Bangalore, 24 February 2015: Over 1,000 teacher educators, ministerial officials, heads of universities and colleges, representatives of the vocational sector, senior academic staff, directors of NGOs and policymakers from over 30 countries across the globe will be in Hyderabad from 27 February 2015 to 1 March 2015 to attend the fifth International English Language Teacher Educator Conference (TEC 15), one of the world’s largest conferences for English language teacher educators.
Organised by the British Council in association with the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad (EFL-U), the conference will be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Novotel, near Hi-tech City, Hyderabad.
Other partners and sponsors include Cambridge University Press, Collins India, British Council IELTS, British Council Aptis, Regional English Language Office (RELO), TESS India, Oxford University Press, Brain feed and Education World.
Each year the conference focuses on a certain theme. This year the theme is ‘Ensuring Quality in English Language Teacher Education’ in the belief that quality in teachers’ learning leads to better learning outcomes for learners. The theme will allow a wide-ranging exploration of teacher education in India and beyond, with a focus on quality in both pre-service education and in-service training.
Says Mei-kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India: “We are delighted to partner with EFL-U and other partners and sponsors for the fifth year of the international teacher educator conference (TEC 15). Over 5,000 delegates have been part of the conference over the last five years and there have been over 50,000 online viewers participating virtually at the international teacher educator conference. Through our ongoing English language partnership projects across India we engage with a range of stakeholders to support the improvement of teaching and learning of English and reach out to wider audiences.”
Over 100 experts and renowned scholars from the UK, India and other countries will speak at the conference, including practicing teacher educators from India and the region. They will discuss:
- policy and quality initiatives
- the quality of curriculum, materials and methods in English language teacher education
- monitoring and evaluation of teacher education programmes.
The conference will also see the launch of the Survey of English Language Teaching (ELT) Research in India, developed by EFL University and the University of Warwick and other research initiatives. This survey, the first of its kind for ELT in India, is a free, searchable dynamic online research database of first level information on research items, developed by EFL University and the University of Warwick. The database has over 350 research items from 2005-2014, with inputs from over 50 institutions from all over India. This follows the soft launch of the database last year when the research from EFLU was showcased.
The annual Teacher Educator Conference is co-hosted by the English and Foreign Languages University (EFL-U) and British Council India.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.
The British Council has been teaching English for more than 75 years. We reach 100 million people in over 100 countries and support teachers and learners with comprehensive and innovative learning resources. As the world’s English experts we work with governments, institutions, teachers and learners to provide English language learning and teaching solutions that create life-changing opportunities for individuals and their future prosperity.
In India we offer a full range of our English Language services by:
- working with policy makers and partners in teacher development projects
- commissioning and promoting research and publications
- organising workshops, seminars, debates and conferences
- using a collaborative approach to Quality Assurance systems
- carrying out consultancy and training for corporate clients
- delivering services to learners through our teaching centres
- delivering services to learners through digital and self-access resources
- delivering examinations and working with partners on assessment
EFLU is one of the 39 central universities in India. Based in Hyderabad, it has over two hundred faculty members across three campuses, all of whom have specialised in different aspects of language study and language education. A primary purpose of EFLU is to train language teachers in methods and approaches appropriate to the Indian context, and it has been at the forefront of teacher education enterprises and research since its founding 56 years ago. It was previously known as the Central Institute of English. A number of eminent scholars from the university will be featured at this year’s Teacher Educator Conference, showcasing the innovative work that the university does in the area of teacher education and language teaching.