Plenary Speakers
Prof. Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai
Bio: Govinda Raj Bhattarai ( 1953 ) was born in Pancchthar district, the eastern hills of Nepal. having earned MA and MEd in English from TU he joined the same university as an Assistant Lecturer some 40 years ago. Currently, he is a retired Professor of English. A prolific writer of English and Nepali both, there are more than 40 books published to his credit including originally authored, translated and edited ones. His contribution towards textbook writing, editing and translating is immense. Dr. Bhattarai has traveled widely in order to present papers and attend seminars in many parts of the world. He is the first Nepali scholar to earn a Ph.D. in Translation Studies from the University of Hyderabad in 1976. He had served NELTA in the capacity of President.
Plenary Title: Immense Power of English Language: Shall Our Teachers Exploit or Avoid It?
Prof. Dr. Z. N. Patil
Bio: Professor Dr. Z. N. Patil has taught English language and literature at school, college and university levels for 46 years. He has to his credit 20 textbooks, 8 resource books and 80 articles published in national and international journals. He has successfully guided 10 M Phil and 24 Ph D scholars and has evaluated more than 50 Ph D theses submitted to Indian and foreign universities. He has delivered sponsored, invited keynote addresses and plenary talks at international conferences in Bangladesh, Britain, Canada, China, Dubai, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey. He was invited to deliver special talks and conduct workshops for students and teachers at universities in Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, UK and Vietnam.
He worked as an English language expert at the Institute for International Relations, Hanoi, Vietnam from 1999 to 2002. Later from 2003 to 2006 he served as Senior English Language adviser in Japan.
He has been a senior advisor to 20 international online journals such as Asian EFL Journal. He is a founding and management member of ‘English Scholars beyond Borders’ international group, which organizes international conferences in various countries and publishes papers in online journals.
He can be contacted via mobile (+91-9652427211, +91-9326897527) and email (znpatil@gmail.com).
Plenary Title: Indian English: A Product of Language Contact
Prof. Dr. Zakia Sarwar
Bio: Prof. Dr. Zakia Sarwar has over 50 years of teaching language and literature at a women's college in Pakistan. She holds a Master's degree in Literature, Govt. College University Lahore, Dip TEFL from Sydney University Australia. and M. Ed TESOL from the University of Leeds, UK . She has published and presented in Conferences internationally and nationally and holds national and international awards. Her fields of interest are teaching language through Literature, materials development, teacher education and handling large classes. Her classroom research in Project based Learning with a focus on learner autonomy has recently been replicated in Nepal.
Plenary Title: The Relevance of Learner Autonomy for EFL Learners
Prof. Dr. Arifa Rahman
Professor, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh & Adviser, BELTA
Bio: Arifa Rahman is English language teacher educator experienced in course development, research, materials design and assessment. She has published articles and chapters in international journals and books and is actively involved in developing English teachers from marginalized communities. She is a TESOL Affiliate and IATEFL Associate Leader. Her research interests are context, culture and inequity in language education policy.
Plenary Title: Global Issues and Local Contexts: A Case for Materials Design
Prof. Dr. Richmond Stroupe
President
Japan Association of Language Teaching (JALT)
Bio: Richmond Stroupe has worked with university and professional language learners from Asia since 1989. He received a Ph.D. in International Comparative Education from the University of Southern California and has been involved in the development of language learning programs in a number of contexts. He is the Chair of the Master's Program in International Language Education: TESOL at Soka University, Japan. Richmond has been professionally active in Japan, as the current President of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT), in the United States, with TESOL International Association through involvement in various committees and task forces, and in Cambodia, with CamTESOL (Cambodia TESOL), as a member of the Advisory Board of the IDP Education sponsored Language Education in Asia publication. Richmond actively conducts workshops, publishes and presents on a variety of professional activities and research projects, which include teacher education practices, curriculum and professional development, and developing learners' critical thinking skills.
