Conference Speakers

Prof. Nadežda Stojković

University of Niš, Serbia.

Prof. Nadežda Stojković, University of Niš, Serbia. Teaches Contemporary English, English language for Specific and Academic Purposes. Initiator and Editor-in-Chief of WoS and Scopus indexed Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes http://espeap.junis.ni.ac.rs/index.php/espeap. Initiator and organizer of international ESP conferences University of Niš, Serbia  http://esp.elfak.rs/. Advisory editor for Cambridge Scholars Publishing https://www.cambridgescholars.com/t/DiscourseAdvisory. Author of numerous articles and books.

Title: English for Specific Purposes as the agent of social welfare - current research trends and conceptualization of syllabus design

Higher education has for its goal preparing students to be competitive for obtaining adequate job positions as this directly reflects on two equally relevant levels – providing for the welfare of the students themselves, and providing for the welfare of the community, the state. In that respect, course on English for Specific Purposes (ESP) serves as a conduit for communicating expertise gained. In order to present how best to engage in teaching ESP, this address in the first part is concerned with identifying major current trends in ESP related scientific research. Practical directions and insights on publishing research will be offered. Second part of the address demonstrates the inherent logic of designing an ESP syllabus as a supposed actualization of its proclaimed aim of linguistic transferring and adopting professional domain knowledge, and thus assisting growth of personal and national welfare. Concrete illustration of this design will be provided. The overall aim of this speech is to provide the audience with the up to date information on tendencies in ESP research and publication, as well as aid in conceptualizing the course so as to best reflect the desired perspectives of the educational setting.

Prof. Ali Al-Issa

Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

Professor Ali Al-Issa is currently a Full Professor of Critical Applied Linguistics (CALx) at the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. Prof. Al-Issa holds an MA in Education (TESOL) from the University of London and a Ph.D. in Education (Applied Linguistics) from the University of Queensland (Australia). He has extensive experience in teaching English at different levels and for different purposes and training teachers in general and English language teacher in specific. He additionally supervised numerous Masters and Ph.D. theses. He has published and presented widely about critical English language education policy and planning and teacher education in Oman. He has published in Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Changing English, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, Language, Culture and Curriculum, Current Issues in Language Planning, RELC, Teaching Education, TESOL Journal, The International Journal of Learning, The Qualitative Research and more. He is also a recipient of several national and international awards and recognitions for his research and teaching. Professor Ali Al-Issa is currently leading a Teaching Quality Team to transform teaching quality at Sultan Qaboos University.

Title: The Voice of Wisdom! “A Critical Applied Linguistics Angle on Student Voice in the Foundation Program English Language”

There is a growing body of literature on “student voice” and the multiple paradigms embedded in it. Notably, a growing number of researchers from around the world are investigating student voice in English Language Teaching (ELT) in general and at the Foundation Program English Language (FPEL) in specific, due to its association with criticality, power, and transformation and thus centrality to serve multiple purposes.

With the growing importance of Critical Applied Linguistics (CALx) and its implications for planning ELT at the FPEL level, a new window on student voice has opened to provide a “fresh” perspective on proceedings and give the topic added value. Therefore, this talk draws on important findings from the local literature about planning ELT at the FPEL and international literature on Students as Partners to situate student voice within a CALx perspective to help examine its advantages, uses, applications, and implications for instruction, curriculum, and research.