Category: Conference 23

Conference Countdown – 7 weeks away!

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NEAS Lifetime Member Award

With just seven weeks before the start of the 2023 NEAS Management Conference we are excited to throw this spotlight on the NEAS Lifetime Member Award.

The annual NEAS Management Conference sees the presentation of many different awards, but the most prestigious award is the NEAS Lifetime Member Award. Since its inauguration in 2019 there have been four, highly regarded recipients. They are NEAS members who have shown distinguished, meritorious, and sustained service to the ELT Sector and to NEAS and its Quality Endorsement and Assurance process in ELT. 

By popular demand we have extended this year’s Lifetime Award nomination period to 31 March 2023!

This award reflects the quality ideals that NEAS stands for and if you are thinking about nominating someone for this award, we would like to propose the following guidelines – they are by no means prescriptive, but that may help you nominate. 

For example, your nominee should have at least 15 years of English language teaching, leadership and contribution to the ELT community; a demonstrated impact (over time or distance) on building capacity, communication or advocacy by upholding the NEAS quality assurance standards; achieved something significant, such as a great outcome overcoming resistance or challenge while delivering great QA results; driven QA initiatives across multiple NEAS QA Areas, influencing significant cultural change; contributed to and/or delivered a legacy item for the ELT industry. 

Let’s not miss any silent achievers that we know of, in the nomination process! Legacy is one thing that you can’t buy but is important to many intellectuals and teachers who want to know that in the end ‘they made a difference’. 

To assist you in articulating reasons for your choice, you could start with: ”This life member has lived the NEAS values/standards by……”

To nominate your confidential suggestion for the Lifetime Award for 2023, please complete the attached JotForm and submit it by Friday 31 March 2023. Please note the NEAS Board makes the final decision on the recipient/s and all nominations remain in-confidence.

Remember, if you are coming in person, don’t forget to purchase your Gala Dinner tickets here, so that you can enjoy the entertainment, gourmet menu as well as the Awards Ceremony.

March 2023

Conference Countdown – 8 weeks and counting!

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Speaker Spotlight – A Strong ASEAN Representation!

Our Speaker Spotlight this week throws the light on the International Panel of Leading Professionals. It is our great pleasure to remind you that  Dr Choltis Dhirathiti, the Executive Director of the AUN Secretariat who currently also lectures in Politics at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, will be presenting on The Importance of the ELT Profession in Bilateral Relations among Southeast Asian Nations and the Rest of the World at this year’s NEAS Management Conference at Doltone House, Darling Harbour, Sydney, 3 – 5 May. As an eminent speaker in this panel Dr Dhirathiti will be joined by Ms Pamela Arumynathan, a Senior Teacher at James Cook University, Singapore and currently completing a PhD in Education, and Dr Alexander Nanni, Associate Dean for International Affairs at Mahidol University International College (MUIC). Their discussion promises to provide professional insight into the ELT profession and the importance of global ties. 

With just eight weeks before the conference, our Australian members are starting to benefit from strong international ties in the ASEAN Region. 

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) University Network (AUN) Secretariat continues to collaborate with NEAS as the recognised QA body in the region. A number of ASEAN ELT centres are set to start engaging with Australia and NEAS, in Bangkok on 14 March 2023. While fostering bilateral opportunities in business for our Australian members and ELT centres in the region, this initiative will ensure high quality ELT delivery. As always, the NEAS Standards will be the backbone of all QA activity, and as ASEAN member centres become endorsed, they will become important additions to the NEAS network in a global ELT community. This benefits Australia in many ways, not least in terms of Australia’s global reach in its search for high-quality employees proficient in English. We are, together with you, building a truly Global Profession of English Language Teaching organisations and professionals.

Remember, if you are coming in person, don’t forget to purchase your Gala Dinner tickets here, so that you can enjoy the entertainment, gourmet menu as well as the Awards Ceremony.

February 2023

Only 9 weeks until the 2023 NEAS Management Conference!

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Speaker Spotlight

Sandra Pitronaci

Sandra Pitronaci is National Academic Director ELICOS & Pathways at ILSC Education Group and has been actively involved in COPs throughout her ELT career. Sandra is currently Convenor of English Australia AMSIG; Classroom Talk Editor of the English Australia Journal, Newsletter; Editor and Committee Member of IATEFL LAMSIG and one of a dedicated Admin team for the 2,000+ members #AusELT online COP. At ILSC, Sandra leads the team of DOSs across ILSC Australia’s four national campuses. Sandra will be co-presenting The Building of the ELT Profession at the NEAS 2023 Management Conference with Lucas Chiusoli on Friday 5 May at 13:50.

