Fall 2023 Conference

Blending Tradition and Innovation:

Effective Practices for Language Learning

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Pryzbyla Conference Center, Catholic University

620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064

KEYNOTE SPEAKER 

Elisabeth Chan

Associate Professor 

Northern Virginia Community College

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Submission Link: https://forms.gle/zE5fqpaRfxfMQuni8

Opens: June 1, 2023

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Proposals now due September 15, 2023, 11:59pm ET 

Notification of acceptance: late September 2023

The Call for Proposals for WATESOL’s annual Fall Conference is now open!

In recent years, TESOL professionals have transitioned between traditional in-person and innovative online teaching, engaged with, and have served the needs of a diverse body of students.

WATESOL welcomes proposals responding to these themes from teachers, teacher educators, program administrators, materials and curriculum developers, language assessment experts, technology specialists, graduate students, researchers, and other professionals in fields related to the learning and teaching of English as an additional language.

We are seeking proposals for practice-oriented and research-oriented presentations, graduate student research presentations, poster presentations, technology tip presentations, and workshops. Each of these session types is described in greater detail below. The conference will also feature a keynote address, SIG (Special Interest Group) meetings, roundtable discussions, and exhibitors.

Please read the following proposal submission guidelines thoroughly and feel free to contact WATESOL’s Professional Development Co-Chairs at pd@watesol.org with any questions.

Please note: If your proposal involves a product or other resources from an organization that you work for, your proposal falls into the Exhibitor category. Whether that organization is for profit or not for profit, there is a separate proposal submission process from the one described below. With many thanks for your interest in WATESOL, we ask that you please instead contact the WATESOL VPs to complete the exhibitor submission process intended for the wide variety of organizations that exhibit at the conference each year. 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All proposals must be written in English and submitted online through WATESOL's Proposal Submission Form.  The link will be active from June 1 - September 1, 2023.  

Each person is allowed to submit a proposal as the primary presenter for only ONE practice-oriented presentation, research-oriented presentation, or workshop. The same person may additionally submit a proposal for ONE graduate-student research, poster, or technology tip presentation and may serve as a co-presenter on up to two more submissions. A separate proposal must be submitted for each proposed session. WATESOL reserves the right to disqualify a proposal immediately if a person has submitted more than one proposal of the same type as a primary presenter.

Each proposal must adhere to the guidelines in this Call for Proposals and must include the following elements:

• Presenters’ names, affiliations, contact information, and bios (Please avoid acronyms or abbreviations in affiliations. List only the main institution, not departments or programs. Please limit bios to 30 words.) 

• A title (max 15 words)

• A summary to be printed in the conference program (max 50 words)

• A detailed session description (max 300 words)

• Various categorizations (e.g., type of proposal, primary context, target skills)

Please note that the online Proposal Submission Form does not offer the function of saving a draft and returning to it later, so proposal submitters are recommended to prepare all of the necessary information in advance.

Additional information on the types of presentations, components of a proposal, review process and criteria, and presenter roles and responsibilities is available below. If you have any questions after reading through this information, please email the WATESOL Professional Development Co-Chairs (pd@watesol.org). 

TYPES OF PRESENTATIONS

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes): 

• A practical demonstration of teaching techniques, accompanied by a description and rationale

• 35-40 minutes for the presentation + 5-10 minutes for Q&A (not exceeding the total of 45 minutes)

• Please note: The expectation is that no more than 10 minutes will be spent explaining the underlying theory and research so that most of the time can be devoted to the demonstration.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes): 

• An engaging oral presentation of research and/or theory relevant to language learning and/or teaching

• 35-40 minutes for the presentation + 5-10 minutes for Q&A (not exceeding the total of 45 minutes)

• Please note: The expectation is that the presenter(s) will use visual support effectively to engage the audience rather than simply reading a scripted presentation of research.

Graduate Student Research Presentation (20 minutes): 

• An engaging oral presentation of research and/or theory relevant to language learning and/or teaching

• 15 minutes for the presentation + 5 minutes for Q&A 

• Graduate students will be placed in pairs, with two students sharing one 45-minute session.

• Please note: The expectation is that the presenter(s) will use visual support effectively to engage the audience rather than simply reading a scripted presentation of research.

