MATSOL 2016 Conference

Transcription

1 MATSOL 2016 Conference May 4-6, 2016 Framingham Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center, Framingham, MA About the Conference Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages (MATSOL) is a professional association of educators of English language learners in K-12 schools, adult learning centers, higher education institutions and the workplace in Massachusetts. MATSOL s mission is to provide support and professional development to educators working with English language learners, and to advocate for the educational opportunities and achievement of all English language learners. MATSOL is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, and is an affiliate of TESOL International Association. General Instructions Concurrent sessions will be scheduled between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday and Friday, May 5-6, All presenters must register for the conference and pay the registration fee by February 15, MATSOL offers a presenter discount of $30. If presenters fail to register, accepted proposals will be removed from the program. MATSOL will not reimburse presenters for expenses associated the conference, including travel, hotel, cost of producing handouts, or any other expenses. MATSOL provides all presentation rooms with a LCD projector and screen (and a podium mic in large rooms) at no charge to presenters. All other A/V equipment (laptop computers, speakers for sound) must be brought by presenters or rented from the Sheraton A/V services at the presenter s expense. Proposals must be submitted online at proposalspace.com by the deadline. Mailed, faxed, or late proposals will not be considered. Important Dates Call for Proposal Deadline December 1, 2015 Notification of Acceptance January 15, 2016 Presenter Registration Deadline February 15, 2016 MATSOL Conference Thursday-Friday, May 5-6, 2016 Proposal Evaluation Criteria The conference brings together educators from across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts working with English language learners at all ages and levels, and in all program types. The Conference Committee seeks to create a balanced program related to the range and significance of topics, interests covered, and the relevance of the proposal to the needs of educators of English language learners in Massachusetts.

2 MATSOL 2015 Conference - Call for Participation 2 All proposals are double-blind reviewed. The reviewers will not know the authors identities, and the authors will not know the reviewers identities. All proposal reviewers will use the evaluation criteria and scoring rubric (attached). The reviewers advise the Conference Committee, and the Conference Committee makes the final selection. Your proposal is an important factor in session selection. Proposals should be carefully written and proofread. Please review the presentation rubric and refer to it as you draft your proposal. Audio/Visual Equipment The following A/V equipment is provided by MATSOL at no cost to presenters: LCD Projector & screen ($35 per session value) Wifi Internet: Suitable for casual use. MATSOL recommends that you do NOT count on Wifi for important parts of your presentation, as speed and connectivity cannot be guaranteed in the presentation rooms. Instead, purchase a wired Internet connect on download files to your computer. The following A/V equipment is NOT provided by MATSOL Laptop computer: PC or MAC computers are both compatible. MAC computers also require a mini DVI to VGA adapter to connect to the projector. (PC computers do not require a connector). Audio speakers for sound/video: Large rooms are wired for sound, but presenters must bring portable audio speakers for smaller rooms. We cannot guarantee in advance that your session will be placed in a room with sound. Wired Internet connection: If your presentation relies on content on the Internet, especially video, you should purchase a wired Internet connection OR download all materials onto your computer. Proposal Form Important: All information in your proposal must be submitted exactly as you would like it to appear in the program. MATSOL is not responsible for any errors in the conference program book resulting from errors or omissions in information you submit. MATSOL reserves the right to edit information for length or clarity. Manger/Creator: The person who opens an account in Proposal Space and completes the proposal online. This person does not have to be a presenter, and his or her name will not appear in the program book. 2

3 MATSOL 2015 Conference - Call for Participation 3 Presenter/Organizer: The person responsible for coordinating the presentation, notifying the other presenters of the proposal s status (e.g. receipt, acceptance or rejection, and, if accepted, scheduled time and location of presentation), and ensuring that all presenters register for the conference by the deadline. Presenter: Other presenters who will participate in the presentation. (4 maximum) All presenters must submit: Name: The person s full name. Affiliation: The person s school, institution or organization. Biographical Statement: The person s biographical statement. Use complete sentences written in the third person: e.g. Josephine Teacher, MA TESOL, is an instructor in the ABC Adult Literacy Program. (25 words maximum) An address for inclusion in the program. Lead presenters must also submit: Mailing address: Street, city, state, and country for use by MATSOL only (will not be published in the program). Telephone number for use by MATSOL only. Comments: Enter any specific requests regarding scheduling (day or time), room set-up, etc. MATSOL will try to accommodate your request but cannot guarantee it. Session Title: Title of your presentation (10 words max). The title should accurately reflect the content and be clear to the intended audience. Avoid overly general titles, such as Teaching English Language Learners. Capitalize all verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs and pronouns, no matter how many letters they have. Do not capitalize conjunctions, articles or short prepositions of fewer than four letters. Abstract: The abstract is a summary of the session that appears in the conference program (50 words max), and is used by conference participants to decide which sessions to attend. The abstract may not contain any references to the presenter(s) published works or names. It must be carefully written and proofread to draw the most appropriate audience to the presentation. Spell out any acronyms or abbreviations that may not be familiar to all conference participants. Session Description: A description of the presentation that read by the proposal jury to select presentations for the conference (300 words max). The Session Description does not appear in the program. The session description must: have a clearly stated purpose and point of view; include supporting details and examples; contain evidence of current theory, practice or research; 3

