1. Introduction

It is with regret that we farewell Dr Michel Candelier from the presidency of FIPLV, after five years of excellent leadership and a happy, dedicated Executive. His amiable, relaxed and friendly style is worthy of emulating, as he took over from Ted Batley and is about to pass on the role to me. This is the context, therefore, for my presenting the final "Note from the President" for 1997.

The membership of the new Executive provides a solid platform for continuity and initiative, consolidation and innovation, stability and flexibility. The new member is to be Judith Hamilton of the UK, whose expertise and work is well known. She will bring to the Federation a wealth of experience world-wide, a potential for sponsorship and impeccable credentials. She is to replace me as Secretary-General as I assume the presidency. Tuula Penttilä will continue as Vice-President, Dieter Herold as Treasurer-General and Teresa Siek-Piskozub as Editor of Publications. I look forward to working with all in a new capacity.

The challenge for the new Executive is to build upon the excellent foundations created by Michel and his predecessors, consolidate FIPLV financially - through activities, sponsorship, publications, membership and other means - and forge ahead to take this unique international multilingual association into the twenty-first century.

2. Existing Priorities

As detailed in the FIPLV Profile, priorities of FIPLV include : regionalisation, Linguapax, Language Rights, tolerance, solidarity, collaboration of teachers of all languages, promotion of all languages internationally, and publications.

2.1. Regionalisation

In recent years, FIPLV Regions have been formed in Western Europe, Central Europe and the Nordic-Baltic area. Following our recent FIPLV World Congress in Recife (Brazil), Professor Francisco Gomes de Matos is coordinating activity towards the formation of an FIPLV Region for Latin America. Further attempts to form an FIPLV Region for Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific are about to be undertaken.

2.2. Linguapax

Following the Linguapax V International Workshop in Melbourne and the subsequent publication and international distribution of Linguapax V, its philosophy and principles have been promoted personally at conferences in Hiroshima (Japan), Recife (Brazil) and Adelaide (Australia). This movement has also been extended by Andrea Truckenbrodt (and Albert Raasch) in Melbourne (Australia) and Hobart (Australia).

Further personal promotion of Linguapax has included a paper in the Primary Educator and another has been requested by Professor Raymond Renard, who coordinates the UNESCO Linguapax program at the University of Mons-Hainaut (Belgium). Linguapax will also appear on the program of the UNESCO International Conference in Melbourne (Australia) in March 1998 - where I intend to deliver a paper - and it will be the focus of a Workshop in Graz (Austria) in September/October 1998, being organised by Michel Candelier. In the meantime, it has been proposed to UNESCO and the International Linguapax Committee (ILC) that I replace Michel Candelier as the FIPLV Representative. The ILC is scheduled to meet next in Burkina Faso in early 1998.

2.3. Language Rights

A Universal Declaration of Language Rights continues to undergo revision, with FIPLV input through its member associations in the context of National Commissions for UNESCO.

2.4. Tolerance

Some years ago, FIPLV was asked by UNESCO for input to a publication on the role of language learning in fostering tolerance. This unpublished document is still an objective for wider distribution in print, as potential sponsors are approached.

2.5. Solidarity

Clearly, some FIPLV member associations are well-placed to assist (teachers of) others who require support. SUKOL (Finland), LMS (Sweden) and the Danish association have been assisting language teachers for some years in countries on the southern Baltic coastline.

Occasional requests for assistance arrive, necessitating the development of a policy and procedures. A recent letter seeking assistance has arrived from Burundi.

2.6. Collaboration of Teachers of Languages

Wherever possible, FIPLV activities bring together teachers of all languages taught locally. This has been the focus of conferences in recent years and will be again for the Linguapax-centred Workshop in Graz (Austria) in September/October 1998. In conjunction with the Council of Europe and the International Linguapax Committee, FIPLV will bring together language teachers of European countries and, in particular, those of the Balkan region.

2.7. Promotion of All Languages Internationally

The commitment to the teaching of all languages is the essence of FIPLV philosophy and objectives, addressed by all members of the FIPLV Executive.

2.8. Publications

FIPLV World News appears three times a year and, in the last twelve months, the FIPLV Statutes have been published and a further trilingual publication on the Typology of Associations has appeared. We also hope to publish the Tolerance document.

3. Advocacy and Representation

Wherever possible and within budgetary restraints, FIPLV will assist in its representation at key events hosted by member associations and activities hosted by other organisations.

