Conference organizers had chosen to host more than 800 teachers and trainers at Habib University’s international award winning campus
HABIB UNIVERSITY, October 29, 2016: The Habib University (HU) campus has come alive this weekend as more than 800 teachers participating in the 32nd SPELT (Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers) International Conference arrive for two days of workshops, seminars and discussions.
Classrooms and other spaces at the University campus were abuzz with excited participants all day as teachers from all around the country attended different sessions hosted by both local and international trainers. Meanwhile, the Conference organizers were all praise for Habib University for giving them the opportunity to benefit “from one of the most state-of-the-art buildings and technology-oriented teaching spaces,” as one organizer put it.
Opening Ceremony for the 32nd SPELT International Conference at the Habib University Auditorium.
SPELT is a voluntary organization that has been working for the professional development of English language teachers in Pakistan since 1984. Upon the completion of its first year of existence, SPELT held its first International Conference, and it has continued with this tradition ever since. The conference has grown from about 100 participants, at the beginning, to about 3,500 participants in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.
The program coordinators were pleased to see that “the participants were thoroughly enjoying themselves in both formal and informal gatherings around the Habib University campus,” as one of them put it.
The SPELT International Conference is a platform where interactive presentations and workshops conducted by national and international experts provide productive opportunities to educationists, classroom practitioners, teachers, researchers, textbook writers, and material developers for their professional growth and development. The conference also provides excellent opportunities for networking, and for learning and sharing ideas with teachers from different parts of the world.
LIVE on #Periscope: A teachers mystery bag session? #HULIVE #SPELT2016 https://t.co/jOsJ3xBiZK
— Habib University (@HabibUniversity) October 29, 2016
The incorporation of the “Leadership Strand” module in the conference proceedings has added value for institutional and departmental heads and administrators, while “Information Technology in Education” has been introduced to keep teachers updated about contemporary needs and strategies.
LIVE on #Periscope: Dudley Reynolds of #TESOLInternational – who needs professional English language teachers? Teac… https://t.co/4lZstMqOf1
— Habib University (@HabibUniversity) October 29, 2016
Among the foreign speakers this year, Professor Adrian Tennant from the UK, and Dr. Dudley Reynolds from TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), USA, were hosting workshops.
Testimonials of SPELT 2016 participating teachers.
The two day Inaugural Conference being held at Habib University in Karachi will be followed by “travelling” Conferences in Lahore and Islamabad in the first week of November, and in Abbottabad in the second week of November.
