Representation

Ni Luh Nyoman Seri Malini, Coordinator of Bali and Nusa Tenggara Chapter/Udayana University, was honoured to be invited by MELTA as featured speaker on the 32^nd MELTA International Conference on English Language Teaching Education held on 21-22 September 2024 at Brickfield Asia College, Petaling Jaya Selangor Malaysia. She presented her collaborative research with I Gusti Ayu Vina Widiadnya Putri (Mahasaraswati University) entitled Micro and Macrostructural Configurations as Gender Representation In Indonesian Text Book.

The purposes of the conferences are to provide opportunities for researchers and classroom practitioners in the field of English language education to share their work and encourage greater engagement with peers and to provide students with a platform to showcase their projects in STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading & Writing, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) through oral presentations using the English language in line with with the theme ‘From Promise to Practice: Delivering Quality English Language Education.

During the conference, participant attended workshop, showcase from teacher, exhibitions, echoes from classroom, prominent speakers from government, academician, teachers and practitioners. In order to fulfil certain partnership agreements, learn about how other conferences and associations are run, make contacts in the international community and building an awareness of the association abroad, this conferences also attended by MELTA’s partners namely BELTA (Bangladesh English Language Teachers Association), Thai TESOL (Thailand TESOL), NELTA (Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association), Africa ELTA (the Africa English Language Teacher Association), and many more English teacher Association.

Indonesia was one the eight countries having the opportunity provided by the BNU Zhuhai OC of the 2024 Global English Education China Assembly and the 2024 Understanding China: Seminar on International Education Cooperation. (BNU Zhuhai = Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai). The Indonesian delegates consist of two representatives from TEFLIN (Suwarsih Madya from UST, Yazid Busthomi from UM) and … others, each from Musamus University, Brawijaya University, Indonesia Education University, State Islamic University of Bandung, Gunung Jati State Islamic University). Of these, two presented a paper, i.e. one at the 2024 Global English Education China Assembly and the other at the 2024 Understanding China. Other participants were the honorary participants, labeled as VIPs in the badge.

The 2024 Understanding China Seminar on International Education Cooperation was organized to support the achievement of the BRLCN’s long-term goal of establishing “a two-way exchange platform between Chinese universities and overseas educational institutions.” Its short-term objective is “to facilitate the opening up of Chinese high-level education and support global education development.” With its headquarter in Beijing, the BRLCN is “a cross-regional, cross linguistic, and open international cooperation mechanism in the field of language and culture, that is “committed to working its member organizations and other partners to strengthen the alignment of language education policies, enhance the quality of language education in all participating countries, and promote language connectivity within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework.” The network also seeks to strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries, promoting the influence of the BRI, and to contribute to implementing the BRI.

For the 2024 Understanding China Seminar on International Education Cooperation, 33 universities from 8 countries were invited to send their delegates: 3 from Bangladesh, 5 from Russia, 5 from Indonesia, 3 from Malaysia, 2 from Nepal, 1 from Thailand, 2 from
Mongolia, and 12 from the host China. The seminar presented seven invited speakers: 6 from China, 1 from Russia, and 1 from Indonesia. The seminar is yearly held in integration with the 2024 Global English Education China Assembly. The 2024 Global English Education China Assembly presented 450 papers by English teaching academics from 17 countries, with 420 from China and the rest from 15 other countries. The integration was realized by having the participants of both events in the plenary sessions in the morning.

Representing TEFLIN, Prof Suwarsih Madya and Yazid Basthomi attended the conference held at Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, from 26 to 28 July 2024.

The conference has the aim of promoting cultural exchanges and educational cooperation among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (the Belt and Road Languages and Cultures Network) which has a long-term goal of establishing a two-way exchange platform between Chinese universities and overseas educational institutions.

The conference held under the overarching Belt and Road platform has the aim of facilitating the opening up of Chinese high-level education and support global education development.