3.1. Regional Coverage

At the recent meeting of the FIPLV Executive, it was resolved that Executive members, as follows, would assume responsibility as contact persons for the FIPLV Regions in existence or being formed :

* Central Europe Teresa Siek-Piskozub

* Latin America Denis Cunningham

* Nordic-Baltic Tuula Penttilä

* Southeast Asia & Southwest Pacific Denis Cunningham

* Western Europe Dieter Herold

3.2. Representation

Tuula Penttilä, Teresa Siek-Piskozub and I are to represent FIPLV at the IATEFL 1998 International Conference in Manchester (UK) in April, following my representation at the UNESCO International Conference in Melbourne (Australia) in March/April. We have also been invited to participate in the next World Congress of the Universala Esperanto-Asocio in Montpellier (France) in August.

3.3. FIPLV Website

FIPLV is working on its website, being undertaken by Terry Atkinson of ALL (UK). Responsibility for the currency of content is to be assumed by Tuula Penttilä.

4. Projects

FIPLV always has underway projects of international significance. This trend is to continue.

4.1. The Role of Associations in the Professional Development of Teachers

An international FIPLV project is underway on the role that associations can assume profitably in the context of professional development of language teachers. The surveys are about to be finalised and distributed to member associations.

4.2. Policies on the Teaching of Languages

Member associations have been asked to send Michel and me copies of their policies, so that Michel Candelier can begin another FIPLV Project on the synthesis of these to establish an overview of world-wide trends.

4.3. Technology in Language Teaching and Learning

Assisting teachers currently and in the future in utilising emerging technologies to enhance student learning of languages, is a challenge and priority of FIPLV. This could also lead to another FIPLV Project.

4.4. Towards the Electronic Transfer of Data and Communication

As we move towards the electronic transfer of data and communication, we envisage phasing out the distribution of hard copy for both the regular mailouts and publications. This will be a longer term objective, as we replace the use of postal services by email exchange. Member associations have been asked to provide email addresses as these become the target contact details for members.

5. Future Activities

At the recent meeting of the Executive in Lübeck (Germany), considerable discussion was devoted to planning future activities. While the above objectives were endorsed for the next triennium (1998-2000), other activities were also supported :

5.1. Improved Relations with UNESCO

As a UNESCO partner, it is imperative that we increase activity to assist in achieving UNESCO goals where these impact upon the shared objectives of FIPLV. These are substantial. To this end, current activity in the context of Linguapax will continue, while FIPLV is to be represented at the UNESCO International Conference in Melbourne (Australia) in March/April 1998.

At a recent meeting with the Assistant Director-General for Education, Professor Colin Power, other pathways of cooperation were also discussed and agreed. Regular meetings with various key personnel of UNESCO have also been agreed, during my visits to UNESCO Headquarters and the more frequent contact of Michel Candelier, as he lives in the same city. Regular reports are also foreshadowed.

5.2. Improved Relations with Member Associations

Wherever possible, steps will be taken to retain and build upon good relations with current national multilingual and international unilingual member associations. This can be done by combining FIPLV meetings with, and participating in, significant events of member associations, as we are doing with IATEFL in April 1998.

5.3. Membership Drive

Another key objective is to encourage membership of more national multilingual associations. While a priority is to address the needs of current members to ensure continued involvement with FIPLV - and the submission of fees - we must also attract increased membership of other associations, not yet members of FIPLV. The current review of the fee structure is designed to assist in this objective, while the forthcoming Linguapax-centred Workshop in Graz (Austria) will offer additional possibilities.

5.4. Improved Relations with other International Associations

Improving relations with other international associations (i.e. MAPRYAL, AILA, FIT, UEA, etc), is also a desirable aim, commencing with Tuula Penttilä's representation of FIPLV at the Conference in Kursk (Russia) in May 1998. Discussions have already taken place with officers of all these associations to initiate steps to work more closely together. In a similar context, my representation of FIPLV on the Organising Committee of WorldCALL, to take place in Melbourne (Australia) in July 1998, is another way of building bridges with other groups where there is overlap of content and philosophy.

5.5. Expansion in New Areas

Another aim over the next triennium is to extend the influence of FIPLV to areas where we do not, as yet, have national multilingual members. Having embarked upon this challenge recently in Latin America - where we are hopeful of forming an FIPLV Region in the near future - we are also looking towards Africa, the USA and the Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific area, to establish relations and members.

5.6. FIPLV World Congresses

Michel Candelier has planning well underway for the XXth FIPLV World Congress to be held in Paris in mid-2000 while we are about to decide on the venue of the next for the Year 2003.

6. Communication and Cooperation

It is a challenging agenda, identifying priorities recognised by all members of the new Executive and addressing initiatives expressed by member associations.

To further these objectives, we need your support, ideas and collaboration. We are willing to assist, so invite your suggestions and input.

In so doing, you can assist us in taking FIPLV into the third millennium, aiding in enhancing the teaching of languages world-wide.

