This content was published: November 30, 2009. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Those who teach English as 2nd language attend conference at PCC
Photos and story by James Hill
Breakout session – PCC instructors led several of the breakout sessions at this year’s ORTESOL conference, including this one with Sylvania’s Heather Dittmore, second from right. Photo by Kate Chester.
Approximately 300 registrants visited the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College on Nov. 20 and 21 to attend the annual ORTESOL conference. The acronym stands for Oregon: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
“Change and Internationalism” was the theme of this year’s event, which targets instructors of English for speakers of other languages throughout the state at colleges, universities, high schools and middle schools.
“This was the first time the conference was held at Sylvania,” said event organizer Luciana Diniz, faculty chair of ESOL at PCC Sylvania and a board member of ORTESOL’s Oregon chapter. “It went very, very well; our attendance was huge, and the campus layout and structure of the day enabled the flow of the event to go smoothly.”
Several ESOL instructors from the Sylvania Campus and throughout the college presented at the conference, which featured a welcoming address from Linda Gerber, president of Sylvania; two general sessions; and more than 70 breakout sessions over the two days. Additionally, there was a tradeshow exhibit in the Lower CC Mall showcasing publishers and their latest ESOL textbooks.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »