Gulf University of Science and Technology (GUST) Mishref hosted the sixth iteration of the annual Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Kuwait Conference on February 6 and 7. The event brought together scholars, teachers and other education stakeholders, from the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, as well as other places around the world, to share knowledge and best practices in the field of teaching English as a foreign language.
TESOL Kuwait, which is affiliated with the global TESOL International Association, organized this year’s conference around the theme ‘Paradigm Shift in Multidisciplinary Teaching and Learning’. Over 40 presentations and workshops were held on various topics centered around the conference theme, with a focus on moves toward more cutting-edge models of teaching and learning, as the industry embarks on a new decade of innovation and cultural change around the world.
Rapidly advancing technology and a social media-savvy generation born in the Information Age makes the work of language educators all the more dynamic and, oftentimes, challenging. They must be experts in their respective fields while also effective at leveraging the various technologies at their disposal in student-friendly and student-centered ways that build not only language competence, but also the twenty-first century skills pivotal to student success in the global workforce, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.
One topic that garnered much attention at the conference was titled, ‘Applying Daily Leadership and Gamification to Building Language Competence’. The topic focused on the psychology behind students’ various learning styles and how to gamify behavior for supporting an engaged, productive learning culture that brings out the best in students. Multimedia websites such as Quizizz and Kahoot! are some common examples of gamified learning that teachers employ to prepare students for assessments or simply to engage them in more active learning classroom behaviors.
Attendees were also presented with practical tools and techniques that educators can use in their classrooms to empower students to take more initiative, to be accountable for each other’s success, and to take on leadership roles that will promote their enthusiasm about attending and succeeding in class.
More than 250 people attended the two-day intellectually stimulating and enriching conference. A student-led meeting of Toastmasters, was also held on the sidelines of the conference, with prizes awarded to audience members who gave impromptu speeches or entertained the crowd with their amusing answers to quirky questions.
Professional development was the impetus that brought a diverse group of professionals together for networking, edutainment and critical self-reflection at the highly successful TESOL Kuwait 2020.
By Charles McKinney