Join us for the Vancouver Island Regional Conference at Camosun College’s Interurban Campus in beautiful Victoria on Saturday, February 22nd, 2020. The theme for this year’s conference is Creativity, Collaboration and Critical Thinking in 2020.
Schedule and Session Information
View the sessions and presenter information in the conference program.
Plenary Speaker
We are excited to have Dr. Li-Shih Huang from the University of Victoria’s Applied Linguistics department as our plenary speaker. Dr. Huang will present on the topic (Mis)using Standardized Tests for Multiple Purposes in Canada: A Call for Criticality, Creativity, and Collaboration in Language Testing and Realignment of Instruction.
Li-Shih Huang is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Victoria. Her scholarly interests include areas such as needs and outcomes assessment, corpus-based instruction, reflective learning, and strategic behaviours in language learning and language testing. She has received numerous research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Educational Testing Service (ETS®), and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS™) for her work in those areas. Li-Shih has also been the recipient of the UVic’s Humanities Teaching Excellence Award, TESOL’s Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in Pedagogical Materials Development, and TESOL’s Award for an Outstanding Paper on NNEST Issues.
Plenary Abstract
Drawing on interviews from a study identifying the language-learning needs of Syrian refugees in Canada and how these relate to their integration into Canadian society, this talk reflects on key issues related to the appropriateness of using standardized language test scores for purposes they were never designed to serve. The study’s follow-up interviews featured the frustrating experiences of learners and instructors in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada program in their efforts to reach a required standardized test score for purposes of study, immigration and citizenship, and professional certification. By examining language testing issues when standardized tests are used for purposes other than their original intent, and by sharing the perceptions and insights of instructors and learners alike, the presentation seeks to provoke critical discussion of language testing policy and practices in order to find creative and collaborative solutions to the issues it raises.
Call for Proposals
The Call for Proposals for the Vancouver Island Regional Conference is now closed. The deadline for submissions was Thursday, January 16th at midnight.
Registration
Registration is now open! Register by Friday, January 31st at midnight to take advantage of early bird prices. Online registration will close on Monday, February February 17th. Onsite registration will be available.
Lunch is included in your registration. Vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options will be available for those with dietary restrictions.
For institutions wishing to pay a bulk registration for their instructors, kindly contact the TEAL office at admin@bcteal.org.
Conference Sponsors
Thank you to our generous sponsors: Camosun College; Host & Refreshments, LearnIT2Teach; Silver, Pearson ERPI & Uvic ELC; Refreshments.
For inquiries regarding exhibiting at or sponsoring the conference, please contact admin@bcteal.org.
(before February 1)