Subject: conference on language teacher education

announcement and call for papers the center for advanced research on language acquisition at the university of minnesota announces an international conference on language teacher education may 20 - 23 , 1999 radisson-metrodome hotel minneapolis , minnesota , usa this conference will be of interest to anyone involved in the preparation and ongoing professional development of language teachers of all kinds : practitioners and researchers in the various sub-fields of language teacher education . the conference will address the education of teachers of all languages , at all instructional and institutional levels , and in all the many national and international contexts in which this takes place , including : esl / efl ; foreign / modern / world language teaching ; bilingual education ; immersion education ; indigenous and minority languages ; and the teaching of less commonly taught languages . the conference aims to bring together research , theory , and best practices from all these contexts , and to initiate and sustain meaningful professional dialogue across languages , levels , and settings . speakers and panelists will include : * gloria ladson - billings ( keynote address ) * jack richards ( honorary conference chair ) * dick allwright * elizabeth bernhardt * pat chaput * donald freeman * eugene garcia * kris gutierrez * nancy hornberger * karen e . johnson * denise mckeon * mimi met * june phillips the conference will focus on four principal themes : i . the knowledge base of language teacher education ii . social , cultural and political contexts of language teacher education iii . the processes of language teacher education iv . language teacher education policy for further information about the conference , and to be added to our mailing list , contact : international conference on language teacher education , carla , 333 appleby hall , university of minnesota , mpls mn 55455 . phone : 612-626 - 8600 . fax : 612-624 - 7514 . e - mail : < carla @ tc . umn . edu > . web : < http : / / carla . acad . umn . edu / teacher-ed . html > . more program information and registration forms will be included in a later mailing in fall 1998 . the call for papers follows below . please forward this announcement and call to others who may be interested ! call for papers the international conference on language teacher education welcomes proposals for papers on all aspects of the education and professional development of language teachers . papers may report on data-based research , theoretical and conceptual analyses , or best practices in language teacher education . the conference will focus on four broad themes . proposals are more likely to be accepted if they address one of these themes : theme i : the knowledge base of language teacher education a central issue in language teacher education is the question of what constitutes the knowledge base of language teaching and how it relates to the processes and content of teacher education . issues in this theme may include : * teachers ' knowledge and beliefs * teacher learning in formal and informal contexts * teachers ' ways of knowing * teacher socialization * professionalism * the nature of disciplinary knowledge . theme ii : social , cultural , and political contexts of language teacher education language teacher education takes place in multiple contexts and with diverse populations , where language , culture and identity are intricately bound together . papers in this theme may include critical and analytical perspectives on : * institutions , communities , and discourses within which teacher education practices are situated * power , status , and authority and language teacher education * diversity and equity in language teacher education , including issues of race , class , gender , sexual orientation , and language * the socially situated nature of language and learning theme iii : processes of language teacher education the processes of language teacher education refer to the ways in which the knowledge base is conceptualized and operationalized . these are constructed through the contributions and interpretations that all participants bring to the process . processes may include : * program design * curriculum * pedagogical methods * organization of instruction * practica * materials * observation / supervision * professional development for teachers at all experience levels theme iv : policy in language teacher education actions taken by formal and informal decision-making bodies have an impact on language teacher education . these policies influence the directions of teacher education even though they may or may not involve the participation of teacher educators . they can be formulated at the institutional , local , state , or national levels , and may include : * standards * legislative mandates * teacher education program requirements * recruitment and retention * advocacy by language teacher organizations presentations will be 30 minutes in length . in line with the dialogical spirit of the conference , each session of two or three papers will include presentations concerned with different contexts and types of language teacher education . submit proposals in the following form : i . 8 copies of a one-page , single-spaced abstract with the title of the presentation and the theme it addresses indicated in the top left-hand corner ( your name and institution should not appear on these copies ) . ii . 1 additional copy of the abstract which includes your name and institution in the top right-hand corner . iii . a 50 - word summary of your presentation to be published in the conference program . iv . a copy of the form attached below . proposals are to be sent to : dr . bill johnston , chair of the program committee , international conference on language teacher education , ilasll , university of minnesota , klaeber court 192 , 320 16th st . se , minneapolis , mn 55455 . phone : 612-626 - 2269 . e - mail : < billj @ tc . umn . edu > . submissions should be postmarked no later than october 31 , 1998 ( please note the extended deadline ) . submissions from outside the continental us only may be sent by fax to the following number : 612-627 - 1875 . applicants will be notified of the program committee 's decision no later than december 31 , 1998 . selected papers from the conference will be published in a collection of conference proceedings . proposal form a . information about presentation presenter 's name : title of presentation : theme : b . presenter information : institution : address : phone number work : home : fax : e - mail :
