Call for nominations for the 2023 FIPLV International Award
The call for nominations for the 2023 award and the criteria can be found here:
2023 FIPLV International Award – Call for nominations
2023 FIPLV International Award – Criteria
Deadline: 1 February 2024
FIPLV International Award Recipients
2022
Albena Stefanova (BETA – Bulgarian English Teachers Association)
Albena Stefanova is a senior lecturer in English at the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria. She holds a PhD in Methodology of Teaching Modern Languages, a master’s degree in English Philology, and bachelor’s degrees in Portuguese Philology and Theory and History of Diplomacy. She has been teaching English to students of philosophy, policing, law, economics and political studies for over twenty-five years. Her main interests are ESP – functional communicative competence and translation – specialised in economics and political studies. Over the last years she has been focused on needs analysis in ESP, the development of interactive tasks and syllabi for effective ESP courses, optimisation in language teaching by encouragement of students’ engagement, autonomy and self-direction.
Having realised the impact of continuing professional development and team work in ELT and ESP, she has been involved with professional organisations since 2013 when she joined the Bulgarian English Teachers’ Association (BETA). In 2014, Albena Stefanova became a member of BETA Committee and for the period 2014-2018 was BETA Membership Secretary. Over these four years she dedicated her efforts to the expansion of BETA membership and the strengthening of the association’s international relations with sister organisations and educational NGOs. Albena Stefanova has been member of the IATEFL ESPSIG Committee since 2018 and is the SIG’s PR and Scholarships Manager. In 2022, she became President of BETA.
Dedicated to facilitating the communication between professionals in the country and around the world, Albena Stefanova has participated in the organisation of a number of ELT events and in conference scientific committees. She has experience as a peer reviewer and editor of conference proceedings. As a researcher, she has worked in interdisciplinary teams and has taken part in several projects as a project member and leader. She is a member of BETA, IATEFL, TESOL and ELTA-Serbia.
Professor Judit Hidasi (MANYE – Magyar Alkalmazott Nyelvészek és Nyelvtanárok Egyesülete / HAALLT – Hungarian Association of Applied Linguistics and Language Teachers)
Throughout her academic career of 50 years, Professor Judit Hidasi has devoted her professional life to public service investigating the relationship between culture and language, and disseminating widely her theoretical and research findings in order to inform and enhance the learning and teaching of foreign languages for specific purposes in tertiary education in Hungary and elsewhere. In so doing, she has effectively contributed to a more in-depth understanding, by foreign language teachers, students and applied linguists, of the role an awareness and understanding of cultural differences plays in successful international communication situations. Judit Hidasi is also a founding member of HAALLT. She has actively participated in the work of the executive committee since l990 acting as Secretary of International Affairs since 2006. In this capacity, she has played an active role in successfully establishing and maintaining a strong working relationship between HAALLT and FIPLV in the past decades.
Outi Verkama (SUKOL – Federation of Foreign Language Teachers in Finland)
Mrs Verkama has made a successful career of over 30 years in language teaching in both a lower and upper secondary school (comprehensive school) and in senior secondary school in Finland. For the past six years she has also been working as a coordinator for language teaching and multiculturalism in educational administration in Tampere.
Mrs Verkama is a dedicated professional with a passion for teaching, and very creative and resourceful in her approach to the classroom. Examples of this resourcefulness and creativity are the many different teaching materials and the contribution to the national curriculum she has produced.
As a result, she has an open mind when it comes to trying new teaching methods, approaches and co-teaching. One simple word to describe her teaching would be ‘joy’. Her classroom is a place for curiosity, joyous learning, play and fun. She encourages her students to actively use language in communication and to learn by doing and practicing. Working as a language teacher she has always been willing to share her knowledge in order to support language learning and teaching in Finland.
Her contributions to language teaching in Finland are considered outstanding and therefore she has had a significant influence especially early language teaching and learning in Finland. Mrs Verkama has a deep respect and appreciation for the many cultures she has had the opportunity to experience. These experiences include taking part in different international school programs as well as taking the lead on many other international school projects.
For the past six years, Mrs Verkama has divided her working days between teaching primary school students and working as a language teaching coordinator in educational administration in Tampere. She has had an influence on the national early language learning curriculum and has produced many online and printed materials for language learning in cooperation with other language teachers. She is dedicated to both of these working roles and comes up with new ideas for language learning and
multiculturalism at schools.
Der Österreichische Verband für Deutsch als Fremdsprache/Zweitsprache (ÖDaF) (nominiert von IDV)
Der ÖDaF wurde 1984 gegründet und hat aktuell fast 450 Mitglieder. Seit 1986 ist ÖDaF Mitglied im Internationalen Deutschlehrerinnen- und Deutschlehrerverband.
Der ÖDaF bietet eine Plattform für fachlichen Austausch im Bereich Didaktik und Methodik des Fremd- und Zweitsprachenunterrichts, fördert Mehrsprachigkeit, interkulturelles Lernen und nimmt Stellung zu bildungspolitischen Fragen. Ein besonderes Anliegen ist dem Verband die Professionalisierung und Qualitätssicherung des Unterrichts von Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache vor dem Hintergrund der Mehrsprachigkeit. Der Verband setzt sich auch zum Ziel die rechtlichen und finanziellen Rahmenbedingungen für Lehrende zu verbessern.
Der Verband organisiert seit 1995 jährliche ÖDaF-Tagungen, bei denen sich Wissenschaftler*innen, Unterrichtende und Studierende treffen, um die neusten Forschungsergebnisse vorzustellen und sich in zahlreichen Workshops und Gesprächskreisen über die Entwicklungen im DaF/DaZ-Bereich auszutauschen. An den Tagungen nehmen je etwa 300 Personen teil.
Der Verband veröffentlicht zweimal pro Jahr die Fachzeitschrift „Zeitschrift für Deutsch im Kontext von Mehrsprachigkeit (ZDKM)” (früher ÖDaF-Mitteilungen), die Fachartikel zu aktuellen Themen der DAF/DaZ-Didaktik enthalten, über Aktivitäten und Projekte aus der Praxis berichten, sowie eine Plattform zum internationalen Erfahrungsaustausch bieten.Der Verband führt eine Homepage, die ständig aktualisiert wird und den Verbandsmitgliedernsowie anderen Interessierten aktuelle Informationen über Veranstaltungen und Entwicklungen im Bereich Methodik/Didaktik des DaF/DaZ Unterrichts liefert.
Der ÖDaF fördert fachlichen Austausch nicht nur in seinem eigenen Land, sondern auch im internationalen Kontext und arbeitet dabei eng mit dem IDV und anderen Fachverbänden zusammen. Mit seinen Aktivitäten auf internationaler Ebene unterstützt der ÖDaF die Umsetzung der Ziele des IDV: die Weiterentwicklung des Faches Deutsch als Fremd- oder Zweitsprache, die Förderung des Verständnisses von Menschen aus unterschiedlichen Kulturen, die Aus- und Weiterbildung von Deutschlehrerinnen und -lehrern, Unterstützung der Deutschlehrenden in ihrer beruflichen Tätigkeit, u.a.
