CATESOL 2016

Predictions about the future, even over relatively short timeframes, such as the next few years, between now and 2020, are notoriously unreliable. However, if we look at where we are now, and how we got here, we can consider where we might be headed in the near-future. For example, according to the Nielsen market research group, the “most distinguishing characteristic” of people in the USA in 2020 “will be their ethnic and racial makeup”. They predict that: “In only a few short years, by at least 2025, over half of all families with children will be multi-cultural. Less than half will be native born non-Hispanic white”. Another major driver of change, especially in the last 20 years, has been access to new technologies. This plenary will, then, look at how these kinds of changes – cultural, linguistic, technological and others – might impact on the work of language teachers and learners, here and elsewhere.

Plenary sponsored by TESOL.