Connections and disruptions
Unsettling L1 education: Intersections of place, identity and technology
The 14th ARLE conference, the first in the Southern Hemisphere, will combine with IFTE (the International Federation of the Teaching of English). The conference will be delivered in a hybrid mode, with the face-to-face components held the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, the University of Melbourne, Australia, from 18–22 June 2024. The first day is a PhD pre-conference, while the final day is primarily for schools and teachers.
Located in the heart of the city, on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong peoples, this conference will invite dialogue about the role and concepts of place (and displacement), literatures, storytelling, identity and agency in L1 research and practice. The globally used term ‘L1’ is inclusive of ‘English and the Language Arts’, more commonly used in IFTE countries.
This combined and hybrid international conference will bring together educators from around the world to share celebrations and challenges, connections, and disruptions, in a unique event. Conference Chair Professor Larissa McLean Davies, ARLE Chair Professor Nikolaj Elf and IFTE President Professor Andy Goodwyn look forward to welcoming all ARLE and IFTE members to Melbourne—physically and virtually—and delegates attending in person will be offered an exciting social and cultural programme to enjoy the city!
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Suzanne Choo
Suzanne Choo is Associate Professor in the English Language and Literature Academic Group at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research has been published in various peer-reviewed journals such as Harvard Educational Review, Reading Research Quarterly, Research in the Teaching of English, Critical Studies in Education, among others. Her book, "Reading the world, the globe, and the cosmos: Approaches to teaching literature for the twenty-first century", was awarded the Critics Choice Book Award by the American Educational Studies Association. She is interested in issues related to education for global and cosmopolitan citizenship particularly in relation to literature education. Her most recent book is "Teaching ethics through literature: The significance of Ethical Criticism in a global age". She has twice been awarded the Excellence in Teaching commendation award by her university.
Deb Myhill
Debra Myhill is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Exeter, UK, and throughout her career has researched the teaching of writing. In particular, her research has focused particularly on young people’s composing processes and their metacognitive awareness of them; the inter-relationship between metalinguistic understanding and writing; the talk-writing interface; and the teaching of writing. Underpinning this research is the principle that literacy, especially writing, is a pathway to empowerment. She is Past-President of the European Association for Research in Learning and Instruction; and President of the United Kingdom Literacy Association. She is the author/co-author of several books including: "Talking, Listening, Learning: Effective Talk in the Primary Classroom" (Open University Press); "Using Talk to Support Writing" (Sage); "The Handbook of Writing Development" (Sage); "Writing Voices: Creating Communities of Writers" (Routledge); and "Understanding Literacy and Disadvantage" (Sage).
Joe Lo Bianco
Joseph (Joe) Lo Bianco, AM, FAHA, is Emeritus Professor in language and literacy in the Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, where he held the position of Chair Professor of Language and Literacy Education between 2004 to his retirement in June 2020. He was elected President of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2012, the first educator to hold this position, and currently serves as AAH vice president and international officer. He is Deputy Director of University’s Initiative for Peacebuilding. Joe’s academic specialisation is language and literacy policy analysis, accompanied by extensive on-the-ground participation in real-world policy writing, advising governments on the education of Indigenous and migrant children, the language and literacy rights of oppressed minorities, bilingualism and social questions connected to citizenship and multilingualism in national development. He has also worked extensively on language teaching methods, Q methodology research, English as a Second Language and English as a Lingua Franca and related areas. Most of his policy advising work has taken place in conflict-afflicted multi-ethnic societies in Asia and, through this, he has developed methods and writings in peacebuilding and conflict mitigation in education. He has also researched and published on revival of Indigenous languages. For some years he has been chief editor of the Language Policy book series for Springer, commissioning, reviewing and publishing original research volumes on language problems all across the world. He has more than 150 publications on language, policy and planning, language education, literacy, culture and identity.
Key dates
- 30 April 2023
- 30 May 2023
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23:59 Melbourne (GMT+12)
First submission round deadline [notifications by 30 June]
- 15 September 2023
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23:59 Melbourne (GMT+12)
Second submission round deadline [notifications by 15 October]
- 01 December 2023
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23:59 Melbourne (GMT+12)
Third and final submission round deadline [notifications by 31 December]
Please note in order to submit a proposal, you will need to be an ARLE member - it is free to join
Connections and disruptions
Post-pandemic, and amidst the increasingly ubiquitous presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, the conference will draw attention to access, language, relationality, and technology in L1 Education globally. The Association for the Research on L1 education (ARLE) and the International Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE) bring different formative names to the conference; L1 is ‘First Language’ and English can be ‘English in Education’ or ‘English Language’. In the current moment, the boundaries, and futures of both ‘L1’ and ‘English’ are being explored and reimagined. As we challenge our semantic and research histories, we are united in our purpose to celebrate the value and significance of our field and its ongoing and emancipatory research purpose. In the following text, we use L1 for simplicity.
In preparing abstracts, participants are asked to consider the following questions:
- What new spaces and relations can be created when new languages, voices and technologies are incorporated into L1 education?
- How can moments of discomfort in L1 education be mobilised in generative ways to expand the identities of learners, teachers, teacher educators, and researchers?
- How might unsettling practices enable the transformation that is linked to sustainability, diversity, and equity as recurring and emerging themes in L1 research and education?
- How might educators and researchers challenge restrictive education practices, censorship, and policy initiatives to create inclusive and compassionate spaces?
