Literacy experts from Bow Valley College and around the world recently gathered in Banff to attend two conferences: the Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition (LESLLA) conference and the Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) conference.

Theresa Wall, full-time BVC ESL instructor, coordinated the fifth annual LESLLA conference. Others from BVC took part in more than 10 presentations, showcased applied research projects and promoted the newly launched Learning for LIFE: An ESL Literacy Handbook.

“Bow Valley College made a name for itself internationally at the conferences,” says Terri Huck, ESL coordinator. “People were really impressed with what we are doing. As a result, I hope Canada will have more of a voice in the field of second language literacy.”

Wall attended the LESLLA conference in Belgium last year, where the seeds for the Banff conference were sown.

“When I was at the conference in Belgium, I saw an opportunity to bring the conference to Canada.  Knowing that the TESL conference was being held in Banff in October 2009, I thought it would be a perfect fit to have both conferences on the same weekend,” she says.

After getting the approval and support from the coordinators in ESL, Wall began the planning process with the assistance of Monica Leong, ESL consultant.  The support of the coordinators made the conference possible, Wall says.

Theresa Wall, Larry Condelli, Jeanne Kurvers, Heide Spruck Wrigley, Monica Leong, Nancy Faux, Ineke Van de Craars

BVC had numerous presenters at the conferences: Hana Imai, Diane Hardy, Valerie Millar, Heidi Macfarlane, Margaret Downey, Nicole Estabrooks, Megan Taillon, Shelagh Lenon, Danielle St. Jules, and Maureen Stewart.  The speakers at the conferences assisted in motivating others by sharing research, ideas and inspiration with attendees. Some of the topics presented included: Building ESL Literacy Communities (Imai and Hardy) and research on Learning Circles (Millar). Follow this link to watch Millar on video: http://thecurrent.bowvalleycollege.ca/2009/10/14/applied-research-and-innovation-video-showcase/