Dear TIRF Today Readers, Last weekend, we experienced what is sometimes called a “Blue Moon.”  This term is used when a second full moon occurs during one month. Normally there are twelve full moons each year, and these are distributed evenly across the four seasons. But sometimes thirteen full moons

Editor’s note: In the piece below, TIRF Trustees David Nunan and Nick Saville share some of the IATEFL 50th-anniversary conference highlights. April was a busy month on the conference scene with TESOL and IATEFL both celebrating their 50th birthdays. Following a highly successful TESOL conference in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, four

Editor’s note: TIRF recently became aware of some exciting news about a new association established in our field. We are happy to share the following announcement from Barry O’Sullivan, President of the United Kingdom Association for Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA). The idea for the UKALTA grew out of the

We are pleased to share that over the past couple of months, we have created several new reference lists to share with our stakeholders. The topics of these new additions include Race and Ethnicity, Meta-Analysis in Language Learning & Teaching, Questions in Language Learning & Teaching, Teacher Cognition and Decision

We are pleased to announce that the third book in the TIRF-Routledge Global Research on Teaching and Learning English series has now been published. The volume, Teacher Education and Professional Development in TESOL: Global Perspectives, is edited by two TIRF Trustees, Jodi Crandall and MaryAnn Christison. The following offers a

There are no shortages of violent conflict disturbing peace in many parts of our world today. Tens of thousands have lost their lives throughout the Middle East and Africa over the last year as a result of the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, the Boko Haram Insurgency, and the

During TIRF’s spring Board meeting last year, Trustees unanimously voted to establish the James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Policy and Planning in Educational Contexts. The prize was created both to promote research on language planning and policy and to honor long-standing TIRF Trustee, Dr. James “Jim” Alatis,

We are pleased to announce that TIRF is moving forward with a follow-up study to its first publication on online language teacher education (OLTE). The first study was authored by Dr. Denise Murray, Professor Emerita at Macquarie University. Dr. Murray will be co-authoring this next paper, tentatively entitled “Online Language

We are pleased to share that TIRF Trustee David Nunan received the James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL during the TESOL Convention in Toronto, Ontario last month. His acceptance speech can be viewed below. According to the TESOL International Association’s website, the purpose of the award is “to

On Wednesday, March 25th, the TIRF Board of Trustees convened for their Spring 2015 meeting. With an action-packed agenda, Board members discussed a number of critical activities and issues pertinent to the future success of the Foundation and its mission. One agenda item Board members discussed was future directions in

With great sorrow in our hearts, we regret to share that TIRF Trustee Emeritus Dr. James E. Alatis passed away on Saturday, February 28th in Arlington, VA. Dr. Alatis, known as Jim to us, was one of TIRF’s founding Trustees. His indomitable legacy will live on for decades to come,

We asked our Board members to share with us whether they will be presenting at LTRC, AAAL, and/or TESOL. It turns out that Jodi Crandall, Jun Liu, and David Nunan will be particularly busy during their time in Toronto. In case you are interested in meeting with these Trustees, or

With the 2015 TESOL Convention just around the corner, we would be thrilled for you to join us in Toronto! TIRF has a strong history of supporting TESOL Conventions in past years, and once again the Foundation will have a presence at this year’s Convention. TIRF will be hosting a

In March 2015, TIRF and Routledge will release Teaching and Learning English Grammar, the second volume in the series, “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English,” which is co-published by TIRF and Routledge. This volume is co-edited by TIRF Trustees MaryAnn Christison (University of Utah) and Donna Christian (Center for