Workshop (105 minutes): 

• A carefully structured, practical, hands-on professional development session that provides the audience a chance to practice and interact with the material being presented

• Workshop facilitators can choose whether to offer a short break in the middle of the session.

Poster Presentation (45 minutes):

• A visually explanatory display allowing for the sharing of professional ideas and feedback between the presenter(s) and attendees

• Each poster should display the title of the presentation, the name(s) and institutional affiliation(s) of the presenter(s), and very brief text with clearly labeled photos, drawings, graphs, or charts.

• Please note: Poster Presentations and Technology Tip Presentations will take place concurrently in the same large room.  Attendees will circulate among posters and tables. Presenters should prepare a brief (2-6 minute) overview of their presentation and be prepared to engage in short, informal discussions while attendees are circulating  during the 45-minute session. 

Technology Tip Presentation (45 minutes):

• An informal demonstration to share technology resources such as software, apps, or internet sites 

• Each presenter will be seated at a table with chairs for attendees. Presenters are responsible for bringing their own laptop(s) and other equipment.

• Please note: Poster Presentations and Technology Tip Presentations will take place concurrently in the same large room.  Attendees will circulate among posters and tables. Presenters should prepare a brief (2-6 minute) overview of their presentation and be prepared to engage in short, informal discussions while attendees are circulating during the 45-minute session. 

Exhibitor Presentation (various options):

• A presentation of any of the above types that demonstrates or highlights a product or other resources created by an organization that one or more of the presenters works for, whether for profit or non-profit

• Please contact the WATESOL VPs to complete the proposal process intended for exhibitors.

COMPONENTS OF A PROPOSAL

Three components of each proposal will be read and scored by the reviewers: the title, the summary, and the session description. The title and summary will appear in the Conference Program Book. Although the full session description will not appear in the Program Book, it will be read carefully by the reviewers and will be critical to the assessment of the proposal.Please note that the content of a proposed session should not change significantly after the proposal is accepted.

Below are some additional guidelines on each component. Proposals that do not adhere to the requirements of the “must-not” statements will not be considered for review. The rubric that will be used to evaluate each proposal is provided in the next section.

**Please be sure to write the summary and session description with the Proposal Evaluation Rubric in mind.**

Title 

• Should accurately reflect the session’s content in language that will be clear to the intended audience

• Should be very carefully proofread, as it will appear in the Conference Program Book

• Must not exceed 15 words (each part of a hyphenated word counts as one word)

• Must not include presenters’ names, institutions, or published works 

• Additional guidelines: Please capitalize all verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, both terms of hyphenated compounds, and the first word after a colon; do not capitalize conjunctions, articles, or prepositions of fewer than four letters. 

Summary

• Should reflect the quality and content of the presentation in a way that appeals to its intended audience

• Should be very carefully proofread, as it will appear in the Conference Program Book

• Must not exceed 50 words

• Must not include presenters’ names, institutions, or published works

• May be edited by the WATESOL Conference Committee

Session Description

• Should demonstrate evidence of high-quality research and/or practice and convey the value of the presentation for the intended audience and the field

• Should conform to an appropriate session type

• Should attend to all five criteria in the Proposal Evaluation Rubric

• Should be written in a clear and well-organized way that suggests the likelihood of a systematic, accessible, professional presentation

• Should include:

• • a clearly stated purpose and point of view

  • a justification with reference to current theory, best practices, and/or state-of-the-art research

  • information about the participants or population (e.g., of learners, teachers, etc.)

  • supporting examples and/or details on the methods and results, as relevant

  • an appropriate amount of material for the allotted time

  • conclusions, implications, and/or applications

  • an explicit statement of intended outcomes for the audience (i.e., what attendees will understand and/or be able to do by the completion of the session)

• Must not exceed 300 words

• Must not include presenters’ names, institutions, or published works

• Additional guidelines: Please spell out any acronyms or abbreviations except for the following: L1, L2, CALL, CBI, EAP, EFL, ELL, ELT, ESL, ESP, IEP, NNEST, SLA, TESOL, TESL, TEFL.

Categorizations

Contexts: To help the WATESOL Conference Committee select appropriate reviewers, within the Proposal Submission Form, each proposal submitter will be asked to identify a primary context for the presentation, or to indicate that it is relevant to multiple contexts, from the following list:

• K-12 Education

• Adult Education

• Higher Education

• Bilingual Education

• Teacher Training

• Program Administration

• NNESTs (Non-Native English Speaking Teachers)

• Curriculum/Materials Development

• Advocacy

• Technology

• Other (please specify)

Skills: To assist conference attendees in selecting which presentations they would like to attend, each proposal submitter will also be asked to identify the presentation as targeting one or more of the following skill areas:

• Listening

• Speaking

• Pronunciation

• Reading

• Writing

• Grammar

• Vocabulary

• Intercultural Communication

• Technology

• Other (please specify)

PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS & CRITERIA

Presentations will be selected based on the results of a double-blind peer-review process conducted by WATESOL’s Conference Committee. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least two trained reviewers. They will not know the names or institutional affiliations of the proposal submitters, and the proposal submitters will not know the names or institutional affiliations of the reviewers.

The reviewers will use the evaluation criteria and scoring rubric below, adopted from TESOL International. The maximum score for each proposal will be 25 points. The reviewers will have the opportunity to provide comments that may be sent to the proposal submitters.

WATESOL / TESOL Proposal Evaluation Rubric

Evaluation  Criteria	Poor  (1 Point)	Fair  (2 Points)	Good  (3 Points)	Very Good  (4 Points)	Excellent  (5 Points)
1. Currency, importance, and appropriateness of topic to the field	The topic is not current, and/or lacks importance or appropriateness to the field. It does not appear to be a worthwhile session.	The topic is only tangentially related to the field, not completely current or important to the field and/or to the potential audience. It may not be a worthwhile session.	The topic may not be completely current or groundbreaking, but it is relevant to the field and potential audience. It might be a worthwhile session.	The topic is current, important, and appropriate to the field and potential audience. It appears to be a worthwhile session.	The topic is cutting-edge, relevant, ground-breaking, or significant to the field and potential audience. It appears to be a very worthwhile session.
2. Purpose, participant outcomes, and session type	The proposal is inappropriate for the session type, and/or the objectives are not clearly stated or implied.	The proposal may be appropriate for the session type. The objectives and participant outcomes may be too general or broad to be achievable.	The proposal is generally appropriate for the session type. The objectives and participant outcomes are stated or implied but may lack sufficient focus.	The proposal is appropriate for the session type. The objectives and participant outcomes are clear.	The proposal matches the session type. The objectives and participant outcomes are very clear.
3. Theory, practice, and/or research basis	The proposal does not mention theory, practice, or research, or it is unclear how this session is connected to the field	The proposal provides background references to theory, practice, and/or research, but it is not specific, or it does not relate the theory, practice, and/or research to the content of the presentation	The proposal refers somewhat to the theory, practice, and/or research on which the presentation is based in an understandable way and relates it to the content of the presentation.	The proposal refers clearly to the theory, practice, and/or research on which the presentation is based in a thorough and comprehensible manner and relates it directly to the presentation content.	The proposal refers specifically to appropriate theory, practice, and/or research on which the presentation is based in a detailed, thorough and comprehensible manner and relates it directly to the presentation content.
4. Support for practices, conclusions, and/or recommendations	The proposal makes claims with no indication of the support for those claims.	The proposal makes some stated or implied reference to support, but it is not clear whether sufficient support will be provided for practices, conclusions, or recommendations.	The proposal gives some indication as to how practices, conclusions, or recommendations will be substantiated.	The proposal provides details indicating that the practices, conclusions, or recommendations will be substantiated.	The proposal provides ample details indicating that the practices, conclusions, or recommendations will be well substantiated.
5. Clarity of proposal as indicator of presentation quality	The way in which the proposal is written suggests that the presentation may be poor.	The way in which the proposal is written suggests that the presentation may be weak.	The proposal is adequately written but suggests that the presentation may be uneven or of moderate quality.	The proposal is clearly written and suggests that the presentation will be of very good quality.	The proposal is very well written and suggests that the presentation will be of professional quality.

