More than 600 educators, teachers, experts and researchers from Qatar, other GCC nations and many other countries came together at the first International Conference on English Language Teaching (Icelt) organised by the Foundation Programme at Qatar University (FP-QU).
The forum, co-organised by Qatar Tesol, saw discussions about existing and emerging developments in English language learning strategies and practices.
A pre-conference event by Qatar Tesol included three plenary sessions, an invited colloquium on “Second language writing development: Research and classroom applications” featuring presentations from academics from Zayed University, King Saud University, and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
It also included a session with featured speakers from QU, UAE University and Al Bayan Educational Complex for Girls as well as six panel and concurrent sessions on topics such as Teaching Young Learners, Testing and Assessment, Language Skills and Creativity, Education Technology, and more.
Icelt was opened by QU president Dr Hassan Rashid al-Derham and featured keynote speakers such as the University of Hong Kong emeritus professor of applied linguistics, Anaheim University president emeritus, and well-known author of ELT textbooks Dr David Nunan, and senior lecturer at University of Hong Kong Centre for Applied English Studies Dr Lillian Wong. Also present were QU vice president and chief academic officer Dr Mazen Hasna, and Tesol president-elect Dr Dudley Reynolds, among others.
Dr al-Derham said: “The knowledge and experience that local and international speakers bring with them will undoubtedly enrich our discussions today in that it will provide us with a more redefined, international and intercultural perspective on the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language”.
Dr Reynolds stressed the importance of the conference and lauded the developments in Qatar in all sectors. He went on to outline the mission of Tesol International and later invited conference participants to attend the Tesol 2016 International Convention and English Language Expo which will be held in Baltimore, US, in April.
The conference sessions included a writing colloquium and plenary and concurrent sessions under the themes “issues and Challenges in Integrated Syllabus Design”, and “Towards a globalised knowledge economy: Engaging, enhancing and empowering learners with information technology.