Fwd: The IAFOR International Conference on Language Learning - Dubai 2017 (IICLLDubai2017)

Dear Colleague, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) invites you to participate in The IAFOR International Conference on Language Learning - Dubai 2017 (IICLLDubai2017), held Sunday, February 26 to Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in Dubai, UAE. The abstract submission deadline is fast approaching. Please submit by November 1, 2016 to have your abstract reviewed and join IAFOR and delegates from around the world in the international hub of Dubai. Registration includes admission to The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Dubai 2017 (IICEDubai2017), The IAFOR International Conference on Social Sciences – Dubai 2017 (IICSSDubai2017), and The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities – Dubai 2017 (IICAHDubai2017), which are to be held alongside IICLLDubai2017 as part of the same event. This gathering of academics at the intersection of nation, culture and discipline promises a unique environment for conversation, information exchange and networking. Join us at IICLLDubai2017 for interdisciplinary discussion around the shared conference theme of: "Educating for Change" *Featured Speakers Dr Christine Coombe, Dubai Men's College, UAE Dr Phil Quirke, Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE Mohammed Azaza, TESOL Arabia, UAE We hope that the broad nature of this theme will encourage the submission of works from a variety of interesting perspectives. IAFOR welcomes submissions to IICLLDubai2017 from all over the world. We encourage you to join us in Dubai to share your research and knowledge in an international, intercultural and interdisciplinary setting. To submit an abstract for presentation or to participate as an audience member, please visit the website or contact us for more information. Abstract Submission Deadline: November 1, 2016 Submit your abstract: www.iafor.org/cfp Visit the conference website: www.iiclldubai.iafor.org Enquiries: iiclldubai@iafor.org In conjunction with our global partners, we look forward to extending you a warm welcome in 2017. ------------- ***Join IAFOR at IICLLDubai2017 and: – Deliver your research findings to a global audience – Have your work published in the Conference Proceedings and considered for IAFOR's peer-reviewed, open-access journals – Benefit from IAFOR's interdisciplinary focus by hearing about the latest research in Language Learning, Education, Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, and more – Participate in a truly international, interdisciplinary and intercultural event – Take part in interactive audience sessions – Network with international colleagues **Register now to take advantage of Early Bird Registration and save over 20%. Early Bird Registration is open until December 1, 2017. Please see the registration page for details: www.iafor.org/iiclldubai2017-registration *If you have attended an IAFOR conference within the past year, or belong to an affiliated university or institution, we offer additional discounts in appreciation of your support. Please contact us at iiclldubai@iafor.org for details. ------------- ***Conference Theme: "Educating for Change" Whether we are looking at why we must change, or how education has changed or even how education will change, change affects all of us involved in language education in many ways. Administrators, teacher trainers, teachers, students: we all wear many hats and we all come face-to-face with change, sometimes on a daily basis. Positive change is about improvement: improving proficiency, improving lives, helping learners achieve their goals and dreams and ultimately, broadening horizons. In our work as educators we are often asked to effect change – that we are change-makers can be seen in the new curriculums, new material, and even new techniques or methods that we develop. For those of us who conduct research, our research is often focused on finding "better" or more effective ways of teaching, often measured in outcomes such as "students entered with an average of X and improved to an average of Y". In such a case, improvement = change. But change is also an area of research as can be seen by looking at journals such as the Journal of Educational Change, Changes in Higher Education, Culture and Change, and Educational Research for Social Change, to mention four. It is a serious area of study, and one worth our attention. The focus of the last journal mentioned above is worth looking at. Change is not only about test scores or proficiency going up; it is also about lasting change in one's life, life choices, and looking beyond us as individuals, the society we live in. Social change and a focus on improving the societies we live in is another outcome of education. In recent years, there has been a focus on language and identity and there has been an embrace of sociocultural theory and language development. At the same time change for the sake of change is not a good reason for change. There is often a tension between the status quo (which is not always bad) and the desire to change. As invested members of our field, we need to be able to examine change, identifying and applying that which is appropriate and will further our goals while also having the wisdom and gumption to reject change that does not