A truckload of experts in the fast-moving field of English-language teaching will be wheeled into Puerto Vallarta next week as the Mexican Association of English Teachers (Asociacion Mexicana de Maestros de Ingles or MEXTESOL) holds its annual convention in the resort.
More than 3,000 teachers are expected to head to the coast for MEXTESOL’s 39th convention from Thursday, October 18 to Sunday, October 21 at the Vallarta Convention Center.
More than 170 activities are planned during the action-packed convention, whose theme this year is “Leading the Way to Excellence in ELT.”
Keynote speakers will include Dr. Wanda Griffith, of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California – regarded as one of the finest schools for foreign language instruction in the United States – and well-known trainer, teacher and author Jeremy Harmer from the United KingdomOther speakers include Joan Kang Shin, director of TESOL Professional Training at the University of Maryland; Simon Brewster deputy director general of the Anglo Mexican Foundation; Dr. Brita Banitz, chair of the Language Department at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla; Hye-Yeon Lim, professor and assistant dean of the Student Learning Center at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center; Michael Rudder, the U.S. Embassy’s regional English language officer for Mexico and Central America; Debra Snell, a senior lecturer in applied linguistics/ESL at Georgia State University; Margie Berns, professor of second language studies/ESL at Purdue University; and Christian Faltis, the Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education and professor of language, literacy and culture in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis. Faltis is author and editor of 16 books, and more than 60 scholarly journal articles and book chapters on bilingual education, teaching English learners, and Latino students.
In addition, dozens of workshops, panel discussions, progress reports, classroom demonstrations and exhibitors’ sessions are planned over the four days.
MEXTESOL was founded in 1973 by a group of teachers interested in promoting and strengthening English-language teaching in Mexico. It says its mission is “to develop in its members, as well as in non-members, the highest standards for teaching English to speakers of other languages so that their students can communicate effectively in all the diverse situations in which they may find themselves.”
A full schedule and further information about the MEXTESOL convention can be found at www.mextesol.com.mx, including details on how to register.