QU hosts 5th annual International Conference on ELT virtually

The Qatar University (QU) Foundation Program (FP), under the Deanship of General Studies, held recently its 5th A n n u a l I n t e r n a t i o n a l Conference on English Language Teaching (ELT) virtually. It was themed ‘Teaching English and the Skills of the 21st Century — Communicate, Collaborate, Create.’ In the presence of more than 8,000 specialists and interested professionals in ELT in Qatar and abroad, the conference highlighted the latest cutting-edge skills and practices in language education that would support students in developing their skills and acquiring knowledge that contributes to further advancement. Over two days, this year’s conference discussed ELT and the skills of the 21st century that educators seek to establish in the curricula.

These skills would enable students to acquire knowledge to enhance their participation in supporting the development of the knowledge economy in their countries and local communities. Moreover, the conference highlighted the importance of professional development for ELT specialists through academic discussions such as this. Many education experts, QU faculty members, and teachers in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) and other practitioners in Qatar and the world attended the opening ceremony conference. QU President, Dr. Hassan Rashid Al Derham, said, “We are very proud to host the fifth edition of this international online conference, which brings together a large number of teachers, educators and language experts in TESOL.

The conference title reflects the current reality, as learners need these skills to integrate into the global labour market effectively. “In line with the current reality, we are having a virtual conference this year because the global pandemic has made it impossible to meet in Doha as we did in the last four years. I hope that we will be able to gather physically in the near future. We must not let the pandemic affect our spirit to grow the 21st-century skills in education because we believe that at the heart of every challenge comes opportunities.” Dr. Ibrahim Al Kaabi, Dean of General Studies at QU, commented, “The conference is the first online international conference hosted by the Foundation Program at Qatar University. As we welcome everyone, I am pleased to have colleagues from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. We will continue to work together to promote best practices in ELT and learning.” Dr. Hezam Al Awah, the Conference Chair and Director of the Foundation Program at QU, said that this conference is one of the most essential and largest academic conferences held at the university and in the region in line with Qatar 2030 strategy. This conference has provided an opportunity to review and discuss modern academic skills in the educational sector.

These, in turn, contribute to the significant development of faculty members and researchers and upgrading their capabilities to a high level, which would enhance the quality of services provided in our educational institutions. Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor of linguistics at the University of Southern California, USA, and a distinguished author in second language acquisition (SLA) gave the conference opening plenary session, “Three Issues in Language Acquisition and Use.” Prof. Krashen has received distinguished academic awards and contributed more than 486 publications of papers and books. The QU 5th Annual International Conference on ELT presented 85 discussion sessions and a variety of training workshops that dealt with emotional intelligence, collaborative learning, critical thinking, innovation in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), autonomous learning, practical ideas in e-learning, project-based learning, educational management skills in virtual classes, assessment and electronic tests. It also included workshops and panel discussions that focused on developing language teachers’ skills in Qatar in research, learning, and teaching.