- How can tools of critical theory and intersectionality be utilised in teacher education and K–12 teaching to help teachers and students create inclusive and compassionate spaces and dispositions?
- How can teacher educators and primary and secondary classroom teachers disrupt restrictive education policies and practices to include discussion of LGBTQIA+ topics, socioeconomic inequalities, religious persecution, and other topics that might feel “too political” in the current climate?
- How do we sustain the joy, passion and enthusiasm that are the characteristics of the subject, its teachers, and students?
The Connections and Disruptions Conference aspires to bring participants physically together. However, given the challenges we are all still facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and acknowledging sustainability issues concerning both climate and economy, the conference will run in a hybrid format so that participants who will not be able to travel to Melbourne can still attend virtually.
Register for the conference through the ARLE conference platform.
Registration fees
Early bird | Regular | |||
On-site participation | Online participation | On-site participation | Online participation | |
Academic/Delegate | EUR 420 | EUR 200 | EUR 520 | EUR 260 |
Student | EUR 260 | EUR 130 | EUR 320 | EUR 160 |
The conference fee includes the conference bag, the conference program and digital abstract book, coffees and lunches as well as welcome and farewell reception. The conference dinner party is optional and paid for separately, and can be selected when registering. The fee includes dinner and transportation.
Keynote access
For individuals who are unable to attend the entire conference, there is an option to register for online access to keynote addresses only. Fees for keynote access are:
- 1 keynote: EUR 40
- all keynotes: EUR 130
PhD Pre-Conference
PhD candidates are invited to participate in the ARLE PhD pre-conference, which is taking place on 21 June, 2024. When registering for the pre-conference, PhD candidates must also register for the conference as a student.
Cancellations
Cancellations before 1 May, 2024 will be entitled to a refund of 50% of the registration fee. No reimbursements can be offered after 1 May, 2024. You can inform the organisers by e-mailing to arle-ifte-2024@unimelb.edu.au, using the subject "Cancellation".
The conference is the beginning of your stay!
Melbourne is a diverse and exciting city. The local organising committee will be arranging a range of social events and activities, including a conference dinner and other cultural tours and site-seeing opportunities.
Discover places to explore, activities to do, and much more below.
In and around Melbourne
Places to visit
Visitors to campus can download a self-guided walking tour map which provides you with a plotted history of campus architecture and other landscape features. The tour takes about an hour to complete.
The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in the Melbourne CBD on the bank of the Yarra River. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest, largest, and most visited art museum. With a range of permanent and traveling exhibits, the NGV is a must-see for anybody visiting Melbourne.
Opened in 1846, The Royal Botanic Gardens displays roughly 8,500 different species of plant. Roughly 46 hectares in size, this expansive garden features sprawling lawns, lakes, and an array of native and flora. Bring a picnic lunch and soak up the scenery, take advantage of the BBQs provided or visit one of the gardens cafes.
Luna Park Melbourne is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria. It opened on 13 December 1912, with a formal opening a week later, and has been operating almost continuously ever since.
Visit the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere covering roughly seven hectares. Sample a wide variety of fresh, quality produce, food trucks, and stalls. Open at night on Wednesdays.
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image is Australia’s national museum of film, video games, digital culture, and art situated in the heart of Melbourne at Federation Square.
Sea Life Melbourne offers an interactive ocean adventure, showcasing aquatic life from the Southern Ocean and Arctic Seas. Broken up into 12 different zones with each reflecting a different theme this facility also showcases a variety of talks and presentations.
The Melbourne Zoo is Australia’s oldest zoo opening in 1862. It includes more than 320 species from Australia and around the world and offers a range of interactive experiences and shows for visitors to engage with animals.
Film & Theatre
The Astor Theatre is a single-screen movie theatre showing classic and modern films. Considerd one of Australia’s last remaining art deco theatres, the cinema is heritage listed.
The Melbourne Theatre Company is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia founded in 1953. Producing an annual mainstage season of 12 plays, this theatre features an impressive interior and a wide range of talented performances. Plays run by the Melbourne Theatre Company show in a variety of Theatres around Melbourne. Check locations when you book.
Cinema Nova is an arthouse movie theatre connected to a terrace cocktail bar and offering in-cinema dining. The cinema screens stage productions and offers a range of independent and foreign-language films.
Outside of Melbourne
Places to visit
The Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest regional art gallery in Australia. The collection is composed of over 11 200 works from the eighteenth century to the present day. Ballarat is 1.5 hours by train from Melbourne.
Healesville Sanctuary is a zoo specialising in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville, about 1 hour drive from Melbourne. Here you can experience an exclusive encounter with some of Australia's iconic fauna, including the platypus.
A three-hour drive from Melbourne, Wilsons Prom is the southernmost tip of mainland Australia. Here you can walk remote coastal trails, swim at pristine beaches dominated by granite tors, or camp in Australian bushland. You might also meet some of the local wombats, kangaroos and emus.
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 240-kilometre stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. The start of the Great Ocean Road is a 1.5 hour drive from Melbourne.
Phillip Island is 90 minutes from Melbourne and offers unique wildlife experiences including the penguin parade, beaches, attractions and eateries.
Located in Victoria's spa country about 1.5 hours from Melbourne, Dayelfsord and Hepburn Springs are known as havens of relaxation. In addition to bathing in mineral springs and receiving spa treatments, the area is known for high-quality produce, which you can enjoy at one of Daylesford's top restaurants.