Fall 2008 Plenary Speakers

Friday, October 24, 2008, 8:45 a.m., Jefferson Grand Ballroom

Hasn’t that book already been written?

Dorothy Zemach

Every year more ELT textbooks are published. Why? What has changed since the previous ones came out? This humorous presentation will examine ELT textbooks from the late 1800s to more modern times to examine what has changed about English and what we believe about how languages are learned and should be taught. Attendees will be challenged to examine their own assumptions and use their conclusions to both judge published materials and create their own materials that match their beliefs.

Dorothy Zemach is an ESL materials writer, editor, and teacher trainer from Oregon. She taught for over 18 years in the US, Japan, and Morocco. A frequent plenary presenter and featured speaker at TESOL and a columnist for TESOL’s Essential Teacher magazine, Dorothy has authored over 15 ESL textbooks. Interests include the teaching of writing, EAP, business English, testing, and humor in ESL materials and the profession.

Saturday, October 25, 8:45 a.m., Jefferson Grand Ballroom

Developing fluency in L2 reading

Neil Anderson

Reading fluency is receiving increased visibility in classrooms, yet many programs fail to understand how to integrate this essential skill into a curriculum. Teachers and program administrators struggle with balancing both silent and oral fluency instruction. Anderson maintains that if you want to develop strong, fluent oral readers you must first develop strong, fluent silent readers. This plenary session will focus on how reading fluency can be implemented in classrooms. Anderson will review the pedagogical rationale and suggest activities that teachers can use for explicit classroom instruction on how to build and improve reading fluency. 

Neil J. Anderson is a professor and ELC coordinator at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of over 40 books, book chapters, and professional articles. Professor Anderson served as president of TESOL from 2001-2002. During 2002-2003 he was a Fulbright scholar in Costa Rica.