TESOL Arabia has been issuing publications since the 1990’s. The first was the
Conference Proceedings. Edited by a team of experienced editors it is a volume that
is published in time for the annual TESOL Arabia Conference and is on sale at most
TESOL Arabia mini-conferences and events. From there, it was a natural next step to
publish books targeting educational topics under the umbrella of teaching with
English as the language of instruction.
Peter McLaren, Publications Coordinator at TESOL Arabia says, “We try to cover a
spread of salient issues to our members. We have books that cover areas of current
interest in the profession; technology, for example, being one of them. Last year we
published Proceedings, a book on leadership edited by Christine Coombe, Reading
edited by Nick Moore & Helen Emery, and Attitudes to Technology edited by Marina
Dodigovic.”
“We are now looking forward to receiving a proposal on a book about English
Medium Instruction (EMI) and one on Motivation,” he continues. “We welcome
potential editors and are happy to consider all relevant proposals that address issues
within the profession around the Gulf Region.”
The process is simple and straight-forward. Peter explains, “Potential editors send
the TESOL Arabia Publications Committee a detailed proposal. If we accept the
proposal, then a ‘Call for Papers’ goes out and authors submit chapters or articles to
the editors. The editors then prepare and format their final book and, after approval
by the committee, TESOL Arabia arranges for the printing and publication of the
book. The whole process can take about a year or so from proposal to publication.”
Melanie Gobert, President of TESOL Arabia, says, “TESOL Arabia is the only
organization in this region that publishes books targeting teaching and learning with
English as the language of instruction. We currently have 30 titles and they can be
purchased through our website or at the annual conference.”
She adds, “In addition to the books, the organization also publishes Perspectives, a
TESOL Arabia peer-reviewed quarterly journal, which can be accessed for free online
2 to 6 months after publication.”
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Arabia is a not-for-profit
teachers’ membership organization devoted to the professional development of its
members, who are mostly based in the UAE and the Gulf region, though it has many
members in other countries around the world. It is run by volunteers elected from
its membership and is financed by the subscriptions of its members and the
proceeds of its Annual International Conference & Exhibition. The next conference
(TACON 2015) will take place 12th – 14th March 2015 at Hyatt Regency Hotel in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
For more information about TESOL Arabia, membership, events, mini-conferences,
publications, grants and its annual conference, please visit the website.