Im Auftrag des IDV veranstaltete der ÖDaF bereits vier Internationale Deutschlehrer*innen Tagungen (IDTs): in Salzburg (1971), Wien (1989), Graz (2005) und nochmals in Wien im Jahre 2022, an denen Lehrkräfte aus der ganzen Welt teilnehmen konnten.
Die Internationale Deutschlehrer*innen Tagung (IDT), an der 2.747 Teilnehmer*innen aus 110 Ländern in Präsenz und 216 online teilgenommen haben, konnte nur dank der Hartnäckigkeit und Ausdauer des Verbandes und seines Vorstands durchgeführt werden. Die für 2021 geplante IDT wurde wegen der Covid-Pandemie abgesagt. Der Vorstand des ÖDaF hat an der Organisation ein zusätzliches Jahr gearbeitet und setzte alle möglichen Mittel ein, damit die Veranstaltung ein Jahr später stattfinden konnte. Der Verband hat alles getan, um Lehrkräften aus der ganzen Welt nach den langen Monaten der Isolation qualitativ hochwertige Fortbildung sowie persönliche Begegnungen zu ermöglichen.
Das Organisationskomitee der Tagung, in der alle Vorstandsmitglieder von ÖDaF aktiv mitgewirkt haben, hat sich bei verschiedenen Institutionen bemüht und mehr als 150 Stipendien für IDV Teilnehmende gesichert.
Der ÖDaF ist einer der ältesten und aktivsten Mitglieder des IDV und unterstützt die Arbeit des IDV Vorstands durch das Entsenden einer Expertin/eines Experten. Zwei Expertinnen aus dem ÖDaF unterstützen auch ehrenamtlich die Arbeit des DACHL-Gremiums des IDV, im Rahmen dessen er eng mit dem IDV und DL-Verbänden aus Deutschland und der Schweiz kooperiert.
Der ÖDaF unterstützt die Arbeit des IDV mit einer jährlichen Zuwendung von 3000,- Euro. Dieser Beitrag wird für die Verbandsarbeit, z.B. in Form von internationalen Projekten bestimmt. Über diese Förderung hinaus unterstützt der ÖDaF andere Mitgliedsverbände, die für ihre Mitgliedsbeiträge selbst nicht aufkommen können, indem er jährlich für mindestens einen Verband die Beitragskosten übernimmt.
Angesichts der herausragenden Aktivitäten zur Förderung der Mehrsprachigkeit und der Qualität des DaF/DaZ-Unterrichts sowie für den Einsatz für internationale Zusammenarbeit von DL-Verbänden unterstützt der IDV die Kandidatur des Österreichischen Verbandes für Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache (ÖDaF) zum FIPLV-Award 2022.
2019-2020
VDLV – Vietnamesischer Deutschlehrerverband (nominiert von IDV)
Der Vietnamesische Deutschlehrerverband (VDLV) wurde am 20.7.2011 gegründet mit dem Ziel, die Interessen aller Deutschlehrerinnen und Deutschlehrer in Vietnam zu vertreten. 2013 trat VDLV dem IDV bei. Derzeit hat der Verband 107 Mitglieder. Zu der erfolgreichen Verbandsarbeit im Jahr 2019 zählen folgende Aktivitäten:
1) Die Internationale Deutschlehrertagung fand vom 11. bis 13.10. in Ho-Chi-Minh-City statt zum Thema DaF und Germanistik in Süd(ost)asien – Nachhaltige Entwicklung und Qualitätssicherung. An der Tagung nahmen 106 Wissenschaftler*innen aus 20 verschiedenen Universitäten aus 12 unterschiedlichen Ländern von drei Kontinenten teil, darunter 5 Professor*innen aus Deutschland und Österreich. Ziel der Tagung war es, allen Partizipierenden die Möglichkeit zu geben, Einblicke in aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse zu gewährleisten und zu verdeutlichen, wie die Didaktik des Deutschen, der DaF-Unterricht und die Germanistik in Süd(ost)asien langfristig nachhaltig konzipiert werden können. Für FachvertreterInnen und Nachwuchskräfte bestand die Möglichkeit einen Beitrag zu einem Forschungsthema im Tagungsband zu veröffentlichen. Insgesamt wurden 45 Vorträge gehalten, hinzu kamen 3 Workshops zum Projekt Dhoch3, zum EDDU (Erfolgreich Digital Deutsch unterrichten) und zum Projekt Vietnamesisches Lernerkorpus VIELKO. Schwerpunkte der Tagung waren Fragestellungen und Forschungen aus den Bereichen DaF, Translation, Literatur und Kulturstudien, Linguistik und Akademische Qualitätssicherung. Parallel zu den Vorträgen fand das Vernetzungstreffen statt, wo über die Chancen der Kooperation zwischen Deutschabteilungen und Deutschlehrerverbänden sowie Germanistenverbänden im asiatischen Raum plus Neuseeland ausgetauscht wurde. Dabei standen auch die Kooperationen mit dem IDV in Diskussion.
2) Das Internationale Deutschcamp zum Thema Deutsch im interkulturellen Kontext wurde vom 4. bis 9.8.2019 in Ha Long Bay veranstaltet. 94 Teilnehmer*innen kamen aus 8 Ländern (Deutschland, Süd- und Südostasien). Für das diesjährige Deutschcamp hat der VDLV mit Unterstützung der zwei deutschen und fünf vietnamesischen Seminarleiter*innen ein anspruchsvolles Programm organisiert: Neben einem Rhetorik- und Präsentationskurs und einem Kurs zu digitalen Übungsangeboten standen zwei weitere Kurse zu Spielen im DaF-Unterricht und Kreativ Deutsch lernen auf dem Programm. Eine parallele Gruppenerkundung in Ha Long und eine Entdeckungsreise der Ha Long Bay, sowie ein bunter Kulturabend rundeten das Programm ab. Mit dem jährlichen Camp möchte der VDLV für Studierende und Dozierende die Möglichkeiten schaffen, einander kennen zu lernen, Freundschaft zu schließen und sich im Austausch miteinander landesweit und über die Grenzen hinweg in Asien zu vernetzen. Die Freude am gemeinsamen Erlernen der deutschen Sprache sollten sie mit anderen beim Deutschcamp und später in ihrer Heimat teilen.