February 20 2023

2023 NEAS Management Conference Awards Announcement

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We are thrilled to announce that this year at the 2023 NEAS Management Conference we will be presenting awards to more than 25 institutions! There will be two Award Ceremonies – one on Thursday afternoon, before the Cocktail Hour, and the other on Thursday evening during the Gala Dinner.

The first Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Learning Vault will be held on Thursday 4 May at 16:40 at Doltone House. Award categories are: Quality Provider Award – New Member (National and International); Quality Products & Services Award; Education Agent Award; Premium Product Award; Online Delivery Award and NEAS Master Practitioner Award.

The Gala Dinner special Awards Ceremony, starting at 18:00 will celebrate this year’s 

NEAS 25 Year Endorsement Award 

and the coveted

NEAS Lifetime Award 

For last year’s award recipients please see their names in lights here. Most excitingly, we are looking for YOUR nominations for the NEAS Lifetime Award. This prestigious award goes to the person who has shown distinguished, meritorious, and sustained service to the ELT Sector and to NEAS. To nominate the person who you think most suited to receive this award, you must be a Full or Associate NEAS member and the nominee cannot be a NEAS Board of staff member. 

To nominate, please complete the attached JotForm and submit it by Friday 3 March 2023. 

vote here

February 2023

Only 9 Weeks until the 2023 NEAS Management Conference

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Speaker Spotlight

Toby Jones

Toby Jones is an education technologist and industry leader in the digitisation of learning. As Head of Education at Learning Vault – vocational education content provider and Australia’s first digital badging agency – Toby leads the strategic thinking and development of RTO courses, micro-credentials and digital credentials. Toby is a passionate commentator on the future of education and the potential application of emerging technologies. Toby will be speaking on behalf of Learning Vault in the Innovation and Strategy Session at this year’s 2023 NEAS Management Conference on Friday, 5 May at 12:30 in Park View 1 at Doltone House, Darling Harbour, Sydney.

February 2023

THE 2023 NEAS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE IS ONLY 11 WEEKS AWAY!

Posted on | by Ed Itor

The countdown has started!

With a furore of activity we are well under way to welcoming you all at this year’s Management Conference. The theme of the conference has taken hold and is becoming the talk of the town as we grapple with the idea of The Profession, The Professional and Professionalism in ELT.

Nowadays, with increased scrutiny into quality standards in ELT, high professional standards are burgeoning and the number of ELT teachers up-skilling and completing Master level degrees in ELT is trending upwards at a rapid rate. ELT “requires a specialized knowledge obtained through both academic study and practical experience” (Torres – Rocha, 2019).

It is generally acceptable to say that ELT teachers and leaders are professionals because they are a “disciplined group of individuals who adhere to high ethical standards and uphold themselves to, and are accepted by, the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised, organised body of learning derived from education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and these skills in the interests of others.”(cited in Professional Standards Council, 2022)

This year’s conference is set to explore the different professional landscapes in ELT locally and globally and the impact they are having on world economy, education, and future generations.

As usual, we are pleased to be able to offer a hybrid event! With three full days of in-person activities, attendees will also be able to live-stream content, so if you can’t make it in person, you can always join us online. You can download 60+ presentations, join our virtual community events and live-stream speaker sessions.

If you are coming in person, then don’t forget to purchase your Gala Dinner tickets here, so that you can enjoy the entertainment, gourmet menu as well as the Awards Ceremony.

Speaker Spotlight

Cara Dinneen

Cara Dinneen is the Associate Director, Learning and Teaching at Macquarie University College. Cara holds a Master of TESOL, Graduate Certificate in Business Educational Leadership, Trinity Diploma of TESOL, BA Communications and is currently completing a qualification in Digital Learning Leadership. Cara has 20 years’ experience in English language teaching, teacher training and leadership, having taught and managed programs in Australia, Oman and Spain. She is a fluent Spanish speaker. 

Throughout her career, Cara has designed and managed teacher development programs for large, multi-cultural teaching departments of up to 65 staff. Cara has a strong background in teaching methodology and a creative, participant-focused approach to lesson design and teacher development. 

