Diversity and Learner Autonomy in Language Learning LTLT on April 28-30, 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Investment in foreign language learning has dramatically multiplied in the recent period of globalization. The workforce has been increasingly required to communicate effectively not only in English but also in at least one other language for successful business practice. Language learners in turn demand more specific training programs tailored particularly for their learning needs. This calls for the diversified training objectives, flexible delivery modes, and optimal teaching approaches from any language program portfolio. The learners learning English in order to quickly establish a one-time-only connection with their customers are likely to have different expectations regarding the teaching method and course organization than those studying English in the hope of enhancing their future career possibilities. Similarly, those taking an English course at a young age would demonstrate a different level of commitment and expect different classroom interaction styles than those participating in an English class in their adolescence. These variations of preference become compounded as learners of the same class may have different levels of learner autonomy, enabling them to control different aspects of their learning inconsistently in different social contexts. These diversifications are amplified by the affordable abundance of emerging technological tools and their impact on students' cognitive and behavioral learning processes. These complexities prompt language teacher practitioners, methodology lecturers, researchers, and other stakeholders to rethink and possibly reshape their teaching approaches in order to ensure more inclusive practices for learner autonomy development and learning achievement improvement.

Language Teaching and Learning Today (LTLT) is an international conference series, initiated by Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUTE). It is missioned for TESOL capacity building and community empowering by exploring crucial issues of language teaching and learning for the sustainable development of the community in the 21st century. LTLT 2023 is organized face-to-face onsite at the main campus of HCMUTE in Ho Chi Minh city. The keynote presentations are livestreamed on the conference website. No presentation or demonstration is delivered online. LTLT 2023 expects to bring together a large group of students, teachers, textbook designers, teaching methodologists, edtech providers, policy makers, experts, researchers, and stakeholders in the area of language education to address the challenges of learning diversification and learner autonomy in the current context.