Plenary Title: Teaching English in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts: Strategies for Effective Teachers
Prof. Dr. Laxman Gnawali
Senior Vice President,
Nepal English Language Teachers' Association (NELTA)
Bio: Laxman Gnawali, Professor of English Education at Kathmandu University and Senior Vice President of NELTA, leads EFL teacher education and trainer development programmes in Nepal. He co-authors EFL textbooks, designs language development courses for teachers, and frequently travels delivering sessions at national and international ELT events. He inspires and facilitates teachers for professional development through publication, conference participation and network building.
Plenary Title: An Ecological Perspective of Integrated Curriculum for ELT
Prof. Aymen Elsheikh
Bio: Prof. Aymen Elsheikh, Instructional Assistant Professor of English at Texas A&M University at Qatar, received a PhD in literacy, culture, and language education from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has over 10 years of teaching experience in different countries including Sudan (his native country), Oman, USA, Qatar, and the UAE. Dr. Elsheikh’s research interests include translanguaging, teacher knowledge and identity, teaching English as an international/glocal language, language teacher associations, among others. He has published and given numerous conference presentations on these topics. His most recent publications include a coedited book (2018), by Springer, on the role of language teacher associations in professional development. He is the current President of Africa TESOL and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the TESOL Journal. He also co-founded TESOL Sudan and served as its Vice President.
Plenary Title: An Ecological Approach to Language Teachers’ Professional Identity
Dr. Jovan Ilic
Country Director
British Council Nepal
Bio: Currently Country Director at British Council Nepal, Dr. Jovan Ilić has been working in education and cultural relations for 30 years. His publications on Nepal include: Metsämuuronen, J. & Ilic, J. (2017) Less resourced but high performing in English - Secrets behind high performing community schools in Nepal. Ilic,J. (2002) Globalisation. The Himalayan Times. Ilic, J. (2001) Is the Future Female? The Kathmandu Post. Ilic, J. & Osrin, D. (2001) The Digital Provide? Nepali Times.
Plenary Title: Should Primary Nepali Classrooms Use English as the Medium of Instruction?
Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam
Bio: Dr. Ganga Ram Gautam, Associate Professor of English Education and Director of Open and Distance Education Center (ODEC) at Tribhuvan University, trains English teachers of all levels of education and contributes to the development and dissemination of teacher education curricula in English Education throughout Nepal. He is one of the founding members of Nepal English Language Teachers’ Association (NELTA) and Teacher Educators’ Society Nepal (TESON). He has co-organized a number of national and international conferences and capacity building workshops for the NELTA leaders, school principals, university faculty members and trainers. Dr. Gautam has worked on a number of community development projects that focus on children’s education, school development, school governance, vocational education, women’s empowerment and girls’ education. He has authored a number of articles, book chapters and presented in workshops, seminars and conferences in Nepal and abroad.
Plenary Title: Introspective Zooming in on English Language Teacher Education Curriculum
Dr. Tamas Kiss
Bio: Dr. Tamas Kiss holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Warsaw (Poland), a Master’s Degree from the University of Exeter / College of St Mark and St John (UK), and a BEd in English Language Teaching from Kossuth Lajos University (Hungary). He has been involved with language teacher education programmes in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Latin America and South East Asia as a trainer or consultant. He delivered one-off talks and directed two-week intensive workshops in more than 20 countries including Romania, Lithuania, Pakistan, Iraq, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Germany, etc. by invitation of universities, language teacher organizations, cultural institutions, such as the British Council, or international publishing houses. His main research interests include language pedagogy, language teacher education, intercultural communication, the link between complex dynamic systems and education, the role of culture in language teaching materials, and creativity. One of his latest projects resulted in a book co-authored with Alan Maley and published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2018 with the title ‘Creativity and English language teaching: From inspiration to implementation’.
Plenary Title: Ecology, Creativity, and Language Play
Dr. Gopal Prasad Pandey
Reader in English Education
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Bio: Dr. Gopal Prasad Pandey is Reader in English Education at Tribhuvan University (TU), Kathmandu, Nepal where he has been teaching ELT and Applied linguistics courses for two decades now. Dr. Pandey, a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from JNU, is currently the Chairperson of Central Department of English Education, University Campus, Kirtipur, TU. After earning Master’s Degree in English Education, he has also received an M.Phil. in English Literature, and published some books on ELT and Applied Linguistics namely; English language teaching theories and methods, A textbook of English sounds and structures, Writing skills in English and Teaching of English. A number of research articles on ELT go to his credit. He serves as a reviewer of different ELT Journals of international repute including Journal of NELTA. He has facilitated and conducted teacher training programmes and workshops for English teachers at various levels. His interest areas include critical discourse analysis, syllabus design, materials production, teacher professional development and language in Education.