Denis Cunningham

President, FIPLV

The representatives of the Nordic multilingual federations had their regional meeting in Reykjavik in September 1997. A Regional Executive Committee was chosen: Chair - Terttu Valojärvi (Putouskuja 5 C 17, 01600 Vantaa, Finland), Secretary - Kolbrun Valdemarsdottir (Stallasel 7, 109-Reykjavik, Iceland) and Treasurer - Anita Ohlander (Sjöängsvägen 35, 54231 Mariestad, Sweden).

SUKOL (Finland) has been asked by the members of the Region to act as a co-ordinator in an ECP Project with the theme ‘Information Technology in FLT’. The project is planned to be teacher exchange involved with the use of Information Technology to benefit the teaching of foreign languages. Associations from other European Regions (FNAPLV, ANILS and HALT) have been asked to join in the project.

In preparing this report, I have opted to produce a systematic account of reflections on the Brazilian experience of an FIPLV World Congress. [...] By doing that, members and friends of FIPLV will be able to share some of the self-assessment conducted by the person who had the exciting challenge of chairing the Organising Committee of FIPLV's XIXth World Congress. Attention is drawn to the fact that the evaluation philosophy underlying the text reflects the author's pedagogy of positiveness which states that in evaluating human/institutional performance once should consider both positive and questionable - traditionally referred to as "negative" - features. Accordingly, two such lists are presented. It should also be made clear that this is a personal evaluation, rather than that of the Organising Committee.

The Congress theme was: Toward Intercultural Understanding for the 21st Century : Language Learning in a Humanistic Context. Discussions were arranged in several section themes: Classroom strategies; Teaching young learners; Language policy and didactics; Tourism and language learning; Literature and language teaching; Technology in language education; Preparing teachers as interculturalists; Translation and intercultural awareness; Humanising language learning; New approaches.

The focus on such section themes was the outcome of consensus reached by FIPLV (represented on the Organising Committee by its Vice-President, Tuula Penttila) and by the Federal University of Pernambuco's Committee, co-chaired by Francisco Gomes de Matos and Yaracilda Farias. [...]

Academic Program Highlights

The following titles of presentations and respective presenters are merely illustrative of the variety, relevance and far-sightedness which characterised most of the intellectual contributions to the XIX Congress of FIPLV.

Significantly, the Opening Plenary Lecture was given by Michel Candelier, President of FIPLV on the timely topic "Enseignement des langues et société : éléments d'une éthique professionelle". Brazil was represented by a Plenary lecture by one of our best-known applied linguists, Hilario Bohn, who focussed on a crucial challenge : Brazilian language education policy.

Among the several round-table sessions, mention should be made of Aquisição bilingue precoce (Early Bilingual Acquisition), a round-table chaired by the distinguished Brazilian psycholinguist Leonor Scliar-Cabral, recently-elected President of the Brazilian Linguistics Association.

Another round-table which drew considerable attention was "Politiques Linguistiques et Enseignement du Français Langue Etrangère", chaired by French specialist, Patrick Dahlet. Among workshops, the following is indicative of practical classroom teaching experiences : "Activating the adult learner", conducted by the British methodologist and textbook author, Barbara Sinclair. Thematically-focused presentations attracted a great deal of interest. A fine example of such a session was on the Internet and Language Learning, conducted by participants from Japan (Guy Kellog), the US (Donald Sola) and Finland (Tuula Penttila).

Another especially and dynamic engaging activity - poster sessions - proved quite motivating, both intellectually and physically. One example of such an interactive presentation was intercultural dialogue and materials design (Ralph Ings Bannell) [see Fiplv World News, No. 40].