make sense. As Dewey said, "reforms which rest simply upon the enactment of law, or the threatening of certain penalties, or upon changes in mechanical or outward arrangements are transitory and futile." And so we welcome you to this year's conferences, where we can examine change in ways that are important to each of us. What are its challenges, its complexities, and its constraints? It is electrifying to think about the wide-ranging conversations we will have as we consider how we can go about educating for change the world over. In conjunction with our global partners we look forward to extending you a warm welcome in 2017. ***Conference Programme As well as being a great opportunity for meeting and interacting with some of the biggest names in the fields of Education, Language Learning, Social Sciences, and Arts & Humanities, our conferences create an intellectually challenging but friendly environment for the presentation and nurturing of new ideas, encouraging the research synergies that drive new developments and create new knowledge. Speakers at The IAFOR International Conference on Language Learning – Dubai 2017 (IICLLDubai2017) include: **Featured Speakers *Dr Christine Coombe, Dubai Men's College, UAE, and Dr Phil Quirke, Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE How the Most Productive TESOLers "Fit it all in" Abstract: Ever feel like you're just not getting enough done? If so, you're like many TESOLers around the world. Research shows that on average people are only productive 3 days a week. The purpose of this session is to share the results of a research project investigating how the most productive TESOLers "fit it all in" and attain the ever elusive work-life balance. It doesn't matter what you do or where you work, everyone is looking for ways to be more productive on the job and in life. In this session, the presenters will share some recent research on how productive TESOLers seem to fit it all in. For the purposes of this research we define a productive TESOLer as one who holds down a job, engages in teaching, does research, presents at and organizes conferences and events, and publishes and does so with what we consider good work-life balance. This presentation will have two parts. In the first part, the presenters will first define 'productivity' and elicit what characterizes a productive day for most teachers. They will then present certain issues that cause teacher productivity to decline. In a general review of the literature, the characteristics of highly-productive people will be discussed and the presenters will share strategies for improving personal and professional productivity and attaining better work life balance. The second part of the presentation will report on a research project that investigated the beliefs and practices of extremely productive English language teachers. *Mohammed Azaza, TESOL Arabia, UAE Effective Mentoring in an Educational Context Mentoring has traditionally been defined as a one-to-one relationship between a more knowledgeable professional and a mentee or novice. The mentor's job is, therefore, to instruct, guide, protect and challenge the novice protégé (Anderson & Shannon, 1988) whereas the mentee is expected to practice and demonstrate what has been learned. However, the mentor's role has been recently extended to include other roles, such as co-thinker, learning companion, resource partner and coach. Accordingly, in this emerging new approach, the mentor is not only perceived as an expert who offers positive and honest feedback on a lesson or a teaching strategy, but also plans with the mentee about how to overcome a challenging classroom situation. These roles have also developed to accommodate other emerging roles, such as raising the mentee's awareness about other dimensions of practice that are often overlooked. These new dimensions include cultural sensitivity and diversity, context, organizational micro-politics, power relations, awareness of group dynamics and the balance between the teacher's needs and the organizational needs. Reflecting on a recent research study carried out in the local context of the U.A.E, the presenter will discuss how mentoring can be a powerful learning experience for both the mentor and mentee. He will also argue that good mentoring in an educational context not only entails a good pedagogical content knowledge, but also develops cultural competence, as well as ethical and organizational awareness. ------------- ***About IAFOR IAFOR welcomes academics from all over the world to our interdisciplinary conferences held in Japan, UK, Spain, USA and the UAE. Our events provide a unique international, intercultural and interdisciplinary environment in which to hear about the latest world-class research and network with leading academics, professionals and practitioners. By facilitating dialogue between the world's academics and thought leaders, IAFOR has become a pioneer in providing the research avenues and visionary development solutions that are necessary in our rapidly emerging globalised world. We welcome you to engage in this expanding global academic community of individuals and network of institutions, and look forward to seeing you at one of our future events. To learn more about IAFOR, please visit our website at www.iafor.org. For enquiries please contact iiclldubai@iafor.org.