About National Association of Teachers and Researchers in English as a Second Language
The emergence and dominance of English as the international language of scientific communication this has given rise to the attention paid to the teaching of English (ESP/EAP) to suit different needs and subject areas in order to facilitate communication and the sharing of information among discourse communities. In response to this move, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Overseas Development Agency through the British Council put in place the COMSKIPTECH Project (Communication Skills Project for Universities of Technology and Agriculture). Under this project, teachers of Use of English in Nigerian universities were trained to meet this new trend in language teaching in order to address the language and communication problems of Nigerian students of science and technology. The project was aimed at improving the teaching of Communication Skills to Nigerian undergraduates through teacher training and development, and handling large classes in situations of teaching English in specialized situations was a major focus of emphasis. As a way of consolidating on the gains of the COMSKIPTECH project, the National Association of Teachers and Researchers in English as a Second Language (NATRESL) was formed by teachers in specialized universities in Nigeria.
NATRESL, acronym for National Association of Teachers and Researchers in English as a Second Language, is an association that provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, classroom and research experience for language teachers, and platform for networking and professional development for these teachers. The association is committed to improving English language learner outcomes by providing professional development through in-service training for teachers, creating platforms for teacher mentoring, and encouraging the use of learning technologies, and digital resources for teachers.
The dominance of English as the world’s leading medium of international professional communication impacts heavily on the teaching of English particularly in second language situations and in specific contexts like science, technology and agriculture. Swales, calls the linguistic hegemony of the English language, English Triumphalism, and her dominance and supremacy as tyrannosaurus rex. This therefore calls for a need for English experts to raise a crop of learners who will be enabled to communicate appropriately in global contexts using new technologies, and disseminate news about their research findings to their relevant audiences.
Our digital age is characterized by a shift from traditional industry to an economy based on information technology with English as the international language of interaction. Therefore, considering the vast benefits of digitalized learning: pedagogic richness, accessibility to knowledge, social interaction, learner control and choice, cost effectiveness, improved learning outcomes for students, reinforcement of student’s learning autonomy, reflective thinking and powers of research, the association aims at equipping learners with requisite twenty-first century skills that will facilitate communication and the sharing of research outcomes.
Specifically, the main aims of the Association include:
Encouraging teachers and researchers, publishers and writers to work together to develop teaching procedure, ideas and materials for the advancement of English Language Teaching
Conference Maiden Edition
The maiden edition of the Conference took place in FUTA in 2002, and the fourteenth annual Conference was held in the same institution in 2019. Some of the Universities that have hosted the conferences include: the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta; Federal University of Technology, Minna; University of Agriculture, Makurdi; Federal University of Technology, Owerri, among others.