Key Speaker's Report on the 14 th International Conference
- Prof. Rebecca L. Oxford, Ph.D., University of Maryland
NELTA Conference in Kathmandu
The conference in Kathmandu was beyond my expectations in its organization and delivery. I believe that NELTA is an exceptional organization, from its President, Senior Vice President, General Secretary, and the other officers to the branch representatives from various parts of the country. It was clear that NELTA enjoys the strong support of the U.S. State Department (Mr. Berry, Mr. Larsen, Mr. Humnicky, and Mr. Amod Bhattarai) and the British Council (Ms. Paula Middleton and her officials), and such support is definitely warranted. I was impressed by the very detailed, multi-session, three-day program chaired by Prof. Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai, who, at the end of the NELTA Conference in Kathmandu , gave me a copy of his excellent edited book of stories on conflict.
NELTA was able to attract top-notch speakers from the U.K., the U.S., India, the U.A.E., Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, Iran, Hong Kong, Japan, and, of course, Nepal itself. I was surprised and pleased at the number of countries involved. It was a pleasure to be on the podium with Dr. Tony Wright of the U.K. and to hear his inspiring presentations, as well as seeing the excellent interactive presentation of Dr. Richard Boyum of the State Department, India. I listened to many other presentations and was glad that I was there to learn and to share ideas.
I was also struck with the size of the audience. The first day of the conference there were 700 participants. The number of participants continued to be quite high throughout the conference – a remarkable feat, showing how hungry Nepali English teachers are for this kind of professional meeting.
I gave two major presentations: a keynote entitled, “English in a Changing Perspective: Why Students Need Learning Strategies,” and a plenary entitled, “Why Peace Education in EFL Is Important for a Global Society.” Both of these seem to have been well received. I felt energized by the audience, and it seemed to be a two-way phenomenon.
I delivered a presentation on “Exciting Activities to Motivate Students in Listening and Speaking” in one of the large classrooms. The crowd filled all the chairs, sat on the floor until all available space was taken, and, when the room was filled, massed in large numbers in the doorway. It was over 100. The presentation largely addressed how to motivate students to produce English in the EFL classroom.
If I could respectfully make a suggestion, it would be to try to have more women in the NELTA Conference organizing committee or as officers of NELTA. There are some fine women EFL teachers in Nepal who could join with the men in providing leadership. I think that NELTA might already be taking steps in this direction.
NELTA Sessions in Pokhara
In Pokhara I presented a NELTA lecture on learning strategies at a university and then co-led (with Mr. Kamal Poudel) a two-day, NELTA-sponsored training of trainers. I enjoyed the former a lot. I found the latter to be very exciting, largely because of the chemistry and responsiveness of the group, the topics I presented, and the talent of Mr. Poudel, who has received professional training and certification at a high level as an EFL teacher trainer. I presented on a variety of topics related to EFL classroom needs and culture. I want to congratulate Mr. Poudel for his tremendous expertise.
Follow-up Session in Kathmandu
Upon returning to Kathmandu , I made a presentation on learning strategies for professors at various universities, as organized by NELTA. I found it interesting that some professors believed they knew a lot about the topic but found that they needed to know much more. I shared as much as I could from my forthcoming book, Teaching and Researching Language Learning Strategies .
This session was a very good immersion for me in the academic culture of Kathmandu . The session was probably as much a diplomatic visit representing NELTA and the State Department as it was an information-sharing session. I am pleased that I could help in this way.
While in Kathmandu I had the good fortune to spend time with Dr. Boyum and Cathy Healey, as well as Gretchen Coppedge, EFL Fellow. This was an excellent experience, helping me enjoy the culture and learn much more. I also saw my niece, who is an AIDS doctor in Kathmandu and many other locations in Nepal .
