FIPLV

1. You can keep up-to-date with new ideas: Attending conferences is an effective way of keeping in touch with developments in the field, and of learning more about areas of interest.
1. You can ‘cascade’: This means that you can help others who are unable to attend by passing on summaries of the most useful conference talks/workshops at smaller events or teachers’ meetings at your school.
1. You can share ideas and techniques: Some teachers feel that what they do is ordinary and not of interest to the outside world, but usually quite the opposite is the case. In talking to colleagues at conferences you can discover that people are very interested in what you do and how you do it, and that some methods, techniques or activities that you thought were ‘run of the mill’ are new and exciting to others.
1. You can develop presentation skills: at conferences you have the opportunity to observe others running workshops and giving talks, and this can encourage you to have a go yourself at some future event. Giving successful presentation is an art. which needs practice and experience to develop fully.
1. You can enhance your CV: Evidence of attendance or giving presentations at conferences is a sign to present and future employers that there is a commitment to a chosen profession as well as a desire to learn and develop in the job.
1. You can network: In all areas of business ‘contacts’ play an imprint role, and our business is no exception. It is extremely useful for you to meet new people and to renew already established acquaintances.
1. You can feel more involved in the profession: It’s very easy to get jaded when you have been in the job for a number of years. Going to a conference can renew excitement and interest which may have become dulled over the years. New developments and new ideas can be positive forces for re-motivation.
1. You can find refreshment: The opportunity to stand back for a while from the normal stresses and strains of the daily life - at home as well as at work - can be a powerful tonic. The stimulus of new ideas, the opportunity to relax with new friends and old who have similar interests - all of this can have a renewing effect.
1. You can enhance the reputation of your school or teachers’ association: Going to conferences is an opportunity to foster good public relations with potential clients, competitors, collaborators, funding bodies, etc.
1. You can prove that development matters: Going to conferences shows that you are committed and forward-looking, and that development is an on-going process. Your attendance at conferences is living proof of that.

passionnante vécue à Recife et en d'autres endroits de ce pays ?

Le XIXème Congrès de la FIPLV, qui s'est déroulé à Recife du 24 au 26 mars 1997, a été sans aucun doute une grand succès pour la Fédération. Environ cinq cents personnes y ont pris part, venant de toutes les parties du monde. La chaleur qui règnait encore là-bas en ce début d'automne n'a en rien entamé l'intérêt des participants pour les exposés et activités qui leur étaient proposés. Elle se doublait d'une autre chaleur, d'une chaleur humaine dont chacun a pu apprécier l'intensité. Il est vrai que le titre du Congrès était : "Pour une compréhension interculturelle au XXIème siècle - l'apprentissage des langues dans un contexte humaniste".

C'est de « l'enseignant de langues humaniste » que j'ai parlé dans ma conférence inaugurale, que j'avais intitulée Enseignement des langues et société : éléments d'une éthique professionnelle.

J'y ai affirmé qu'un enseignant humaniste ne peut accepter que l'école reproduise ou renforce les écarts socio-économiques qui continuent à se creuser entre les pays riches et les pays pauvres, ainsi qu'entre les couches les plus riches et les couches les plus pauvres de la population à l'intérieur des pays eux-mêmes. J'y ai dit aussi, à propos du processus de mondialisation, que la responsabilité d'enseignants de langues humanistes était d'engager tous leurs efforts pour réduire le plus possible le nombre des exclus de la communication mondiale. J'ai également rappelé qu'un des dangers de la mondialisation est qu'elle peut mener à la généralisation d'un moyen de communication linguistique unique, d'une seule langue, et à l'hégémonie de la culture dont cette langue est le support. J'ai souligné le fait que l'enseignement des langues n'est pas en soi, par nature, un facteur de maintien ou de développement du pluralisme linguistique et culturel. Selon les contextes et les modalités, il peut être pour le pluralisme la pire ou la meilleure des choses. De cela aussi, l'enseignant de langues humaniste a à se préoccuper.

J'ai montré combien l'activité associative des enseignants de langues est indispensable, à la fois pour réfléchir sur de telles responsabilités et les moyens de les assumer, y compris dans le cadre des innovations pédagogiques, et aussi, plus individuellement, pour ne pas se sentir seul face à de tels défis.

En préparant cette intervention, avant mon départ de Paris, j'avais quelques interrogations sur la façon dont elle pourrait être reçue par les collègues brésiliens.J'avais certes reçu quelques premiers éléments d'information sur la façon dont les associations abordaient les questions de politique linguistique éducative, mais le doute subsistait : n'allais-je pas me trouver en décalage par rapport à leur perception et leurs discours? Les réactions à mon intervention et les textes qui m'ont été remis sur place m'ont bien vite rassuré. C'est bien dans le même sens que les associations brésiliennes comprennent la responsabilité de l'enseignant de langues. Les lecteurs de FIPLV World News pourront s'en persuader en lisant les textes brésiliens que nous avons décidé de publier. J'attire particulièrement leur attention sur le texte de synthèse de la Première Rencontre Nationale qui s'est tenue en novembre 1996 à Florianópolis (Encontro Nacional sobre Politica de Ensino de Línguas Estrangeiras).