Positive Features

1. FIPLV's coming to Latin America via Brazil.
1. The interaction of FIPLV family members with participants from Latin America, particularly from Brazil.
1. Congress theme emphasising intercultural understanding, realised through section sub-themes.
1. Varied activities : plenaries, round-tables, workshops, poster sessions, paper sessions, thematically-focussed sessions, mini-plenaries.
1. Launching of Linguapax project in Latin America, through the Congress : an 8-page text by Denis Cunningham and Kip Cates was included in the Congress program volume.
1. 207-page Congress Program featuring a welcome to participants via a poem in Portuguese, French, English, and German ("Message from a city of poets", by local poet Lucila Nogueira),[...] a profile of FIPLV [...], a portrait of the Federal University of Pernambuco [...], Abstracts of presentations, and a message from the host University's Rector, Mozart Ramos Neves.
1. A varied program of cultural activities - held mainly during the lunch break and in the evening - gave participants an introduction to local music, dance, and other artistic manifestations of BRAZIL.
1. Daily coverage of important events and brief interviews published in the Congress daily newsletter, FIPLV at UFPE, in Portuguese and English.
1. Interviews given by FIPLV's President Michel Candelier and other distinguished Congress speakers to the local press, especially to Diario de Pernambuco, oldest newspaper in circulation in Latin America.
1. The holding of the FIPLV General Assembly at the Institute of Contemporary Art, in an architecturally restored section of old Recife, near the harbour.
1. The establishment of UFPE, in the Pro-Rectorate for Community Affairs, of a sector devoted to Congress planning and implementation, known as PRO-EVENTOS, chaired by Gerarda Fernandes, was strategic in integrating the academic and administrative components of the XIXth FIPLV World Congress.
1. The warm hospitality extended by the staff of the Center of Education, UFPE High School, Center for Arts and Communication, and the main library where all the Congress took place.
1. The cooperation of the Department of Letters' Faculty in the academic management of the Congress; the participation of undergraduate and graduate students from the Department as members of the intercultural support groups; and the dedication of Dr Yaracylda Farias, as co-Chair of the Organising Committee and as Congress Managerial Advisor to PRO-EVENTOS [...].
1. The opportunity for some of the Congress participants to stay on for additional lectures and/or seminars in Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Niteroi, thus bringing FIPLV and other Brazilian universities closer together.
1. The official representation at the XIXth FIPLV World Congress of all the important Brazilian organisations (i.e. Brazilian Association of Linguistics, Applied Linguistics Association of Brazil) devoted to the teaching of languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese as a FL, to name but a few) as well as of linguistics.
1. The first time that SIPLE (i.e. International Society for the Teaching of Portuguese as a Foreign Language) participated, as an affiliate member, in an FIPLV World Congress.
1. Originally planned for 1,000 participants, XIX could accommodate almost 700 people, despite its change of venue, because of a fire which destroyed UFPE's Convention Center's new 1,600-seat auditorium.
1. The holding of the Congress Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week proved beneficial to participants interested in seeing a little of the local artistic and historical sites in Recife, the sister-city of Olinda, and the world-famous open air theatre performance of the Passion of Christ in Nova Jerusalem (New Jerusalem).
1. Participants' exposure to the Brazilian variety of the Portuguese language enhanced interest in the learning of our national language and an appreciation of our culture.
1. Through the XIXth FIPLV World Congress at UFPE, a significant step was taken by the FIPLV Executive to establish a well-grounded representation in Latin America through the efforts of Brazilian members in Recife and other Brazilian cities, towards an FIPLV Region for Latin America.
1. The use of simultaneous interpretation services for the Opening Ceremony as well as for the three plenary sessions. Interpretation was provided from or into Portuguese, English and French.
1. The three general plenary lectures were given in three of the Congress working languages: French, Portuguese and English.
1. The strategic distribution of FIPLV World News to participants, especially those in charge of sections, roundtables, workshops and to representatives of Latin American organisations of language teachers.
1. The preparation and administering of a questionnaire in Portuguese, Spanish, English, French and German to participants so as to gather feedback for FIPLV's Board and especially for the Organising Committee of XXth FIPLV World Congress, to take place in Paris, in July of the Year 2000.
1. The strengthening of organisation ties between FIPLV and the host institution, the Federal University of Pernambuco.

1. The highly intensive, compact, three-day academic program, and social and/or cultural activities during the lunch break and in the evening, proved tiring for many participants. Maybe a four-day program, plus one day for cultural activities would prove more effective, or an alternate format of a three-day program with fewer academic activities, followed by one day devoted entirely to experiencing the local culture.

2. The use of an acoustically appropriate area for the major events, such as the opening and closing ceremonies and the plenary lectures. (As a fire had destroyed the auditorium originally planned to be used, the major events had to take place in the University High School Gymnasium, where acoustic conditions, seating, and lack of air-conditioning did not live up to participants' expectations.)

3. Efforts at having a computer-assisted-Congress office, notwithstanding administrative secretarial assistance, sometimes left something to be desired, because of the demands placed on the rather small staff in charge of such operations. In fairness to the administrative staff, it should be clarified that that was the first international Congress managed by the then recently-established Congress organising division at the Federal Pernambuco.

4. The system of submission of abstracts to the Scientific Committee, although flexible (i.e. email, fax, postal services could be used), did not prove as effective as expected. While email was nearly 95% effective, faxed abstracts and other communications were often partly illegible. The use of ordinary air mail also left a little to be desired. The Brazilian experience shows that email communication is to be preferred, with special delivery postal services as the second best medium.

5. The deadline set for the submission of abstracts must be rigorously put into practice and potential presenters must be informed of it well ahead of time. Unforeseen or unexpected local factors may cause unavoidable extensions of the deadline - e.g. the local or national academic year runs - so that control of deadlines has to be exercised carefully by the Scientific Committee.

6. The policy of language use of the Congress should be made quite clear to participants, especially the event's working languages, languages which will be used in the official parts of Congress (the opening and closing) as well as the plenary lectures. The degree of information on languages used in the Congress is something which should be planned, in the spirit of FIPLV's intercultural pluralism.