3) Am 6.4.2021 wurde die nationale Deutscholympiade als nationale Vorrunde für die Asien-Pazifik-Deutscholympiade in Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem Goethe-Institut Hanoi, der Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen (ZfA) und dem VDLV organisiert. An der Olympiade nahmen 34 ausgewählte Schüler*innen teil, von denen 6 mit Preisen ausgezeichnet wurden, die im August 2019 zur APDO in Indonesien entsandt wurden. Zum Programm gehörten neben der Sprachstadt mit 4 Stationen (mündlich) die Erstellung von Postern (schriftlich) und die Stadtbesichtigung von Hanoi.
4) Im August 2019 fand die Südostasiatische Sommeruniversität in Bandung, Indonesien, statt. 3 Dozent*innen als Mitglieder des VDLV und 5 Studierende wurden ausgewählt und entsandt. Der VDLV wirkte bei der Auswahl der Dozent*innen und Student*innen mit.
Professor Jane Orton (deceased) (Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations)
Jane Orton’s contribution to the languages field has extended over five decades, principally in the areas of Chinese language teaching and the preparation of languages teachers. Her contribution at national and international levels are widely acclaimed and recognised, and she has changed the focus of Chinese teaching in Australia and internationally, through sustained prosecution of the need for Chinese language learning for learners of all backgrounds, with specific curricula for different learner groups and with differentiated pedagogies. She has championed the need for more language learning, across all languages and stages of life, and has been an inspiration to several generations of languages teachers.
Professor Hanna Komorowska (PTN – Polskie Towarzystwo Neofilologiczne – Polish Association of Modern Languages)
Hanna Komorowska, full professor of applied linguistics and the Chair of English, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, formerly full professor at Warsaw University, is well known for her involvement in the field of pre- and in-service teacher education in Poland and abroad.
Her PhD dissertation on interference in learning English as a foreign language (1972) was the first PhD in Poland submitted in the field of language pedagogy and her post-doctoral dissertation on success and failure in school language learning included a report on the first empirical research in the field of language learning and teaching in Poland.
As head of the Curriculum Development Centre (1978-1990) and later the Institute for School Curricula (1985-89) she built a team which was responsible for implementing functional communicative syllabuses into language education in Polish schools.
After the fall of communism she was heading the Expert Committee for foreign language teaching and teacher education reform in Poland (1989-1993) as a result of which foreign languages such as English, French, German, Italian and Spanish were included in the curriculum for secondary schools, replacing Russian which, until then, was obligatory for all students. What is more, the reform introduced foreign languages into the primary school syllabus, lowering the starting age for the first foreign language. Unlike previously, the learners were allowed to choose which language they wanted to study, which, however, was limited by unavailability of teachers. Hence, in teacher education a new system of teacher training colleges based on the work of the Council of Europe was introduced and Prof. Komorowska coordinated the programme whose aim was to prepare volunteers from the American Peace Corps and the British Voluntary Service Overseas to teach English to the trainees as well as to students in the Polish schools.
As Vice-President of Warsaw University (1993-1996), she supported the project which resulted in the establishment of an Interdepartmental Centre for Language Teacher Training and European Education.
Prof. Komorowska is also known for her work abroad. In the years 1989-1997 as the Polish delegate for the Modern Languages Project Group of the Council of Europe she was responsible for the Polish-Czech project set up in order to design curricula for language teacher education within the framework of the Council’s New Style Workshops programme. She also cooperated with the Language Policy Division in the preparation of the Polish Country Report, five Polish age-related versions of the European Language Portfolio and of the Polish translation of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
As a member of the EU High Level Group on Multilingualism in Brussels (2005-2007), she co-authored the final report with recommendations for language policy of the EU with special emphasis on strategies of promoting language education across age groups and proficiency levels. Her other activities included acting as an expert in LEONARDO and ERASMUS programmes, serving as a national consultant for the EURYDICE as well as being a consultant to the European Centre of Modern Languages in Graz (2008-2015).
Prof. Hanna Komorowska has been active in many other areas – she is a member of several professional organizations, serves on editorial/advisory boards of academic journals, and, above all, is an academic teacher. In this capacity she has taught numerous courses, including M.A. and Ph.D. seminars in the area of broadly conceived ELT methodology, among others. She has supervised 30 Ph.D. theses, served as a reviewer in 65 Ph.D. assessment committees, and took part in other procedures connected with the conferment of academic degrees. Her involvement has been recognized and appreciated by the authorities at the university and the ministerial levels (among others, she received the National Education Committee Medal, the highest honour awarded the Polish Ministry of Education for outstanding contribution to education).
Prof. Komorowska has given numerous conference presentations and invited talks/plenaries in Poland and abroad. She publishes widely in the field of FLT methodology and teacher education (in English and Polish). Her books written in Polish served the whole generation of foreign language teachers in Poland, when foreign publications were unavailable in the communist bloc. The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages she co-authored was translated into 15 languages.
Professor Paolo Balboni (ANILS – Associazione Nazionale Insegnanti di Lingue Straniere, Italia)
Paolo Balboni, former President of FIPLV, is one of the few scholars in the world who have remarkably influenced language education in recent decades. He was professor of Modern Language Teaching from 1984 to 2018 at University Ca’ Foscari in Venice (Italy), and he has been Honorary Professor since 2018 and Senior Researcher since 2020 at the same university. At the University Ca’ Foscari Venice he was Director of Department, Dean of Faculty, Director of the University Linguistic Centre.
His long career and commitment to languages, language acquisition and teaching are evidenced by his broad scientific production ranging from Italian as a foreign and second language to modern languages acquisition; from translation in language learning to micro-languages; from intercultural communication to the history of language education in Italy; from language educational technologies and digital resources to language teacher training; from language education theories to early language education; from the nature of communicative competence to language policy in EU; from the teaching of literature to sociolinguistics; from intercomprehension in Romance languages to plurilingual education.
Due to his multifaceted, generous, and original academic background, he gave birth to a renowned research strand known as Venetian School of language education research, which has been officially recognized for its humanistic, educational, and transdisciplinary perspective about language teaching, and is engaged with the social and political dimensions, focusing on language education as a whole. At the same time, the Venetian school of language education research devotes equal attention to the objective of teaching, i.e. language(s) as communicative instrument(s), and to the subject of the learning process, the student. Many researchers start and started their career within the School, and achieved important positions in various Italian universities, and young scholars continue to be inspired by it.