Mon voyage au Brésil s'est poursuivi par la participation à un colloque organisé par l'Université de São Paulo (USP), puis par une découverte personnelle du pays, au cours de laquelle j'ai pu à nouveau rencontrer des représentants d'associations d'enseignants de langues. Que ce soit à Recife, à São Paulo, à Belo Horizonte ou à Curitiba, dans des contacts officiels ou plus personnels en fonction de la durée de mon séjour, j'ai toujours pu constater la vigueur de l'engagement des collègues brésiliens en faveur d'un enseignement de langues humaniste, c'est à dire d'un meilleur enseignement de langues pour tous, et d'un enseignement de

langues respectueux du pluralisme linguistique.

J'ai aussi beaucoup appréicé l'écho positif rencontré sur le terrain par deux souhaits que le Conseil Mondial de la FIPLV avait exprimés à Recife : la mise en place d'une structure associative brésilienne qui puisse être l'interlocuteur direct de la FIPLV dans ce pays ; la création d'une Région Amérique latine de notre Fédération. Pendant le Congrès, de nombreuses discussions avaient confirmé l'intérêt des associations représentées à Recife, y compris celui de la toute récente Federación Uruguaya de Profesores de Lenguas, dont une représentante se trouvait à Recife. A la demande du Conseil Mondial, Francisco Gomes de Matos, organisateur du Congrès de Recife, a accepté de coordonner les efforts qui doivent être entrepris pour la naissance de la future Région. Je demande dès à présent à toutes les associations d'Amérique latine, et en particulier à celles qui sont déjà membres de la FIPLV ou s'apprêtent à le devenir, de manifester leur intérêt pour ce projet, en s'adressant directement à Francisco et en m'informant de leur démarche.

Il y aurait encore beacoup à dire sur ce séjour au Brésil. Mais la place m'est comptée, et je voudrais vous fournir encore quelques informations qui me semblent importantes.

Je suis heureux de saluer l'arrivée au sein de la FIPLV de STIL (Association des enseignants de langues étrangères d'Islande), dont l'adhésion a été ratifiée par le Conseil Mondial. Je suis persuadé que la collaboration avec ce nouveau membre, qui fait partie de la nouvelle Région Europe du Nord-Baltique, sera fructueuse.

Pendant le Congrès, Terry Atkinson (ALL) a présenté à l'appréciation des participants le prototype de site Web de la Fédération. Il a été chaleureusement remercié et félicité de ce travail. Il a accepté de travailler à la mise en place du site définitif, en liaison avec Tuula Penttilä, Vice-Présidente de la Fédération.

Le Congrès a aussi été l'occasion de présenter les activités du programme Linguapax de l'UNESCO en faveur de la promotion de la paix par l'enseignement des langues. Une table ronde a eu lieu à propos de la Déclaration Universelle des Droits Linguistiques adoptée en juin dernier par la Conférence Mondiale de Barcelone.

Parmi les questions abordées par l'Assemblée Mondiale, il y avait celle d'une réforme du système de calcul des cotisations versées par les associations membres à la FIPLV. C'est un débat qui a de nombreuses dimensions techniques. Je ne retiendrai ici que l'adoption par l'Assemblée Mondiale d'un « principe d'égalité » en fonction duquel les cotisations à la FIPLV devraient être calculées selon un pourcentage fixe des cotisations reçues par les associations. Nous avions adopté en 1994, lors de l'Assemblée Mondiale de la FIPLV à Hamburg, un principe de « solidarité ». Un système dans lequel la part payée à la FIPLV par les enseignants des pays les plus pauvres serait d'un montant égal à celle payée par des enseignants de pays où les salaires sont plus élevés n'est pas conforme à cette solidarité. Je laisse ici de côté diverses modalités complémentaires, qui seront communiqués aux associations afin que la discussion se poursuive (par exemple : la mise en place d'un plafond, la prise en compte des questions spécifiques aux fédérations monolingues). Une décision finale devrait être prise par l'Assemblée Mondiale en l'an 2000.

Enfin, l'Assemblée Mondiale a élu le prochain Conseil Mondial et le prochain Bureau de la FIPLV, qui entreront en fonction en janvier 1998. Je n'étais pas candidat à ma propre succession, et c'est avec grand plaisir que j'ai constaté un vote unanime de l'Assemblée Générale pour le choix de son nouveau Président, qui sera Denis Cunningham, notre actuel Secrétaire Général. J'aurai certainement encore l'occasion de lui souhaiter bonne chance dans FIPLV World News, ainsi qu'à la nouvelle Secrétaire Générale Judith Hamilton, présentée par nos collègues du Royaume Uni (ALL). Je remercie aussi ceux qui, s'étant présentés à ces élections, n'ont pu finalement être élus. Merci de leur intérêt pour la vie de la FIPLV, qui sera toujours heureuse de les voir contribuer à son développement.

Pour ma part, selon la décision prise à Espoo en juin 1996, je participerai au nom de l'APLV française à la préparation du prochain Congrès de la FIPLV, qui se tiendra à Paris en juillet de l'an 2000. A Recife, Francisco Gomes de Matos m'a fait remarquer que ce serait le XXème Congrès de la FIPLV, qui clôturerait le XXème siècle. Ce XXème siècle qui a vu la naissance de la FIPLV à Paris. Je reprendrai donc les mots que j'ai prononcés à la fin du Congrès de Recife: Eu os convido cordialmente para participar do proximo Congresso da FIPLV em Paris, em Julho do ano 2000.

Michel Candelier

The representatives of the Nordic multilingual federations decided to establish the FIPLV Nordic-Baltic Region at a meeting in Stockhom on 19 January. An Executive Committee was chosen until the next regional meeting in Reykjavik in September 1997: Chair : Terttu Valojdrvi, Finland Secretary: Kolbrun Valdemarsdottir, Iceland Treasurer: Anita Vhlander, Sweden.

The FIPLV Nordic-Baltic Region's regulations were ratified at the FIPLV World Council in Recife, Brazil on 27 March 1997. This was the third FIPLV region to be established. All the Baltic countries have expressed an interest in joining the region and we welcome them all.

The Nordic countries have traditionally had a fairly good co-operation and we hope that in the new region co-operation will become even better. For years the federations have organised a conference every fourth year and a seminar between the conferences. The last conference was in Finland last June and it gathered some 500 teachers from all over Europe. This was the first time that the conference was opened to other European countries. The conference turned out a great success. The next seminar will be in Sweden in 1998 and the next conference in Iceland in 2000.

29 July -  12^th World Congress of Jewish Studies. Venue:

5 August Jerusalem, Israel. Information: Ben-Zion Fischler, Council of the Teaching of Hebrew, P.O.B. 7413, Jerusalem 91073, Israel.

3 - 9 August 11^th Internationale Deutschlehrertagung of Der Internationale Deutschlehrerverband. Venue: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Information: Gerard J. Westhoff, Institute of Education, Heidelberglaan 8, NL-3584 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.

5 - 7 August Post-Congress on Problems of Teaching Modern Hebrew. Venue: Jerusalem, Israel. Information: Ben-Zion Fischler, Council of the Teaching of Hebrew, P.O.B. 7413, Jerusalem 91073, Israel.

29-30 August IATEFL with Slovakian Teacher Trainers and Educators Theme: Teacher Training in a Climate of Change Venue: Bratislava, Slovakia; Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/.

8 - 10 September IATEFL. Theme: Teachers Develop Teachers Research 3. Venue: Oranim School of Education, Haifa University, Israel. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/ or contact Kari Smith, Oranim, Tivon, 36006, Israel. Fax 972-4-9832167. E-mail: zeac106@uvm.haifa.ac.il

9-12 October 23^rd International Conference of JALT. Theme: Trends and Transitions. Venue: Hamamatsu, Japan. Information: JALT Central Office, Urban Edge Bldg. 5F, 1-37-9 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110. Fax: 03-3837-1631; http://www.miyazaki-mic.ac.jp/JALT/JALT97.html

11-12 October 5^th Annual TESOL Macedonia-Thrace Conference. Theme: Language, Teaching and Culture. Venue: Thessaloniki, Greece. Information: Andrew Wilcox, Convention Co-ordinator TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Vas. Olgas 4, Thessaloniki, Greece, phone/fax: (031) 867142 or 903098

12-14 September Association for French Language Studies (AFLS) Colloquium. Theme: Les descriptions du Français: discours, corpus, analyses, applications. Venue: Université de Montpellier. Information: Dr. Anne Judge, Department of Linguistic and International Studies, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 5XH, United Kingdom; tel.: 01483 300 800; fax: 01483 302 605; e-mail: j.blows@surrey.ac.uk.

19-21 September IATEFL Mini SIG Symposium, Theme: Computers, Pronunciation, Testing, Learner Independence, Young Learners and Literature & Cultural Studies, Venue: Akademie fur Lehrerfortbildung, Dillingen, Bavaria, Germany. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

25-27 September 28^th Annual Conference of the Gesellschaft für Angewandte Linguistik (GAL). Theme: Medium Sprache. Venue: Universität Bielefeld, Germany. Information: Prof. Dr. Hans Strohner, Univeristät Bielefeld; Tel. 0521/106-6928; Fax: 0521/106-2996; http: //www/gal97.uni-bielefeld.de.

