The inaugural Iowa Symposium on English Language Teaching was held April 6, 2024. This symposium is a professional development opportunity for practicing educators across Iowa, who are currently working with English learners or are interested in learning about effective strategies for supporting culturally and linguistically-diverse students. 

Each presenter is a UNI TESOL assistant professor. This yearly event promises a day filled with enriching sessions, networking opportunities and valuable insights to empower educators in their teaching journey. It is hoped the event will be hosted every year.  

Another event, the TESOL Club Conference, was held April 9, 2024 and was a professional development opportunity for current UNI students. This event is hosted on a yearly basis and is organized and led by students.  The TESOL Club learns about topics relevant to teaching all students in an increasingly diverse society. It partners with the Culture and Intensive English Program (CIEP) and highlights the concerns of Emergent Bilinguals.

Photos and information submitted by: Carmen Durham, assistant professor of TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) and Applied Linguistics in the Languages and Literatures department of UNI's College of Humanities Arts and Sciences.