Plenary Title: Are We Ready to Teach English in a Digital Age?
Dr. Ramnita Saini Sharda
Associate Prof of English and Dean Innovation
Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya
Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
Bio: Dr Ramnita Saini Sharda is a multilingual translator, writer, poet, teacher, environmentalist and a social worker. She has specialized in gender studies and is presently working with Govt. of Punjab as Master Trainer for Gender and Climate Change on Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH project on Climate change undertaken by Punjab State Council for Science and Technology in collaboration with Germany. She is also a Master trainer with Punjab Government for Buddy Programme, an innovative program of Punjab Govt. for dealing with drug abuse issue. She is Convener of ELT@I Jalandhar. Vice Chair Jalandhar for All Ladies League, Joint Secretary Punjab for EFSLE India. She has published many books, and research papers in International and National Journals. She has also participated in Yale Himalayan Conference as an invited speaker. She has attended a large number of International, National and Regional conferences and presented papers. She has also organized a large number of international conferences in her institution. She is a translator and has translated Punjabi literature into English.
Plenary Title: Climate Change and the Changing Paradigms of English Language Teaching
Dr. Joshua Jodoin
Bio: Joshua Jodoin is a passionate educator and a recent PhD graduate in global environmental studies from Kyoto University. He works as an instructor at Konan University in Kobe, Japan. His research focuses on the nexus between language teaching and education for sustainable development and he has recently been published in the Encyclopedia of Sustainable Development Goals, the International Journal of Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context, and Osaka JALT.
Plenary Title: Language Education for Sustainable Development: Lessons Learned From a Case Study in Japanese Higher Education
Curtis Chan
Bio: Curtis Chan is the Regional English Language Officer (RELO) based in Nepal managing U.S. Department of State English language programs in Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan. Prior to joining the U.S. Foreign Service, Curtis worked in the Office of English Language Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of State for six years where he managed the English Language Fellows and Specialist Programs, the digital and social media sites, and the American English E-Teacher Program. Before joining the U.S. Department of State, Curtis taught English and French, and managed educational programs in Japan and the United States. Curtis holds Master’s degrees in Applied Linguistics and in French Literature.
Plenary Title: Making Digital Content Work for You
David D. Perrodin
Eastern Asia University
Bio: Mr. David D. Perrodin has been deeply involved in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Southeast Asia for over a decade. Mr. Perrodin holds a Bachelor in Secondary Education and a Masters of Arts in Teaching, both with concentrations in English. As well, he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics with a concentration on English Language Teaching.
Plenary Title: Does International Teacher Training Influence Teacher Self-Efficacy?
Hemanta Raj Dahal
Bio: Mr. Hemanta Raj Dahal, former President and current National Director of NELTA, who holds M.A. English from T.U. Nepal and M.Ed. TESOL from Leeds, UK has a three-decade of experience in teaching and teacher training, training design and consultancy. He is a visiting faculty at Siam Technology College, Bangkok, where he develops syllabus for B.A. TESOL Program, and teaches and guides the students for academic writing. He has presented papers, given workshops and plenary in Nepal and abroad.
Plenary Title: Post-modernism on the Move: Navigating Strategies in ESL Pedagogy
Bishwa Raj Gautam
English Language Program Specialist,
Regional English Language Office, U.S, Embassy, Kathmandu
Bio: Bishwa R. Gautam manages English language programs at PAS/RELO and provides teacher training. Before working with the U.S. Embassy he worked with Nepali Army and UNDP as a librarian and taught English at colleges and schools for several years. He grew up and studied in Pokhara.
Plenary Title: Integrating Ecological Approach to ELT
Conference Details
Location: Malla Hotel, Thamel, Kathmandu
From : 27th August, 2020
To : 27th August, 2020
Other details
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