3-5 October IATEFL Literature & Cultural Studies in conjunction with the British Council. Theme: Teaching Towards Intercultural Competence. Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

24-26 October IATEFL Young Learner, Global Issues & Media SIGs. Theme: Integrating Culture in the Young Learner Classroom. Venue: Avellino, Italy. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

2 November IATEFL. Theme: Developing Human Resources & Cross-cultural Management. Venue: Milan, Italy. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

6 -7 November 6^th IATEFL Poland. Venue: Lód?, Poland. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

8 - 9 November IATEFL Young Learner SIG & British Council Istanbul. Theme: The Integration of Information Technology to Young Learners ELT. Kultur Koleji, Istanbul, Turkey. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

14 - 16 November IATEFL BESIG International Conference. Venue: VHS Reutlingen, Germany. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

20-23 November 17^th Annual Meeting of AATF. Venue: Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Information: Fred jenkins, AATF Headquarters, 57 E. Armory Ave, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. Fax: 812/855 2386, email: AATF@indiana.edu

24 - 25 November 1^st Congress of SIPLE. Theme: Produç?o de material didático; Cooperaç?o institucional na formaç?o de professores; Interaç?o na sala de aula; Politicas lingüisticas; Produç?o e leitura de textos. Venue: Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói - E. Do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Information: SIPLE, Universidade Federal Fluminense, rua Visc. Do Rio Branco, s/n - Campus do Gragoatá - Instituto de Letras - 5 andar, Bloco C, Niterói - RJ, Brasil - CEP 24.210.200, phone: (021) 717-4082, fax: (021) 616-1049

27 - 30 December Conference of the Modern Language Association of America (MLA). Venue: to be announced. Information: MLA, 10 Astor Place, New York, New York 10003-6981, USA.

17 - 21 March Annual Meeting of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Theme: Connecting Our Global Community. Venue: Seattle, Washington USA. Information: TESOL Convention Department, 1600 Cameron Street, Ste. 300, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, USA; phone: 703-836-0774.

27 - 30 March Conference "Language World" of the Association for Language Learning (ALL). Venue: to be announced. Information: ALL, C. Wilding, 16 Regent Place, Rugby CV21 2PN, United Kingdom.

14-18 April 32^nd IATEFL International Conference. Venue: UMIST, Manchester. Information: IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, UK. Phone + 44 (0) 1227 276528, Facsimile +44 (0)1227 274415. Email 10007.1327@Compuserve.com. Worldwide Web http: //www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/.

16-18 April Fremdsprachenkongreß FMF & F Luxemburg. Theme: Moderner Fremdsprachenunterricht f?r die (zuk?nftigen?) B?rger Europas. Venue: Luxemburg. Information: St. Helmut P. Hagge, Lichtensteinweg 23, D-22391 Hamburg, Germany.

13-15 May 11^th International Conference on Foreign and Second Language Acquisition. Venue: Szczyrk, Poland. Information: Prof. Janusz Arabski, Institute of English, the University of Silesia, ul. ?ytnia 10, 41-205 Sosnowie, Poland; tel/fax: + 4832 191 74 17.

13-17 July WorldCALL. Theme: CALL to Creativity. Venue: The University of Melbourne. Information: The Conference Secretariat: Fauth Royale & Associates Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 895, North Sydney, NSW 2060 Australia; phone: 61 2 9954 4544; fax: 61 2 9954 4964; email: fauroy@ozemail.com.au

November 6^th Latin American ESP Colloquium. Venue: Argentina.Information: Françoise Salager-Meyer, Apartado 715 Mérida 5101, Venezuela.

September International Conference of Modern Language Association of Poland (PTN). Theme: New Technologies in FLT, Children and Adults as Language Learners. Venue: Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna?. Information: Teresa Siek-Piskozub, School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, al. Niepodleg?o?ci 4, 61-874 Pozna?, Poland, phone: (48) 61 52 88 20, fax: (48) 61 52 31 03, email: piskozub@hum.amu.edu.pl.

The term Postcolonialism is itself problematic, "for the prefix ‘post-’ raises questions similar to those arising from its attachment to the term ‘modernism’. Does ‘post’ signal a break into a phase and consciousness of newly constructed independence and autonomy ‘beyond’ and ‘after’ colonialism, or does it imply a continuation and intensification of the system, better understood as neo-colonialism?" (Seldon 196). I would suggest the former, with the addition that the present ‘representatives’ of these former "imperialistic political entities" must actively participate in deconstructing the possibilities and potential of the latter premise. "From a Postcolonial perspective, Western values and traditions of thought ... are guilty of a repressive ethnocentrism ...[resulting in the] marginali[zation] and exclu[sion] of non-Western traditions and forms of cultural life and expression. In short, cultural hierarchies are imposed and perpetuated. In response to this, Postcolonial theory "seeks to undermine the imperialist subject" and encourage the critical assessment of ‘Western discourses.’ Similarly, it seeks to validate marginalized voices by encouraging acts of representation which subvert the imposition of cultural hierarchies. In relation to academia, this translates into multi-dimensional interrogations of a subject matter and its presentation at the point of critical convergence, the classroom. Progressive collaborative struggles in the classroom strive to ultimately achieve a collective multi-cultural and diversified awareness of the coursework at hand for all participants.

The premise of this theory is most notably applicable to those areas of the world commonly categorized as "developing" or "third world," of which the Czech Republic remains outside this immediate classification. However, having ascertained some general conceptions regarding this region through conversations with my colleagues in both the US and the Czech Republic, and having observed the dramatic contributions that Western nations (in particular, the US) have disseminated here in the recently-developed free-market economy, it is not presumptuous to assume that there are elements of colonialist thinking freely acting both within the entrepreneurial enterprises currently influencing the emerging capitalist culture and in the prevailing external perceptions and attitudes in relation to this region of the world. My intention as an educator is to explore the prevailing colonialist tendencies at work in this (or any) culture by encouraging an examination of the functions of cultural representation as we (the students and teacher) work to construct an awareness in the classroom of our changing world. In short, I feel it imperative to examine how discourse is involved in power and perception, and how each of us (meaning students and teachers) can develop our abilities to partake in that power, for "[i]t is evident that real power is exercised through discourse, and that this power has real effects" (Selden 158).

Michel Foucault’s work on "the historical dimension of discursive change" focuses on and reveals the power of institutionalized ideology on the culture it "governs":

In constructing my teaching strategy, I have tried to incorporate these ideas, while similarly utilizing and disseminating the knowledge of a related concept, what Mikhail Bakhtin refers to as ‘Heteroglossia,’:

In a practical sense, these strategies involve fostering both self-directed learning and a new conception of the classroom whereby all participants struggle, both collectively and individually with the material and issues at hand. It involves reconfiguring the classroom atmosphere, incorporating humanistic overtones, and leveling traditional conceptions and hierarchies on the microscopic level, with the hope that in turn, these developments will filter up into the macroscopic realm. For the instructor, this entails encouraging questioning attitudes in the students, promoting an awareness and advocating the development of a multiplicity of voices in the classroom, and nurturing a readiness in the students to mutually and individually interrogate the ideas and conceptions that they encounter on a daily basis. In my case, this meant teaching both History and Research Writing/ Composition through a course whose context was based on psycholinguistic, post-structuralist, and postcolonial principles and whose methodology involved implementing the aforementioned education strategies.

The structure of the course involved teaching composition and history through a collaborative teaching effort through a series of short essays and a final research paper based on a related historical topic of their choice. The students worked with the "eight" functions of writing, issues of grammar and organization, while simultaneously examining the writing act from a psycholinguistic position.

Similarly, ‘Postcolonial methods’ were employed: their history papers were personalized to inspire self-directed, introspective inquiry; the strategies and techniques I proposed were discussed, thereby explicating my reasoning for exploring such ‘unusual’ aspects of writing instruction as dialogic explication, collaborative investigation, talking back to the text; and peer review; the short writing assignments were similarly subjective, focusing on their experiences, beliefs and ideas, with such assignments as "Compare and/or Contrast the British and American teachers you’ve had." Finally, my initial reader-response was purposefully indefinite, fostering self-directed error analysis, which ultimately provided responses to their writing efforts which were much more constructive and effective.

My history lectures placed a special emphasis on the contradictory discourse and hypocrisy present in the formation, perpetuation, and promotion of the "land of the free." By presenting a multitude of perspectives, I hoped to counteract and destabilize locally the prevalent notions of America as propagated by Hollywood and the US embassy’s literary and cultural donations; history is subjective, as all American Indians can attest to, and it was this idea that I wanted most of all to promote, thereby encouraging the students to develop their opinions and responses to the research they had undertaken.

Lastly, I actively sought and received student feedback throughout the semester, as well as final written assessments of their experiences in our course, so as to further develop the efficacy of my strategies and techniques; I have learned as much as I hope the students have this semester about intercultural awareness, perception, and identity.

Naturally, there were many problems to surmount, many of which are more readily apparent through hindsight such as the lack of time and the large number of students (making it difficult to adequately workshop and discuss the actual writings and difficulties in any depth as a class) and, the percentage of Teacher Talking Time, which was relatively high due to the lack of textbooks. These problems presented a conundrum: how to foster learning without monopolizing the classroom dialogue and instituting the "banking concept of teaching". Though I attempted to offset this tendency through physical movement, in-class participation, and question-posing, it still remains an aspect in need of further development, and I believe our plans to expand the course into a two semester endeavor will offset these obstacles.

Other problems, including the student’s apprehension and apathy regarding the ideas and assignments, my position as a ‘foreign’ teacher, the dearth and questionability of available resources, and the significant differences in the Czech University system all figured prominently in maintaining a hint of confusion around the semester’s proceedings.

But the act of teaching (an act of learning in itself) requires experimentation, reflection, and assessment, both personal and public. With that in mind, I have been evaluating my semester’s endeavors. This process is never immediately revelatory, and it may produce initiatives that similarly fail in the coming year. Likewise, even though the initial feedback from the students has been generally favorable in my case, the point remains: we must continue to assess and revise our methods if we are to call ourselves progressive and concerned educators. Furthermore, each of us must continue to encourage inquisitive inquiry into the issues of everyday life as it is shaped by the interaction of ourselves (meaning everyone) with the forces at work in our respective societies. By maintaining and encouraging an awareness of the tendencies at work therein, we can serve to counteract them, acting as a catalyst for positive regional change and global understanding. Bell Hooks, a distinguished professor of Postcolonial and Feminist theory states our predicament succinctly:

Im März 1997 begeht die Fremdsprachenfakultät der paedagogischen Universität Orenburg (Süd-Ural, Russland) ihr 45-jähriges Jubiläum.

