Summit Outcome

To commit to collaborating on a comprehensive shared vision to guide policy, practice, and research.

​Summit Goals

To build an awareness of and commitment to

1. Applying the expertise of the TESOL profession by
   
   
   • Dispelling myths and misperceptions about language policy, practice, and research. Important issues that are greatly clouded by myths and misperceptions include
     
     
     • Nonnative vs. native
     • The role of age in learning additional languages
     • English as a medium of instruction
     • Portraits of proficiency and success
     • The “best” English to learn/teach
     • The economic value of English
       
       
   • Creating clear and accessible examples of innovation that can be seen as applicable in actual classrooms and other contexts
     
     
   • Embedding concepts of multiple literacies, intercultural communication, critical and creative thinking, risk-taking, reflection, and life-long learning in language policy, research, and practice
     
     
   • Encouraging stakeholders—including ministries of education, administrators, teacher education institutions, classroom practitioners, researchers, teacher organizations, students, and communities—to be responsive to the multifaceted experiences students bring to the classroom.
     
     
2. Collaboration among all stakeholders by
   
   
   • Encouraging language policy makers to establish a transparent mechanism for policy-making that actively involves ministries of education, administrators, teacher education institutions, classroom practitioners, researchers, teacher organizations, community, and other relevant stakeholders
     
     
   • Encouraging the establishment of local, regional, and national quality systems for TESOL professionals with a shared accountability system among policy makers, administrators, community, parents, learners and teachers that has the following components:
     
     
     • Teacher identities
     • Standards
     • Mentoring
     • Teacher professional development: both in-service and pre-service, leading to lifelong learning
     • Licensure
     • Use and forms of assessment
     • Learning outcomes
     • Professional associations for educators
       
       
3. Enhance language learner outcomes by
   
   
   • Promoting and supporting evidence-based policy making and evaluations of the implementation of policies
     
     
   • Allocating appropriate and adequate resources to ensure maximum learner outcomes
     
     
   • Developing policies that support language diversity: mother tongues, national languages, and Englishes
     
     
   • Urging organizations and institutions to be more responsive to changes in needs and standards for English proficiency
     
     
   • Empowering TESOL professionals to promote and to be actively involved in bringing about innovation

Summit Output

To produce a working document for stating principles that a variety of stakeholders commit to supporting. This document will consist of a comprehensive vision to guide policy, practice, and research and be released at the 2018 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo, 27–30 March 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

To join the TESOL Summit online conversation, please join our online discussion group.