Establishment of an Interest Section titled "NonNative English Speakers in TESOL"

Establishment of an Interest Section titled "NonNative English Speakers in TESOL"

With the Caucuses facing extinction, the transition is essential if we are to survive as the strong, cohesive group we have become over the past 10 years.

As Paul Matsuda stated, an Interest Section (IS) "represents an important area of research and pedagogy" within TESOL. "Nonnative speakers are a significant research issue because the term provokes various reactions from people. It merits IS status because these problems need to be exposed and addressed through research and teaching." Let's keep in mind that our Interest Section status is not guaranteed. The TESOL Board of Directors must approve it, and we'll not be approved if we are perceived to be impinging on other Interest Sections. So, I would like to suggest "NonNative Speakers in TESOL" as the name of our IS.

This online petition is to be signed by TESOL members supporting the formation of our Interest Section. This will be supplementary to the hard copy petitions to be circulated at the 2008 TESOL Convention.

Since the formation of our Caucus, we have empowered thousands of nonnative speaker English teachers and changed the landscape of TESOL. Many native speakers have joined hands with us on this journey. We need to keep this momentum and to find new leaders as we become an IS.

George Braine