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Title: What is Task-based Learning and Teaching? by Julie Sykes, CASLS Director
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Task-based learning and teaching (TBLT) is an approach to language learning with origins in communicative language teaching. TBLT is centered on functional language use in which real-world tasks are a central component of classroom activity, as well as a critical driving force in curriculum development, and assessment (Van den Branden, Bygate, & Norris, 2009). The approaches to TBLT are varied, however a number of commonalities can be drawn to inform classroom practice.
- Meaning is at the core of all curricular activities. While the amount of emphasis on form(s) may vary, ultimately, in TBLT the primary focus remains on meaning rather than form. The objective of the activity moves beyond the use of a target set of forms or form.
- Tasks reflect language use in the real world and are similar to what people do with language outside of the classroom. That is, instead of prescribed outcomes of an activity, learners are given a goal and, in most cases, presented with scaffolded subtasks to build necessary skills to complete the task. For example, a task might entail buying groceries at a store or market for the best price possible.
- A learner-centered approach to tasks can add authenticity to the experience. For example, learners might be given a task to go to a bank and get cash. Instead of specifying this should be done in one way (e.g., cashing travelers checks), the instructor can facilitate a variety of choices so that the learners can select what is relevant to their own situation (e.g., an ATM withdraw or cashing a check).
- Learners have a reason to communicate that moves beyond practice of a target structure of set of vocabulary. For example, they might need missing information, need to negotiate a transaction of some kind, or express unknown information.
- Assessment includes the process of task completion as well as the product of the task itself. Success is determined by learners' ability to meet the target goal of the task and the subtasks leading up to its completion. Reflection and formative assessment drive learners' classroom experience.
Reference
Van den Branden, K., Bygate, M., and Norris, J. (2009). Task-based language teaching: a reader. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Source: CASLS
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Title: Book: The Multilingual Mind
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The Multilingual Mind: A Modular Processing Perspective
By Michael Sharwood Smith and John Truscott
Published by Cambridge University Press
Language lies at the heart of the way we think, communicate and view the world. Most people on this planet are in some sense multilingual. The Multilingual Mind explores, within a processing perspective, how languages share space and interact in our minds. The mental architecture proposed in this volume permits research across many domains in cognitive science to be integrated and explored within one explanatory framework, recasting compatible insights and findings in terms of a common set of terms and concepts. The MOGUL framework has already proven effective for shedding light on the relationship between processing and learning, metalinguistic knowledge, consciousness, optionality, crosslinguistic influence, the initial state, 'UG access', ultimate attainment, input enhancement, and even language instruction. This groundbreaking work will be essential reading for linguists working in language acquisition, multilingualism, language processing and for those working in related areas of psychology, neurology and cognitive science.
Visit the publisher’s website at http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/languages-linguistics/psycholinguistics-and-neurolinguistics/multilingual-mind-modular-processing-perspective?format=HB
Source: Cambridge University Press
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Title: Book: Introducing Second Language Acquisition: Perspectives and Practices
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From http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470658045.html
Introducing Second Language Acquisition: Perspectives and Practices
By Kirsten M. Hummel
Published by Wiley
Introducing Second Language Acquisition: Perspectives and Practices represents a clear and concise introduction to the main concepts, issues, and debates in second language acquisition studies aimed specifically at undergraduates encountering the topic for the first time.
Follows six fictitious language learners throughout the text whose stories serve to introduce various concepts and issues
Contains specific chapters on first language acquisition and bilingualism, as well as explicit references to the most recent and important research
Covers key topics including acquisition contexts, theoretical perspectives, language teaching methods, second language development, and individual differences (such as age, aptitude, and motivation)
Grabs student attention with lighthearted cartoons that illustrate and reinforce key ideas
Features a full range of pedagogical tools to aid student learning, including “language learning in practice” textboxes; bolded new terms defined in the margins; an end-of-book glossary; self-assessment and classroom discussion questions; exercise and project ideas; and further online viewing sections
Visit the publisher’s website at http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470658045.html
Source: Wiley
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Title: Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
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The 2014 Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages will take place March 20-22 in St. Louis, Missouri. This annual conference includes approximately 200 workshops and sessions presented by world language teachers at all levels of instruction.
The Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages serves the seventeen states of: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Register for this year’s conference at http://www.csctfl.org/conferences/2014conference.html , or register on-site at the conference.
It is also already time to submit a proposal for the 2015 conference, which will be held March 12-14, 2015, at the Downtown Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can submit a proposal here: http://www.web-reg.com/csc-prop
Proposals for the 2015 conference are due by April 15.
Source: CSCTFL
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Title: Call for IALLT Webinar Proposals
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From the LLTI listserv:
The IALLT webinar team invites you to submit a proposal for an IALLT webinar. Webinars are typically offered once a month to IALLT members. Webinars generally last an hour, with a presentation or panel discussion taking 30-45 minutes of that time and 15 minutes or so for questions. Topics of interest to the IALLT membership include program assessment, technology tools for language teaching, learning, and testing, portfolios and e-portfolios for language learning, and language center management. This is not an exhaustive list and you are welcome to submit a proposal on a different topic as well. Presenters do not need to be current IALLT members, although it is recommended that they are.
Please submit proposal ideas to webinar@iallt.org.
Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you!
The IALLT webinar team
Evan Rubin
Trevor Shanklin
Lisa Podbilski
#10175 Call for IALLT Webinar Proposals. LLTI listserv (LLTI@LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU, 26 Feb 2014).
Source: LLTI
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Title: Call for Papers: Second Language Research Forum
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From http://linguistlist.org/issues/25/25-900.html
The 33rd annual Second Language Research Forum (SLRF 2014) will be held at the University of South Carolina, October 23-25, 2014.
