I feel absolutely honored to have had the chance to attend the 2024 Peru TESOL conference. I am traveling around South America while working remotely at the moment. One of my online contacts noticed that I had arrived in Arequipa and mentioned that the conference was on. It sounded like a great opportunity, so I extended my stay and attended. 

This year was the first face-to-face conference Peru TESOL has held since before the pandemic, so everyone was very excited to see each other. It was lovely watching so many ELT professionals re-connect and inspire each other after so long. 

The importance of human connection was a theme that ran strongly throughout the event. Online conferences are brilliant, but you can’t beat a warm hug and smile from a long lost friend or a new best pal!

Arequipa

Arequipa is now firmly one of my favorite cities. At 2,335 meters above sea level, the altitude can take a bit of getting used to, but it is absolutely worth it. Nicknamed the "White City" because many of its buildings are made of sillar (a white volcanic rock), it’s lovely just wandering around the center and surrounding neighborhoods. The city has numerous miradors (viewpoints) where you can enjoy the scenery of three surrounding volcanoes: Chachani, Misti, and Pichu Pichu. Even the conference venue, Instituto del Sur, had this stunning vista from its fire escape (which we didn’t have to use)!

Sessions

Over three days, the conference covered an eclectic range of topics. Every plenary was engaging and it was tricky to choose which workshop to attend. 

Sandra Story, the director of the Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the US embassy in Lima, opened the conference with a super interactive plenary on the past, present, and future of ELT. Her delivery was truly exemplary. She had us all moving around, using actions, chatting, thinking, and laughing. 

One key takeaway from her session was that "English and English teachers change lives." I couldn’t agree more. 

As with many corners of English language teaching at the moment, artificial intelligence was a popular theme. It was a topic that came up in almost every session, even if the session wasn’t specifically about AI. 

Another exemplary session for me was Laura Holland’s closing plenary on maintaining human connection in the age of AI. If anyone was born to be a teacher and teacher trainer, it was Laura. She has an extremely welcoming persona that just makes you want to smile and get involved. Her session was super interactive and full of innovative ideas. 

I especially loved her recommendation to monitor students’ discussions by pretending not to listen. It’s a simple technique to prevent students’ getting distracted by the teacher poking their head into their conversation!

Here’s a sketchnote I created of her session. I hope you enjoy the image of the giant stealth ear! 

Sketchnotes

The last few conferences I’ve attended, I’ve been commissioned to create digital sketchnotes. It was a delight to be able to get my pens out and sketchnote the analogue way, just for me! Of course, due to popular demand, I shared them on my socials and Whatsapp-ed them to my new Peru TESOL contacts. 

You can view sketchnotes from the other sessions here.

Networking

One of the best things about attending conferences is the human connection! It was wonderful making new contacts from the world of ELT.

On the first day, Peru TESOL arranged a dinner for participants. The food was delicious: corn and cheese salad, chicken with spicy chili sauce, and cheesecake for dessert. All washed down with the most delicious chicha (a corn-based soft drink) and a pisco sour (a cocktail with pisco, lime juice, sugar, and egg white).  

This was the perfect chance to get to know everyone on a more personal level. We chatted about our experiences, Spanish learning, and pesky squirrels causing havoc at home!

Over the three days of the event, there were many opportunities to network. I looked forward to lunch and dinner, not only for the delicious Peruvian treats, but also for the chance to meet so many interesting and inspiring ELTers. 

Here’s a photo from the closing ceremony. Can you spot me? 

How to get involved 

If you’d like to speak at or attend Peru TESOL next year, you can find more information at: 
www.perutesol.org or follow the organization on socials: https://www.facebook.com/perutesoler/

You may like these conference-themed posts: 

• How to Get the Most Out of an ELT Conference
   
• Speaking at an ELT Conference: Demystifying the Application Process
   
• Speaking at an ELT Conference: Top Tips for Successful Presentations
   
• Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes
   
• 10 Practical Ways Teachers Can Excel with AI
   
• Developing Learner Autonomy with AI

Have you attended Peru TESOL before? What were your experiences? Do you agree that "English and English teachers change lives"? Have they changed yours or your students'?