ATESL

Hello ATESL Members, We hope you and yours are staying safe and healthy. The 2020 ATESL Online Conference, Seeds of Possibility: Curiousity, Drive, and Innovation was a great success, and the ATESL Board is now looking for two energetic ATESL members to manage this year's event!... ATESL will host its second online conference on October 15 & 16, 2021 and will be using the same virtual platform we used last year. We are looking for two dedicated, enthusiastic members to coordinate the conference and lead a group of volunteers. If you are excited about organizing this year's conference this is your time to shine! Conference Managers are provided an honorarium for their role in overseeing the planning of this landmark event, and have the full support of the Board and resources from previous conferences. If you are interested in taking on this important role, or if you have any questions, please email Irene Wood, ATESL's Business Manager, at [email protected]. The closing date for applications is Monday, February 15th. Kind regards, The ATESL Team

NEW TIME: 5:30 - 6:30 PM MST Same Date: Friday, Jan 29th Hello Members,... Due to a conflict with another Tutela webinar, and after consulting the current registrants for our session, we have decided to move up the time of this presentation by 30 minutes. Our webinar this month will be from 5:30 - 6:30 PM MST. We hope this does not inconvenience anyone too much. The webinar will be recorded and available online, and we will return to our usual time in February! See you then! The ATESL TEAM -- Topic: What, Why, and How to Implement Various Technology Tools to Increase Learner Motivation and Engagement Grounded in research and practice, presenter HeeJae Chung will explore various technology tools to increase learner motivation and engagement in all modes of teachingface-to-face, hybrid, and online. She will share examples and practical tips on what, why, and how to implement the tools in a foreign language learning classroom. HeeJae Chung holds an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and a B.F.A. in Production Design. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Adult, Professional, and Community Education at Texas State University, where she works as a doctoral research assistant. Her professional interests include adult learning, English language-culture teaching, and virtual learning experience design. She is particularly interested in the design and implementation of creative strategies and resources to motivate and stimulate learning among international adult learners. To Join: Be sure to join the ATESL Edmonton Chapter tutela.ca group before the session as only members can enter the session. As it may take time to be approved, we advise you join the Edmonton Local group as soon as possible. Event Link: https://tutela.ca/GroupEvent?organicgroup=31037&itemId=38859 5:20 - 5:30 p.m. - Tutela.ca link opens 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Presentation begins with HeeJae Chung ---- Hope to see you there! ATESL Edmonton Local

Topic: What, Why, and How to Implement Various Technology Tools to Increase Learner Motivation and Engagement Grounded in research and practice, presenter HeeJae Chung will explore various technology tools to increase learner motivation and engagement in all modes of teachingface-to-face, hybrid, and online. She will share examples and practical tips on what, why, and how to implement the tools in a foreign language learning classroom. HeeJae Chung holds an M.A. in Teachin...g English to Speakers of Other Languages and a B.F.A. in Production Design. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Adult, Professional, and Community Education at Texas State University, where she works as a doctoral research assistant. Her professional interests include adult learning, English language-culture teaching, and virtual learning experience design. She is particularly interested in the design and implementation of creative strategies and resources to motivate and stimulate learning among international adult learners. To Join: Be sure to join the ATESL Edmonton Chapter tutela.ca group before the session as only members can enter the session. As it may take time to be approved, we advise you join the Edmonton Local group as soon as possible. Event Link: https://tutela.ca/GroupEvent?organicgroup=31037&itemId=38859 4:50 - 5:00 p.m. - Tutela.ca link opens 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Presentation begins with HeeJae Chung ---- Hope to see you there! ATESL Edmonton Local

Happy New Year! May 2021 bring you peace, joy, and happiness!

Hello ATESL Members! Thanks again to everyone who could come to our first ever fully online conference! ATESL is looking for input concerning how we might deliver next years 2021 conference in October. If you'd like your voice heard, or if you have any amazing idea, we'd love to hear from you. Look in your email inbox for our feedback survey.... Survey Deadline: December 15th, 2020

Hello ATESL Members! Here is some information regarding the November 2020 PD on Friday, November 27th. To Join:... Be sure to join the ATESL Edmonton Local tutela.ca group before the session as only members can enter the session. As it may take time to be approved, we advise you join the Edmonton Local group as soon as possible. RSVP using the Tutela Event Link: https://tutela.ca/GroupEvent?organicgroup=31037&itemId=38504 When university/college faculty members believe that ESL/EAL students’ writing skills are not equivalent to those of native English speakers, they frequently send these students to their institutions' writing centres (WCs). However, this often results in frustration for WC staff, the students, and faculty members. This presentation will describe ESL/EAL students’ expectations, as well as WCs’ philosophy and practices, to demonstrate how ESL/EAL students visiting WCs are still often caught between two opposing educational frameworks. The goal of this presentation is to illustrate the importance of dialogue among ESL/EAL instructors, ESL/EAL students, WC staff, and university/college professors. Lucie Moussu is an Associate Professor in Writing Studies and TESL at the University of Alberta, and Director of the Centre for Writers. Originally from France and Switzerland, she got a Master’s in TESOL at Brigham Young University and a PhD in Applied Linguistics at Purdue University. She then worked at Ryerson University, in Toronto as Coordinator of ESL/EAL writing courses and writing centre Director before moving to Edmonton in 2009. Her research interests include Second Language Writing, writing centre administration, and the strengths of native and nonnative English-speaking ESL/EFL teachers. Hope to see you there! Event Link: https://tutela.ca/GroupEvent?organicgroup=31037&itemId=38504

