Conference Proposal Writing Workshop:

“Tricks of the Trade”

Karen L. Newman, Ohio State UniversityRobert B. Griffin, Oklahoma City University

Introductions

• Presenters

• Participants

Questions• Q: Who is attending their first TESOL convention?

• Welcome, new members!

• Q: Who has written a conference proposal or abstract before?

• Q: Who has been successful with having their conference proposals accepted?

• Q: To what do you credit your success?

• Q: To what do you credit a lack of success?

Our Goals Today

• To share information about submitting presentation proposals to TESOL

• To share tips for writing successful TESOL proposals

• To begin working on a proposal for TESOL 2011 with you

• To encourage you to submit your proposal to TESOL!

Intended Audience

• First-time TESOL conference attendees• First-time presenters• Potential first-time presenters• Presenters who’d like to boost their proposal

acceptance rates• Graduate students• Teachers• Program staff and directors• Novice faculty members• Researchers• Other?

Proposal FAQs• Why should I submit a proposal?

• Does it cost anything to submit a proposal?

• How long does it take to write a proposal?

• What is the acceptance rate for TESOL proposals?

• Are professors preferred over students and teachers when it comes to getting proposals accepted?

• When do I submit proposals?

• Can I submit multiple proposals?

• If my proposal is accepted, does TESOL pay me to present my paper?

• What if I can’t afford to attend the conference to present my paper? (see p. 22 - TESOL Awards!)

Proposal FAQs

• What is the difference between a proposal and abstract?

• Are all conference proposals the “same”?

• What are the differences between the presentation formats?

• Is one format “better” than another?

• Which interest section should I submit my proposal to?

• Does my study or project have to be “finished” before I submit my proposal?

Proposal FAQs

• Can I submit the same proposal to multiple conferences?

• What happens if my proposal gets rejected? Accepted?

• Who reads the proposals?

• What is the turnaround time for proposal review?

• Do I get specific feedback on my proposal?

• What qualities make a strong proposal?

What Qualities Make a Strong Proposal?

• “Genre” with distinctive “moves”• See Swales & Feak (2009), Abstracts and the

writing of abstracts

• Formulaic writing (not “creative writing”)

• Specific “rules” govern proposal writing• Premise: These rules can be learned!

• Crucial: Adhere to the conference’s stated criteria and directions (or else!)

TESOL 2011 New Orleans: Proposals

• “TESOL 2011 Call for Proposals” info now available online at TESOL homepage, www.tesol.org• http://www.tesolmedia.com/docs/convention2011/TESOL2011Call

forProposals.pdf• See p. 5-6 for proposal evaluation criteria• Link to online proposal submission system also available

• Deadline: June 1, 2010, 5 p.m. • No late submissions accepted• Online submission only• Three Interest Section adjudicators (volunteer peers) blind-review

submissions• Acceptance or rejection notification via email, early October 2010

• Follow submission directions precisely

TESOL Proposal Submission Process

• Select appropriate Interest Section (IS)• Applied Linguistics• English as a Foreign Language • English for Specific Purposes• Bilingual Education• Higher Education• Intensive English Programs• Intercultural Communication• Computer Assisted Language Learning• Secondary Schools• Adult Education• Elementary Education• International Teaching Assistants• Teacher Education• Non-native English Speaking Teachers• Material Writers • Program Administration• Refugee Concerns • Second Language Writing • Social Responsibility• Speech/Listening/Pronunciation • Video Digital Media

Elements of the Proposal

• The proposal consists of:• Title (max. 10 words)• Abstract (max. 50 words)• Summary (max. 300 words)

• Carefully address each of the 6 stated Proposal Evaluation Criteria• Total possible score of 30 pts.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria (5 pts. each)

1. Proposal Title2. Purpose & Session Type3. Currency, Importance, and Appropriateness

of Topic to the Field and the Interest Section4. Focus and Organization of Content (based

on the proposal type)5. Clarity of Proposal & Participant Outcomes6. Theory, Practice, and/or Research

Contribution to the Convention and/or the Field or Interest Section

1. Proposal Title

• Rate the following titles using the Proposal Rating Rubric and be ready to defend your score

• If you gave a title low score, suggest a stronger title

1. ESL for Children2. Changing Attitudes Toward ELLs3. Uses of Digital Media with EFL Learners in Asia4. An Awakening in In-Service Teacher Training for English

Language Learners5. How I use my District’s ESL Textbook6. Deconstructing Online Identity: A Self-Study of Three

TESOL Professors7. Hot Tips for Tired Teachers: Developing Effective Picture

Files

1. Proposal Title

• Create a title for your TESOL 2011 Proposal• Consider:

• A current [research] project(s) you’re working on, and/or

• Your current teaching or employment context: • A technique, tool, material(s), etc. to share with fellow

teachers, and/or• An interesting “problem” you have encountered in your

current teaching or work, and how you addressed/solved the issue

• Other?

