The Embassy participated in the annual Argentina Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ARTESOL) conference with a series of presentations, materials and a pre-conference institute on the use of American young adult literature in the language classroom. More than 270 English language teachers from across Argentina attended the professional development conference.
Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Mark Naylor gave two keynote presentations, one on American English resources and online tools, and the second on English teaching through culture focusing on Fairs and Festivals in the United States. Current English Language Fellows in Argentina, Mathilde Verillaud and Kennis Look, also participated as speakers on behalf of the Embassy.
Ms. Verillaud and Mr. Look are currently on a 10 month fellowship in Argentina, based in Rosario and Mendoza respectively, to serve as a resource for English teachers across the country. Additionally, twelve of the Embassy’s International Exchange Alumni made presentations, many of them highlighting their exchange experiences in the United States. Six alumni of the Young Adult Literature program at Michigan State University gave the pre-conference institute.
Embassy staff distributed English Language teaching materials to all attendees, including copies of the Trace Effects video game (also available online at http://americanenglish.state.gov/trace-effects) and copies of the English Language Teaching FORUM magazine.
Embassy-sponsored U.S. bluegrass musician, Joe Troop, also performed a free concert as a part of the conference.
For more information on the Embassy’s English language teaching and learning resources, please visit the Embassy’s English teaching page or the Department of State’s American English page.