Cara also has a keen interest in learning and assessment design. She is currently the Head Convenor for the English Australia Assessment Special Interest Group, and her current area of research is digital learning and assessment.

Yulia Kharchenk

Yulia Kharchenko is an English language teacher and a higher degree researcher. She has taught in Russia, Ireland and Australia in a variety of tertiary, adult and migrant education settings. She currently teaches on the Graduate Certificate of TESOL at Macquarie University. Her research interests include multilingual pedagogy, language policies in education and language learner identity.

2023 Conference Announcement!

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We are extremely excited to announce the details of the 2023 NEAS Management Conference! Next year, we are extending the conference experience by offering a expanded, jam packed program! The three-day event will feature over 60 speakers from around the world, multiple social and networking events, Familiarisation Tours, an ELT Industry Roundtable and of course the popular NEAS ELT Communities of Practice events. The 2023 theme ‘English Language Teaching: The Profession, The Professional, Professionalism’  will explore the different professional landscapes in ELT locally and globally and the impact they are having on world economy, education and future generations.

We are delighted to have the phenomenal Ms Leigh Sales AM feature as the opening plenary speaker. Leigh was a multi award-winning author and journalist at the ABC and anchored the network’s prime time current affairs program 7.30 for 12 years. She was the face of the ABC’s major events coverage, including federal election and budget nights. Leigh has interviewed every living Australian Prime Minister and innumerable world leaders and celebrities from Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair to Paul McCartney and Elton John. We cannot wait to hear her weave her view on professionalism into her keynote address.

We look forward to bringing you further updates about the conference in the lead up to the event, including speaker additions, pre-conference activities and professional development. So stay tuned!

Call for Abstracts NOW OPEN!

There are a variety of speaking and participation opportunities available for the 2023 conference! The focus questions for the event are:

  1. How does quality assurance underpin our Profession?
  2. What does it mean to be an English Language Teaching Professional in Australia, ASEAN and beyond? How does this relate to the global context?
  3. What does Professionalism mean to you and how can NEAS support enhancement of English Language Teaching in Australia, ASEAN and beyond?

We would love for a wide variety of people from the ELT community to participate! We have expanded the scope of opportunities for you to put your work, research, innovations, and talents in the spotlight!

NEAS is now seeking abstracts for the below categories:

  • Plenary Speakers
  • Lightening Talks
  • Communities of Practice – Convenors
  • Communities of Practice – Panel Members
  • Sponsored Strategy Sessions
  • Performances
  • Familiarisation Tours
  • Speaker Recommendations

Those selected to take part will receive a complimentary conference ticket and will be spotlighted not only to conference attendees, but to over 14,000 stakeholders affiliated with NEAS worldwide via the NEAS News and social media platforms!

We want to put your passion on a pedestal – so submit your abstract now! Applications close on Friday 30 September.

Sponsorship Opportunities

There are a variety of conference sponsorship packages available with differentiating factors such booth size and proximity, advertising exposure and exclusive conference event sponsorship such as the gala dinner and awards ceremony. There are also a selection of sponsorship opportunities available in relation to the conference online platform, which attracted over 1450 delegates from around the world in 2022 and NEAS Online which attracts thousands of online registrations from our community each year!

It is our aim to work efficiently with you, by helping and promoting your business to achieve international exposure through sponsorship of the NEAS conference. We work with our sponsors in the lead up to the conference and look forward to seeing them in Sydney in May 2023 for our 26th annual conference. Completely virtual packages are also available.

To peruse sponsorship packages unique to your organisation please click below to view the 2023 prospectus.

Tickets

Early bird tickets will be available soon! This special pricing has been generously discounted and we are pleased to be able to offer these savings to our members! There are a variety of ticketing options next year, so if you can’t make it to Doltone House in Sydney, we’d love to see you online! You will see that we have also added extra events to the 2023 line-up. So why not attend the industry roundtable? Or the gala dinner? Or perhaps a familiarisation tour. Or why not ALL?! Click below to see 2023 ticket types and pricing.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

Posted on | by Ed Itor

A large range of sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2023 NEAS Management Conference!

Why sponsor the NEAS Conference?

