The 1st UIC International Conference on Language and Culture opened on Dec 18 morning. The theme of this conference was "Language Education: Trends and Issues." Distinguished speakers came from prominent educational institutions like Hong Kong Baptist University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Gateway English Village, etc.
Prof. Jeff Wilkinson Delieved a Welcome Speech
Prof. Jeff Wilkinson, Acting Dean of DHSS, delivered the welcome remarks. He said the ICLC was a very special event in the history of UIC, which took place in an exciting time and place. Prof. Wilkinson also shared the "three reminders" with the audience, especially with the students, that "Language and Culture are international, intertwined, and important." He illustrated the three reminders with very interesting examples, which created a good atmosphere for the begining of the conference.
The theme video of the conference, which was freshly made overnight by UIC CTV students after interviewing the participants the day before the conference, was shown afterwards, which many participants found "impressive".
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Keynote Speaker : Prof. Eva Lai
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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Dave Towey
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The first keynote speech was delivered by Prof. Eva Lai, Director of the English Language Centre at UIC. Her topic was "Improving Students' English and Cultural Exposure". During her speech, she talked about how they improved students' English and Culture Exposure through a variety of events and activities, such as the English Enhancement Program, English Immersion Day, Clubs and Workshops, etc. She shared her "MAGIC" formula as the rational behind the English Language Center of UIC, which is "Memorable, Appropriate, Graded, Interesting, Contextualized". In reply to one of the audience members' questions concerning difference accents of English, Prof. Lai said UIC encouraged students to be open to difference accents, though British and American accents were the major two accents, other accents like the Indian English Accent should not be overlooked. Actually the teachers at UIC come from more than 15 countries, which also offer students the opportunity to get used to different accents.
Dr. Dave Towey, Program Coordinator of the TESL program, delivered the second keynote speech titled "The TESL Degree Program at BNU-HKBU United International Program". To begin his topic he first talked about the foundation and the development of UIC, and its educational models like Whole Person Education, English as medium of instruction, Mentor Caring Program, which he heartily values. Talking about the TESL program, he also expressed his confidence that it was extremely good, evident from the dedicated designed course structure, application of computer science technology in teaching and learning, performance of TESL students in internships and voluntary services, etc.
ICLC group photo
During the conference, scholars gave speeches at B101 & B102 on the following five topics: English as an International Language, Difficulties for Language Learners, Cultural Awareness in Language Teaching, Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age, and The Role of Teacher and Student in the Language Classroom.
The closing ceremony and awarding of certificates to speakers was held the same evening at 6:30pm at B101. The abstracts of the speakers' presentations may be found later on the ISLC official website.
Reporter: Richard Xu
Media and Communication Office