7. The transportation system used to and from the Congress venue has to be well publicised to participants and, furthermore, it has to be dependable and relatively flexible as to scheduling.

8. Because of the fire in the new Convention Center of UFPE, the originally planned space for the Book and Materials Exhibitions could not be used. Instead, the halls of the Center of Education and the University High School had to hold that important component of the Congress. Given the need for participants to socialise in between activities and throughout the Congress, the area set aside for such face-to-face interaction has to be strategically selected.

9. Publicising the XIXth FIPLV World Congress relied mostly on colour posters, fliers (in English, French, German and Portuguese in the first phase; English and Portuguese in the pre-Congress phase), and on announcements in many of the leading journals and newsletters in Brazil, other Latin American countries, Europe, the US and Japan. A considerable sum of money was spent by the host institution, UFPE, on advertising the event, with the logistical support of Varig Brazilian Airlines and the official travel agency for the XIXth FIPLV World Congress, INXS Turismo e Congressos. TV coverage, mostly during the week preceding the event, should have been used some months before the Congress, but sponsors could not be found for using commercial TV stations. Instead, the local University TV station provided some free time for advertising the Congress. Very careful planning of FIPLV Congress marketing has to be made, so that the event has the comprehensive dissemination it deserves.

10. The system used for participants' accommodation and meals (especially lunch, at the Congress site) left a little to be desired, because our campus is rather far from Boa Viagem Beach, where most of the participants from abroad and other parts of Brazil were staying. The unavailability of hotels and/or boarding houses on campus is typical of Brazilian universities, so that would have been a challenge almost anywhere in Brazilian cities.

All in all, the XIXth FIPLV World Congress positive features far outweigh the questionable features above. Organisationally and individually, the Brazilian event (March 24-26 1997) in Recife was a very positive experience, as can be seen through the feedback given by many participants and especially by the FIPLV Executive members attending the General Assembly the day after the Congress. The local organising committee learned a great deal from the Congress because of the quality of the Congress generally and of the presentations.

If I were to update my survey of foreign language teaching in Latin America, published by Mouton in 1968, I would add that the XIXth FIPLV World Congress of FIPLV in Recife, capital of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, is another landmark in the history of language education in Latin America!

FIPLV has discovered Brazil and is here to stay!

Francisco Gomes de Matos

Convenor - XIXth FIPLV World Congress

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.

21-22 March LMS Conference. Theme: Language and Culture. Information: Gunilla Bouvin, Byvagen 39, S-133 34 Saltsjobaden, Sewden; Fax: +46-8-717 25 19

30 March-3 April UNESCO International Conference. Theme: Education for the 21^st Century in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Four Pillars of Education. Venue: Carlton Crest Hotel, Albert Park Lake, Melbourne. Information: Geoff Haw, Manager, UNESCO Conference Secretariat, Dpt. of Education, Level 6 North Rialto Tower, GPO Box 4367, Melbourne 3001, phone: + 61 03 9628 4958, fax: + 61 03 9628 2091, e-mail: geoff.haw@dse.vicgov.au http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/cis/unesconf

1-5 April An Interdisciplinary Centenary Conference. Theme: The Lewis Carroll Phenomenon. Venue: University of Wales Cardiff. Information: Karen Sands, SECAP, University of Wales Cardiff, PO Box 94, Cardiff CF1 3XB UK. Fax: The Lewis Carroll Phenomenon: + 44 1222 874502,
e-mail: carroll-conference@cardiff.ac.uk  http://wwww.cf.ac.uk/uwcc/secap/carfest/carefest.html

3-5 April 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.

20-22 April RELC Seminar on Language Teaching. Theme: New Insights for the Language Teacher. Venue: Singapore. InformationSeminar Secretariat, SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, 30 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258352, Republic of Singapore. Phone: (65) 737 9044, fax: (65) 734 2753;
e-mail: tkhng@singnet.com.sg      www.relc.org.sg

1-3 May 31^st Pozna? Linguistic Meeting (PLM). Theme: Recent developements in linguistic theory. Venue: Adam Mickiewicz University, Pozna?. Information: Katarzyna Dziubalska-Ko?aczyk, School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, al. Niepodleg?o?ci 4, 61-874 Pozna?, Poland; tel: +48 61 852-88-20; fax: +48 61 852-31-03; email: plm@ifa.amu.edu.pl

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.

