ITU 2027 Madrid: Call for Abstracts Now Open

Plenary Speakers (to be updated)

Dario Banegas (University of Edinburgh)

Ana Llinares Garcia (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

Organising Committee

Kevin Xinghua Liu, Advisor (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Wong Jock Onn, Advisor (National University of Singapore)

Hamish Binns Co-Chair (Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus)

Anne McCabe (Co-Chair) Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus

Conference Theme: Teaching with Meaning

In an era marked by rapid technological change, AI, linguistic diversity, and diverse intercultural contexts, TESOL professionals are being asked to reconsider what it means to teach, and to do so meaningfully. The Teaching with Meaning conference addresses questions of purpose, process, and human engagement in English language education. Rather than focusing solely on outcomes or products, the theme invites us to reflect on how meaning is constructed through pedagogy, interaction, identity, and communication. The conference will create conversations around how teachers can create meaningful learning experiences, reassess their professional roles, and prepare learners to use English authentically and ethically in diverse real-world contexts. By centering meaning as both a pedagogical goal and an integral part of our day-to-day teaching, the conference encourages dialogue across theory, research, and classroom practice.

Conference Strands

The conference welcomes contributions from researchers, teacher-educators, and practitioners that engage critically and creatively with the theme of Teaching with Meaning, including empirical research, theoretical perspectives, classroom-based studies, and reflective practice.

1.     Language, Content, and Meaningful Learning

CLIL and content-based approaches; integrating language and content; disciplinary meaning-making; subject literacies; language development through content learning.

2.     Developing Teachers for Meaningful Language Education

Teacher education and professional learning; teacher language awareness; preparing teachers for bilingual and multilingual education; teacher agency; teacher–researcher collaboration.

3.     Translanguaging, Multilingualism, and Meaning-Making

Translanguaging as pedagogy; multilingual repertoires; language practices and identity; multilingual and multimodal meaning-making; challenging monolingual assumptions.

4.     Language and Communication: From Form to Meaning

Grammar, vocabulary, and pragmatics in use; connecting form, function, meaning, and context; language development through interaction; communicative effectiveness; linguistic variation.

5.     Meaningful Teaching and Learning in the Age of AI

AI as a pedagogical tool; human agency and creativity; originality, authorship, and assessment; AI-mediated interaction; teacher identity and professional judgment.

6.     Learning, Assessment, and the Processes of Meaning-Making

Learning processes and reflection; formative assessment and feedback; task and activity design; assessment for learning; balancing institutional demands with pedagogical values.

7.     English in the World: Communication Beyond Native-Speaker Norms

English as a Lingua Franca (ELF); intelligibility and interactional competence; global Englishes; communicating across linguistic boundaries; pedagogical implications of global English use.

8.     Culture, Identity, and Intercultural Meaning-Making

Culture as dynamic and negotiated; intercultural communication; cultural perspectives and identities; negotiating meaning across cultures; ethical engagement across difference.

Submission Categories and Guidelines

Please visit the "Call for Papers" section on this website for detailed instructions.

Important Dates

Abstract submission due: February 15, 2027

Notification of abstract acceptance: March 15, 2027

Registration opens: March 2027

Registration and Fees (include lunches and teas on both days)

To be announced November 2026

Publication Opportunities

ITU2027 provides full publication opportunities for all attendees.

·     First, all accepted abstracts will be included in the Book of Abstracts of the International TESOL Union Conference 2027 (with ISBN), published by the International TESOL Union.

·     Second, full papers submitted after the conference will, following peer review and revisions, be included in one of the following publications:

o  International Journal of TESOL Studies (ESCI, Scopus‑indexed, conference special issue)

o  TESOL Communications (conference special issue)

o  Edited conference volumes (with ISBNs)

Contacts

All questions about submissions, registrations, and other conference‑related issues should be emailed to Kevin Liu (International TESOL Union) at info@tesolunion.org, or to Anne McCabe (Saint Louis University – Madrid Campus) at anne.mccabe@slu.edu.

Stay tuned by visiting our websites and following us on social media:

International TESOL Union: https://www.tesolunion.org.

TESOL Communications: https://www.tesolcommunications.com/

LinkedIn: international-tesol-union

Instagram: intl.tesol.union