SPEAKERS

The Conference has two days of incredible speakers, read a little more about them below

Meet our keynote speakers

Nikhat Shameem

  • Lecturer, Linguistics
    School of Pacific Arts, Communication and EducationThe University of the South Pacific

    Nikhat Shameem is a writer, educator and development specialist who has lived and worked in Fiji, Aotearoa, England, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the Sudan. She has worked with five Pacific Island countries in education planning and delivery and on language policies in education. A graduate of the University of the South Pacific, she has a PhD in Applied Linguistics and a DipTESL from Victoria University of Wellington and an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability from the University of Cumbria in the UK. She is currently teaching at the University of the South Pacific. Her research and scholarly articles, mainly on language and education are available on ResearchGate and Academia. She is the author of a book of poetry called Let the Conch Speak and co-editor of a book of Fiji Hindi sayings called Khatta Mittha Bàt (Bittersweet sayings). Fiji Hindi, a Girmit Hindustani, is her heritage language and her mother tongue.

  • If my language does not flourish it will die.

    Beyond survival, for my language to thrive, addressing issues in the diaspora must include language revitalisation at home.

    Language revitalisation efforts to go beyond support for survival, must ensure that a language thrives, and not just survives. This may take us beyond the rut we seem to have fallen into now, both in the countries of migration and certainly for many Pacific Island languages, at home. Despite our best efforts, the second generation of migrants in Aotearoa have preferred English over their mother tongue as their home language. Language nests have failed to ensure the mother tongue continues beyond early years as preferred home language. Our living languages have become ‘heritage’ languages. And at home where our languages need to thrive, to expand use and to ensure development we face threats from other languages of wider communication. English, Bislama, Tok Pisin, SI Pijin and even contact languages such as Raga in Vanuatu are languages which are increasingly preferred over vernacular languages in urban areas and in areas of frequent and prolonged language contact. Our languages also face threats from negative attitudes, limited use and usefulness and lack of relevance to the demands of modern life. The reality is that our own language is reduced to the language of the nuclear or extended family or at best our dwindling community of speakers.

    In this context I argue that language revitalisation efforts at home and abroad can be and must be complementary and that the mere survival of a language is insufficient to ensure intergenerational adoption, use and value.

Lynda Yates

  • Professor Lynda Yates taught English as a foreign or second language in various settings and countries, including the U.K., France, Egypt and Armenia before focussing on teacher education and professional development for practitioners and researchers at all levels ranging from initial teacher training on CELTA courses through undergraduate to Master’s and PhD level. Her ten-year involvement in the AMEP Research Centre in Australia fuelled a strong commitment to the translation of research into TESOL practice and has led to the development of a range of research projects investigating language learning inside and outside the classroom.

    She has a particular interest in the learning and teaching of spoken language, including pragmatics and pronunciation, intercultural communication, teacher professional development and international education. She is currently Honorary Professor of Linguistics at Macquarie University and consultant to Special Broadcasting Services, Australia.

  • Five As, three Ps, and lots of Rs: learning, teaching and self-preservation in the classroom

    Pulled in different directions by the competing demands of learners at different levels and with different needs, teachers can find it challenging to cater for the range of language learning journeys they find in their classrooms. While this is business as usual for many teachers, it can be very exhausting and ultimately unsustainable. In this talk I will draw on my experience as a language learner, teacher and researcher to suggest some key insights and principles that can help teachers make sense of and begin to address some of these everyday challenges.

    I will start by exploring what we know about the process of language learning, and the importance of what I have called the five As: Awareness, Attitude, Autonomy, Agency and Affordances. I then go on to examine the importance of what Derwing calls the three Ps: Pronunciation, Pragmatics and Proficiency, and consider how these can illuminate learning and teaching priorities for different kinds of learners.

    Finally, I build on these insights to reflect on how classroom activities that offer opportunities for Rehearsing, Responding to and Recycling Relevant texts, embedded in approaches that promote R and R, can offer sustainable ways of both fostering student learning and preserving teacher sanity in a wide range of educational settings.