CONNECTIONS
As a sponsor, you will have direct access and reach to key individuals from multiple education organisations, including Directors of Studies, Academic Managers, government officials, teachers and students (from around the world).

AUDIENCE
Inform a specific target audience about your products and services, network with likeminded delegates and generate new business relationships and sales

INSIGHT
Discover the current trends and challenges in the ELT sector and how your organisation can meet them 

BRANDING
Gain brand exposure by having your organisation’s logo on the NEAS website and conference promotional material, which links direct to your website

EDUCATION
Attend the conference and gain valuable insight into the ELT sector from our members and industry stakeholders

ADVERTISING
Ability to advertise on our website, or in our eNewsletter (NEAS News) which is distributed to over 14,000 people internationally

EMPLOYMENT CONNECTIONS
Looking for staff? Advertise your organisation’s employment opportunities on the NEAS website

Click here to peruse the 2023 packages and register your interest!

Want to know what the NEAS Management Conference is like?

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All recordings from the 2022 NEAS Management Conference are now available for viewing via NEAS Online! The 2022 theme was ‘Going Glocal: Embracing ELT Communities of Practice’ and featured over 60 speakers from around the world. We encourage you to check out the recordings to get an idea about what to expect in 2023 – stand out plenary speakers, awesome break out events and ample networking opportunities! Each session viewed is also worth one CPD point, so get cracking!

Check out all the content here.

Call for Abstracts NOW OPEN!

Posted on | by Ed Itor

English Language Teaching – The Profession, The Professional, Professionalism

There are a variety of speaking and participation opportunities available for the 2023 conference! The focus questions for the event are:

  1. How does quality assurance underpin our Profession?
  2. What does it mean to be an English Language Teaching Professional in Australia, ASEAN and beyond? How does this relate to the global context?
  3. What does Professionalism mean to you and how can NEAS support enhancement of English Language Teaching in Australia, ASEAN and beyond?

NEAS is now seeking abstracts for the below categories.

Plenary speaker

30 mins + 5 mins Q&A

Plenary presentations must be based upon the conference theme / questions.

Lightening Talk

3 mins

A strictly timed, short, sharp, engaging presentation which answers:

“What methodology or technique changed your view of yourself as a teacher / professional?”

A presentation intended to spark discussion among conference participants. The intent is for these talks to provide a venue in support of new ideas and newcomers to the ELT community. Lightning Talks are a great way to get early feedback on a work in progress, to demo a new tool or technique, or to find potential collaborators!

Communities of Practice – Convenor

30 mins + 5 mins Q&A

Are you looking for the opportunity to enrich your professional profile and unite communities within the sector? Well, why not moderate a COP workshop! The main role of the COP Convenor is to develop questions, lead a panel discussion, and encourage further engagement with the COP area during the conference. There will also be several other associated events throughout the year that the Convenor may wish to lead. There are six NEAS COP areas to choose from.

Communities of Practice – Panel Member

30 mins + 5 mins Q&A

Participate on a panel of experts to answer questions delivered by the COP Convenor. In this forum you will be able to share your professional experiences, tips, strategies, and insights. There are six NEAS COP areas to choose from.

Sponsored Strategy Session

30 mins + 5 mins Q&A

Sponsors of the NEAS Management Conference are invited to present a strategic session based around the conference theme, current industry trends or new technologies.

Performance

Up to 10 minutes

Do you have a special talent that you would like to showcase during the conference? E.g., a theatrical or creative presentation, dance, song, poetry reading or film screening? Whatever it is, we would love to see it!

Recommend a Speaker

Do you know of an awesome speaker that you think would be suitable for the NEAS 2023 Management Conference? This could be an up-and-coming teacher or professional with an interesting project to share, a company that could give a demonstration of their new and innovative technology relevant to the sector, or even a celebrity speaker that you think could nail the theme! Let us know who you want to hear from!

Familiarisation tour

In 2023, for the first time, NEAS will facilitate familiarisation tours in conjunction with five of our endorsed ELT Centres. Would you like your Centre featured on this exclusive program and itinerary? Let us know!

We want to put your passion on a pedestal – so submit your abstract now! Those selected to take part will receive a complimentary conference ticket and will be spotlighted not only to conference attendees, but to over 14,000 stakeholders affiliated with NEAS worldwide via the NEAS News and social media platforms!

Call for Abstracts applications close on Friday 30 September.

Submit your application here