Die o.g. Fakultät hat fünf Lehrstühle: Englisch, Englische Philologie, Französisch, Deutsch, Deutsche Literatur. Uns ist bekannt, daß diese Abteilungen seit Jahren keine Lernmittel, Fachliteratur geschweige schon Periodika bzw. schöngeistige Literatur der modernen Autoren bekommen.

In diesem Zusammenhang möchten wir Sie höflich bitten, mit einer Spende die Fakultät am Tage des 45-jährigen Bestehens zu unterstützen. Es werden vor allem folgende Lehr- und Lermittel benötigt: Audioaufnahmen, Videoaufnahmen, Zeitungen bzw. Zeitschriften, Buecher der deutschen, französischen, englischen Autoren aus den letzten drei Jahrzehnten (ungekürzte Ausgaben). Dabei muß man aber mit 12 Exemplaren rechnen, da die Studentengruppe normalerweise 11 Mann stark ist.

Wir hoffen, unsere Bitten stimmen mit Ihrem Aufgabenbereich überein und bedanken uns schon jetzt für Ihre Unterstützung. Da unsere Fluggesellscheft direkte Flüge nach Hannover, Köln und Stuttgart hat, wäre das Transportproblem auch gelöst.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Igor Chramow

Referatsleiter

Stadtverwaltung von Orenburg, Referat Aussenwirtshaft, Sowetskaja-str. 60, 460000 Orenburg, Russland; fax: + 7 3532 773529; tel: +7 3532 774821

I Congresso da SIPLE terá lugar nos dias 24 e 25 de novembro de 1997, na Universidade Federal Fluminense, em Niterói. O evento, que está aberto a professores, pesquisadores e estudantes interessados no ensino de Português-Língua vai abordar, ente outros, os seguintes temas: Produç?o de material didáctico; Cooperaç?o institucional na formaç?o de professores; Interaç?o na sala de aula; Políticas lingüísticas; Produç?o e leitura de textos.

A Comiss?o Organizadora está aceitando resumos de propostas de trabalhos a serem apresentados nas se ssoes de communicaçoes e posters. A data limite para o envio é 30 de julho de 1997 e o endereço para correspondência é o seguinteS SIPLE. Universidade Federal Fluminense. Rua Visc. Do Rio Branco, s/n - Campus do Gragoatá - Instituto de Letras - 5 andar, Bloco C. Niterói - RJ, Brasil - CEP 24.210.200. Informaços: Norimar Judice (Presidente) (021) 717-4082; Fax: (021) 616-1049.

O primeiro ENPELE , incluindo professores de primeiro, segundo e terceiro graus, autoridades educacionais e representantes de associagues de professores de línguas, após analisar os problemas do ensino de línguas no Brasil e em assembléia no último dia do encontro,

Considera

• que todo brasileiro tem direito à cidadania,a qual,no mundo globalizado e poliglota de hoje, inclui a aprendizagem de líguas estrangeiras;
• que há um anseio da sociedade em adquirir o conhecimento lingüístico necessário para interagir neste mundo globalizado;
• que a sociedade n?o deseja o monopólio de um idioma estrangeiro;
• que a aprendizagem de línguas n?o visa apenas a objetivos instrumentais, mas faz parte da formaç?o integral do aluno;
• que o aluno quer e precisa de um ensino eficiente de línguas;
• que a escola n?o tem sido capaz de garantir o direito à aprendizagem de línguas, direito esse que acaba sendo exercido apenas pela camada mais afluente da populaç?o;
• que a falta de professores e a falta de capacitaç?o real de muitos professores existentes n?o tem permitido atender às necessidades do país em termos de uma aprendizagem eficiente de línguas;
• que há necessidade de atualizaç?o continuada dos professores para que reconstruam e refletiam sobre sua própria aç?o pedagógica.

em termos dos direitos lingüísticos do aluno, que:

• seja elaborado um plano energencial de aç?o para garantir ao aluno o acesso ao estudo de línguas estrangeiras,proporcionado através de um ensino eficiente;
• seja garantida a oferta de pelo menos uma língua estrangeira obrigatória;
• seja incentivado o estudo de uma segunda língua estrangeira;
• a carga horária semanal para cada língua seja de pelo menos 3 horas semanais;
• a disciplina de língua estrangeira tenha o mesmo status das disciplinas do núcleo comum;
• o estudo de língua estrangeira inicie na quinta série,com garantia de continuidade por sete anos;
• o estudo da língua estrangeira seja gradualmente estendido às séries iniciais do ensino fundamental;
• as línguas estrangeiras seram definidas pela comunidade na qual se insere a escola;
• se crie e mantenha nas escolas os centros de línguas;
• haja pluralidade de oferta de línguas no exame vestibular.