Prof. PhDr, Bohuslav Mánek, CSc. (Kruh moderních filologů – Czech Modern Language Association)
Bohuslav Mánek studied English and Czech at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague (1964- 69). From 1970 he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Foreign Languages of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Charles University in Hradec Králové, where he taught English. In 1971 he received the title of PhDr., in 1984 the title of CSc. After the Velvet Revolution in 1992, he became an associate professor and began working at the newly founded University of Hradec Králové, where he teaches English and American literature and the history of translation into Czech, contributing to a deeper understanding of translation between English and medium- sized translation culture (Czech). Both lines of his pedagogical activities were reflected in his publishing activities: as a teacher of professional English he became the author of the repeatedly published Textbook of English for Pharmacists; his contribution to the Medical Dictionary of English- Czech and Czech- English (1982) is significant. His research interest in Anglophone literature was reflected in the elaboration of a series of entries in the Dictionary of Writers, English Literature (1996). He has been devoting his life to the theory and history of translation. The emphasis on the broad cultural context of translation is also reflected in the attention paid to minority languages and cultures (Mánek 2012). As an active translator, he worked on translations of poetry, audiovisual translation for film and television, and translation of professional texts. His translations of poetry (about 300 poems) have been published in magazines and anthologies since 1967. He is a recognized expert in his academic work: he has lectured and lectures in several faculties and universities, is a member of scientific boards of several universities, a member of editorial boards of professional journals (e.g. Foreign languages, Lingua viva ). He has also worked in the accreditation commission at the Ministry of Education.
He is also a frequently approached consultant and evaluator of academic qualification theses, both in the field of literature and translation and in the field of didactics of a specific language. His popularization and organizational activities are not negligible either. He is a respected personality in all these areas. He has been a member of the Czech Modern Language Association (KMF) for decades, in the period 2002 – 2007 he was the chairman of the KMF Main Committee. Even after the end of his mandate, he remains a member and is also active in the very active local workplace of the Association in Hradec Králové, where he significantly contributes to spreading KMF activities outside the capital.
2018
Prof. Jitka Radimská (Kruh Moderních Filologů (KMF) – Czech Modern Language Association)
Jitka Radimská, a full professor at the Institute of Romance Languages and Literatures of the Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic, has devoted her long and successful professional career to promoting and developing Romance studies not only in her home region of South Bohemia but also at other partner universities both in the Czech Republic and abroad.
She started her professional life as a grammar school teacher of Czech and French in the town of Český Krumlov. After twenty years of experience in French language teaching (1971-1991), she became a recognized authority and continued her numerous activities in the academic sphere. She co-founded and for more than fifteen years directed the Institute of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of South Bohemia. She was also actively involved in founding a bilingual French-Czech grammar school in Tábor, the Czech association Gallica for university teachers of the French language, literature and methodology and she established the South-Bohemian branch of the Czech Modern Language Association (Kruh moderních filologů). In 1993, she was awarded with the Order of Academic Palms (Chevalier de l´ordre des Palmes académiques), a French national order bestowed to distinguished academics and figures in the world of culture and education. In 2009 she was appointed as a professor in the theory and history of literature and decided to devote herself fully to her research and to supporting and mentoring new Ph.D. candidates and young researchers.
Professor Radimská has published a great number of articles and monographies including propaedeutical texts for university students and secondary school teachers (e.g. Anthology of French Literature or Lire et commenter). She founded two scientific journals (Écho des etudes romanes and Lingua viva), two editorial series of monographies (Acta Philologica Universitatis Bohemiae Meridionalis and Bibliotheca viva) and an internationally recognized compendium series (Opera romanica) which became important publication platforms in foreign language philology. What she personally values above academic publications is an original, playful and beautifully illustrated French language textbook for preschool children, Ma planète, which is still in use and shows that even languages which are considered to be difficult can be learnt by little children easily through games and fun activities.
Professor Radimská is appreciated for all her professional contributions to Czech Romance studies but also for her ability to support young researchers and to motivate and inspire all her colleagues and students to follow their own path.
Violeta Jurković (SDUTSJ – Slovene Association of LSP Teachers)
Violeta Jurković is Associate Professor of English and Chair for Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She is an established Member of the Senate at the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport and Member of the Commission for Quality Assurance at the University of Ljubljana.
Her main research interests include Maritime English, ESP/EAP methodology and education, mobile assisted language learning and ESP/EAP discourse.
She is a Member of the Editorial Board of the journal of the Slovene Association of LSP Teachers Scripta Manent, Co-editor of the monograph LSP Research in Slovenia and Conference Coordinator of the 1st international LSP conference in Slovenia. She is Head of the Slovenian group involved in the Erasmus+ project TRAILs: LSP Teacher Training Summer School and Head of the Slovenian Terminology in Maritime English project.
She has published chapters and articles in prestigious journals. Her work as peer reviewer for a wide number of journals both in Slovenia and abroad was internationally recognised when she received an award for her outstanding peer review in the ESP Journal.
She presented her research results at many conferences in Slovenia and abroad. She was also a keynote speaker at the conference of the Association of LSP Teachers at Higher Education Institutions in Zagreb, Croatia.
Violeta Jurković has contributed considerably to the development of the LSP field in Slovenia serving as an active member of the Slovene Association of LSP Teachers. She was President of the association from 2005 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2013. She was Head of the special interest group Development of Foreign Language Policy within the Association.
Violeta Jurković has been recognized as an excellent teacher by her students as well as colleagues. Willing to share her comprehensive knowledge, wide experience and great expertise in LSP research she mentors doctoral students. She is not only an outstanding teacher and researcher, but also a valuable colleague, always prepared to face new challenges and offer assistance.
Jaakko Laaksonen (SUKOL – Federation of Foreign Language teachers in Finland)
Mr Laaksonen has all through his career taken an interest in and been actively involved in pedagogical development. He has always been willing and ready to share his expertise and findings with SUKOL and language teachers. He is highly appreciated for his hands-on approach, which is found most useful in a language teacher’s everyday work.
We would like to emphasize his active role in educating upper secondary school teachers for Matriculation Exam digitalization.
AATG – American Association of Teachers of German Inc. (USA)
Mit rund 3.500 Mitgliedern ist AATG der größte IDV-Mitgliedsverband weltweit und zeichnet sich durch sein großes, vorbildhaftes, unermüdliches Engagement zugunsten der Deutschlehrenden und der deutschen Sprache nicht nur in den USA, sondern auch in der Großregion Nordamerika aus. AATG ist Initiator von verschiedenen Projekten in den USA. Hier seien nur ein paar Beispiele genannt: German is my future, Teach German, National German Week, Deutsch mach Spaß, F-L-ACH, Tag a Teacher, Getvico u. a.
Jährlich nimmt AATG an der ACTFL-Tagung mit zahlreichen Sessions für Deutsch teil. So war es ebenfalls 2018 mit der Teilnahme an der ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo (Incorporating the FIPLV World Congress) in New Orleans/USA. Auf Einladung von AATG nahm der gesamte IDV-Vorstand am World Congress teil und konnte vor Ort eine gemeinsame Vorstandssitzung IDV-AATG abhalten sowie sich einen guten Überblick über die zahlreichen AATG-Aktivitäten verschaffen.
Im Rahmen des ACTFL/FIPLV-Kongresses führte AATG in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Goethe-Institut ein Symposium zum Thema „Best Practices für die Anwerbung von neuen Deutschlehrenden“ durch. Dieses Symposium brachte 80 eingeladene Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer von DaF-Verbänden sowohl aus den USA als auch aus Kanada, Mexiko, Deutschland und Österreich zusammen, um sich intensiv mit dem bestehenden Fachkräftemangel für DaF/DaZ sowie möglichen transatlantischen Lösungsansätzen zu beschäftigen. Die Bedeutung dieses Symposiums für die Verbände aus der Region muss hier ganz besonders unterstrichen werden.
AATG unterstützt allerdings nicht nur die Deutschlehrenden in Schulen und Universitäten, sondern auch Studierende. Diese Gruppe angehender Deutschlehrer/innen wird durch zahlreiche Projekte, Stipendien und Sommerprogramme gefördert. Hier setzt AATG besonders stark an, da die Nachwuchsförderung – thematisch hervorgehoben 2018 im Rahmen des oben genannten Symposiums – einen besonderen Schwerpunkt für den nordamerikanischen Verband darstellt.
Eine weitere sehr gelungene Leistung von AATG 2018 bildet die aktive Beteiligung des AATG-Vorstands unter der Leitung von Susanne Rinner an der Herausgabe des IDV-Magazins, das im diesjährigen Frühjahr erschienen ist (https://idvnetz.org/publikationen-des-idv/idv-magazin-95-juni-2019). Das IDV-Magazin erscheint regelmäßig zweimal im Jahr (Frühjahr und Herbst) und widmete sich im thematischen Heft 95 dem Großraum Nordamerika. Geographische Schwerpunkte in unserem Magazin erlauben es, die Erfolge, Leistungen und Herausforderungen einer bestimmten Region intensiv zu beleuchten. Dank dem Engagement des AATG-Teams und der nordamerikanischen Verbände leisteten Vertreter und Vertreterinnen von Universitäten, Schulen, den Goethe-Instituten und der deutschen Botschaft anschauliche und interessante Beiträge und gewähren damit Einblicke in unterschiedlichste Aspekte des Faches Deutsch als Fremdsprache in Nordamerika.
Ferner gilt es zu erwähnen, dass AATG zur Gruppe der sogenannten IDV-Fördermitglieder gehören. Für die IDV-Mitgliedsverbände besteht die Möglichkeit, das gemeinsame Verbandsnetz durch eine Fördersumme zu stärken, die in einen Solidaritätsfonds einbezahlt wird und die Reduktion von Mitgliedsbeiträgen ausgleicht, für die Mitgliedsverbände berechtigte Anfragen stellen können. Auch 2018 trug AATG zu diesem Fonds bei, sodass finanziell leistungsschwache Verbände auf diese Weise ihren Antrag auf Reduzierung des IDV-Mitgliedsbeitrags genehmigt bekommen konnten.
Aus den obigen Gründen nominiert der IDV seinen Mitgliedsverband AATG für den FIPLV Award 2018.
Professor John Hajek (AFMLTA, Australia)
Professor John Hajek has a distinguished and lengthy career as a languages educator, and has made exceptional and outstanding contributions to the field as a leader of languages education throughout his career.
His contributions to community languages in Australia; to the professional engagement of teachers of languages in schools and universities; to the learning of languages in pre-schools, primary and secondary schools, in universities and in community schools; and his involvement in numerous projects to promote languages education and the importance of language recognition nationally and internationally in the political arena give him prominence that is recognised through many keynote presentation invitations, including several at AFMLTA international conferences and notably the Horwood Address in 2017, as well as consultation invitations from government, education departments, professional associations, and community organisations.
His work with schools and teachers of languages in schools is extensive, including consultations on pre-school and early years languages programs, with AFMLTA, with education departments and governments across Australia, and, of critical importance, with individuals and groups of languages teachers. His willingness to share and collaborate, to engage and give unlimited time to the profession has had a profound effect on languages teaching over the past decade. He is currently engaged in collaboration for a Vietnamese-English bilingual school, and has been active in bilingual schools networks, including for Italian-English schools and pre-schools. His work on literacy in these areas informs the collaborations and programs adopted in the schools, as well as engaging local communities.
His work in the school languages education space has led to development of new curricula, approaches to languages education, language teacher preparation, and community attitudes to learning languages and plurilingualism. He has provided extensive professional learning sessions for teachers of languages, across all the states and territories of Australia.
In summary, Professor Hajek has made exceptional contributions to the languages education field in Australia, that clearly meet the criteria for the FIPLV International Award. These contributions span community, school and university programs, and involve work with students, teachers, schools, departments, government, industry and communities. We believe him to be a highly deserving recipient of this award.
2017
Jūratė Patackaitė (Language Teachers’ Association of Lithuania)
Jūratė Patackaitė has been an active member of the Language Teachers’ Association of Lithuania since its foundation: from 2006 to 2009, she was the Association’s treasurer and a Board member; in 2010 and in 2014 she was elected the Vice President of the Association (holding this position currently). J. Patackaitė has shown deep insight into the importance and benefits of professional networking in general and in setting up such acitivities in Lithuania; she has proven to be able to combine her daily teaching dutues with extensive voluntary work for the benefit of the teaching community in Lithuania. In 2012, J. Patackaitė won the Association’s highest award – the Baltic Philologist Coffret – for the most beneficial aid to business, for the promotion of innovative ideas in teaching Lithuanian, for maintaining cooperation between teachers of different languages. Being the Head of the Foreign Languages Centre and a Member of the Board at Vilniaus Kolegija/University of Applied Sciences (one of the Founding members of the Association), J. Patackaitė has managed to build a strong team of professionals who share her dedication to supporting the teaching and learnin of foreign languages and cultures, who initiate and offer assistance in organising various activities of the Association. A speaker of several languages, J. Patackaitė possesses excellent communication skills; due to her natural cheerfulness, tact and consideration, her genuine commitment and high sense of responsibility, Jūratė has gained respect and admiration among her colleagues in the Association and beyond.
Dr András Szöllösy-Sebestyén (HALLT, Hungary)
András Szöllösy-Sebestyén has served as General Secretary in the Hungarian Association of Applied Linguists and Language Teachers (HAALLT), a long-time member of FIPLV, since 1994. In this capacity, he has been making efforts to promote research on the use, teaching and learning of foreign languages in the Hungarian context in order to support the practice of language teaching and create a link between theory and practice by providing a nation-wide forum for practising language teachers, experts and researchers in applied linguistics.
Dr Szöllösy-Sebestyén has played an active role in representing and acting in the interest of Hungarian applied linguists, language teaching experts and practising teachers both in Hungary and outside Hungary since the beginning of the 1990s. His contribution to raising awareness, in various Hungarian stakeholder groups, of the importance of language learning and teaching has made him an acknowledged expert in the field.
Besides his active role in HAALLT, Dr Szöllösy-Sebestyén has had his significant share in the development and improvement of tertiary level foreign language teaching as a respected lecturer at several universities in Hungary, his main base being the Foreign Language Institute of the Budapest University of Technology for more than three decades. He is recognised as an expert practitioner in teaching English for Specific Purposes, Hungarian as a Foreign Language and Hungarian for Special Purposes.
Kari Jukarainen (SUKOL, Finland)
Mr Kari Jukarainen has had a long and successful career in language teaching in upper secondary schools in Finland. From the beginning of his professional life, he has had an active role in teachers’ associations. During his presidency of SUKOL, Jukarainen promoted the importance of language skills and lobbied nationally for language teaching on several levels from political and administrative authorities to media and schools.
Mr Jukarainen’s network of contacts is wide and he is highly appreciated for his expertise. Therefore, he has been asked to participate in many language working committees at the National Board of Education, University of Jyväskylä, and the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board. Working as a language teacher and a principal he has always been willing to share his knowledge in order to support language learning and teaching in Finland.
Prof Martin East (NZALT, New Zealand Association of Language Teachers)
Martin East has significantly influenced the pattern and quality of language pedagogy in Aotearoa New Zealand over many years through countless exceptional and outstanding contributions to the field. A revised curriculum for New Zealand’s schools alongside revised national assessments to match new curriculum expectations have led to significant changes for teachers. Both professionally and academically, Martin has played leading roles in supporting and enhancing teachers’ work in these times of change. Pedagogically, languages teachers are encouraged to consider Task-Based Language Teaching as a way of fulfilling revised curriculum requirements. However, this innovation can be challenging for teachers. Martin has dove-tailed his work as a language teacher educator with his publications as a leading scholar in the field to ensure that beginning teachers enter the profession with a solid research-informed understanding of how to enact TBLT. Martin has also supported teachers of te reo Māori through invited workshops about TBLT at Ministry of Education funded national conferences.
As an invited contributor to national assessment renewal, Martin played a significant role in the development of interact – a radical new assessment of students’ speaking skills. The innovation was not universally welcomed. Always keen to question decisions in which he has played a part, Martin researched teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the new assessment, highlighting issues that would require attention moving forward.
Martin has also contributed considerably to the work of NZALT. He was editor of our peer-reviewed journal, The New Zealand Language Teacher, from 2007 to 2016. He has served on NZALT’s Executive since 2012, including four years as President. In this leadership role he was an active interface between languages teachers and government agencies as teachers worked to implement curriculum and assessment reforms. Martin’s significant and sustained contributions to language education make him a worthy recipient of a FIPLV International Award.
Dr Zhivka Stoyanova Ilieva (BETA Bulgaria)
Zhivka Ilieva has been working in the sphere of ELT and teacher training for nearly 20 years. She is an associate professor of Methodology of English Language Teaching at Dobrich College, Shumen University. She presents at conferences dedicated to language teaching and teacher education in Bulgaria and across Europe. She gives seminars and workshops for student teachers and in- service teachers connected to storytelling and using picture books, communicative skills development, lexical approach with young learners. In 2014 she had a closed course at SEETA. As part of her investigation, she works with young learners at kindergarten and primary school at various institutions in Dobrich.
She has been a member of BETA since 2000. Since IATEFL EAST Plovdiv 2001 she has been a regular participant of BETA conferences. She has presented her ideas at LATEUM 2001, 2011, 2013; TESOL France 2007 and 2009, IATEFL 2014 and 2017, TESOL Macedonia Thrace Northern Greece 2012, 2016, 2017, ELTA Serbia 2014, NBR 2016 and many others. She was BETA official representative at some of them.
Zhivka has been part of BETA Organizing committee since 2010. In the period 2010-2014, she was BETA Membership Secretary and 2014-2018 – BETA President. As president, some of her responsibilities are: BETA web site, coordinating the organization of the annual conferences, communication with the US Embassy in Sofia, British Council Bulgaria, publishers and sponsors. In 2015 she was responsible for the RELO grant for travel expenses of Bulgarian teachers to attend BETA 2015. She was responsible for the US Embassy travel grant for Bulgarian teachers to attend BETA 2016 and for the plenary speakers Dian Larsen-Freeman and Elka Todeva for The 1st FIPLV East European Regional Congress and The 26th BETA-IATEFL Annual International Conference 2017.
Zhivka Ilieva is a member of the Union of Bulgarian Scientists, BETA, BSBS, IATEFL, IATEFL Young Learners SIG, TESOL, AILA.
Professor Liudmila Verbitskaya (MAPRYAL, International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, Russian Federation)
Liudmila Alekseyevna Verbitskaya is one of the first contemporary scholars to provide description to modern pronunciation norms of Russian language. She had an outstanding academic career in Saint Petersburg State University from assistant to Full Professor in the Phonetics Department. Author of more than 300 research papers and textbooks on Russian language, phonetics, phonology and methodology of teaching Russian language. Her research on the problems of contemporary pronunciation became the basis of a new direction in the study of language – “The Norms of Pronunciation and how Phonetics interfere”.
For 14 years Liudmila Verbitskaya served as rector of Saint Petersburg University and initiated the opening of two new faculties there. She has been a member of the presidium of the College of Rectors of St Petersburg of the North-West Region of Russia. In 1999 she founded the Russian Society of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, in 2003 she was elected President of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, and in 2013 she became President of the Russian Academy of Education. As President of MAPRYAL, she stood at the origins of innovative projects in the field of Russian language study: the world festival of Russian language; a series of seminars for language instructors held worldwide – “MAPRYAL – to the Russian world”; projects – “Russian language in the field of manpower training for international infrastructure projects”, “Duty, responsibility, time: a modern worldview as seen by contemporary Russian writers”, as well as sociolinguistic research in the field of lingo-didactic testing.
2016
Dr Ray T Clifford (ACTFL, USA)
FIPLV is pleased to recognize the many accomplishments of Dr. Ray T. Clifford in the field of language teaching, learning, and assessment by awarding him the FIPLV International Award. Dr. Clifford’s contributions to the field include transforming language teaching to focus on a proficiency approach, aligning curriculum, assessment and instruction to focus on learner outcomes, developing language tests using innovative validation methods, and contributing to language policy and effective procedures for increasing the language capacity both in the U.S. and internationally. He has served the international language field with his research, publications, and professional presentations. He has been a powerful voice for positive change and in promoting international understanding and the development of global competence.
His devoted colleagues call him the Godfather of the proficiency movement in the U.S., the consensus builder, who was needed to bring the language field together on this very important issue—defining and articulating the goal of language programs that would truly reform language teaching and learning in the U.S. and would bring us into the global arena as a player in developing linguistic and cultural competence. The language field is indebted to Dr. Ray T. Clifford for his numerous contributions and steadfast commitment to making a difference in how languages are taught, learned, and assessed.
