March 22nd, 2017, 12pm PST

We seek proposals for presentations that reflect diverse perspectives on language and literacy development for low educated second language and literacy acquisition (LESLLA) learners from adult literacy researchers, practitioners, and applied linguists committed to the advancement of LESLLA research, practice, and policy.

Proposals should link to literacy learning and teaching, teacher learning, research, or policy that play a role in LESLLA.  Proposals that contextualize our conference theme, “The Changing Context of Migration and LESLLA,” are especially encouraged.  

We are especially interested in the following topics for additional proposals:
--LESLLA Institute: How to Successfully Start a Literacy Program for LESLLA Learners
--LESLLA Institute: How to Successfully Advocate for Policy Changes that Benefit LESLLA Learners
--Migration patterns and their effects on the LESLLA population
--Policy issues
--Literacy in the native language(s)
--Family literacy
--Health literacy
--Resettlement and integration

Please review these proposal requirements BEFORE beginning your online submission. We encourage you to draft, edit, and proofread your proposal, and save it in Microsoft Word or Google Docs (plain text is ideal). You can then cut and paste your proposal content into this online form.  Please do NOT submit multiple drafts of your proposal.

PANEL DISCUSSION (90 minutes)
No more than 4 presenters, each with a unique angle on a theme or issue, will present their perspectives for approximately 1⁄2 of the session. The audience will then join in an open discussion with the panelists for the remainder of the session. Panel discussions are moderated by the lead presenter.


DEMONSTRATION (60 minutes) or WORKSHOP (90 minutes)
These sessions should be interactive and engage the audience in hands-on learning with a particular theme/issue. The presenters should briefly introduce the presentation theme/issue with a rationale grounded in current research and practice. Strong emphasis is placed on interactive activities in these sessions.  Depending on the conference schedule, the conference organizers may invite you to change your demonstration to a workshop or vice versa.


PAPER (60 minutes)
These presentations will use a lecture-style format on some topic related to LESLLA research, policy and practice. Presenters are required to reserve time for Q&A with the audience.


POSTER (60 minutes)
These presentations provide an opportunity for informal one-to-one discussion around some aspect of LESLLA research, policy, or practice.  Presenters set up a graphic display of information in a large area with other presenters. Please note that AV equipment will not be available for poster sessions. Presenters may bring their own laptops, which will need to be run on battery as outlets may not be available.


LESLLA INSTITUTE (3-3.5 hours)
LESLLA 2017 would like to offer a select number of high-interest ½-day workshops on specialized topics.  If you have knowledge or expertise in the following areas, please consider submitting a proposal to lead an extended workshop as a “LESLLA Institute.”  The organizer of the session may recruit several presenters to help.  These sessions should be highly hands-on and interactive and should provide examples of real-life successes and failures.  Proposals should include clearly defined learning outcomes.  Participants should be able to leave the workshop with a toolkit to help them begin.  Requested topics are:
--How to Successfully Start a Literacy Program for LESLLA Learners
--How to Successfully Advocate for Policy Changes that Benefit LESLLA Learners
If you have an idea for a LESLLA Institute, feel free to float it by the conference organizers (email leslla2017symposium@gmail.com) to get feedback or to discuss the feasibility of your proposal.