24-27 June 4^th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness. Venue: Sainte-Foy, Quebec. Information: Joyce M.Angio, Department des langues, Cegep de Sainte-Foy, 2410, chemin Sainte-Foy, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V1T3; tel: (418) 659-6600ext.4487; fax: (481) 659-4563;
email: jmangio@cegep-ste-foy.qc.ca

6-9 July 8^th International Conference on Functional Grammar.Venue: Amsterdam. Information: Prof. J.L. Mackenzie, Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Varije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands; e-mail: mackenzi@let.vu.nl   fax: + 31-20 444 6500

13-16 July 4^th International Conference of the English Language Teachers’ Association in Israel (ETAI). Theme: REFLECTING FOR THE FUTURE. Venue: Jerusalem. Information: ETAI Conference, Peltours - Te’um Congress Organisers, P.O.B. 8388, Jerusalem 91082, Israel, tel: 972 (0)2 561 7402, fax: 972 (0)2 563 7572, e-mail: teumcing@netmedia.net.il

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

26-31 July XIIIéme congrès national de professeurs de français. Theme: L’enseignnement pluriel du français’. Information: FBPF: Caixa Postal 5063 - CEP 88040-970, Florianópolis - S.C.- Brasil; phone: (048) 231-9355/228-3464, Fax: (o48) 231-9988/228-1117; e-mail: fbpf@acce.ufsc.br

19-24 July 6^th International pragmatics Conference. Theme: Language and Ideology. Venue: Reims Champagne Congrès Antwerp. Information: IPrA Secretariat P.O. Boz 33 (Antwerp 11), B-2018 Antwerp, Belgium

20-23 November JALT’98 Conference. Theme: Focus on the Classroom. Venue: Omiya City. Information: JALT Central Office, Urban Edge Buldg 5F, 1-37-9 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110, Japan, tel: 03-3837-1630, fax: 03-3837-1631

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; Educating FL Teachers. 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@main.amu.edu.pl

August/September IATEFL/SIG TDTR4 .Theme: Teachers Research Teachers Development, Venue: Leuven, Belgium. Information: 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. World-wide Web http://www.man.ac.uk/IATEFL/

July XXth Congress of FIPLV. Venue: Paris. Information: Michel Candelier, phone/fax: + 33 1 40 18 39 51; e-mail: mc.fiplv@imaginet.fr

For more than 25 years technology has made a forceful entry in the language classroom. The movement was considerably increased with the appearance of audio-visual and audio-aural methods bringing with them the introduction of the tape-recorder, the language laboratory and the slide projector. Today the teacher has a veritable panoply of aids at his disposal from the simple cassette recorder or overhead projector to videoconferencing via laboratories and other multimedia systems and satellite television. However this vast choice and all these possibilities on offer lead us to three questions: Which equipment is recommended? Which resources/support for what purpose? What about teacher training?

1. Which equipment?

In the first case, the teacher must be able to have at his disposal a polymedia or multimedia classroom (...) equipped with a cassette recorder, an overhead projector, a video recorder and a television set. The fact of having such equipment at hand allows for varying support of lessons for a greater motivation of pupils [and] varying pedagogic approaches by a better gasp of the different styles of learning. A satellite facility could also promote an opening onto the outside world especially on the society of the language being taught. Obviously a polymedia classroom brings with it a certain ‘pedagogic comfort’ which channels the energy of the teacher more into the contents of what is being taught and on ways of doing it rather than into seeking material for an hour’s lesson.

As to autonomous learning use, traditional equipment like cassette recorders or videos remain valid; meanwhile the arrival of multimedia and all the computer equipment perceptibly turns things upside down: language laboratories of the analogical type, for instance, disappear in favour of completely computerised equipment. Above all one has to ask oneself what exactly multimedia is. You can effectively speak of multimedia from the moment when several types of media are collected in the same place [and] there is interaction between one form of media and another. A book containing graphics and text, or a video tape offering pictures, sound and sub-titled text cannot be considered multimedia; at best one could speak of them as polymedia. You have to consider multimedia as a completely new media with its own logic which cannot add up to the logic of an isolated form.

If you ask yourself on the impact which multimedia can have on the teaching of languages, one fact predominates: of all the teaching disciplines, it is probably in the teaching of languages that the impact would be greatest for the simple reason that all the media forms present in this environment are essential to us. Text supports written comprehension and expression; sound does not just convey information as for history or biology but is truly an object of study itself; the picture, whether fixed or moving, serves to support spoken word. Such networked surroundings form the framework of the new language laboratories; you still need to add to them software for managing the equipment and a supplementary module to organise teacher/pupil and pupil/teacher communication.

2. What equipment for what use?

Meanwhile it is nevertheless possible to define, in broad strokes, the different types of computerised materials for use in the language classroom. One could quote four:

1. Fixed materials, ready to use

2. Open materials

3. Generators

4. Products not dedicated to languages

Recently we have heard a lot of talk about ‘internet’. If it is true that this interconnection of networks constitutes the greatest basis of data in the world, it is too early to draw any conclusions as to its usefulness as educational material : on the one hand we need to spend much time on research, and on the other we must carry out complementary work to make all this information accessible to students. Meanwhile in the long run it could provide an ideal situation to gather information on this or that product, see a demonstration, or even open discussion and dialogue with people who have used this media. Nevertheless one of the services offered by internet should have a promising future: that is, electronic mail (E-Mail). This service allows a virtually instantaneous way of sending documentation (text, sound, picture) to any point in the globe thus opening up new perspectives for school contact and exchange between students.

