This Is ESL Week in Ontario -- Celebrating ESL Education and Learning

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - November 08, 2015) - Since its inception in 1972, TESL Ontario (Teachers of English as a Second Language Association of of Ontario) has been serving the needs of teachers of English as a Second Language throughout the province. The organization has declared the week of November 8 through 14, 2015, as ESL Week to celebrate Ontario's ESL educators and learners and to raise awareness of the importance of English language learning opportunities in Canada. ESL Week has been officially proclaimed in more than 30 communities across Ontario.

This week marks the 43^rd year of TESL Ontario's annual conference where close to 800 language training professionals from public and private sectors, academics, researchers and government representatives will convene to hone their skills in order to help newcomers to Canada thrive, gain confidence and become successful citizens. More than 100 sessions will offer new teaching techniques that work, the latest research in the field, the newest software and publications on the market, and other resources that support English language educators of adult learners.

"It is extremely important that the conference be successful by keeping ESL language training professionals current on the latest in language teaching methods as well as on a wide variety of topics," says Conference Chair Barbara Krukowski. "These instructors are among the first contacts that newcomers to Canada have in the community and are very often a lifeline to them. Their dedication, passion and commitment to their profession is second to none. This is why we want to honour them during ESL Week," she adds.

Trending sessions on new techniques will include the popular technology labs covering QR codes, "Moodles", "Schoology", "Hot Potatoes", "Gamification" and "PowToon" as well as interactive workshops on "Nearpod", "Second Life" and avatars, video use and improv. The 16th Annual Research Symposium will discuss ESL in the workplace and methods of vocabulary building. Two keynote speakers, Stuart Webb of University of Western Ontario and Tracey Derwing of Universities of Alberta and Simon Fraser will present on the need to learn the most frequent 8,000+ word families to understand English newspapers/novels, and on the positive/negative effects of second language accents respectively. And for conference delegates only, the Tenth Annual Panel Discussion by four different ministry representatives will be hosted by TESL Ontario.

The TESL Ontario annual conference #TESL2015, Expanding Horizons: Drawing on Experience and Knowledge" is the highlight of ESL Week in Ontario and takes place at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, November 12 - 13, 2015. It is at this event on November 12 that winners of the ESL Week contest "Sharing Inspirational Moments" will be announced and Recognition Award winners will be honoured.

TESL Ontario, established in 1972, is a non-profit organization serving the needs of teachers of English as a Second Language. It represents more than 4,600 language training professionals working in immigrant serving agencies, school boards, publicly funded sites across Ontario, colleges/universities, elementary/secondary and private language training schools. TESL Ontario's expertise is in teaching, advocacy, accreditation and professional development. The organization is instrumental in influencing the success of many thousands of English language learners throughout the province.

For more information visit www.teslontario.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.

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