X ABCI Conference will be held next year, from July 12th to 14th, at the Sheraton World Trade Center, in São Paulo.

We are getting ready to host 800 participants besides invited professors, researchers and materials writers from the best universities, among them, Ben Goldstein, Jeremy Harmer Lindsay Clandfield and Nicky Hockley.

When submitting your proposal, consider which of the categories below it would fit into:

• Speaking
• Motivation
• Young learners
• Listening
• Learner Autonomy
• Teens
• Reading
• Vocabulary
• Adults
• Writing
• Teacher Education
• Pronunciation
• Learning technologies
• Grammar
• Evaluation & testing
• Discipline
• Business Management
• Research
• Learning strategies
• Business English
• Materials development
• Classroom management
• Feedback
• Other

At the X ABCI Conference, we will be working with two modes of presentations:
1. workshops;
2. papers.

Please read the description of each format below:

1. Workshops

Workshops approach specific themes and ally theory to practice. To get to this objective presenters usually explore the theoretical concepts in a way that participants construct knowledge and learn about them by taking part in the activities proposed. In other words, it is a hands-on session where the presenter demonstrates a practical skill or teaching issue, and the audience actually experiment it in the session. 
By engaging in different dynamics, they have the opportunity to reflect and talk about concepts and ideas which are important to their classroom and for their professional development.
Workshops last 90 minutes and we strongly suggest that at least 10 minutes are allocated for participants’ final questions.

2. Papers

Papers usually consist of reports of classroom-based research. They have a more theoretical bias although “practical” application in the classroom is very welcome. The discussion of the project´s theoretical framework, the presentation of the methodology used for the research, the results of the investigation and the final considerations by the author, should be part of the session. Eventual problems faced by the researcher and the respective solutions found in the process are likely to be part of the sessions as well.
It is important to have in mind that a paper is explained to the audience; it should not be read out loud to the participants.
A paper lasts 45 minutes and we strongly recommend that the final 10 minutes of the session is set aside for the discussion of participants´ doubts.

In order to evaluate your proposal, the following information is needed:

General information

• presenter(s) name(s);
• presenter(s) e-mail(s);
• presenter(s) address(es) & telephone number(s);
• Cultura Inglesa in which the presenter(s) works;
• title of the presentation (maximum of 10 words);
• format of the presentation (workshop or paper);
• target audience;
• content focus;
• the need for Interactive White Board or internet access.

Summary

Your summary should be 300-500-word long, in Word for Windows Times New Roman 12.
In the summary you are expected to provide reviewers with a general view of the presentation, that is:

• what the topic of your work is;
• how it is going to be delivered;
• what concepts/authors will inform your proposal;
• what the target audience of your presentation is.

Biodata and abstract

This information will eventually be printed in the conference program booklet.

Biodata

Your biodata should:

• be written in the 3rd person;
• mention how long the presenter(s) has (have) been working at Cultura Inglesa and in which Cultura they are working at the moment;
• mention the presenter(s)´ education (graduation and post graduation degrees);
• mention previous presentations and/or papers published;
• be limited to 50 words.

Check the hypothetical example below:

Milton Nascimento has been working at Cultura Inglesa – Recife for 3 years. He holds a BA in Letras from Universidade Católica de Pernambuco (UCP). An English teacher for 5 years, he is taking a specialization course on Young Learners, at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco.

Abstract

The nature of the abstract is different from the summary. While the summary´s objective is to provide the Academic Committee with the necessary information for the evaluation of the proposal, the abstract aims at briefly informing the reader about the presentation in a way that he/she can select which session to attend.

In this sense, the abstracts should have: (not necessarily in this order):

• the objective of the presentation;
• the benefits participants will have if they attend the session;
• the topics that will be addressed;
• the theoretical foundation of the presentation.
• not more than 100 words.

Check this example of an abstract:

This workshop discusses the relationship between singing and the pronunciation of a foreign language, focusing mainly on rhythm and ellipsis. Through the use of singing techniques and strategies, the presenter will explore participants´ background knowledge and discuss the role of imitation as discussed by Vygotsky (1930), having the act of singing as its starting point. Other aspects such as the need of a clear learning objective and the importance of the repertoire selection for the classroom, drilling techniques and the importance of group/individual error correction will also be dealt with.

Visit X ABCI Conference hotsite and click on in order to access the online form.
If you have any problems, please write an email to
abciconference@culturainglesasp.com.br

You can send your proposal by March, 19th, 2012.
In April, when the evaluation period is over, an email will be sent to the speakers whose proposal was selected.

The proposals will be read by at least three members of the Conference Academic Committee. A set of criteria will be observed, among them: consistency, clarity, appropriateness for the intended audience, quality of research and activities, and indications that the presentation will be well prepared, carefully thought out and will encourage discussion.  Conference organisers will also sometimes need to consider the balance of the program in deciding which proposals to accept.

• Proposals eventually received after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list.
• Please make sure that you include all the information required in the proposal form.
• Send your application to abciconference@culturainglesasp.com.br.
• The Academic Committee reserves the right to edit your biodata for accuracy of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.