3. What training for teachers?

To integrate new technology properly into the language classroom the teacher has to ask himself four questions:

1. Why? That is to say, why am I going to use this aid rather than another and what is its contribution to the educational procedure I am planning...
1. To what purpose? What do I expect to do with it? If I want to develop oral production, perhaps the computer is less appropriate...
1. When? In other words at what point in the operation is it most appropriate? At the beginning because it allows for the introduction of this or that idea? At the implementation stage because it can offer the students a whole range of exercises?...
1. How? Is it preferable to put such aids in the resources centre and to ask all the students, or only those who have problems, to work there outside lesson time? Should I plan a preparatory session or a particular follow-up?

Editor’s Note: This document was prepared by the FIPLV-Western European Region. It is available in seven languages.

veranstaltet vom Fachverband Moderne Fremdsprachen, den Fremdsprachenverbänden Luxemburgs und dem Ministere de l‘Education Nationale de Luxembourg

Der Fremdsprachenkongreß soll sich mit den zukünftigen Herausforderungen an das Fremdsprachenkönnen der Büger Europas und mit den Konsequenzen für den Fremdsprachenunterricht, für die Ausbildung der Lehrer und den Problemen der Umsetzung in konkreten Unterricht befassen. Das Programm des Kongresses gliedert sich dementsprechend in drei Themenbereiche:

1. Herausforderungen für einen modernen Fremdsprachenunterricht in Europa im 21. Jahrhundert.
1. Ausbildung der Sprachlehrer und Sprachtrainer in europäischer Dimension.
1. Didaktik und Methodik eines Sprachunterrichts in europäischer Dimension.

Themes:

1. Politique de la formation:

• linguistique
• didactique

1. Politique de l’enseignement:

• l’éducation nationale et rôle des associations des professeurs de français
• l’acquisition du français langue étrangère
• l’enseignement diversifié du français étrangère

3. Politique culturelle:

• la littérature, vecteur de cultures
• les arts, instruments d’une langue

Inscriptions: FAPEX, rua Caetano Moura, 140, Federaç?o, Cep 40210-34, Salvador, Bahia, Brésil; tél. (071) 331-7033; télécopieur (071) 237-7035. Appui: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana.

Le Colloque annuel de l’Association for French Language Studies aura lieu du 4 au 6 septembre 1998 a ‘Université de East Anglia a Norwich sur le thème: Français écrit a l’ère des nouvelles technologies: Rapport et influence réciproque; Traces de l’oral dans l’écrit; Enseignement et média; Apprentissage en autonomie.

Les communications seront de 30mn. plus 10mn. de discussion. Les propositions, a envoyer par courrier et également sous forme électronique (e-mail, Word, Word Perfect), doivent inclure un titre et un résumé (200 - 300 mots environ). Propositions a envoyer avant le 24 janvier 1998.

For more information contact: Dr Marie-Madeleine Kenning, School of Modern Languages and European Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, tel: 01603 592152; e-mail: m.kenning@uea.ac.uk

UNESCO and the Australian National Commission wish to ensure that this is a truly regional conference. The region contains 43 members states of UNESCO, and 63% of the world’s population, and is one of enormous contrasts. Participant countries have been invited to provide input to the program, so that it addresses their needs and priorities. The Report of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, Learning: The Treasure Within, provides an excellent starting point. The Commission enunciated three directions for effort in educational renewal and reform:

• taking a holistic approach to education reform, taking into account all the sectors from basic education to university study;
• redefining roles and professional requirements of teachers;
• and the need for international co-operation with the concept of educating the global village.

The suggested pattern for the conference essentially involves half day sessions with plenary sessions (75 minutes per session), panel responses and syndicates (120 minutes per session). The sessions will be focused on four major themes of the Delors Report: Learning to know, Learning to do, Learning to live together, Learning to be. These four themes are known in the report as the Four Pillars of Education, and emphasise the concept of learning throughout life. They embrace societal issues and outlooks, and educational issues and processes, and provide a basis for making informed political choice on education and society. Strategic themes to address which impact across all pillars include equity, access, partnership, quality, values, and information technology.

The conference will be conducted in English. At the concluding session, a Declaration and/or resolutions as approved by the Conference Bureau will be debated for adoption, and for presentation to UNESCO.