The organizers invite proposals for papers, posters and thematic colloquia (consisting of 3-4 papers each) for the conference. They are soliciting proposals from various disciplines, including not only those that have traditionally been associated with SLA research, but also from approaches that are new to SLA research or that have been underrepresented at previous SLA conferences. To represent the conference theme, 'Theory Meets Practice,' they are especially interested in proposals which bridge the gap between theoretical approaches to SLA and the praxis of second language teaching.
Paper & Poster: Abstract Submission Deadline: Sunday, May 4, 2014
Colloquia: Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday, April 4, 2014
View the full call for papers at http://linguistlist.org/issues/25/25-900.html
Source: LINGUIST List
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Title: Vermont Foreign Language Association Spring Convention
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From http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a88ba3c75fa2c9d2bb335c20f&id=bf824cb2d2&e=27909d11df
VFLA Spring Convention
Nourish the Brain!
Friday, March 21, 2014
8:00 am to 3:30 pm
St. Michael’s College, Colchester, VT
VFLA is honored to welcome G. Christian Jernstedt, neuroscientist from Dartmouth College, for a fascinating full-day program around the latest brain research and language learning. New understandings of the brain provide fresh insights into the process of who we are and how we learn. We will examine this exciting research on increasing the ability to learn and remember, and discover how this research influences our instructional practices in the language classroom.
*You must be a member of VFLA in order to attend the convention.
For full details and to register go to http://vfla.org/announcements.html
Source: VFLA
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Title: Middlebury College Summer Institute for Teachers of Russian
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From the SEELANGS listserv:
We are pleased to invite you to apply to the 2014 STARTALK Summer Institute for Teachers of Russian at Middlebury College’s Katheryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian in July 2014. Funded by STARTALK, a component program of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), the program is designed for current and future teachers of Russian at the high school and university level who are looking to develop and expand their teaching strategies and understanding of second language acquisition.
Program dates are July 21st to August 5th, 2014. The application is due no later than 5:00 pm on May 1st, 2014.
Participants will spend 16 days in Middlebury’s immersion program taking part in seminars and hands-on workshops, observing intensive language classes at various levels, visiting with guest speakers and developing a teaching portfolio with peer-reviewed teaching materials, classroom activities and effective assessment practices. In addition, participants will be part of the Russian School intensive language program, which requires that only the target language be spoken, and will have the opportunity to formally and informally meet with Russian School instructors and students of all levels.
By the end of the program, participants will have learned and practiced second language acquisition theory, approaches to teaching Russian in a specifically communicative, learner-focused way and, material design, lesson planning, and testing strategies.
Tuition, lodging expenses, textbooks, and classroom materials will be paid by grant funding, and each participant will receive a travel reimbursement for up to $250. Participants will receive one unit of graduate credit.
To apply, please complete our application at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19wNlRHR2-m8JdhEkfF5EBwWPfH3d8EOitLvJiVZe_zo/viewform
After you have filled out the application, please email to a current CV to Program Director Evgeny Dengub at edengub@middlebury.edu with the subject line "STARTALK 2014 Application CV". The application deadline is 5:00pm on May 1st 2014. Graduate students and secondary school teachers are especially encouraged to apply.
For more information please visit our website at http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/russian/startalkrussian or contact Program Director Evgeny Dengub at edengub@middlebury.edu.
McCauley, N. [SEELANGS] Middlebury College Summer Institute for Teachers of Russian. SEELANGS listserv (SEELANGS@LISTSERV.UA.EDU, 26 Feb 2014).
Source: SEELANGS
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Title: Summer Webinar Series on Digital Badges
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This summer, COERLL will build on the popularity and success of last summer's webinars by hosting another special three-part webinar series on Digital Badges. The new series will provide participants with a solid understanding of how digital badges work and explore the progress of digital badging initiatives in educational settings throughout the country. Participants will be introduced to new tools and platforms designed for educators to create and issue badges and learn how to develop and implement robust badge systems for their classrooms or professional development plans.
Part 1 - June 11th
Introduction to Digital Badges
Part 2 - June 18th
How to Create and Issue Digital Badges
Part 3 - June 25th
Designing Digital Badge Systems for the Language Learning Classroom
Badge resources
COERLL has received a wave of inquiries from educators about where they can find more information about badges. To that end, they have put together a special website: http://openbadges.coerll.utexas.edu.
Visitors can find out how to earn and create badges and also where to turn for research about the initiative.
More digital badge resources, including workshops and MOOCs:
Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER) 2014 Summer Professional Development Workshops Badges and Language e-portfolios: http://calper.la.psu.edu/profdev.php?page=workshops
OpenBadges on CourseSites
A MOOC offering on the basics of digital badges put together by Blackboard, Mozilla, Sage Road Solutions, and WCET
https://badges.coursesites.com/
#openbadgesMOOC - Session 1: Openness
#openbadgesMOOC - Session 2: Badge Fundamentals
Mozilla Open Badges Community
http://community.openbadges.org/
The Open Badges Google Group
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/openbadges
Stay tuned for more information on the COERLL website: http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/event/june-webinar-series-introduction-digital-badges
Source: COERLL
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Title: Summer Study Abroad in Laos
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From http://www.laostudies.org/sail
The Center for Lao Studies (CLS), dedicated to promoting and advancing the field of Lao Studies, is sponsoring its annual Summer Study Abroad in Laos program (SAIL) in the summer of 2014. During the five-week program, students will partake in language and cultural lessons at the Lao-American College (LAC) in Vientiane, the first private college and the only school founded by an American citizen in the Lao PDR. Students will also have the opportunity to study Lao history and culture, augment their academics with cultural trips throughout the area, and experience volunteering with a variety of organizations.
Program Dates: June 27 - July 31, 2014
For full details go to http://www.laostudies.org/sail
Source: Center for Lao Studies
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