PennTESOL-East Conference
Immaculata University, College of Graduate Studies, joined with PennTESOL-East (PTE) to help PTE kick off its Silver Anniversary Year at the Fall 2005 Conference.
On November 5, approximately 140 TESOL practitioners participated in the conference. The PTE Executive Committee and Conference Chair, Kwang Lee, put together a rich range of professional opportunities: paper presentations, demonstrations, workshops, publisher exhibits, and an inspiring plenary presentation. Valuable informal networking took place in the halls, over snacks, around exhibitors’ stands, and at lunch. Conference support was provided by various university offices, including the College of Graduate Studies and the Coordinator of the Cultural & Linguistic Diversity Program.
PennTESOL-East invited the very inspiring Dr. Graciela Slesaransky-Poe (Arcadia University) to speak on “ESL Students: Meeting Diverse Needs.” She has an extensive history of working with and advocating for enhancing educational and community experiences of people with disabilities, both here in the United States and in Argentina, her country of origin. Her areas of expertise and advocacy include inclusive education practices for students of diverse abilities and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. She has received two national awards for her research, has published and presented in over 30 national and international professional conferences in the topics of teacher preparation, inclusive education practices, and what she calls racial profiling in education. Her latest presentation Racial Profiling in Education: A New Dimension to the Unfulfilled Promise of Brown v. Board was a “showcase session” at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2005 National Convention. (From PTE website, Past Conferences, 6/13/06)
Plenary Speaker: Graciela Slesaransky-Poe, Arcadia University
This was the first time that the Cultural & Linguistic Diversity Program, College of Graduate Studies has hosted a PTE Conference. The renovations of Loyola Hall and recent experiences in hosting three ESL Governor’s Institutes, has given Immaculata the capacity to expand its participation in regional TESOL activities. Participants were impressed with the beauty of the campus, although for some, trying to find Immaculata was a “first-timer’s” challenge! Once there, Loyola Hall provided a very pleasant venue as well as well as “smart” classrooms and a large hall for presentations; the Open Door (Alumni Hall) was the setting for lunch.