Joe McVeigh

I’ve added three presentations from TESOL 2011 in New Orleans to the resources page. You can find handouts and PowerPoint slides for Writing Textbooks that Sell, Integrating Culture and Social Responsibility, and Writing Effective Learning Outcomes.

I’m looking forward to the TESOL Conference in New Orleans coming up during the week of March 20th. Hope to see you there! Here are a few topics I’ll be presenting on.  Look here for handouts and PowerPoint slides after the conference.

Authors Wanted Worldwide: Write for TESOL Books!
Friday, March 18,  2:00-3:45 Hilton – Jasperwood Room, 3rd floor
Sandra Kouritzin, John Liontas, Robyn Brinks Lockwood, Joe McVeigh, Tim Collins, Gregory Strong
Are you an experienced ESL/EFL professional? Consider writing a book for TESOL! Come share your expertise with your professional community. TESOL welcomes both nonnative- and native-English-speaker perspectives. TESOL’s Book Publications Committee explains the publication process from topic identification, proposal submission, to manuscript completion. Come network with TESOL authors and editors.

Writing Textbooks That Sell
Saturday, March 19, 10:00-11:45 Hilton - Eglinton-Winton Room, 2nd floor small room – come early !
Joe McVeigh, Janet Aitchison, Stephanie Karras, Ian Martin, Oliva Fernandez, Daphne Mackey
Many authors hope to write textbooks that are pedagogically sound and will help learners acquire English, but that will also sell lots of copies. A panel of experienced authors, editors, and marketing experts present their perspectives on how to improve a book’s chances for financial success in today’s competitive marketplace.

Integrating the Teaching of Culture and Social Responsibility
Saturday, March 19, 2:00-2:45   Hilton – Cambridge Room, 2nd floor
Joe McVeigh, Ann Wintergerst
Classes dealing with intercultural communication are a perfect place to incorporate teaching about social responsibility. The presenters share the rationale and concrete steps for activities to teach social responsibility and intercultural communication.

Writing Effective Learning Outcomes
Saturday, March 19, 4:00-4:45  Hilton - Oak Alley Room, 3rd floor
Joe McVeigh, Jennifer Bixby
Many teachers are asked to write student learning outcomes for course and curriculum development. But how can teachers write outcomes that are clearer and more effective? In this session the presenters describe characteristics of model learner outcomes, guide participants in critiquing examples, and help them practice writing some.

I’m delighted to report that the new book that Jenny Bixby and I have written for Oxford University Press is now available in the U.S. Q: Skills for Success: Reading and Writing 2 can be obtained from your local OUP rep, on the OUP Website, or at Amazon.com.  This is part of a larger series from OUP.  Jenny and I are currently writing the Reading/Writing book at the Intro level. If you’d like to take a look at Book 2 from cover to cover online, you can do so here. Let me know what you think!

On November 5^th and 6^th I’ll be presenting at the New York State TESOL Conference at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. Hope you can stop by for one of these sessions:

Principles to Practice in Teaching Reading
Friday, November 5, 10:30am-11:30am, Ballroom E
How can current principles in reading instruction be applied to activities in the ESL classroom? The presenter will give an overview of current reading theory and demonstrate practical classroom application. Participants will look at sample activities and evaluate their effectiveness in teaching reading. Download the handout and PowerPoint here.

Student Learning Outcomes in the ESL Classroom
Publisher’s session with Sharon Sargent of Oxford University Press
Friday, November 5,   4:05pm-5:05pm,   Pearl Street room
English Language Learners at the secondary and community college level can achieve more success by instruction that blends language skills and academic skills.  We will suggest ways that ESL teachers can promote critical thinking and language skills with a learner centered approach using student learning outcomes. 

Tips for Teaching Culture
With my Pearson-Longman co-author Ann Wintergerst
Saturday, November 6, 10:30am-11:30am, Van Rensselaer B
The presenters will demonstrate fun yet challenging-to-teach culture and intercultural communication skills in the language classroom. They will share research-based activities that highlight the important role that culture plays both in students’ lives and in the classroom. A handout with activities and a bibliography will be distributed.  Download the handout and PowerPoint here.

As part of the marketing campaign for the forthcoming series Q: Skills for Success, Oxford University Press interviewed me and some of the other series authors and has posted them on YouTube. In this interview, I talk about critical thinking skills, and about my favorite reading and unit question from Reading and Writing book 2.

My Oxford University Press co-author Jenny Bixby and I have recently contributed posts to the Oxford ELT Global Blog. We each talked a bit about using questions in the language classroom–this is a key element of our book in the forthcoming OUP series called Q: Skills for Success. Read the posts here and leave a comment!

Jenny Bixby and I will give a talk at CATESOL in Santa Clara on April 24th. The title is Principles to Practice in Teaching Reading and draws on much of the research that we did in preparation for our forthcoming student reading/writing textbook from Oxford University Press. You can download the handout and PowerPoint here or view the slides on Slideshare.

On April 17th I’ll be giving a talk at the Literacy New York Volunteer Conference in Saratoga Springs. The participants are mostly volunteers who work one-on-one with individuals and families from an amazing array of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This talk is on speaking skills for English language learners. Even though the program is theoretically about literacy, reading, and citizenship, many of the participants are interested in improving their skills in speaking, listening, and pronunciation.  Download the handout and PowerPoint slides here, or you can look at it on Slideshare.

If you’ll be attending the TESOL Convention in Boston, come and see my presentation with Ann Wintergerst on Ten Techniques for Teaching Culture in the Classroom.  The presentation is on Thursday, March 25th from 10:00-10:45 AM in room 153 B.  We’ll be highlighting some of the activities from our forthcoming Pearson Longman book, Techniques for Teaching Culture: A Practical Approach to Intercultural Communication.  Read the abstract.  Download the handout and PowerPoint slides.

Darren Elliot keeps a great blog called The Lives of Teachers.  He interviewed a number of people at a recent conference of JALT (The Japan Association for Language Teaching.)  One of those interviewed was Miles Craven, a British ELT author based in Japan.  Miles talks about the process of researching materials, the challenges of writing, and his views on the future of ELT publishing.  You can watch the video on Vimeo or see it and an audio-only podcast of the interview on Darren’s site.