TESOL Part 1: My Experience

I really enjoyed TESOL this year. I won't talk about the things I didn't particulary like about the conference organization. I think that there were some problems that could have been devastating to my experience. I complained a lot about then, but I made sure I would have an awesome time at TESOL.

How did I do it? Well, that's a good question. I took a different approach to TESOL this year.

Previous Approach: I wanted to get the biggest bang for my Institution's Buck. I made sure that I went to all the sessions I possibly could. For example, even if I couldn't find something I like during the 10am sessions, I would pick the one that seemed the least painful to go to and go to it. This made for a long day filled with unproductive sessions.

New Approach: This year, I only went to sessions I really wanted to go to. I probably went to half as many sessions, but I found it to be much more beneficial. I didn't go to as many sessions, but I felt like I learned just as much.

How was this more productive?

  1. I was more alert and enthusiastic about the sessions I actually went to.

  2. I found some interesting thing to do when I wasn't in a session.


What did I do?

I really enjoyed the electronic village. They have presentations, but they are smaller and more hands on. At first I thought that I wouldn't learn anything, but actually I learned a lot. These activities combined with interviews with possible employers, networking, and quality discussions with publishers, I really filled the gap. This was a great conference!

Check back later for more details!

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