Workshop Announcement

The 1^st Conference on Language Learning & Teaching:

An Interdisciplinary Approach (LLT-IA)

October 30-31, 2012 (Aban 9-10, 1391)

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

In-conference Workshops

The LLT-IA Conference 2012 Organizing Committee is pleased to announce in-conference workshops. Based on feedback from many of our colleagues and language teaching experts, we have identified a set of topics that will interest the conference participants, researchers, language instructors, and university students. LLT-IA conference participants will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of highly relevant teaching methods/techniques or test validation theory and practice under the tutelage of renowned scholars in the area. We hope that LLT-IA conference participants will take advantage of these workshops and the opportunities to engage in discussion with the instructors and colleagues. It is worth-mentioning that Valid Certificates will be issued to the workshop participants.

Workshop 1

Techniques for Classroom Observation and Giving Feedback

Instructor: Dr. Khalil Motallebzadeh

This workshop will introduce the participants to the valuable techniques for classroom observation and giving feedback in language classes. It suitably fits the needs of EFL teachers and teacher trainers. The main aim of the workshop is twofold: 1. Develop an understanding of the important role of observation as a tool for teachers/trainers to gather information for giving and receiving feedback 2. Develop self-awareness through reflection. It is worth mentioning that this workshop is one of a series of training workshops that Dr. Motallebzadeh usually offers in international conferences. The flow of workshop is based on feeding - leading and loop input techniques commonly employed in training workshops.

Note : If you find the workshop valuable and are interested to be one of the potential participants of the workshop, please complete the one copy of the participant's profile (Click here to download the Participant's Profile) and return to organizing committee of the conference via email (lltconference@yahoo.com) no later than 1 week prior to the workshop.

Deadline: At least 7 days before the workshop begins (October 30, 2012 – Aban 9, 1391).

Dr. Khalil Motallebzadeh is assistant professor at the Islamic Azad University (IAU) of Torbat-e-Heydarieh and Mashhad Branches, Iran. He is a widely published established researcher in language testing and e-learning. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) in 2007-2008. He is also an accredited teacher trainer of the British Council since 2008 and is currently the Iran representative of Asia TEFL.

Click here to view Dr. Khalil Motallebzadeh's Curriculum Vitae

Workshop 2

Rasch Models, Latent Trait Theory and Validation: Theory and Practice

Instructor: Dr. Purya Baghaei

Latent variable models are the most popular measurement models used in psychological and educational testing. These models which include an array of statistical techniques such as confirmatory factor analysis, Item Response theory, structural equation modeling, latent class analysis, relate a set of indicators or observed variables to a number of latent traits or constructs. These models have certain assumptions which must hold. If the data fit the models, i.e., the assumptions hold then the test measures the hypothesized latent traits.

The purpose of the present workshop is twofold: 1) to introduce the general logic of latent trait models and the essential role they play in validation studies, and 2) to introduce one of these models, namely, the Rasch model and its properties and assumptions.

This introductory workshop intends to introduce the dichotomous Rasch model. Rasch measurement is becoming very popular in educational and psychological measurement, health sciences and marketing. Participants will gain hands-on experience using WINSTEPS, leading Rasch software. Ministep, the student version of WINSTEPS, will be used for analysis. It can be downloaded from www.winsteps.com for free.

Some knowledge of Classical Test Theory including item discrimination, item facility and reliability analysis is required.

Datasets will be provided for practice.

Participants will get handouts which contain step by step instructions for running WINSTEPS and interpreting the outputs.

In this workshop the following theoretical aspects of the Rasch model will be discussed:

1. Advantages of Rasch model as a measurement framework over Classical Test Theory

2. Rasch model properties: separation, interval scaling and measurement unit

At the end of this workshop participants should be able to:

1. Enter data into WINSTEPS/Ministep and prepare control files for analysis

2. Estimate item and person measures with their standard errors

3. Assess fit of the data to the Rasch model

4. Check the assumptions of unidimensionality and local item independence

5. Interpret item-person maps (Wright map) and Item Characteristics Curves (ICC)

6. Perform Differential Item Functioning (DIF)

Who should participate?

Researchers who are involved in the measurement of mental, educational and psychological constructs. This includes educationalists, psychologists, sociologists and researchers in the fields of marketing and rehabilitation.

Dr. Purya Baghaee is assistant professor in the English Department of Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Iran. His major research interests are the application of Rasch models in language test development and validation. He was a former data analyst and validation officer at Sprachtestcentrum (Language Testing Centre) at Klagenfurt University, Austria.

Workshop Registration Fee: The registration fee for participating in each of these two workshops is 700/000 Rials and should be paid into Account Number 425044834 (Reza Pishghadam), Tejarat Bank (Code 4250) at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Please send the scanned bank slip to lltconference@yahoo.com and submit the original receipt on your arrival at the conference site. You need to specify the name of the workshop(s) that you wish to attend.

Click here to see the workshop schedule