4 MATSOL 2015 Conference - Call for Participation 4 show the appropriate amount of materials in the allotted time; demonstrate careful editing and proofreading. The session description must not include explicit reference to the presenter s name or identity Session Type Interactive Workshop: A session which is oriented toward teaching practice. Workshops provide participants the opportunity to actively participate. Emphasis on providing handson experience rather than lecturing. (45 minutes or 90 minutes) Please note: There are only a very limited number 90 minute timeslots available in the conference program. Paper / Report: Papers or reports should be based on current research and theory. They should also provide a practical benefit to the audience. (45 minutes) Discussion Session: An opportunity to discuss a hot topic in TESOL with colleagues in a structured round-table format. The discussion leader(s) should have a strong knowledge of the designated topic and should include the audience in the discussion. (45 minutes) Panel: A panel provides both formal presentation and participant discussion. Panels generally have minute presentations by panel members under the guidance of a chairperson who moderates the discussion period and summarizes the session at its conclusion. The Session Description should outline the topic and objectives. (45 minutes) Commercial Presentation: (45 minutes only) A presentation is considered commercial if it focuses on sponsored by a commercial entity or if the focus is on materials that are for sale. A proposal may be disqualified if it is misidentified as a non-commercial proposal. Accepted Commercial presentations will only be scheduled with purchase of an exhibitor table or with a sponsorship, the name of the sponsoring company must be submitted with the proposal. Due to space limitations, we can only schedule one commercial presentation per exhibitor/sponsor. (45 minutes) Commercial Affiliation: If the presentation is commercial, enter the name of the affiliated company purchasing an Exhibitor Table or Sponsorship. Topic Strand: Choose one topic strand that best suits your proposal. Best Practices in Instruction Reading, Writing, Literacy Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation Standards Implementation (CCSS, WIDA, etc.) Specific Populations (ELLs with disabilities, SLIFE, etc.) Program Administration and Development Professional Development/Teacher Education Family and Community Connections 4

5 MATSOL 2015 Conference - Call for Participation 5 Knowing Our Students (culture, psychology, educational background, etc.) Media and Technology Policy and Advocacy Audience: Choose Two: Primary and Secondary Early Childhood Programs PK-12 Schools Elementary School (PK-5) Middle School (6-8) High School (9-12) Adult or Workplace Education Programs College/University ESL Programs Private Language Institutes Teacher Education Programs General (of interest to PK-12, adult, and high education) A/V Equipment Provided by the Presenter Check to indicate the A/V equipment you will bring to the conference. MATSOL provides a LCD projector, screen, and wifi Internet in all presentation rooms at no cost to presenters. ALL OTHER EQUIPMENT MUST BE SUPPLIED BY THE PRESENTER. Laptop computer Audio speakers for sound/video Mini DVI to VGA adapter (MAC computers only) Wired Internet connection None - no additional A/V needed 5

6 MATSOL 2016 Conference Proposal Evaluation Rubric Criterion Poor 1 Weak 2 Good 3 Excellent 4 1. Currency and Importance to the Field The topic is not current, lacks importance or is not appropriate to the field. The topic is only tangentially related to the field, or is not current or important in the field. The topic may not be groundbreaking, but it is current and important to the field. The topic is cutting-edge, addresses a current or emerging issue, and/or is highly significant to the field. 2. Appropriateness to the MATSOL audience and the Massachusetts context. The topic is not relevant to the MATSOL audience and/or the Massachusetts context. The topic is only tangentially relevant to the MATSOL audience and/or the Massachusetts context. The topic is mostly relevant to the MATSOL audience and/or the Massachusetts context. The topic is highly relevant to the MATSOL audience and/or the Massachusetts context. 3. Purpose and Participant Outcomes The session objective and participant outcomes are unclear, inappropriate, and unachievable within the time constraints of the session. The session objective and participant outcomes are inappropriate OR may be too general or too narrow to be useful. The session objectives and participant outcomes are appropriate, but may not be achievable within time constraints of the session. The session objectives and participant outcomes are clear, appropriate, and achievable within the time constraints of the session. 4. Motivated by Theory, Practice and/or Research It is unclear from the description how this session is connected to theory, practice or research from the field. The description refers to theory, practice or research from the field, but it is not specific OR doesn t relate to the content of the presentation. The description refers to some extent to theory, practice and/or research on which the presentation is based. The description refers clearly to theory, practice and/or research, in a way that is clear and related directly to presentation content. 5. Instructional Practices and Applications The proposal makes little or no mention of instructional practices or application in the field. The proposal mentions instructional practices or application in the field, but they are unclear and not relevant to the context. The proposal mentions instructional practices and/or applications in the field, but they may not be innovative and immediately useful. The proposal presents instructional practices and/or applications in the field that are innovative and immediately useful. 6. Clarity of Proposal as Indicator of Presentation Quality The way in which the proposal is written indicates that the delivery of the presentation may be poor. The way in which the proposal is written suggests that the delivery of the presentation may be weak. The proposal is clearly written and suggests that the quality of the presentation will be good. The proposal is well written and indicates that the presentation will be of professional quality.