Melba Libia Cárdenas (ASOCOPI, Colombia)
Melba Libia Cárdenas is one of the most outstanding scholars in Colombia and Latin America. Her career spans from teaching experience in all levels of Colombian Educational system (from elementary school to graduate programs) to being a lecturer in many national and international events; a consultant; a book writer; a researcher; editor; co-organizer of many national and international academic events; president of ASOCOPI, among many other. She has also been in administrative positions; the most recent being the Academic vice-dean at the School of Humanities at Universidad Nacional, the largest university in the country.
Her achievements and contributions to the field are countless. She has taught hundreds of teachers and has instilled in them the passion, the love, the humanity, and the commitment for the profession. As a researcher she has conducted several studies that inform our practices from a glocal perspective; she has also contributed to strengthen qualitative research to make it more and more valid and trustworthy. As a scholar she created the PROFILE Journal, the highest ranked peer reviewed journal in Colombia, which has opened opportunities for teachers around the world to publish their work. She also took under her wing the edition of HOW Journal, the journal of our association, and turned it into the second peer reviewed journal that publishes teachers research, innovation and pedagogical experiences. (PROFILE and HOW are the only Colombian Journals that publish exclusively in English). As an activist she has always fought for teachers rights; she has inspired generations to value the profession and stand for what they think is right. During the years she was in the board of directors of ASOCOPI she worked very hard to promote the participation of school and university teachers in the annual conference not only as attendees but as presenters.
Leena Hämäläinen (SUKOL, Finland)
Ms Leena Hämäläinen has had a long and successful career in language teaching in a vocational college. Throughout her career, Ms Hämäläinen has taken an interest in pedagogical development of foreign language teaching. We would particularly like to emphasize her active role in developing vocational teaching during recent decades.
From the beginning of her professional life, she has played an active role in various language teachers’ associations organising and participating in seminars and training sessions in Finland and abroad (teaching in numerous pre- and in-service training courses for language teachers organized by e.g. National Board of Education, Faculty of Education at Tampere University, language teachers’ associations (1987–2015); running workshops in FIPLV/NBR conferences and seminars (2000–2010) and participated in various international projects funded by ECML, European union and NordPlus.) She has always been willing and ready to share her expertise and findings with SUKOL and language teachers. From 2005-2007 she also served as Treasurer General and member of the Executive Committee of FIPLV.
Through Ms Hämäläinen’s wide networks within the language teachers’ organizations her expertise serves the teaching of all languages.
Eglė Šleinotienė (LKPA, Language Teachers’ Association of Lithuania)
Eglė Šleinotienė was one of the initiators and a long-term President of the Lithuanian Language Teachers’ Association, who has duly won acclaim both on the national and international levels. Since the year of its foundation in 2006, the Lithuanian Language Teachers’ Association has played an active role in implementing the high social mission of teachers and educators in Europe and worldwide.
At present, as FIPLV Nordic Baltic Region secretary, Eglė devotes all her energy to fostering mutually beneficial cooperation among teachers’ from various education traditions and cultures, with a view to enabling language education practitioners and policy makers meet the needs of the modern society.
Eglė’s passion and creativity are evident in whatever tasks she undertakes, be it delivering a regular workshop or representing the Lithuanian teachers at international events at the highest level.
Eglė’s in-depth knowledge, experience and incredible commitment to her profession and LKPA mission motivate others and promote the teachers’ involvement in campaigns and decision making processes far beyond the classroom. Her colleagues know Eglė as a critical thinker who can challenge the status quo and find a better way to meet the needs of the teachers’ community.
ABraPA – Associação Brasileira de Professores de Alemão (Brazil, proposed by IDV)
Der ABraPA-Vorstand
ABraPA wurde am 03. Juli 1988 im Rahmen des 2. Nationalen Treffens der brasilianischen Deutschlehrer/innen gegründet und fungiert seitdem als Dachverband für die sieben Regionalverbände, die brasilienweit die Deutschlehrenden in ihrer jeweiligen Region unterstützen. Im Jahre 1989 wurde ABraPA in den IDV aufgenommen.
Eine der Hauptaufgaben von ABraPA ist die Organisation des alle 3 Jahre stattfindenden Brasilianischen Deutschlehrerkongresses. Die durchschnittliche Teilnehmerzahl beläuft sich auf 500 Teilnehmer/innen pro Kongress. Der 9. Kongress fand im Juli 2015 in Ivoti/Rio Grande do Sul statt. 2017 wurde zudem die 1. Deutschlehrertagung Südbrasilien veranstaltet. Derzeit beschäftigt sich der ABraPA-Vorstand mit den Vorbereitungen auf den X. Brasilianischen Deutschlehrerkongress, der im Juli 2018 in Rio de Janeiro stattfinden wird.
Jedes Jahr organisiert ABraPA ein Arbeitstreffen mit den Vorsitzenden der sieben brasilianischen Regionalverbände. Da wird die Situation in den verschiedenen Regionen Brasiliens diskutiert und es werden Maßnahmen ergriffen, die bei auftauchenden Problemen und Schwierigkeiten eingesetzt werden können. Brasilien ist ein Land mit kontinentalen Dimensionen und vielen kulturellen Unterschieden, die die in sich sehr unterschiedlichen Arbeitsbedingungen der Deutschlehrer/innen beeinflussen. In dieser Hinsicht spielt ABraPA eine sehr wichtige Rolle als Dachverband, indem er die Verbandsarbeit tatkräftig unterstützt und nicht selten bei wichtigen Veranstaltungen die Regionalverbände mit seiner Anwesenheit vor Ort fördert.
ABraPA spielt zunehmend eine wichtige Rolle in der Sprachenpolitik Brasiliens. Als ständiger Gast bei den Netzwerk-Deutsch-Treffen der deutschsprachigen Mittlerorganisationen verschafft sich ABraPA Gehör bei wichtigen Entscheidungen, die die brasilianischen Deutschlehrenden betreffen. Sein Engagement für die deutsche Sprache bei brasilianischen Bildungsbehörden sei auch hier zu erwähnen. Beispielhaft ist eine von ABraPA im ganzen Land initiierte Unterschriftenaktion für die Einführung des Deutschen in ENEM, einer nationalen Vergleichsprüfung, die zum Hochschulzugang berechtigt.
ABraPA sieht sich zudem als wichtiger Partner der süd- und mittelamerikanischen Deutschlehrerverbände und nimmt regelmäßig an Veranstaltungen teil, die im Großraum Süd- und Mittelamerika stattfinden. Als größter Verband in der Region zeichnet sich ABraPA durch seine aktive Mitwirkung aus.
ABraPa genießt bei den Deutschlehrerverbänden weltweit und beim IDV ein hohes Ansehen. Seine konstante Teilnahme an allen vom IDV initiierten Wettbewerben, Veranstaltungen und Arbeitstreffen verdient höchste Anerkennung.