• Share with 2 partners and solicit suggestions

2. Purpose and Session Type

• Write responses to the following:

1. What are your goals/objectives for your presentation?

2. What do you want participants to “do” or learn?

3. What will you share, and how will you share it?

4. How will you make your content compelling?

Choose Your Presentation Type

Which format would be most appropriate for your intended audience?

Presentation Length

Colloquium 1 hour 45 minutes

Discussion Group 45 minutes

Hot Topic 20 minutes

Poster Session 1 hour 15 minutes

Practice-oriented Presentation 45 minutes

Research-oriented Presentation 45 minutes

Teaching Tip 20 minutes

Video and Digital Media Theater 45 minutes

Workshop 1 hour 45 minutes

2. Purpose and Session Type

• Discuss with a partner: How could you revise the following sentence to make its purpose clearer and link it to a session type?

We will share some tips to help teachers learn about working with ELLs.

3. Currency, Importance, and Appropriateness of Topic to Field and

Interest Section

• What are current “hot topics” in your area?• How do you find out what’s “current” in a particular

area?

• What are “older” topics that may not be of direct interest to contemporary audiences?• Does this invalidate those topics for possible

presentation?

• How can you “position” your topic to show its currency and importance?• Write 1-2 sentences to demonstrate this for your topic

4. Focus and Organization of Content

Logical progression is essential:• Move 1: Background, introduction, problematization, outline

• Topic, “problem,” or issue, and what others have said/done about it

• Move 2: Justifying present research/purpose• How your “slant” is new or unique, or replicates previous work, or

contributes to knowledge

• Move 3: Methods, materials, procedures• Move 4: Results, main findings• Move 5: Highlighting the outcomes, results• Move 6: Implications, limitations, applications, etc.

• Concludes with real-world relevance and/or applicability of topic

• Now, write Moves 3-6 for your topic and share with a partner(Adapted from Swales & Feak, 2009)

5. Clarity of Proposal & Participant Outcomes

• Important: grammar, spelling, syntax, overall presentation, etc.• Always have someone proofread your proposal!

• Explicit statement about what participants will gain from attending presentation• How is this different from your “goal” or

objective?

• Write one sentence about your outcomes for participants• Begin the sentence with “Participants will…”

6. Theory, Practice, and/or Research Contribution to the Convention and/or the

Field or Interest Section• Is this presentation relevant to TESOL?

• Have you related your work to existing theory/research?

• Is there an application to actual practice?

• Is there a clear, “new,” or useful contribution that the presentation makes?

• Does the topic relate to a particular IS or the convention theme?• Q: What is TESOL 2011’s convention theme?

6. Theory, Practice, and/or Research Contribution to the Convention and/or the

Field or Interest Section• A: “Examining the “E” in TESOL

• What does this mean?!

• “In today’s world where English has become the primary language of business, education, science and technology, it has evolved and changed to meet these and other global and local or glocal needs. What implications does this glocalization of English have for TESOL and for you? This year, as we continue to re-imagine TESOL, we invite you to consider what E means in your contexts and to examine what E we teach, for what purposes, how, to whom, and with what results. We invite you to examine the E in TESOL in a context where e-communication, easy travel, and e-pedagogy are changing the English language and effecting current approaches to the learning and teaching of the language; where these changes are influencing our experience, expertise, and evaluation of the field; and where issues of equity, excellence, and effectiveness have taken center stage. In such a context, it is essential for us to understand what it is that we teach and how that understanding can influence our actions, theories,

and practices.” (TESOL 2011 Call for Proposals PDF from Website)

Activity• Cite the line(s) in the sample proposal where

each of the following criteria are addressed, and• Rate them on the scoring rubric

1. Proposal Title2. Purpose & Session Type3. Currency, Importance, and Appropriateness of Topic

to the Field and the Interest Section4. Focus and Organization of Content (based on the

proposal type)5. Clarity of Proposal & Participant Outcomes6. Theory, Practice, and/or Research Contribution to the

Convention and/or the Field or Interest Section

Writing the Abstract, Summary, Title: Suggestions

• Because writing is not necessarily a linear process, you may find it helpful to

• Write your summary first, then borrow from it to compose the abstract

• Create a catchy title after writing the summary and abstract

Resources for Proposals

• See www.tesol.org for suggestions

• See informative TESOL Convention 2010 “Presentation Tips” PPT from the TESOL website (click on “Presentation Tips): • http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/convention2010/

presenters.html

• Swales, J. M & Feak, C. B. (2009). Abstracts and the writing of abstracts. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Q & A

• Questions? Comments?

• Individual assistance with proposals