Representation

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.

Dr. Nur Arifah Drajati, the Head of Teacher Professional Development (TPD) at TEFLIN, demonstrated effective leadership alongside Hilda Rakerda, M.Pd., a dedicated member of TPD, in orchestrating a substantial webinar titled “Teachers as Researchers”.

Conducted online from July 15 to August 14, 2023, the event garnered active participation from 127 English teachers across diverse regions in Indonesia. The program not only facilitated knowledge exchange but also recognized participants who engaged in all sessions and fulfilled attendance and reflection requirements, awarding them certificates of participation—a tangible outcome highlighting the program’s impact.

The webinar featured distinguished speakers, including Assoc. Prof. Victor LimFei, Ph.D from NIE (National Institute of Education), Dr. Itje Chodidjah, M.A, from UPI (Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia), and Dra. Dewi Rochsantiningsih, M. Ed, Ph.D from UNS (Universitas Sebelas Maret). The overarching goal was to empower English teachers with insights into Best Practice research, equipping them with the skills needed to articulate their findings through Best Practice papers.

The success of this noteworthy webinar is now documented on both the TEFLIN website and YouTube channel, ensuring continual access to its valuable content. TEFLIN’s commitment to sustained collaboration within the Teacher Professional Development division, aimed at future training and scientific publications, underscores its dedication to advancing teacher competency in Indonesia. By embracing a collaborative approach and leveraging digital platforms, TEFLIN positions itself as a guiding force in the realm of teacher professional development. The outcomes of the webinar serve as a best practice model for future initiatives, aligning seamlessly with TEFLIN’s overarching mission to foster national and international collaborations for the perpetual enhancement of English language education.

It was such an honour for me to be selected as an invited speaker for JACET conference in Tokyo, representing TEFLIN. In this session I talked about the policy around teaching English to young learners in Indonesia. This topic, which I together with Dr Diah Meisani from Univ Brawijaya have co-authored, will be published as a chapter in a forthcoming book. Thank you TEFLIN President, Prof Utami Widiati who gave me the chance to represent TEFLIN, ibu Itje Chodidjah and bapak Subhan Zein who always inspire me especially in the world of TEYL. Thank you Prof Masaki Oda who has been very generous hosting the conference 30 August 2023, Meiji University.

As for the conference itself, it was held as a collaboration between TEFLIN and JACET at Kyoto University under the theme Collaboration and Relativization in English Language Education. There participants discussed not only how to create collaborative relationships with colleagues in related fields such as educational technology and the teaching of foreign languages other than English, but also how to work together with colleagues in other English language education societies in Japan. Ten years have passed since then, and the circumstances surrounding research and practice in English education have changed much more than we could have imagined. We believe that to ensure we can surmount sudden changes in the field of English language education in the future, we must revisit the fundamentals of language education and consider anew the direction we think language education should take. In addition, to connect with future generations, we believe we must not only reaffirm our cooperation with those in the field of language education proper, but also with those in fields of study related to education. At this year’s conference, we wish to discuss new possibilities for the future of language education under the theme, Reconstruction and Development of Collaboration in Language Education.

My recent visit to Kuala Lumpur to attend the 31st MELTA International Conference took place at Universiti Malaya from 26th to 27th August 2023. The conference was an enriching experience that provided valuable insights into the field of English language teaching and learning. The conference featured a lineup of distinguished keynote speakers who shared their expertise on various topics related to English language education. The conference program included a diverse range of workshops, sessions, and panel discussions covering a wide spectrum of subjects. Attendees had the opportunity to choose sessions that aligned with their interests and professional development goals.

One of the most valuable aspects of the conference was the networking opportunities it provided. I had the chance to connect with educators, researchers, and practitioners. These interactions facilitated the exchange of ideas and experiences, creating a platform for potential collaborations. Attending the 31st MELTA International Conference was an invaluable experience that provided deep insights into the everevolving landscape of English language teaching and learning. The knowledge gained, connections established, and ideas exchanged will undoubtedly contribute to my professional growth and teaching practices and TEFLIN long-lasting partnership with MELTA.