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ITBE 40th Annual ConventionFriday, February 28-Saturday, March 1 Greetings from the Convention Chair: It is a great privilege to invite you to ITBE’s 40th Annual Convention. For four decades this outstanding event has enhanced the professional growth of thousands of educators, enriching the lives of all those they serve.During this celebratory event, we will examine the growth and positive changes in our profession and our organization through the years. As we walk down “Memory Lane,” we will also recognize the commitment of the many ITBE members who have made this milestone possible. We are honored to have four distinguished plenary speakers who will guide us in our commemorative journey. The convention opens on Friday with presenter Carolyn Graham, the creator of Jazz Chants, who will show us how to generate our own chants to help students learn the sounds of English. Carolyn has a special surprise to commemorate ITBE’s anniversary as well. Our closing plenary presenter on Friday is Dr. Yilin Sun, President-Elect of TESOL International. Dr. Sun will share her insights regarding the trends in language education from the perspective of a non-native, English-speaking educator. On Saturday, our opening plenary presenter is Dr. John Fanselow, who is coming to us all the way from Tokyo. Dr. Fanselow is Professor Emeritus from Columbia University and is a former TESOL International President. We’re especially happy to welcome him “home” as he is a graduate of Lane Tech in Chicago. Dr. Fanselow will share with us how to break the rules of education for the benefit of all. We will close ITBE’s 40th convention with a special presentation by Dr. Kristin Lems of National Louis University, who has presented at ITBE’s convention every year for over 25 years! Dr. Lems will highlight, in very unique way, changes in the ESL field over the years. Also, back by popular demand are featured speakers Kory Stamper, Associate Editor of Merriam-Webster; Dr. Keith Folse of University of Central Florida; and Dr. Jessica Williams of University of Illinois, Chicago. In addition, David Nieto and Vince Camille from the ISBE will bring us up-to-date on the latest in teacher evaluation and the state of English Learners in Illinois. On a personal note, I have been attending ITBE’s annual convention since 2002, when I first entered the ESL teaching profession. To me, a convention is worthwhile if I am able to connect with a few like-minded educators and can return to my classroom with at least two or three new ideas. Each of the past 12 ITBE conventions I have attended has far surpassed my expectations; I am confident ITBE’s 2014 Convention will be equally worthwhile for you! Debbie Sternecky, Vice-President and Convention Chair Email: convention@itbe.org Other important people on the planning team:
Looking for past ITBE presidents or convention chairs: We would love to involve you in our special celebratory events. Contact Marsha Santelli. Useful Links: Online Registration Convention Program Hotel Information | |||||||||
| ITBE Link - Winter 2014 - Volume 41 Number 4 | |||||||||