Kindly supported by

Prof Paul Nation

  • Emeritus Professor
    School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies

    Paul Nation is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His research areas include language teaching methodology and the teaching and learning of vocabulary. His web resources site contains many free resources for teachers and researchers, including books, word lists, vocabulary tests, articles and resources for speed reading and extensive reading. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/resources/paul-nations-resources

  • Morphological awareness

    This paper looks at the importance of morphology (how words are formed) in language learning and teaching. It describes why knowledge of morphology is important, and how it affects vocabulary learning. It provides clear guidelines on what word parts to focus on, how much time to spend on word parts and what a teacher (and learners) should do about word parts. Morphological knowledge involving derivational affixes becomes particularly important when learners know the first 2000-3000 words of English. One of the major activities for developing morphological awareness is cutting words into parts and relating the meanings of the parts to the meaning of the whole word. Teachers should help learners develop morphological awareness, train learners in word part strategies, and help learners to learn frequent word parts. The paper includes activities to achieve these goals in the classroom, as well as links that provide material for classroom use.

Hona Black

  • Senior Lecturer
    Te Pūtahi a Toi: School of Māori Knowledge at Massey University

    Hona Black, a senior lecturer at Te Pūtahi a Toi: School of Māori Knowledge at Massey University, grew up in Palmerston North with Māori as his first language. He has been teaching te reo and uses this as a tool to afford others the same opportunities he received as a child. During his teaching, the 30-year-old, who has whakapapa with Ngāti Tūhoe, Tūwharetoa and Te Whānau a Apanui, struggled to find an accessible resource filled with poetic structures that embellished his ancestral language. Black has now published two books, He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes (2021) and Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour (2023).

  • In recent years, there has been a notable resurgence in efforts to revitalise and promote te reo Māori, driven by initiatives from both governmental and community sectors. This keynote explores the multifaceted opportunities and challenges encountered in the endeavour to strengthen te reo Māori in Aotearoa, particularly with the huge uptake of learning te reo by non-Māori. There is increasing recognition of the language's value in Aotearoa, with growing support for its integration into education, media, and public spaces. Additionally, technological advancements offer innovative platforms for language learning and use. However, challenges persist, including intergenerational language transmission, resource allocation, and the need for widespread societal commitment beyond the mere basics. The current political landscape has also added further challenges with the use of te reo Māori as a 'political football'. Ultimately, the journey for te reo Māori calls us to work collaboratively to ensure our indigenous language in Aotearoa flourishes today and into the future.

Meet our invited speakers

Amanda Baker

  • Associate Professor
    TESOL at the University of Wollongong, Australia

    Amanda Baker is Associate Professor in TESOL at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Amanda’s research interests focus on the dynamic relationships that exist between L2 teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and teaching practices, especially in the areas of L2 pronunciation, speaking and listening pedagogy.
    She has given several plenaries and invited presentations, workshops and seminars at national and international conferences.
    She has also published in notable journals such as TESOL Quarterly, The Journal of Asia TEFL, Applied Linguistics, Modern Language Journal, the Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, TESOL Journal and others.

  • Tackling Pronunciation with Language Learners

    This practical session provides ESOL and community language teachers with a systematic approach to teaching pronunciation to learners across a range of language proficiencies. The session begins with a brief look at traditional approaches to teaching pronunciation and then introduces a positive coaching approach to teaching pronunciation.

    Using this model, the presenter will demonstrate four categories of techniques (language awareness, controlled, guided and free techniques) and intertwine them with positive coaching principles to better support to learners’ pronunciation development. Examples of teaching vowels, consonants, stress, rhythm and intonation in English as well as some community languages will form a central component of this session.

Averil Coxhead

  • Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of School
    School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

    Averil is interested in all kinds of aspects of language learning and teaching. She is the author of Connecting corpora and language teaching (2022; Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press) and co-author of Measuring native speaker vocabulary size with Paul Nation (2021; John Benjamins) as well as English for Vocational Purposes with Jean Parkinson, James Mackay and Emma McLaughlin (2020; Routledge).

