BPSU Orani Faculty Presents Paper in the First Cebu International TESOL Conference

On August 12-15, 2010, the First Cebu International TESOL Conference was held at the Cebu International Convention Center and Cebu Doctors University, Mandaue Campus. The Conference themed “The English Language, The Power to Connect” was organized by the EFL Journal, TESOL Asia and Cebu Hub for English Language Excellence (CHELE) for the purpose of promoting researches conducted by English Language instructors who wish to make further improvements in the ESL/EFL pedagogy in Asia and other parts of the world.

In the conference, Mr. Rowell G. De Guia, faculty of the BPSU Orani Campus, presented his paper entitled “Fun-TASK-tic! A Renewed Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) Framework for Teaching Speaking” before the panel of judges and other participants. The paper deals with revitalizing the use of tasks in teaching speaking English as a second/foreign language using the principles and components of task as identified by David Nunan, a world-renowned linguist, textbook author, and former President of TESOL, the world’s largest English Language Teaching association.

According to Mr. De Guia, the presentation was divided into three phases: Phase I was the discussion of the use of task in the context of ESL/EFL pedagogy; Phase 2 was the presentation of the proposed task framework; and the final phase was allotted for the development of task-based instructional materials. In an interview with Mr. De Guia, he said, “To be part of an international conference as a presenter was a new experience. Before, I used to participate in international and national conferences as a member of the audience and I would say that from those days I have learned so many things that could help me improve as an instructor of English. In those times, I always looked forward to the day when I would be good enough to share something to my fellow language teachers.”

With his impressive performance, representatives from other organizations expressed their intentions of inviting Mr. De Guia to future paper presentations in similar events. Furthermore, his participation to the conference also paved the way for Bataan Peninsula State University to be recognized by other participating schools and organizations.

The 1st International TESOL Conference was also launched to help determine and develop the capacity of language professionals in teaching the structure of the English Language and will therefore benefit academic institutions that offer English Language Proficiency Programs to international students.