The TESOL 2020 International Convention and English Language Expo will be held in Denver, Colorado, USA from March 31st to April 3rd. If you will be in attendance, please consider joining TIRF for its session! TIRF’s session, entitled “Professional Initiatives from TIRF: Visions for the Next 20 Years,” will be
I am left-handed. I always have been. When I was a child first learning to write, I scrawled my name on the back of the little bureau in the bedroom. My printing was a perfect mirror image: my whole name reading from right to left and all the letters reversed.
Editor’s note: The following piece was written by Katie Stenz, WIDA Marketing Specialist. WIDA is an organization within the University of Wisconsin–Madison that works to advance academic language development and academic achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse children and youth. WIDA specializes in high-quality standards, assessments, research and professional learning
It is highly likely that anyone reading this newsletter has participated in educational programs through at least secondary school. I would venture to say that most readers have also engaged in some form of higher education and/or professional development programs in order to qualify as teachers, administrators, language teacher educators,
TIRF’s 2020 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) competition is underway. The Foundation’s flagship program is designed to provide awards for doctoral students nearing the completion of their studies. Along with our long-standing partners, the Foundation is offering DDGs in the amount of up to US $5,000 per award. The deadline for
ETS, a long-time partner of TIRF, has recently published the latest offering in its series co-produced with Routledge. Automated Speaking Assessment: Using Language Technologies to Score Spontaneous Speech, co-edited by Klaus Zechner and Keelan Evanini, is the third volume in the “Innovations in Language Learning and Assessment at ETS.” According
The final three months of last year were a busy time for TIRF. The Foundation delivered one online presentation each month for one of its China-based partners, Chengdu Duoweimingju (DWMJ) Institute of Education, as well as a one-day, face-to-face professional development session in Chengdu. The three speakers who offered online
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Joyce Kling has been elected to TIRF’s Board of Trustees. The election was held late last year and fellow Trustees unanimously elected Dr. Kling to serve as a member of the Board. Joyce Kling, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Department of
The seventh and latest volume in the TIRF-Routledge “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English” series is now available! Co-edited by Ryan Damerow, TIRF’s Chief Operating Officer, and Dr. Kathi Bailey, TIRF President, Chinese-Speaking Learners of English: Research, Theory, and Practice is now available for purchase online. The book features
‘Tis the season of giving and we hope you can support TIRF with a donation before the end of the year! For several years in recent memory, TIRF struggled to establish its financial footing. However, this year, we have begun to find our balance, thanks to the assistance from supporters
TIRF is pleased to be offering once again its Masters Research Grants (MRG) competition to masters-level students throughout Chinese-speaking contexts. The 2020 MRG competition is the second consecutive year the Foundation is running this program, with support from Words Up Your Way. The inaugural MRG competition this year resulted in
When I was a child, I suffered from asthma. My parents and grandparents always worried about me getting sick. As a result, most of the “fun stuff” they let me do was not physical. My free time was spent drawing, reading, doing embroidery, making lanyards, painting, and stringing daisies or
2019 is winding down quickly. Before we turn our calendars to a new decade, TIRF’s Trustees would like to share their holiday greetings with Foundation supporters, near and far. Please click on the Trustees’ names below to learn more about the individuals who help lead TIRF. Kathi Bailey: At this
We are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2020 TIRF James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Planning and Policy in Educational Contexts. Dr. Nicholas Limerick, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, has been named as this year’s recipient of TIRF’s Alatis Prize.
