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ARGENTINA
T E S O L Vol. 8 N.7
Spring 1995-Fall1996 Personeria Jurtdica IGJ464
i by Anna Uhl Chamot from TESOL Matters. October/November 1995 Editor' s Note: The following is the text ola plenary address delivered in March 1995 in Long Beach, California, at the 19thAnnual TESOL Convention. The oral character 01 the presentation has been preserved.
~
come
together
at our TESOL
conventions to leam from each other,
Reasons for creating a community 01 thinkers.
to share our knowledge, to deepen our friendships,
and to build our
Why would you want a roornful of
futures together.
students to learn from each other,
lESOLisourcornmunityofthinkers,
share their knowledge, anddevelop a
For 20 years now, spring has meant
and 1 would like to suggest that we
sense of community? Thereare many
to me not only a new season, but also
can use this lESOL model to fashion
reasons to promete and encourage
the anticipation of another lESOL
our own classrooms as communities
thinking
Convention,
of thinkers
classroom.
the high point of my
year. Each time 1 come to lESOL 1 feel renewed,
kindled
for our students
continued on page 4路
this feeling to what so many of us share- to the sense of comm unity that in this organization.
The
lESOL cornmunity is a community teachers,
important
with new
am not alone in this feeling. 1ascribe
of caring
The most
and EFL
reason is that most of our students
ourselves.
enthusiasm -and 1have noticed that 1
exists
and
in the ESL
passionate
leamers, and powerful thinkers. Our lESOLcommunityisadiversegroup of individuals representing different cultural and personal backgrounds, differentages, different work settings, different philosophies, and different approaches to teaching. Yet we all
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