Featured Speakers

In this section

Opening Keynote

Sherman Alexie
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
5:30 pm–7 pm

Power and Empowerment: An Urban Indian's Comic, Poetic, and Highly Irreverent Look at the World

An event not to be missed! Known for his semi-autobiographical writings that illuminate challenges facing American Indians while promoting cultural expression and social change, Sherman Alexie presents his take on language, identity, struggle, perseverance, hope, and respect—all with a heavy dose of candor and wit.

Author, poet, and screenwriter Sherman Alexie connects readers around the world to the American Indian experience. One of The New Yorker’s 20 top writers for the 21st century, Alexie’s novels, such as Reservation Blues, Indian Killer, and The Toughest Indian in the World, have won numerous awards. He also received Washington State University's Highest Alumni Award, the Katherine Anne Porter Award in Literature, and a Pushcart Prize. In 2014, he received a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Men’s Journal has described him as “the world’s first fast-talking, wisecracking, mediagenic American-Indian superstar." In addition to writing and speaking, Alexie co-hosts a podcast with best-selling author Jess Walter.

Note: Mr. Alexie's keynote was not recorded at his request.

Presidential Keynote

Dudley Reynolds
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
8 am–9 am

PROFESSIONAL English Language Teachers in a 2.0 World

Educational systems everywhere want to educate more students to higher standards while cutting resources for teacher education and development. Why do they think they can? Why do we know they cannot? The 2.0 world prizes nontraditional learning, interdisciplinarity, and technology. What do professional English language teachers offer this world?

Dudley Reynolds is the 2016–2017 president of TESOL International Association and a teaching professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, where he teaches first-year writing. His research focuses on the development, assessment, and teaching of second language reading and writing. He is the author of One on One with Second Language Writers: A Guide for Writing Tutors, Teachers, and Consultants (2009) and Assessing Writing, Assessing Learning (2010) as well as numerous articles and book chapters. He has taught elementary, IEP, and MA TESOL students. He is a passionate believer in the power of ELT professional associations to help teachers and learners.

Recording for the Presidential Keynote

James E. Alatis Plenary

Guadalupe Valdes
Thursday, 23 March 2017
8 am–9 am

Ruminations of an Old Language Teacher

In this presentation I will talk about second language acquisition theory and research from the perspective of a dedicated language teacher. I will share some of what I have learned, tell you where I looked for answers, and invite you to engage with topics that will directly or indirectly inform your practice.

Guadalupe Valdés is the Bonnie Katz Tenenbaum Professor of Education at Stanford University. Working in the area of applied linguistics, much of her work has focused on the English–Spanish bilingualism of Latinos in the United States and on discovering and describing how two languages are developed, used, and maintained by individuals who become bilingual in immigrant communities. In addition to her numerous publications and service on editorial boards of Modern Language Journal, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, and Research on the Teaching of English, Valdes has carried out extensive work on teaching, maintaining and preserving heritage languages among minority populations.

Recording for the James E. Alatis Plenary

Morning Keynote

Yong Zhao
Friday, 24 March 2017
8 am–9 am

Perils or Promises: Education in the Age of Smart Machines

The world needs globally competent creative and entrepreneurial talents to take advantage of the opportunities brought about by technology and globalization. But schools are pushed to produce homogenous, compliant, and employee-minded test-takers, as a result of the traditional education paradigm. Zhao proposes a new education paradigm needed for the new world.

Born in China’s Sichuan Province, Yong Zhao is a Foundations Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas and a professor in Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership at the University of Oregon. He is also a professorial fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University, and an elected fellow of the International Academy for Education. In 2003, he received the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association. His work focuses on the implications of globalization and technology on education. An award winning author, he has published more than 100 articles and 20 books.