• seja criado um plano energencial para a qualificaç?o e formaç?o de novos professores;
• sejam elaborados projetos de integraç?o entre as escolas,secretarias de educaç?o e universidades para a educaç?o continuada de professores;
• sejam estudadas soluçoes que permitam o afastamento temporário do professor da sala de aula para sua atualizaç?o ou abordagens em que a atualizaç?o possa ocorrer sem o afastamento;
• a profiss?o seja exercida exclusivamente por pessoas habilitadas, incluíndo a contrataç?o de professores pelos cursos particulares de línguas;
• haja uma prova específica de proficiência de língua em concurso público;
• se promova a melhoria de condiçoes salariais do professor, de modo a ampliar o interesse pela profiss?o;
• se incentive a formaç?o continuada do professor.

de Oliveira

Inaugural World Conference on Computer-Assisted Language Learning will take place at the University of Melbourne in Australia. The Inaugural WorldCALL Conference will bring together experts and practitioners in Computer-Assisted Language Learning from around the world. The objective of the Conference is to promote and develop national and international networks for CALL research and practice.

The theme of the Conference "CALL to Creativity" reflects the organisers' intention to provide a forum for discussion of some of the pressing educational, social and political issues associated with the development of CALL. With more than 500 delegates expected and interest levels already high, WorldCALL will offer unprecedented access to innovators, educators and entrepreneurs in the field.

One of the goals of WorldCALL is to provide a number of scholarships for professional development, offering those who have worked with CALL in developing countries the opportunity to attend this Conference and benefit from the exchange of ideas and contact with leaders in the field. Funding has already been pledged to this end.

The conference will cover a wide range of topics: CALL as a catalyst for change; Motivating language acquisition through CALL; Interdisciplinary perspectives in CALL; The relationship between theory and practice; New models of evaluation and assessment; CALL in the developing world; New identities, new communities; New literacies, new genres; Learner autonomy versus learner dependence; Transparent technologies.

Abstracts should be sent to the Conference Secretariat by 1 July 1997. Papers will be of 30 minutes duration followed by 10 minutes of question-time.

Keynote speakers to date are: John Barson, USA, Chris Candlin, Australia, Graham Davies, UKMadanmohan Rao, India.

For more information contact: The Conference Secretariat, Fauth Royale & Associates Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 895, North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia. Tel: 61 2 9954 4544 Fax: 61 2 9954 4964. Email fauroy@ozemail.com.au www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/~hlc/worldcall

From April 1997 IATEFL's new Chair is the well-known ELT author, Simon Greenall. Simon outlines his feelings as he assumes his new role:

"As I take over from Madeleine du Vivier, the words which characterise the developments in IATEFL in recent years and particularly during Madeleine's period as Chair, are growth, rise and increase. There is firstly the growth in the number of members which has been precipitated largely by our new Associate Scheme, which in turn has brought the networking potential of IATEFL to the reach and benefit of many more teachers around the world.

Secondly, there has been a significant rise in events outside the UK. Our conference remains the most important occasion in the IATEFL calendar when members come to us. But the fact that we have so many SIG events going now to our members around the world is a very important development emphasising the international aspect of the Association's work. SIG events for 1997 alone will take place in Spain, Slovakia, Israel, Germany, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey.

Finally, there has been an increase in the number of issues of the Newsletter, which now goes out six times a year. Even those members who are unable to attend conferences and events in their own countries are nevertheless able to feel part of the Association via increased frequency of contact through the Newsletter. We're also planning an increase in the number of IATEFL publications in the next few years.

IATEFL is a strong and vibrant association. Previous criticisms that IATEFL is too UK oriented have finally been dispelled, and the I in IATEFL stands firmly for International. This is reflected in three key ways - the growing membership outside the UK with new Associates in the Arab States, Brazil, China, Korea, The Netherlands, Palestine, Thailand and Uruguay, a committee composed mainly of members from outside the UK including representatives from Brazil, Greece, Poland, Russia, Thailand and Turkey and the burgeoning of SIG events overseas. (See below). I look forward to maintaining this growth and to contributing to IATEFL's continuing development and outreach to members all over the world."

The first recipient of IATEFL's newest scholarship scheme, The WR Lee Scholarship, was Edita Drozdova from the Czech Republic. The three IATEFL First-time Speaker Scholarships were won by Constance Tsagari from Greece, Tamas Kiss from Hungary and Marta Sikone Bakucz from Hungary.

Teachers in Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania or Poland who are IATEFL members and interested in applying for one of the W.R Lee scholarships to attend the IATEFL Conference in Manchester 1998 should contact the IATEFL Head Office for further information. Applications for the 1998 First-time Speaker Scholarships are also invited.

