From March 24 to 27, the TESOL International Convention & Expo concluded in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. As one of the largest and most comprehensive annual academic events in the global English language teaching community, this year’s convention drew thousands of English teachers, trainers, researchers, and representatives from educational institutions hailing from more than 100 countries worldwide.

As a bellwether for the English-language-teaching industry, the topics discussed at this conference not only reflect the current priorities in global English instruction but also point to key trends that are likely to shape classroom practice over the next one to two years. For foreign English teachers working in China and for education administrators, these discussions offer valuable insights and serve as a useful reference.

Below are three areas of focus that we have identified based on publicly available information from the conference and industry reports.

Trend 1—The Role of Artificial Intelligence in English Language Teaching: From “Replacement Anxiety” to “Application Exploration”

Compared with previous conferences, this year’s event has seen a clear shift in the discourse around artificial intelligence. Whereas in the past two years the industry was still debating whether AI would replace teachers, this year’s discussions in Salt Lake City have moved to a more practical level: how to effectively deploy AI tools in real-world teaching settings while preserving the irreplaceable contributions of educators—namely, empathy, formative feedback, cultural transmission, and emotional connection.

Several workshops and panel discussions at the conference focused on the specific applications of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and speech recognition technology in teaching. Participants explored questions including: How can AI support students in personalized writing practice? How can speech recognition technology be used to help students improve their pronunciation? And how can AI be employed to grade assignments without undermining students’ ability to learn independently?

A widely reiterated consensus is that technology will not replace teachers; however, teachers who fail to leverage technology may face challenges in teaching effectiveness and the learning experience. For foreign-language instructors teaching classes with students at varying language proficiency levels, the judicious use of AI tools can help alleviate some repetitive tasks, freeing up more time and energy for teacher–student interaction, personalized instruction, and cross-cultural communication—areas where AI remains difficult to substitute.

Trend 2—English as a Marker of Identity: From “Native-Speaker Standards” to “Global English”

One of the most academically influential keynote addresses at this conference was delivered by Nayr Ibrahim, Associate Professor of English Language Teaching at Nord University in Norway. With a multicultural background—Portuguese ancestry, a British educational upbringing, and research in Nordic language pedagogy—her cross-border personal experience has afforded her a unique perspective on the question of “Whose is English?”

Ibrahim’s central thesis in his speech struck a broad chord: English is no longer the exclusive domain of any single nation; rather, it is a language shared and co-shaped by billions of people around the globe. In the context of globalization, English speakers come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and the language itself continues to evolve through contact with other languages.

This perspective holds twofold practical significance for English language teaching professionals:

First, regarding the definition of “native-speaking foreign teachers” For a long time, the market for native English-speaking teachers has favored “British and American accents and Western culture,” with “native English speakers from the UK or the US” often treated as an absolute hiring requirement. However, Ibrahim’s research highlights that English teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds can, in fact, offer students a more authentic and varied linguistic perspective. In an era when English has become a global lingua franca, what students need is the ability to understand different varieties of English—such as Indian English, Nigerian English, and Filipino English—and the confidence to express themselves effectively within these multilingual contexts.

Secondly, regarding the positioning of instructional objectives. If English is no longer the national language of any particular country, then the goals of English language teaching should be adjusted accordingly—not to cultivate “quasi-native speakers” who merely imitate a specific accent, but to develop “global communicators” who can engage in effective cross-cultural communication in English. For foreign-language teachers, this means that the value of their instruction should no longer be measured solely by whether their accent is “native-like,” but rather by their ability to help students build genuine language-communication competence.

Trend 3—Teacher Professional Development—Job Burnout Becomes a Topic for Discussion

Enilda Romero-Hall of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville presented a study on the professional status of English teachers at the conference, highlighting a set of noteworthy findings: globally, the turnover rate among English teachers has been steadily increasing over the past three years, a trend that is particularly pronounced among foreign-language instructors working across borders.

Research and analysis indicate that the factors contributing to this phenomenon include physical and mental exhaustion from long working hours, sustained stress during the cross-cultural adaptation process, and a lack of clear career advancement pathways. These issues have often been marginalized in past industry discussions, but at this year’s conference they have been brought to the forefront and made a central focus of thematic sessions.

During the conference, several workshops focused on strategies for addressing teacher burnout, with proposed solutions including:

Establish a teacher collaboration community to provide a platform for peer support and the sharing of best practices.

Provide ongoing professional development support to help teachers maintain a sense of growth throughout their careers.

Enable teachers to genuinely participate in curriculum design, rather than merely serving as implementers of the instructional plan.

From the perspective of foreign-teacher management, these discussions offer a noteworthy lens: while compensation is undoubtedly important for retaining top talent, professional belonging, opportunities for career development, and workplace support are equally critical factors in ensuring workforce stability.

Several Implications for Domestic English Language Teaching Professionals

The thematic agenda of the TESOL Annual Conference often foreshadows the direction of global English language teaching over the next 12 to 24 months. For foreign teachers and education administrators working in China, the signals conveyed at this year’s conference can be examined from the following perspectives:

1. Where do technology and teaching intersect?
The widespread adoption of AI tools is no longer a question of “whether to use them,” but rather “how to use them.” Foreign-language teachers can leverage AI as a supportive tool, allowing them to devote more energy to classroom interaction, cultural guidance, and personalized feedback—areas that technology cannot yet fully replace.

2. Are the criteria for “good foreign teachers” changing?
English teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds bring with them a wealth of perspectives that, in themselves, constitute valuable teaching resources. In an era of increasingly frequent global exchange, students no longer need to merely imitate a single accent; rather, they require the ability to communicate fluently across a variety of linguistic and cultural contexts. This shift underscores that the role of foreign-language instructors is evolving—from mere “language deliverers” to “facilitators of cross-cultural communication.”

3. The importance of the career support system is increasingly evident.
Teacher burnout is a real and pervasive issue in the profession. For individual foreign teachers, proactively seeking peer support and engaging in ongoing professional development can help sustain their career well-being; for institutions that manage foreign teachers, fostering a supportive work environment and providing clear pathways for professional growth are essential prerequisites for enhancing teacher retention.

Written at the End

In the Salt Lake City Convention Center, thousands of English-language educators from more than 100 countries sat together, debating, sharing, questioning, and exploring. Though they spoke English with diverse accents, their focus was on a single question: how can we teach English more effectively?

Although the conference has now come to a close, the discussions it sparked will not end here. Over the coming months, the issues raised will gradually make their way into English-language classrooms around the world— including the classrooms of foreign teachers currently teaching in Chinese cities.

2026 has already begun. The focus of industry discussions is shifting. For every English-language educator, paying attention to these changes and understanding the underlying logic may be more important than rushing to find a “correct answer.”