14th International TESOL Arabia Conference 2008 opens

The event will be opened by our longstanding patron His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology. Another special guest will be Dr. Hanif Hassan, Minister of Education.

This year's theme "Finding Your Voice: Critical Issues in ELT" speaks to the importance of discussing important issues in the teaching context and in the profession. TESOL Arabia 2008 will feature a number of well-known plenary speakers like Charles Hall, Fredricka Stoller, John Fanselow, John McRae, Keith Folse, Lynne Diaz Rico, Peter Grundy, Tom Farrell and William Grabe.

Featured speakers will include Diane Boothe, Eli Ghazel, Ema Ushioda, Eric Dywer, Fatma Alwan, John Schmidt, Liz England, Mark Algren, Salah Troudi, Simon Borg, Suzanne Panferov, and William Eggington.

International luminaries are also coming from 6 different countries to give plenaries in our conference development course entitled the "Reigniting, Retooling and Retiring in TESOL."

Noted ESP specialist, Charles Hall, will address delegates on the importance of integrating content and English in our pre-conference English for Specific Purposes development course; The pre-conference Research Forum will be conducted by internationally known ELT experts from the U.S. and the U.K.

Salah Troudi, Simon Borg and William Grabe will share their insights on critical research perspectives in the English Language teaching profession.

Another pre-conference offering is a development course on Educational Event and Conference Planning which will be conducted by six former TESOL International Convention chairs.

In addition to these invited sessions, TESOL leaders from around the Arabian Gulf will come and share their insights with us in over 223 parallel sessions with presenters from 24 countries.

With this superb lineup of speakers we expect the 14th International conference to be the premier professional development event in the region.

The 2008 Conference promises to be better than ever with some new initiatives. The Critical Issues Discussion Groups will encourage delegates to share their thoughts on issues critical to the field of English language teaching.

New this year is an interactive session on educational technologies that have proven themselves to be useful cognitive tools in language teaching.

Led by a team of experts from Abu Dhabi Men's College, the "Speed Geeking" session is sure to be a popular attraction.

According to Christine Coombe, Conference Chair, "The organizers have worked very hard to put together a program that has something for everyone.

Plenary and featured speakers represent a global demographic of experts in the field of ELT while development courses are specifically intended for those who want more focused instruction in certain areas within the teaching field."

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the conference is the Reigniting, Retooling and Retiring course.

Development courses, started three years ago, were so popular that courses on additional topics were put together for conference 2008.

Nickie Christensen, Development Course Coordinator, attributes the success of this initiative to "the ongoing interest in career and professional enhancement in the region." She further states that "teachers are broadening their professional interests to encompass more specialized skills and the development courses cater to this need."

The TESOL Arabia conference also offers delegates the opportunity to peruse the latest in up-to-date language teaching materials and software in its extensive Exhibition Hall. Teachers who are interested in gaining employment can meet and interview with prospective employers in the Job Fair.

The conference would not be possible without the dedicated sponsorship of support from our sponsors: Dubai Men's College, Higher Colleges of Technology, the British Council, Amideast, the UAE University, Cambridge ESOL, Knowledge Network, Petroleum Institute, Arab Gulf Education, Heinle Cengage Learning, Zayed University and the University of Wollongong in Dubai.

TESOL Arabia is grateful for their unflagging support and contributions to the professional development efforts of teaching in the Arab Gulf region.

We look forward to welcoming the more than 1,500 delegates from 24 countries to the 14th International TESOL Arabia Conference at Dubai Men's College.