For more information contact Mr Geoff Haw, Manager, UNESCO Conference Secretariat, Department of Education, Level 6 North Rialto Tower, GPO Box 4367, MELBOURNE 3001, AUSTRALIA, phone: + 61 03 9628 4958, fax: +61 03 9628 2091, email: geoff.haw@dse.vic.gov.au, Internet Home Page: http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/cis/unesconf

The Regional Language Centre (RELC), an educational project of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) announces an annual seminar. The proposed topic is, Language Teaching: new Insights for the Language Teacher.

The Seminar will have the following aims:

1. To examine the changing role of teachers as they seek to prepare themselves for the challenges of a fast-changing world;
1. To report on trends, innovations, projects, theories, and research findings in language education that have a bearing on successful language teaching.

• The Impact of Language Policies on Language Teaching
• Managing the Teacher’s professional Growth
• Essential Knowledge for Effective Teaching
• Evaluating Good Language Teaching
• Multimedia Technology for Language Teaching
• Case Studies of Successful Language Teaching in Southeast Asia

The 31^st PLM, organised by the School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland, will continue the theme of the previous meeting, Recent developments in linguistic theory, with emphasis on a number of theories and areas of study: Natural Morphology, Natural Phonology, Government Phonology, Minimalism in syntax, SLA and cognitive linguistics.

A Project Meeting on the Acquisition of Pre- and Protomorphology will be held in conjunction with the 31^st PLM, starting in the evening of the 1^st of May and continuing up to the 4^th of May. This will be another in the series of meetings of the participants in the International Project on the Acquisition of Pre- and Protomorphology, co-ordinated by Wolfgang U. Dressler (University of Vienna). The Project Meeting will be open to all PLM participants (and vice versa).

For more information contact Katarzyna Dziubalska-Konaczyk, School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, al. Niepodleg?o?ci 4, 61-874 POZNAN, POLAND; tel: + 48 61 852-88-20, fax: + 48 61 852-31-03, email: plm@ifa.amu.edu.pl

The Faculty of Letters of the Varije Universiteit Amsterdam in co-operation with the Institute for Functional Research into Language and Language Use organise a four-day conference on Functional Grammar. The conference will be held on the campus of the Varije Universiteit and will comprise a number of plenary lectures, parallel sessions, poster sessions and discussion groups, as well as a range of social activities.

All the papers at the conference will discuss issues arising within the theory of Functional Grammar, as presented in Simon C. Dik, The Theory of Functional grammar (2 parts) 1997, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin. A thematically based selection of the papers will be prepared for publication in book form.

For more information contact: prof. J.L. Mackenzie, Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Varije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
email: mackenzi@let.vu.nl     fax: +31-20 444 6500

Vestnik, The Newsletter of International Association of teachers of Russian Language and Literatur (MAPRYAL), no. 20, Mocow 1997.

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

IATEFL Newsletter. No. 138, August-September 1997; No. 139, October - November 1997.

Boletín de ASELE, Núm. 16- Abril, 1997.

FBPF. Federação Brasileira dos Professores de Francês. Informativo Bimestral Nos 19, setembro1997.

Tempus, Newsletter of the Federation of Foreign Language Teachers in Finland SUKOL, No. 7 & 8, 1997.

Global Issues in Language Education Newsletter, National Special Interest Group of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT), Issue 28, September 1997.

TESOL Greece. No. 55, July - September & No. 56, October - December 1997.

Neofilolog. Czasopismo Polskiego Towarzystwa Neofilologicznego. No. 14, 1997.

English Teaching Forum. A journal for the teacher of English outside the United States. Vol. 35 No. 1, January 1997.

Language Teaching Research. Vol. 1, No.2, 1997. Arnold, London.

The News. TESOL-France, No.17 September 1997.

NZALT Members’ Newsletter. New Zealand Association of Language Teachers. No.13, 1997

In this issue Denis Cunnigham provides insights into the future of the FIPV (Letter of the President). As usual we report on the recent FIPLV activities in the Regions and the involvement of our representatives in the international events (FIPLV News). Our Congress Calendar has been updated. The Member Associations, as well as the institutions co-operating with us, inform about their recent and future activities (News and Views). In Forum on Controversial Issues, we have reprinted a document on modern technology worked out by WER-FIPLV. A growing list of journals issued by and for language teachers, sent to the Editor’s address, is published in Books and Journals: Publications received.

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.

A news service provided and edited by the Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes (FIPLV). The FIPLV Head Office is located at Seestrasse 247, CH-8038 Zürich, Switzerland. The FIPLV site can be viewed at the following URL: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/Depts/Education/FIPLV/fiplv.htm

 
FIPLV Editor: Teresa Siek-Piskozub. Editorial Office: School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, al. Niepodleg³oœci 4, PL-61-874 Poznañ, Poland.

Telephone: International Code + 48 61 852 88 20.

Fax: International code+ 48 61 852 31 03.

E-mail: piskozub@main.amu.edu.pl

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Telephone: International Code+ 49 451 3 27 91.

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