Fellow TESL O members, it is almost that time of year where we get a chance to share our knowledge with each other and develop our skills as educators at the annual #TESL2016 Conference. This face-to-face experience allows us to build our community of practice and share leadership in the field. The conference might be in November, but preparations have already started! As we prepare for this conference, we ask, will you be a leader?
Leadership
One of the MANY benefits of TESL O’s annual conference is the opportunity to develop your own leadership abilities. Be a discussion leader by presenting or better yet, co-presenting an approach in the classroom that you have tested, a research question that you have investigated, or a tool that you have used and believe others can benefit from. Be a creative leader by displaying a poster of your idea or tool.
Professional Development
PD is a big part of self-regulation within TESL Ontario and this blog has published over 10 posts with the tag of Professional Development – some of which would make amazing conference presentation topics and some of which talk to the importance of life-long learning through PD. Maybe one of our posts has inspired you to try something out or has led you down a path of your own investigation. Why not share that knowledge with your peers?
I have presented at the past two conferences, and each time I have learned something from the participants. I have also been able to use this opportunity to co-present with amazing peers and colleagues who I might not have had the chance to work with like that without the conference. The experience has allowed me to make connections with people and build lasting relationships beyond the conference. Use this chance to widen your community of practice.
Call to Action
Why not let this year be the year you lead? Why not let this year be the year you realise you have amazing knowledge to share? Why not let this year be the year you bring like-minded people together and open up the conversation for everyone?
I know I’m going to try it out.
** Deadline for presentation proposal submission is June 20, so check your emails or visit the conference webpage! **