For further information about any aspect of IATEFL please contact: Jill Stajduhar, Executive Officer, IATEFL, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Kingsdown Park, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2DJ, England. Tel: +44 1227 276528; Fax: +44 1227 274415; E-mail 100070.1327@Compuserve.com

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) has been developing the TESOL 2000 plan that identifies important strategic directions for the association and its members: standards, accreditation, and advocacy.

Based on five years of collaborative preparation, TESOL is ready to publish the US Pre-K-12 ESL Standards, directed to educators and administrators who serve second language populations. Work is underway on assessment standards to complement the content guidelines.

An accreditation advisory committee has developed nine draft standards for intensive English programs in the U.S. (These will be available in May on TESOL's web site, http://www.tesol.edu; comments about them may be sent via e-mail to accred@tesol.edu)

TESOL's advocacy efforts have been directed to U.S. legislation that deals with language policies and funding issues in higher and adult education. Interested parties can read the TESOL Federal Update by sending an e-mail message to federal@tesol.edu.

TESOL's ongoing commitment to professional development is being realized by the introduction of new formats for teacher training, including weekend Academies being held in June and July 1997, and a series of audiocassettes called "Voices of Experience." Information is available from academy@tesol.edu.

TESOL Publications offers the New Ways series, volumes devoted to innovative techniques in the language classroom. The TESOL Speakers Directory was recently published to give conference organizers information about the 100 TESOL professionals who are recognized for their expertise as presenters. The association now has 90 affiliates, 46 of them outside the U.S.; 3 caucuses; and 20 interest sections. Membership information is available from mbr@tesol.edu. Street, Ste. 300, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA. Tel. 703-836-0774, Fax 703-836-7864, E-mail tesol@tesol.edu, Web site http://www.tesol.edu

For more information contact: Helen Kornblum, Director of Communications & Marketing |TESOL Central Office, 1600 Cameron Street, Suite 300 |Alexandria, VA 22314-2751 USA Tel. 703-518-2524 (voice)| |Fax 703-518-2535 email: helen@tesol.edu www.tesol.edu

Neofilolog. Czasopismo Polskiego Towarzystwa Neofilologicznego. No. 13, 1996.

Mercator. Butlletí del Centre Mercator: Dret i Legislació lingüísticas. Edició extraordirària gener-juny de 1996 números 23-24-25.

Neusprachliche Mitteilungen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis, Herausgegeben vom Fachverband Moderne Fremdsprachen (FMF), Heft 4, 4. Quartal 1996, Heft 1, 1 Quartal 1997.

E.T.A.I Forum. English Teachers' Association of Israel, Vol. VII, no. 3, 1996.

IATEFL Newsletter. No. 134 December 1996 - January 1997; No. 135 February - March 1997.

Research News. The Newsletter of the IATEFL Research SIG. No. 9, November 1996.

Boletín de ASELE, Núm. 15- Noviembre, 1996.

FBPF. Federação Brasileira dos Professores de Francês. Informativo Bimestral Nos 15/16 - set/dez - 1996.

Boletim SIPLE. Boletim Informativo da Sociedade Internacional de Português - Lígua Estrangeira. V.1, no 7. Jul. & No.8. Dex. 1996.

Foreign Language Acquisition Studies. Wydawnictwo Universytetu Œl¹skiego, Katowice 1996.

Selected Papers from the 1^st CER Conference of the FIPLV. University of Ostrava, Czech Republic. May 1996

Document sur le rôle et place des Nouvelles Technologies Educatives dans la classe de langue. FIPLV-WER, 1997.

Tempus, Newsletter of the Federation of Foreign Language Teachers in Finland SUKOL, No. 1-3. 1997.

Global Issues in Language Education Newsletter, National Special Interest Group of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT), Issue 26, March 1997.

TESOL Greece. No. 53, January - March 1997.

LMS Lingua. Riksföreningen för Lärarna i Moderna Språk. No. 1, 1997.

The News. TESOL-France. No. 15, January 1997.

Contributions, announcements and letters should be sent to the Editor’s address. Advertisements should be sent to Dieter Harold (see back cover). Short contributions (up to 250 words), such as letters and announcements, can be type-written. Longer contributions should be accompanied by a PC-readable disc, with the article both in the original WP format (e.g. WordPerfect, AmiPro, Word for Windows) and in ASCII form (i.e. a .TXT file). Please provide a brief bio-statement with the office address. Contributions and discs are non-returnable. The Editor reserves the right to make editorial changes in any manuscript. The author will be consulted if substantial changes are envisaged.

Linguapax V is the 170pp production of all papers delivered at the international workshop, Linguapax V, held in Melbourne (Australia) in mid-1995, on the theme of languages and peace.

Funded by UNESCO and supported by the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, it was organised by the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations Inc (AFMLTA Inc) on behalf of the Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes (FIPLV), the International Linguapax Committee (ILC) and UNESCO.

Invited participants from Australia, Catalonia, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, Poland and Sri Lanka presented excellent papers on their experiences at national and international levels on the topic of languages and peace.

We commend to you this excellent publication on one of the cornerstones of teaching and learning languages : languages for tolerance and peace.

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