Jointly organized, interestingly, the conference was part of the activities of China Daily. This demonstrates that as a company working in the realm of news production and distribution, China Daily plays a pivotal roles in the discussion around the position of English language in the communications around the globe.

Issy Yuliasri, Coordinator of TEFLIN Central Java Chapter, represented TEFLIN to attend the 58^th RELC International Conference: Re-humanizing, Re-conceptualizing, and Reimagining Language Teaching and Learning for Education 5.0 in Singapore, March 11-13, 2024. She spoke as a featured speaker on the topic “How Indonesian EFL Teachers Cope with Education 5.0”.

TEFLIN was invited to attend the 20^th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching, at the Institute of Technology Cambodia (ITC), Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 23-25 February 2024.

TEFLIN sent a representative from the Regional Coordinator for the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Dr. Ed. Dyah Setyowati Ciptaningrum, to attend this activity as a Featured Speaker.

CamTESOL is a professional organization organized by IDP Education in collaboration with local ELT institutions in Cambodia and with the support of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. CamTESOL has hosted an annual international conference since 2005.

In addition to introducing TEFLIN, Dr. Ed. Dyah Setyowati Ciptaningrum also presented her paper entitled Instilling character in English Language Learning Materials for Generation Z in Indonesian Context.

Professor Zuliati Rohmah, the Regional Coordinator for TEFLIN East Java chapter, attended The 43^rd Thailand TESOL International Conference 2024 as an invited speaker representing TEFLIN. The conference was organized by Thailand TESOL on 26-27 January 2024 in the Empress Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Her presentation discusses the activities that Professor Zuliati and her team have done in training teachers to design multimodal texts to promote multimodal literacy among students. The program has been conducted with the collaboration between Universitas Brawijaya, TEFLIN and supported by the British Council. About two hundred fifty teachers were involved in the program consisting of two days online seminars, five mentoring sessions, and three offline sessions with teachers in East Java, Nusa Tenggara Barat and Sumatera Barat. The teachers admitted to enjoy the sessions and learned a lot from the program. Due its success, Professor Zuliati is keen to share the experience with colleagues worldwide through the international conference in Chiang Mai. Thai TESOL conferences are held annually.

The 43^rd Thailand TESOL International Conference 2024 is held in Empress Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand. The 43^rd Thailand TESOL International Conference invites TESOL practitioners from a variety of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary fields to capture insightful ELT ground-breaking research, pedagogies, materials and innovations for current and future endeavors at local and global contexts.

The committee welcomes and invites TESOL community members worldwide in the following, but not limited to: ELT professional development, Localization and globalization in ELT, EMI (English Medium Instruction), Translanguaging, Intercultural communication, Teaching culture, Global Englishes, Literacy and 21^st Century skills in ELT, Bilingual and multilingual education, Language awareness and literature, ELT innovative pedagogy, Digital literacy in ELT, ELT innovation and technology, Innovative approaches in ELT research, Curriculum and materials development, Language testing and assessment, Psychology for language teaching and learning , Teaching young learners. The conference website is accessible at tesol.conferences.in.th.

M. Zaim, the Vice President of TEFLIN, was honored to be invited by the Japan Association of Language Teaching (JALT) to present a paper at the JALT 2023 Conference. This prestigious event, themed “Growth Mindset in Language Education,” unfolded from November 24 to 27, 2023, in Tsukuba City. Attended by educators, teachers, non-formal education instructors, book authors, and researchers from various countries worldwide, the conference provided a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

Among the distinguished speakers at the JALT 2023 Conference were Prof. Gary Barkhuizen from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, who explored “Teacher Mindset Stories: What Happens When Teacher Identity and Teacher Mindsets Meet?”; Prof. Judy Noguchi from Kobe Gakuin University, whose presentation delved into “Learning: The Never-Ending Life Adventure”; and Kathleen Kampa, who discussed “Planting the Seeds of a Growth Mindset.” Notably, Prof. M. Zaim from TEFLIN addressed the critical topic of “Promoting Growth Mindset in Professional Teacher Education in Indonesia.” He outlined the implementation of the MERDEKA learning steps, emphasizing self-reflection, concept exploration, collaborative problem-solving, demonstration of acquired knowledge and skills, integration of learning material with other knowledge, reflection on experienced changes, and action-taking in the classroom.

