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English is increasingly becoming one of the most spoken languages in the world, so it comes as no surprise the need to learn English, and subsequently the need for teachers to teach it, is on the rise.
Oklahoma Christian University is hosting the annual Oklahoma Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages conference on Oct. 24-25.
Students studying Teaching English as a Foreign Language plan to attend the conference to connect with others in their field.
“I am very excited to see the field and see people that are also excited about it as well,” first-year TEFL student Cora Russell said. “I think this will be a reassuring experience for me as a student and I hope it is as good as I hope.”
Russell anticipates what the conference promises to offer.
“…There are speakers Friday night and Saturday morning and then different seminars all day,” said Russell. “It is going to be neat to wander around different places see how big of a deal it is and be able to get a grasp on different aspects of TEFL.”
Professor of English Gail Nash said she expects the students to be immersed in information they need for future success in this field of study.
“I think the speakers are phenomenal and they are nationally known,” Nash said. “Because of these two, there will be a lot of TESOL professionals there so this will be a great opportunity for the kids to begin networking.”
This year’s conference is featuring keynote speakers Neil J. Anderson and Liz England, who will lecture on topics such as “Strengthening Student Initiated Motivation Through Motivational Partnerships” and “Better Than OK: TESOL Professional Development for the 21st Century.”
According to Nash, the students can use the event to their advantage in many ways.
“The students need to have a practicum credit to graduate, so this is a great time for students to get their name out there and give other people their information,” said Nash. “The students will benefit in three ways: watching the keynote speakers is one, meeting new people, and seeing just how big of a deal this really is.”
A field-specific conference like this is great for networking and meeting other professors in hopes that connections lead to advantages for students’ futures, Russell said.
“If I decide I want to go to graduate school I believe that it will help me to get in touch with some good professors at other schools,” said Russell. “I also want to get in to an overseas program, so this might be able to help me find others who want to do the same or even a program that can make that happen.”
Russell said teacher excitement helps student motivation in attending the conference.
“There is such a high demand for people to learn English especially over seas and I guess it will be good to speak with people that are at the front end of this situation,” Russell said. “This makes me more excited about what I am learning and how I can apply it.”
Cami Agan, Language and Literature department chair, said this event can provide valuable lessons for people in the English department.
“Because my focus is on literary studies, I am hoping to pass through the conference and meet some of Nash’s friends that also share her passions,” Agan said. “Mostly, I am excited that so many of our students will be attending the conference. Also, because I am the chair I feel that it is very important that I support our students.”
Agan said based on her past experiences with TEFL and OKTESOL, she sees many benefits a conference like this can have on students’ education.
“They will really get to see what we do as professionals,” Again said. “It will give them a better since of their own writing and their own decisions like if they are in the right major or not. Most students, I feel like, aren’t sure of exactly what you do except for teaching and so, going to a conference and seeing how people with the same education relate to each other can be really interesting to the students.”
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