Hello ATESL Members, ATESL is currently seeking a President-Elect to join its Board of Directors. The Board invites nominations from the membership, and in accordance with the ATESL Bylaws: "Any temporary vacancy in the Board of Directors may be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors with such appointee to hold office until the next General Meeting... If you would like more information about the position and its associated responsibilities, please do not hesitate to contact Irene Wood at [email protected] Please see the link to the call for President Elect on the ATESL website here, which includes an attached job description. https://www.atesl.ca/membership/jobs/atesl-president-elect/ Please submit an expression of interest and a CV no later than Monday, November 30, 2020. Kind regards, The ATESL Team

Like and Share this post for a chance to win 1 of 2 more free tickets the the ATESL 2020 Conference (for your personal use or to give to a friend!) ---- Check out the schedule and program online on the website here: https://www.atesl.ca/conference/program/ to find out about our exciting speakers and presentations!... We have a bevvy of exhibitors and publishers who are ready to share their products and services with you! The conference committee has also secured fun draw and scavenger hunt prizes that will be given away over the course of the conference. Stay tuned to your email and social media next week for information about the giveaways. Take advantage of the early bird rates now, and register before Friday, September 18 to secure your spot at our first ATESL e-conference! https://www.atesl.ca/conference/registration/ We can't wait to see you there! Stay safe, be well! ATESL

Congratulations to our two latest winner @thetoddabides and @SJB6991(Sam B)! Your free ATESL 2020 conference ticket can be used by you OR gifted to a friend! Contact this account or email [email protected] to claim your prize! Two more tickets will be up for grabs this week! We thank everyone for your kind support and for your generous re-sharing! #atesl2020 #ateslnews

The ATESL Edmonton Local would like to invite all local members to the Annual General Meeting and PD session on September 25th from 4:30 - 6:00. We look forward to seeing the Edmonton membership (virtually) to give an update on the new academic year, and to fill vacant volunteer roles for the incoming co-chair, treasurer, and communications officer! We will also have a presentation from Salwa Mohamud on Learning about Somalia to Help Boost Motivation and Investment in Somali... Lit/CLB Students! As well, one free ticket to the ATESL 2020 Conference will be given away to one lucky member! ------ Our September event will be available online through Tutela.ca. To access ATESL Edmonton webinars, navigate to Tutela.ca and join the ATESL Edmonton Group! Use the RSVP form and we will send out the session link 15 minute prior to the meeting. ------ PD Information: Learning about Somalia to Help Boost Motivation and Investment in Somali Lit/CLB Students https://tutela.ca/GroupEvent?organicgroup=31037&itemId=37828 Research supports that building a personal connection with learning content can lead to increased motivation and investment in Adult Literacy Learners (ALL). Therefore, there is a need for relevant and culturally accessible learning material when teaching this group. The best way to accomplish this is by familiarizing yourself with your learners' culturally rich backgrounds. In this presentation, I hope to educate both literacy and CLB instructors about the Somali culture and language in hopes that they can use this information to better connect with their Somali students. I will explore three crucial motivational teaching strategies: 1-Relevancy, 2- Incorporating Life Experiences and 3- Collaborative Learning. Moreover, I will provide practical suggestions on how Literacy/LINC teachers can implement their newfound knowledge on Somalia by using these strategies which can hopefully result in increased motivation and investment amongst Somali ALL and LINC students. It is important to note that while this presentation is specifically about the Somali culture and language, much of the information you receive can be applied to East African and Middle Eastern students as there is an overlap between these cultures. Salwa Mohamud is a Literacy Instructor at Sacred Heart Foundations School. She is also a certified CLBPT, CLBA, CLBLPT, CELBAN and IELTS Assessor/Examiner. Salwa holds a Master of Education from the University of Calgary. Salwa is a proud mother of four. On her free time, she enjoys cooking and travelling with her family. #atesl #ateslnews

Share and like this post to win one of two more free ATESL 2020 Conference tickets. Tickets can be used personally or given to a friend. And congratulations to our latest winner: Larry F! --- ATESL is happy to announce Martha Bigelow as one of our keynote speakers for the 2020 ATESL Conference in October! Stay tuned to ATESL news for updates for more presentation information!... Martha Bigelow is Professor in Second Language Education at the University of Minnesota, USA. Dr. Bigelow is known nationally and internationally for her work with the East African refugee communities in Minnesota. Her publications include various peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Through her work with youth, policy makers, teachers and schools, she is strives to contribute research that supports anti-oppressive, socially just, rich, and transformative classroom language learning. #ateslnews #atesl2020 #tesl #tefl #literacy #slife #life