American Language Program (ALP) Winter Conference 2023

On February 25th, the 9th annual American Language Program (ALP) Winter Conference will take place at Columbia University. The ALP Winter Conference is a professional development event for practicing language educators, researchers, and graduate and doctoral students aimed at enriching their pedagogical practice in language teaching. 

Each year since our first conference in 2015, we have selected a theme fundamental to language teaching, invited plenary speakers, and solicited participation from the teaching community. We have been fortunate to have welcomed a number of memorable guest speakers at this event, including Scott Thornbury on learning and teaching grammar, Gabriel Díaz Maggioli on professional development, Shelley Saltzman on curricula & materials, Lesley Painter-Farrell on teaching learners how to learn, Frances Boyd on vocabulary acquisition, and Linda Lane on pronunciation pedagogy. In addition to these plenary presentations, the conference has facilitated talks by speakers from a variety of teaching contexts sharing their experiences, research, and ideas about pedagogy. Ultimately, the Winter Conference is a beneficial opportunity for members of the TESOL community in the New York City region to engage in professional development by delivering presentations, attending a variety of talks, and networking with others in the language teaching community. 

This year’s event focuses on the role of assessment in language learning, specifically assessment for learning. Grabe (2009) defines assessment for learning as “the notion that assessment should be used to promote learning” and an approach that incorporates "teaching procedures that use assessment information as major opportunities for learning and the development of more effective skills over time” (p. 363.) Assessing students effectively can provide meaningful information about their learning that can inform teachers’ pedagogy. However, doing effective assessment is both complex and challenging, and when it’s not done effectively, can lead to negative washback for learners and teachers alike. Thus, this year’s ALP Winter Conference will provide a platform for language teachers to engage with this challenging area of practice, and hopefully come away with new insights and understanding on how to do assessment more effectively. 

General admission tickets to this year's conference are available and can be purchased through our Eventbrite page.