Dear Colleague

Congratulations! You have been enrolled on the BAAL-LKALE SIG jiscmail!  Thank you to Vivienne for setting this up.

We are using this message is to give you an update on the progress of the LKALE SIG 

As you know, there are 3 of us who are co-ordinating this SIG: Esther Daborn (Chair), Urszula Clark, (Secretary (and treasurer pro tem)), Vivienne Rogers (Webmaster). We will get going on the next tasks of preparation such as setting up a bank account, preparing a constitution and a website. Hopefully that can be done that by the start of the BAAL conference so that we can take 3rd Sept as our start up date for the SIG. 

As you will have seen from the programme on the conference website our inaugural colloquium on  'Issues of metalanguage' is given high vis! http://www.aston.ac.uk/lss/news/events/baal-annual-meeting/ Friday 4th at 9.00am
The focus is on key issues such as: 
*	In what ways can a broader view of language and communication in education be encouraged in ways that can stimulate learners and teachers?  
*	How can pupils and students be motivated to learn languages in the UK given that English is such a significant world language that some see little incentive to learn an L2 because they can find others who are able to communicate in English? 
*	What kind of pedagogical expertise is required to develop and support a more expansive and nuanced conception of language? 

We are very pleased to confirm that Urszula Clark, Li Wei, and Constant Leung have agreed to speak. 

As a SIG, we need to hold one meeting a year in between BAAL conferences and we hope that the theme of the 2016 event is to be determined after the BAAL conference.  Venues proposed are: 
*	Swansea 2016; 
*	Oxford 2017 and 
*	Aston 2018. 
March or April seem a good time to do this. A midday to midday format is preferred, for travel reasons. 

Obviously we are unable to have a SIG track at BAAL this year, but several of the LKALE 'proposers' are presenting in colloquia, paper sessions and posters (alphabetical by first name): Esther Daborn, Fiona English, James Essex, Oksana Afitska, Rob Sharples, Ron Carter, Sally Zacharias, and Simon Coffey.

At the conference we will have a business meeting to which you are all invited (time and venue tba on the BAAL-LKALE list next week)- and we hope to make a start on some of these issues then.

Finally, 
*	If you know anyone who might like to join this list, please send details to Vivienne and ask her to enrol that person. 
*	If you do not wish to be on this list, please ask Vivienne to remove your contact details.

All the best from Esther, Urszula and Vivienne

Dr Esther Daborn
University of Glasgow School of Education
St Andrews Building
11 Eldon Street
Glasgow G3 6NH 

The University of Glasgow, Charity Number SC004401

Please note I work part time, so there may be some delay in response to your message