In addition to TEFLIN, JALT invited representatives from various JALT Affiliates to share their insights. These included the English Teachers’ Association of the Republic of China (ETA-ROC), Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (KOTESOL), Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA), Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA), Thailand TESOL (ThaiTESOL), and The Philippine Association for Language Teaching (PALT). The conference marked a significant milestone by initiating the formation of the Pan-Asian Consortium Forum, serving as a collaborative platform for PAC members to exchange ideas and explore ways to enhance language education in Asia.

The participation of TEFLIN representatives at this conference significantly contributed to the discourse on growth mindset in the context of language learning in Indonesia. Additionally, TEFLIN representatives showcased the organization’s efforts to enhance teacher competency in Indonesia and foster collaborations with similar organizations worldwide, particularly in Asia.

Currently serving as the Kalimantan Timur Chapter’s TEFLIN coordinator, Sudarman was given the chance to represent TEFLIN at the 11^th British Council New Directions in Language Assessment East Asia 2023 conference, which took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 27–29, 2023. English language practitioners, instructors, lecturers, and researchers around the globe, particularly in East Asia, attended the three-day conference, which was hosted by British Council Vietnam. This year’s conference theme, The Future of English Language Assessment in Learning Systems, offered a stimulating framework for conversations about assessment’s function as a catalyst for learning and reform in educational institutions.

The opening ceremony for the conference was held at Vietnam National University on the first day of the event. In addition to Sudarman, two other members of the TEFLIN board, Dr. Itje Chodidjah and Sisilia Setiawati Halimi, Ph.D., also joined the conference as featured speakers and panelists. Dr. Itje Chodidjah discussed assessment as learning enabler in teaching young learners in Indonesia in a panel session which was conducted on the third day of the conference in British University Vietnam, while Dr. Sisilia Halimi took part in a parallel session as a presenter on the second day of the conference.

Maria Hidayati, TEFLIN Secretary general, had the honor of representing the association at the invitation of China Daily for their prestigious event at the Belt and Road Youth Speaking Competition and the Belt and Road Forum. The event unfolded over the course of five days, from 13 – 17 October 2023, and spanned two different cities in China, specifically Jiangsu and Beijing. Before attending the Belt and Road forum, Maria Hidayati was requested to be one of the judges for the Belt and Road Youth Speaking Competition on 13 October 2023, hosted in Jiangsu Province.

This significant involvement and representation of TEFLIN and Maria Hidayati at the Belt and Road Youth Speaking Competition and the Belt and Road Meeting exemplify the association’s commitment to fostering cross-cultural exchange and promoting the importance of English language teaching on the global stage.

Reported by Maria Hidayati

Ika Lestari Damayanti, the coordinator of TEFLIN Cooperation Division, represents TEFLIN as one of the panel speakers at Belt and Road Forum for Language and Cultural Collaboration. She together with others speakers from SEAMEO RELC-Singapore, BRAZ-TESOL-Brazil, NATE-Russia, BELTA-Bangladesh, and TESOL-Italy discussed a topic focusing on Cultural Exchange and Regional Cooperation. This panel session was chaired by Prof. Lixian Jin, who interactively involved all the speakers to firstly introduce and describe missions of the speakers’ organizations and associations. Following the introduction, all speakers talked about challenges that their organizations/associations face for intercultural interactions and collaborations within their own country/area and with other countries/areas. Finally, the panel speakers proposed and discussed solutions or strategies that they aimed to achieve so that they can establish effective intercultural interaction and build mutual international collaborations.