  • Vocabulary in textbooks and teacher talk

    Textbooks and teacher talk are two main sources of input in language classes. Recent research has focused on the kinds of vocabulary in such texts and what learners need to know in order to engage with the language and content they provide. This talk focuses on a number of challenges presented by vocabulary in textbooks and teacher talk (e.g. low frequency words, items that appear only once; knowledge needed to understand words in context). It also raises opportunities for learning and teaching words and phrases (e.g. multiple encounters with words; raising awareness of words in context) presented by the vocabulary in textbooks and teacher talk. In the second part of the talk, we consider what learners and teachers might do in class to help lessen the challenges and enhance the opportunities for learning and use. Suggestions include using techniques such as simple techniques for analysing the vocabulary in textbooks and activities that focus on developing vocabulary knowledge, as well as vocabulary-related episodes and ways to increase opportunities for using vocabulary. There will be time to try some activities, ask questions and reflect on our own teaching materials and teacher talk.

Peter Gu

  • Associate Professor
    School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

    Peter Yongqi Gu is Associate Professor at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Peter’s main research interests include language learning strategies and language assessment. His recent book, Classroom-Based Formative Assessment (FLTRP) aims to help language teachers develop assessment literacy for formative purposes.

  • Formative assessment for the language classroom: Why, what, and how

    Formative assessment has been a buzzword for at least two decades in the mainstream schooling system. It is, however, still a Cinderella in assessing English as a second language here in New Zealand. Among a few reasons, the elusive concept and the lack of clarity as to how formative assessment can be enacted inside the classroom must be major hurdles that have prevented the implementation of formative assessment.

    This presentation focuses on the why, what, and how of formative assessment for the classroom teacher. I will mainly focus on the operationalisation of the concept which hopefully clarifies implementation processes. I will use transcripts from real classrooms and an example from a teacher continuing professional development programme to show not only the how of formative assessment but also its promising effect in improving student learning.

Rachael Ruegg

  • Senior Lecturer
    School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

    Dr. Rachael Ruegg is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.

    She has more than 20 years’ experience teaching language and academic skills to students at a range of levels. Her main area of interest is Academic writing, which she has taught at three universities over the last 15 years.

    Her research interests include teaching and assessment of writing, teaching and assessment of English for Academic Purposes as the use of English as a medium of instruction in non-Anglophone countries and regions.

  • Supporting L2 learners’ writing development

    A traditional view of writing may consider that a writing teacher’s job is to develop interesting writing tasks and to mark those tasks after students have completed them. However, the most significant development of writing skills comes through scaffolding offered to support students (and removing that scaffolding when it is no longer needed), teaching them effective processes and strategies for writing and providing feedback on students’ work. Furthermore, while supporting students, we need to pay attention to their educational and language proficiency levels, support their autonomy and agency, and increase their engagement in writing. This presentation will discuss a range of evidence-based approaches to supporting L2 learners during the process of learning to write.

Meet our MCs

Anna Dowling

Nicky Riddiford

Anna Dowling and Nicky Riddiford teach at Victoria University of Wellington in the English Language Institute, School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.

Anna has taught on the English for Academic Purposes programme at Victoria University of Wellington since 2016. She previously taught on the English Language Training for Officials from Africa and undergraduate courses at Victoria, and at language schools in Wellington and in Paris. Her particular areas of interest are writing, pronunciation, assessment, and learner autonomy.

Nicky has taught for over 35 years in the areas of English for Academic Purposes, workplace communication and teacher training. She is a member of the Language in the Workplace Project research team at Victoria University. Nicky is the author of Song Talk: songs for English language learners, Communicating effectively in a job interview: a resource for newcomers to New Zealand, and co-author of the textbook: Workplace Talk in Action: An ESOL Resource. She is chair of WATESOL (Wellington branch of TESOLANZ).