GUST Organizes the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Kuwait Conference
- TESOL Kuwait is a non-profit organization of teachers to speakers of other languages
- Third annual conference aiming to improve the teaching and learning of English to non-native speakers.
- Over 500 local and regional educators attended the event.
Kuwait City, 19th November, 2016: Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) hosted the third Annual Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference at its campus in Mishref, carrying the theme Innovation, Creativity, Communication: Facing Novel Challenges in TESOL.” 500 local and regional educators who teach English attended the event.
Invited to the event were prominent professors and educators, including Professor David Crystal whose keynote focused on “ The Centrality of Pragmatics”; Professor Farzad Sharifian, whose keynote was titled “ Cultural Conceptualizations in Language Teaching”; Professor Mihaela Irimia, whose keynote was titled “Literature, the Storehouse of Memory and Topoi of Remembrance”; and Professor Karen Price, whose keynote was titled “ Digital Learning & Interaction: Innovation, Creativity, Communication.” The conference also included over 20 workshops, 30 presentations and 5 panel discussions for the attendees to choose from based on their specialties and interests.
Dr. Hussain Al Sharoufi, the organizer of the TESOL Kuwait Conference, said, “I’d like to thank everybody who helped put everything together and help accomplish our goal that to create a veritable knowledge hub for students and educators alike. The aim of this conference was to explore the notions of innovation, creativity, and communication with regards to teaching English to speakers of other languages. My sincere hope is that this event acted as a focal point where various perspectives met, and that educators walked away with new ideas to implement in their classrooms.”
Conference attendees were exposed to new methods on how to teach English to native Arabic speakers, in addition to gaining insight about the latest innovations and research in the field of English language teaching. The event also offered an opportunity for attendees to network with educators throughout Kuwait and the region benefiting from this conference as English is their medium of instruction.
Professor Donald Bates, GUST President, said, “It is an honour that such a prestigious event would take place on our campus. This way, we can show the world that GUST is serious about becoming a centre for learning, growth, and development for students and educators alike.”
TESOL Kuwait is a non-profit organization of teachers to speakers of other languages affiliated with the U.S. based TESOL International, housing 46,000 members worldwide. TESOL seeks to improve the teaching and learning of English and content subjects to non-native speakers of English. It is a professional community committed to advancing excellence in English language teaching. The community fosters the exchange of ideas, research and peer-to-peer knowledge, and provides expertise, resources, and a voice on issues affecting the profession.
GUST takes a special interest in finding advances ways to teach the English language, which is reflected in the international standards implemented in its Foundation Program, which was accredited by the CEA in 2013. The university continuously implements the best methods to develop its curricula and ensure a premier educational experience for its students.
