TESOLSudanNewsletter Dear All, It gives us great pleasure to welcome you to our 1st newsletter issue.

We wish you all a happy and peaceful new year! TESOL Sudan Board Dr. Ishraga Bashir, President Abeer Elzeen, Acting Secretary Rasha Mohamed Hassan, Editor/Acting Vice President Aymen Elsheikh, Liaison Officer Dr. Mohamed A. Elshingeety, Advocacy Rep Hind Sinada, Acting Academic Affairs Officer Muntasir Hassan Mubarak, Acting Treasurer Hafiz Waly, Acting Administrative Affairs Officer Mission TESOL Sudans mission is to develop and maintain professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages. Objectives 1. To develop strategies to enhance the development of teaching methodologies amongst the English language teaching community of Sudan. 2. To develop practice that reflects both the needs of the nation and the realities of the wider world. 3. To contribute positively to teacher training institutions and to promote lifelong professional development. 4. To develop a spirit of cooperation and ongoing dialogue within the English language teaching community. 5. To provide high-quality professional development opportunities utilizing both local and expatriate expertise. 6. To encourage and promote interaction and dialogue between research and reflective practice for educational improvement. 7. To share and co-ordinate information with other regional and international professional organizations. IssueNo.1,December2010

OrganizationNews

TESOL Affiliation We are in the process of being affiliated with TESOL. We hope to complete our application before TESOL 2011 Convention to be officially recognized in New Orleans, LA, USA. TESOL Sudan President, Dr. Ishraga Basheer and Liaison Officer, Aymen Elsheikh, will be attending the convention to represent TESOL Sudan.

Official Registration Following the one day conference (see activities below), TESOL Sudan underwent a formal process of registration with the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), a government agency overseeing NGOs in Sudan. Under HACs supervision, TESOL Sudan convened its General Assembly in May 2010 and elected its Executive Board.

From left to right: HAC representative, TESOL Sudan Past President, Executive Secretary.

Part of General Assembly

IATEFL Affiliation We have become fully affiliated with IATEFL in April 2010. We look forward to utilizing our affiliation with IATEFL to better achieve our objectives and fulfill our mission.

TESOL Sudan Website We are excited about the launching of our website (www.tesol-sudan.org) in the very near future. We will continue to revise it and add more materials. Please help by giving us your feedback.

TESOL Sudan International Conference We plan to hold our first International Conference next year (2011) between June and October. Visit the website for updates.

Sudan Scholar Exchange In collaboration with the African Studies Program at Indiana University, Bloomington, the Cultural Affair Office at the US Embassy in Khartoum, TESOL Sudan initiated the first formal exchange opportunity with Indiana University. Khalil Ismail, an active TESOL Sudan member, is the Sudan scholar who will visit Indiana University in March to participate in different activities on the campus and the community. Dr. Beth Samuelson, a TESOL professor at Indiana University will visit Sudan in the Autumn as part of the scholar exchange program to hold several workshops and other professional development activities for teachers and professors.

Sudan Scholar: Khalil Ismail ELT Lecturer Teachers College Dalanj University Dalanj, Sudan

US Scholar: Dr. Beth Samuelson Assistant Professor Literacy, Culture, and Language Education Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana, USA

Activities
TESOL Sudan successfully organized, in February 2010, its first locally-based conference. The conference was funded by the Regional Language Office in Cairo, Board members contributions, and local businesses. The theme of the conference was Problems, Challenges & Trends in EFL and ESP in Sudan. A total of 8 sessions addressed different parts of the theme.

Opening Remarks by Fawatih Nagila, TESOL Sudan Past President

Ways to Encourage Oral Communication Skills in the Classroom. Presentation by Jason Muhl, a teacher at Khartoum Intl Community School (KICS).

TESOL Sudan has established partnership with ASTEL and ECS, local NGOs working with teachers and learners of English. The partnership culminated in organizing a monthly forum. The following are the forums TESOL Sudan organized and participated in their organization:

Testing across Cultures and Values, Presenter: Dr. Ishraqa Basheer. Teaching Vocabulary Presenter: Ustaz Zainab. Venue: Al-Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan, October 23rd, 2010. Teaching Young Learners Presenter: Dr. Ibraheem Alfaki. Venue: Alahfad University for Women, August 6th, 2010.

English for the Workplace. Presenter: Dr. Amna Badri. Venue: Alahfad University Sep 25th, 2010. Characteristics of the Successful Language Learner & Effective Language Teaching. Presenters: Tagaldeen Hawa. Venue: Sudan National Center for Languages (SELTI). August 8th, 2010. Action Research. Presenter: Dr. Ishraga Basheer. Teaching Young Learners. Presenter: Alsir Bashoom. Venue: College of Languages and Translation, Alribat University, July 5th, 2010. In tandem with the forum, TESOL Sudan organized several workshops for public school and tertiary level teachers in collaboration with the Cultural Affairs Office at the US Embassy in Khartoum:

Autonomous Learning: Advice for Teachers. Presenter: Sheila Mullooly. Venue: Sudan International University, Khartoum, Sudan, October 6th, 2010. Materials Development. Presenter: Sheila Mullooly. Venue: Nileen University, Khartoum, Sudan, October 7th, 2010.