Keeping the Conference Spirit Going All Year Round
What is the ESL MiniConference Online?

The ESL MiniConference Online provides an efficient way for new as well as seasoned ESL professionals to make a difference in the trends and issues of our rapidly developing field. The ESL MiniConference newsletter gives a voice to busy teachers and administrators who otherwise might not find time to get the word out regarding a great lesson plan, team project or local workshop. There is so much new knowledge being produced every day in ESL that traditional conferences--while crucial--are not enough.

ESL MiniConference announces events relevant to our growing network of grassroots participants, who in turn contribute the articles published on the ESL MiniConference site. Recent stories have included a meeting in Tokyo on using discourse strategies to build discussion skills, advice from a Swedish participant for cognitive tricks to help new teachers overcome first-day anxiety, a teacher from Argentina who brainstorms class rules with her students and a report from an Oregon reader about a task-force meeting on standards for teaching ESL to adults.

When ESL/EFL practitioners go to a conference, there is almost a kind of electricity in the air. We rekindle relationships with colleagues, share insights from experience and celebrate our profession. The ESL MiniConference Online keeps that conference spirit going all year round. The "keynote" speeches at the ESL MiniConference are our "Achievement Profiles," interviews with ESL leaders, who describe their own professional development and give advice to new teachers. Every story serves as a kind of "poster session," where visitors follow up via e-mail with the authors. There also have been lively debates recently on learning vs. acquisition, experience vs. research and whole language.

Robert Bruce Scott is the owner and editor of the ESL MiniConference Online newsletter and Web site. This project is a labor of love, hoping to make a positive difference in the field of ESL. Mr. Scott is advised by an all-volunteer editorial board of ESL teachers, language-learning specialists and educational technology experts.