Call for Proposals

TYCA-NE Bethesda 2023

October 12-14, 2023
Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Maryland


Proposal Deadline: May 15, 2023

Conference Theme:

Shapeshifting: Challenges, Changes, and New Beginnings  

Featuring Keynote Speaker: Anika T. Prather

Anika T. Prather is the Director of High-Quality Curriculum and Instruction at the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins University, and has served in public and private schools for over 20 years. She is the founder of  The Living Water School, a unique Christian school for independent learners, based on the educational philosophies of Classical Education and the Sudbury Model.  She has published two books on her journey to bringing classical education to the Black community: Living in the Constellation of the Canon (self-published) and The Black Intellectual Tradition (co-authored with Dr. Angel Parham with Classical Academic Press).  Dr. Prather earned her B.A. from Howard University in elementary education, and graduate degrees in education from New York University and Howard University.  She has a Masters in liberal arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis) and a Ph.D. in English, Theatre, and Literacy Education from the University of Maryland (College Park).  

Saturday Morning Breakfast panel: Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop.

Free Minds is a Washington D.C. non-profit organization that uses the transformative tools of books, writing, and peacebuilding to create a community of support, assisting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youths and adults to achieve their education, career, and life goals, write new chapters in their lives, and become powerful voices for  For more information, see: www.freemindsbookclub.org

The TYCA-NE Regional Conference in 2023 will focus on the innovations and transformations we have made in the classroom and beyond as we head towards the future.

Proposals may consider, but are not limited to:

Topics the conference might explore include:

  • What innovative teaching practices are we using to help students move forward?

  • How will emerging artificial intelligence apps influence our teaching strategies?

  • How are faculty collaborating to grow and adapt in response to our changing world?

  • How can we address diversity, equity, and inclusion gaps in our college communities and in our students’ writing?

  • How can we apply principles of trauma-informed pedagogy?

  • What is the future of developmental education at two-year colleges?

  • How are faculty and colleges maintaining higher education standards as a result of cutbacks, reorganizations, and consolidation?

Presentations can also connect to ongoing themes of the Two-Year College English Association including:

  • first-year writing: learner support/accessibility, literature, and developmental education 

  • writing centers, creative writing, college reading, student advising, business & technical writing, online teaching, role of contingent faculty, program administration, remote learning, professional development, community engagement, teaching non-native speakers, teacher-scholar activism, and teacher training.


We are especially interested in proposals which:

  • Are interactive and actively engage audience members

  • Provide strategies and/or tools that can be immediately employed in the classroom

Guidelines for Proposals:

Proposals will be accepted through an online form accessible at the TYCA-NE website (link located at the end of this proposal). 

We invite proposals for either:

20-Minute Individual Presentations (+ 5-minute Q&A)

A short presentation from one or two presenters. Individual presentations will be combined with two other presentations that focus on similar topics and/or areas of English studies. Please provide:

● A 100-150 word proposal
● A brief abstract (50-word maximum) for the conference program


50-Minute Panel Presentations (+ 10-minute Q&A)

A full session on a focused topic organized entirely by the authors of the proposal. Panel discussions should have at least three speakers who collaborate with each other to organize a cohesive session. Presenters may determine the format and delivery methods for the session based on the focus, purpose, and goals of the presentation. Please provide:

● A 150-200 word proposal
● A brief abstract (50-word maximum) for the conference program
● Names and information for all presenters


All proposals should:

  • Summarize the content of the individual presentation or panel

  • Identify the target audience.

  • Indicate relevance to the conference either through connection to the year’s theme or to the mission of TYCA

Ready to submit your paper or proposal?

Proposals must be submitted via the following link: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/emf/TYCANE/tycane2023proposals

Questions 

Please contact Matthew Eberhart (maeberha@hacc.edu) or Elizabeth Keefe (ekeefe@gwcc.commnet.edu).