Conferences
NNETESOL offers two conferences a year--one in the fall and at Southern New Hampshire University, and a traveling conference in the spring. The goal of the conferences is to provide the opportunity for ESL professionals in our region to develop professionally. The conferences offer teachers and instructors the time and space to networkand learn from each other. Members and non-members of NNETESOL are welcome.
Mark your calendars! We'll be meetng Nov. 15 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. Details will be coming soon!
Previous Conferences
We're just beginning to stockpile resources from conferences past. Check this page fore more! Or check the links below for presentations at conferences past:
2008, St. Michael's College, Colchester, VT
2007, Southern New Hampshire University at Manchester
2007, York County Community College in Wells, Maine
NNETESOL relies on ESL professionals to present conference sessions. Presenting at a conference is yet another opportunity for teachers and instructors to develop professionally. Sharing your work with colleagues is a challenging and enriching experience. Best of all, you get to attend the conference for free!!! It's a good time to polish your skills for a possible presentation at the national level. And, it looks good on your resume!
Options for presenting are quite wide. Check it out:
- Paper (50 minutes): An oral summary with occasional references to notes or text, describing and discussing what the presenter is doing or has done.Often includes visual aids and handouts.
- Demonstration (50 minutes): The emphasis here is on showing rather than telling. Often the presenter models teaching techniques. Often includes visual aids and handouts.
- Workshop (50 minutes): A workshop has minimal lecturing by the leader with hands-on activities.
- Workshop (110 minutes) emphasis is on the participants’ activity. The leader carefully structures the activity and works with the group.
- Panel Discussion (50 minutes): This format is a formal presentation by a group.
- Panel Discussion (110 minutes): Audience discussion.
- Computer Workshop (50 minutes): This format often depends on availability of lab.
- Computer Workshop (110 minutes): Computer/multimedia labs.
- Poster Presentation (60 minutes): This format is a visual presentation (see guidelines here) with an opportunity for question & answer during the 60-minute time slot.
The poster session is new. In the words of our fearless leader, John Haliiwell, "My vision is simply that all of us have ideas, materials, lessons that have worked well. We're quick to share these with our friends but what about the rest of us? What better way to do this than to put those ideas on a poster and share with teachers from all over the region? This is a low stress, informal way to share, as well as get ideas. And get in for free!
Every time we have a conference, we ask the attendees what topics we should address at the next conference. Here's what you told us last time around at Southern New Hampshire University:
- Culture, learning styles, metacognition
- Mainstream teachers and ELLs
- Writing ideas
- Grammar
- Grammar in K-12 content classes
- Science and secondary education for ELLs
- Teaching strategies for illiterate ELLs
- Learning strategies
- Vocabulary
- Rural K-12 concerns
- SIOP
- Getting Asian students to talk
- Home support for ESOL families
- Laws and provisions of ESL services
- Content -specific info for mainstream teachers: how to help ELLs
- Connecting writing to other domains
- Refugee issues
If you feel as though you have some experience in any of these areas--or any others that you think other teachers might find interesting--you, too can present. Look at the sessions above and see whether you think you might like to either do a poster session or maybe even a demonstration or workshop. And getting like-minded people together for a panel might prove to be beneficial for more people than just your school. And ...
Best of all, you get to attend the conference for free!!!
Would you like to present?
Download the Call for Proposals form in Word.
Contact Beth Evans if you have questions about presenting at nnetesol@nnetesol.org.
Attending a NNETESOL conference is a fun and inspiring experience. Hearing from both regional and national leaders in the field is a one-of-a-kind experience. All are welcome! We're changing up the prices a bit, just in case you have attended conferences past. We're doing away with paid membership, giving us all a little less to keep track of. (You'll be getting a discount if you paid for membership in Fall 2007.) Instead, we're giving discounts for all those who register early. See the registration page for more details!
Early bird registration:
Regular entrants pay $50.
Students pay $30Open registration:
Regular entrants pay $55
Students pay $30On-site registration
Everyone pays $65
Conference fees include admission to the conference, a continental-style breakfast, lunch, and access to publishers' tables and poster sessions.