasons why this is an insufficient method for preparing nonnative speakers of English for a future in which the chances students will interact with native speakers of English will continue to shrink. I propose taking a “Discourse Approach” to language teaching, meaning that students be given a basic notion of the need for simple awareness that all people come to every interaction with often very different expectations. In addition, students should be made aware of the various ranges of possibilities for such expectations, including those of personal space, face-saving, eye contact, solidarity, deference and topic introduction. In this workshop, we will explore these concepts and practice some activities designed for intermediate to advanced students of English to develop their skills of intercultural communication.
John Mark King is a Regional English Language Officer at the U.S. Department of State, where he currently serves as the Digital Programs and Materials Branch Chief in the Office of English Language Programs. He earned an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from American University in 2003 after serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan. He was an English Language Fellow in Turkmenistan (2006-2007) and Russia (2009-2011) and also taught English in Bangladesh in 2006. Before joining the Foreign Service, he was the director of the English Language Institute at the American University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. His areas of interest include non-native English speaking teachers, English for academic purposes and intercultural communication.
Saturday, November 25th
Dealing with the gaps between inclusive education policies and our language classrooms
Providing disabled students with equal educational opportunities is still a challenge for most teachers because inclusion means reorganizing curricula, adapting material and making use of skills that might not have been developed in our professional lives. The Brazilian Inclusion Law (2015), for example, has demanded changes that should be taken into consideration, not only by language teacher undergraduate courses but also by in-service teacher education programs. However, it cannot be denied that there is still a huge gap between the policy guidelines for inclusive education and our pedagogical practices. Taking all this into consideration, this plenary session aims at discussing how educational policies for disabled people in Brazil have changed, in many and different ways, our language classrooms in regular schools.
Betânia Passos Medrado is a Associate Professor at the Department of Modern Foreign Languages (DLEM) and in the Postgraduate Course in Linguistics (PROLING) at Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Her current research studies focus on teacher education and teaching foreign languages to visually impaired students. Her publications include Deficiência Visual e Ensino de Línguas Estrangeiras: políticas, formação e ações inclusivas (2014) and Diálogos sobre inclusão: das políticas às práticas na formação de professores de línguas (coming out soon). She is a member of the following research groups: Agir de Linguagem, Docência e Educação Inclusiva (ALDEI – CNPq) and Letramentos, Interação e Trabalho (GELIT-CNPq).
TOEFL and GRE, passports to the world!
This plenary will provide attendants with an overview of TOEFL iBT and GRE. Both exams are main requirement in the process of application for international graduate and undergraduate programs. The presenter will also share a little bit of her experience as a graduate student at the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA-USA.
Adiane Martins Blum, TOEFL and GRE Associate Director and ETS Global Consultant. MA in Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (MATESOL), from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Also works as an English Instructor at Instituto Federal de Goiás (IFG)- Campus Luziania, Brazil.
Bruce Lee and the Essence of Relevant Teaching
An iconic actor and martial-arts expert, might Bruce Lee offer any useful advice on how ELT practitioners could make their teaching more relevant? I believe so. In this session, I draw on some of the ‘Little Dragon’s” most striking thoughts to encourage participants to make their practice more meaningful not only to their learners but also to themselves.
Born and raised in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, Fernando Guarany has worked in multiple TESOL roles for over 20 years. He is the current National Secretary for BRAZ-TESOL.Guarany works out of beautiful Natal (RN) where he loves cycling, sailing and playing with his grandson, João Roberto.