Factors Disqualifying a Proposal 

A presentation proposal will be immediately disqualified from this review process if…

• WATESOL does not receive the proposal by the deadline (September 15, 2023, 11:59pm ET);

• The proposal is not received electronically through the online Proposal Submission Form (https://forms.gle/JnyswWA5f11oJuwX7);

• The proposal is incomplete or not completed according to the guidelines in this Call for Proposals;

• The session title, summary, or session description includes the name(s) or institution(s) of any of the presenters;

• The primary presenter is the primary presenter on more than 1 proposal of a similar type (as specified above) or a co-presenter on more than 2 other proposals; or 

• Multiple similar proposals are submitted by the same presenter(s); or

• The presentation promotes a product or other resources associated with an organization that the proposal submitter works for. (Such proposals must go through the review process specific to exhibitors; please contact the WATESOL VPs.)

Waitlisting

WATESOL receives more high-quality proposals than it is possible to accept for many years. If a proposal for a presentation or workshop is highly rated but does not make the initial cut, the proposal submitter will be notified that the presentation has been placed on the waitlist and is being considered as an alternate for one of the currently filled slots, should another accepted proposal submitter decline the invitation to present. Space permitting, some of these waitlisted proposal submitters may also be offered the opportunity to present their work in poster format.

A Note on Program Balance

WATESOL has several Special Interest Groups, and the annual conference brings together professionals and scholars working in diverse roles with English language learners of all ages and at all stages of language development in a variety of contexts. Therefore, in addition to considering the quality of the proposals according to the evaluation rubric, an important factor in proposal selection is program balance. Efforts will be made to ensure that the presentations at the conference are representative of the wide range of interests of WATESOL attendees by considering factors such as the range of topics proposed, the number of presentations on similar topics, content-area coverage, and relevance to the conference theme.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRIMARY PRESENTER

Each proposal must have one primary presenter, who will serve as the main correspondent and presenter at the conference should the proposal be accepted. The primary presenter will be responsible for:

• Ensuring that the WATESOL Committee is provided with a contact email address that will be valid through the time of the conference (as part of the proposal submission process, or via email to pd@watesol.org later if necessary);

• Notifying any co-presenters about the status of the proposal and communicating with them about information sent by WATESOL;

• Ensuring that all co-presenters’ names and affiliations are accurate so that they can be printed in the Conference Program Book, and notifying WATESOL (pd@watesol.org) by October 15, 2023 if there are changes in any of the co-presenters’ affiliations or contact information;

• Responding to inquiries from the WATESOL Conference Committee in a timely fashion;  

• Confirming the intention to present, and finalizing the title and 50-word summary of the presentation for the Conference Program Book, within the amount of time specified in the acceptance notification email (generally 2 weeks);

• Notifying WATESOL (pd@watesol.org) of any potential scheduling conflicts by October 15, 2023 (WATESOL will try to accommodate requests made for compelling, unavoidable reasons, but cannot guarantee that it will be possible to schedule a presentation at a certain time); 

• Joining WATESOL and registering and paying for the conference by the early registration deadline; 

• Ensuring that all co-presenters who will be attending the conference also join WATESOL and register and pay for the conference by the regular registration deadline;

• Notifying WATESOL (pd@watesol.org) of a cancellation as soon as possible, and certainly no later than October 15, 2023 so that available space in the program can be offered to waitlisted presenters with enough time for them to respond before the conference booklet is printed;

• Designing and delivering the presentation and moderating the Q&A;

• Serving as a session chair, or assigning a co-presenter to serve as a session chair, in an additional presentation session (introducing the speaker(s), keeping track of time, noting attendance, and helping with session evaluations);

• Granting WATESOL permission to use any photography taken by the conference planners for future promotional purposes.

Please note: It occasionally happens that a presenter fails to show up for a presentation, thereby wasting conference attendees’ valuable professional development time and reflecting poorly on the overall quality of the conference program. If extenuating circumstances will prevent you from fulfilling your commitment to present at WATESOL, please contact the PD Co-Chairs immediately at pd@watesol.org. Except in unavoidable and unpredictable situations (e.g., a canceled flight, serious illness), if you fail to contact WATESOL by October 15, 2023, and do not show up for your presentation, you will not be allowed to submit a proposal as a primary or co-presenter for WATESOL 2024. Additionally, if you present without registering and paying to attend the conference, you will not be allowed to submit a proposal as a primary or co-presenter for WATESOL 2024. 

Thank you very much for your interest in presenting at WATESOL 2023!