Victoria Wilson
PhD, Lecturer (Pathways), University of Southern Queensland
Victoria (Tori) Wilson holds a PhD in trauma-informed English language teaching to adult speakers of other languages, an MA in Applied Linguistics, and a CELTA. She taught English as a Foreign Language in Japan for 7 years before returning to Australia. From 2014 to 2024 she taught English to former refugees, international students and immigrants at University of Southern Queensland, where she is now a Pathways Lecturer. Tori presents and publishes on trauma-informed English language teaching, as well as related areas of refugees in higher education, student mental health, and inclusive adult education. You can learn more about her research at traumainformedTESOL.com.
Humanising the Future: English Language Teaching in a Tech-Driven World
Technology is rapidly changing the way we communicate, and how we teach and learn. Some may question how long language learning will even be required, as artificial intelligence takes over the landscape. In the shorter term, many institutions are prioritising massive, online courses where students essentially ‘self-teach’. We as teachers are also being required to master new and ever-changing technologies to enhance our teaching, materials, and courses. These developments, while helpful, liberating, and equalising in some ways, can also be dehumanising, exhausting, and anxiety-provoking for teachers and learners alike. However, as the world grows more tech-dependent, learners still crave and highly value the human touch that only human teachers can bring. In this keynote address, Dr Victoria Wilson explains how and why humanising second language teaching – including trauma-informed teaching – is more relevant and needed than ever.