Anlässlich seiner ersten Vorstandssitzung in Südamerika nahm der IDV im Oktober 2016 an einer gemeinsamen Sitzung ABraPA-IDV teil, bei der die brasilianischen Regionalverbände und der IDV ihre Aktivitäten vorstellten, so dass der IDV nochmals von den großen Arbeiten Kenntnis nahm, die vor Ort von ABraPA und seinen Mitgliedsverbänden geleistet werden. Diese Leistung bewog den IDV dazu, ABraPA zum FIPLV International Award 2016 zu nominieren.
Professor Halina Maria Widła (PTN, Modern Languages Association of Poland – Polskie Towarzystwo Neofilologiczne)
Konferencja “Innowacyjność w uczeniu się i nauczaniu języków obcych”. Miejsce: aula im. M. i G. Dietrichów.
Konferencja “Innowacyjność w uczeniu się i nauczaniu języków obcych”. Miejsce: aula im. M. i G. Dietrichów.
Halina Widła, a full professor at the Institute of Romance Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland, has been actively involved in promoting and developing theoretical and practical knowledge of modern languages and cultures. She has given numerous conference presentations and invited talks/plenaries (65) in Poland and abroad (in Belgium, France, Germany, Romania, Sweden); she is the author (and a co-author) of high-quality articles dealing with different aspects of language learning and teaching which have been published in recognized academic journals. She has also been an initiator and an organiser of a number of conferences focussing on the theory and practice of language teaching in Poland, in particular the teaching of Romance languages. As her recent interests include the use of IT technology in language education, she has been actively involved in developing and implementing computer-based materials in distance learning as well as developing the Distance Learning Platform at the University of Silesia (as a part of a European Project). Prof. Widła has been an organiser of workshops for teachers of Romance languages in the Silesia region; the workshops focussed primarily on the use of new technologies in language teaching and learning. In addition, she serves as an examiner on a committee certifying e-teachers for the purpose of university education.
As far as the practice of language teaching is concerned, prof. Widła has been active in supporting language learning contests, namely French Language Contests and the Spanish Language Contests. She served as a member of the Committees in the years 2011-2016 (also as a representative of the Modern Languages Association of Poland); she was responsible for and supervised the on-line part of the contests.
On the whole, her initiatives in the area of promoting Romance languages and culture have contributed to the increase of interest in French, and, as a result, led to the increase in the number of hours of French taught in schools.
Prof. Widła’s involvement in the promotion of Romance languages and culture included such events as meetings with prospective employers of the graduates of philology (since 2013), events organised in cooperation with the French Embassy in Poland, collaboration with schools in the area, guest lectures, workshops for teachers preparing students for language contests (2002-2016), etc.
Prof. Widła was a member of the Presidium of the Modern Languages Association of Poland (2001-2016). She served as vice-President in the years 2004-2007 and was President for two consecutive terms (2007-2013). In 2016 she was awarded a medal in appreciation for her work and involvement. In 2009 she was elected Secretary General of FIPLV for Western/Central European Region.
Prof. Halina Widła is active in many other areas – she is a member of several professional organizations, serves on editorial/advisory boards of academic journals, and, above all, is an academic teacher. In this capacity she teaches numerous courses, including M.A. and Ph.D. seminars in the area of IT, among others. She has supervised 5 Ph.D. theses, served as a reviewer in 14 Ph.D. assessment committees, and took part in other procedures connected with the conferment of academic degrees. Her involvement has been recognized and appreciated by the authorities at the university and the ministerial levels.
Dr Zarina Markova (BETA-IATEFL, Bulgaria)
Zarina Markova has been part of BETA-IATEFL Committee since 2008: five years as a co-opted member (2008-2010; 2014-2017) and four years as an elected member (2010-2014). As an elected committee member, Zarina was in charge of the international relations, and she put effort into strengthening the links with partner associations. She represented BETA at six conferences of partner associations, two of which were the annual IATEFL conferences in the United Kingdom. Her IATEFL talks were selected for SIG Days twice (in the Young Learners and Teenagers’ SIG Day in 2013, and in the Research SIG Day in 2015). She was BETA’s Official Representative in the SEETA Community (2008-2014), where she moderated open forums, conducted (together with Nina Tsvetkova) a SEETA event on intercultural education and young learners (February 2009), and was in charge of the network etiquette and the community article bank. Together with Desmond Thomas, she was an academic adviser to the SEETA Small-scale Teacher-led Research project (2014-2016); as such, she conducted several webinars on data collection and analysis, and online sources of research findings, and guided the participating teachers during both the collaborative and the individual stages of the project. Zarina was part of the BETA Conference Organizing Committee in the period between 2009 and 2016, and the Conference Secretary at the conferences in 2009 and 2014. Since April 2014, she has been coediting (with Sylvia Velikova) BETA-IATEFL E-Newsletter, the bimonthly magazine of BETA, and the annual BETA Conference Selections. Zarina is a member of the C Group – a group of EFL professionals whose aim is to promote creativity in English language teaching and learning.
2015
1 AFMLTA Joseph Lo Bianco
2 LATEUM Ekaterina Mikhailovskaya
3 STIL Hafdis Ingvarsdóttir
4 SUKOL Annukka Kosonen
2014
1 IDV InDaF – Indo-German Teachers Association
2 APLV Christian Puren
3 BETA Sylvia Velikova
4 EVOL Ene Peterson
5 SUKOL Kirsti Santaholma
2013
1 LALT Elena Berdnikova
2 STIL Audur Torfadóttir
3 SUKOL Anna-Kaisa Mustaparta
2011
1 ANILS Gianfranco Porcelli
2 SUKOL Tiina Primietta
2010
1 SUKOL Sinikka Marila
2 VLLT Christien van Gool
2009
1 LALT Valija Vahere
2 SUKOL Anu Parikka
2008
1 LATEUM Natalia Gvishiani
2 SUKOL Marja Martikainen
3 NZALT Gail Spence
2007
1 LALT Olga Ozolina
2 HALT György Szépe
3 SUKOL Kyllikki Vilkuna
2006
1 LMS (Norway) Rita Gjørven
2 VLLT Alex Riemersma
3 LALT Diana Rumpite
4 AFMLTA Angela Scarino
5 SUKOL Leena Vaurio
2005
1 LATEUM Olga Alexandrova
2 AFMLTA Marjory Ellsmore
3 NZALT Mairi Ferguson
4 SUKOL Raili Hilden
5 LALT Anita Vanaga
2004
1 SUKOL Anja-Liisa Alanko
2 AFMLTA Marg Gearon
3 NZALT Mary Gray
4 RALMLT Irina Khaleeva
5 MAPRYAL Vitaly Kostomarov
6 LALT Laimdota Trinkuna
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