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Content Type: 1
Title: Position: Director, Center for World Languages and Cultures, University of Denver
Body:
Job Description
The Center for World Languages and Cultures (CWLC) is both a set of programs centered on language that complements current offerings at the University of Denver (DU) and a physical space that provides language learning and teaching resources. These programs are coordinated by the Director, who is advised by a steering committee of faculty members involved in language instruction and learning at the University of Denver.
The Director will be hired as a staff member in the Office of Internationalization, CWLC department, and will report to the Associate Provost for Internationalization. This position will be responsible for overseeing all CWLC operations. The Director plays a key role in building bridges across disciplines to promote study of the worlds languages and cultures. S/he works closely with the Department of Languages and Literatures, the Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, the Daniels School of Business, the Colorado Womens College, the Office of Teaching and Learning, the English Language Center, and several other offices and departments across campus.
Required Skills, Education, and Qualifications:
- Masters in Applied Linguistics/Second Language Acquisition or Masters in related field with experience commensurate with job duties, or experience running language acquisition programs at a university level.
- Pertinent experience in a language program, center, or institute, including budget oversight.
- Knowledge of instructional technology
- Evidence of excellent teaching
Source: University of Denver
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Content Type: 4
Title: Assessing Comprehension of Metapragmatic Ability
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By Patricia Roldán Marcos, University of Oregon graduate student in the LTS program.
This pedagogical sequence is designed for ESL learners and it can be easily adapted for different proficiency levels. It is aimed at providing tools and ideas to measure metapragmatic ability, i.e. students' analysis of the pragmatics of the L2. Although this pragmatic aspect cannot be separated from the linguistic or the cultural dimensions, the focus here is on developing students' analytic ability, which in turn will allow them to become independent learners by applying these skills to any naturally occurring L2 situation.
One of the benefits of ESL settings is that the target language is readily available outside of the classroom, so teachers can use this to their advantage by encouraging learners to become researchers (Tanaka, 1997). This approach facilitates effective assessment, as it entails the use of real data collected by students in a natural context, minimizing the potential issues that could arise from solely relying on intuition. On the other hand, the analysis of the samples can be carried out in a written online journal* and later discussed in class. The teacher could evaluate students' reflection using a rubric, and peer assessment could also be integrated in the oral discussions.
This could be part of a long-term project where groups of students are assigned different speech acts or functions to explore, e.g. requests, invitations, apologies, etc. Here is a general procedure that can be adapted to suit students' preferences or topics that the teacher may have to cover depending on the level.
Procedure:
- Establish a clear time frame for the activity, whether it's a week or a term long project, and when the research, the journal writing and the discussions will happen.
- Select the function(s) or speech act(s) to be analyzed or let students choose.
- Provide a handout with the information students will need to record while carrying out their research, i.e. contextual factors like age, gender, social status, role, power distance, etc.
- Provide models of sample language and sequences students may encounter during their research so they know what to expect, and practice using the handout in class. You can find authentic examples online or you could conduct your own research beforehand.
- Give clear instructions about the way students should report their observations in the online journal and what to include: cultural norms that seem to exist in the community, what they saw/heard, the linguistic elements, the sequencing, why they think people say or do things that way, etc. This is where the learners show and develop their analytical skills.
- Provide ongoing feedback as necessary, and incorporate discussions in class that will allow peers to assess their classmates. Use an evaluation form to assess each of the components students were asked to report on in their journals: observation, understanding of cultural norms in the target language, understanding of the language, and analysis of cultural reasoning behind L2 culture norms (Ishihara & Cohen, 2010).
References:
Ishihara, N., & Cohen, A. D. (2010). Teaching and learning pragmatics: Where language and culture meet. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Tanaka, K. (1997). Developing pragmatic competence: A learners-as-researchers approach. TESOL Journal, 6(3), 14-18.
* A possible online tool for journal writing is Penzu.
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
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Content Type: 4
Title: Grammar Patterns in English and Spanish
Body:
By Mary Hudgens Henderson, University of New Mexico
Lesson adapted from Language Variation and Style-Shifting for Fifth Graders curriculum
Target Audience
This lesson was originally written for Spanish-English bilingual 5th graders in the US, although it can be adapted for other levels of students (and other languages). If necessary, review parts of speech with students (verbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, adverbs).
Rationale
In this lesson, students compare and contrast grammatical patterns in their two languages to increase metalinguistic awareness. This makes explicit what students may have only known implicitly before: the two languages each achieve the same communicative goal. Students recognize that the two languages have similarities and differences in the grammar, and one grammar pattern is not inherently superior to the other.
Objective
Students will compare and contrast grammatical patterns in English and Spanish to increase metalinguistic awareness.
Download the lesson with the full procedure, reference to Common Core standards for English language arts, and supporting information here.
The language patterns worksheet is available here.
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
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Content Type: 2
Title: COFLT Announces Newly Elected Board Members
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The results of the May COFLT elections are in! Join COFLT in welcoming the following members to the COFLT Board effective November 1st:
- Treasurer: Sandra Garcia (Pacific University; Japanese & Spanish)
- K-8 Representative: Tina Hargaden (Gordon Russell Middle School; French & Spanish)
- 9-12 Representative: Scott Goodman (Valley Catholic High School; Spanish)
- Post-Secondary Representative: Michael Robert Woods (Willamette University; Spanish)
These new board members will join these current COFLT Board members:
- President: Erica Andree (Pacific University; German)
- Vice-President: Natalie Stamper (Lewis & Clark College; French)
- Past-President: Yuliana Rodarte (Westview High School; Spanish)
- Secretary: Laura Mulas (Lewis & Clark College; Spanish)
- Webmaster: Ben Finch (West Salem High School; Spanish)
- 9-12 Representative: Marj Hogan (Union High School; Spanish)
- 9-12 Representative: Molly MacGregor (Evergreen High School; German)
- 9-12 Representative: Ben Wolcott (North Salem High School; French)
- Post-Secondary Representative: Marie-Eve Thifault (Lewis & Clark College; French)
Interested in become a COFLT board member? Please visit: http://cofltoregon.org
Source: COFLT
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Content Type: 4
Title: Using a Game to Facilitate Complexity in Pragmatic Interactions
Body:
By Ben Pearson, University of Oregon graduate student in the LTS program.
Objectives:
- Students will be able to observe and interpret the mannerisms and strategies that a group of English speakers use as they play the hidden-roles game Are you the Traitor?
- Students will be able to understand more complex pragmatic interactions, like bluffing and negotiation tactics, that are involved in discourse.
- Students will be able to use strategic language, such as bluffing and negotiation, while playing Are you the Traitor?
Procedure:
Part 1 - Observation
- The teacher plays a video clip showing a demonstration of the party game Are you the Traitor? For this section, the teacher will not explain the rules of the game or how to win, but rather present the students with some discussion questions about how the players are behaving (See Materials below).
- The teacher goes over the questions with the class and then plays the video again, only this time telling the students to pay attention to the mannerisms and strategies that the players in the video are using. After watching the video, the teacher gives the students time to organize their thoughts, and then share their thoughts in pairs first, and finally share their thoughts with the whole class.
Part 2 - Analysis
- The teacher uses the points that the students brought up in the discussion to lead into a more controlled discussion about speech acts and pragmatic language use, specifically negotiation tactics and bluffing. By introducing this to the students, the teacher will facilitate their understanding of the more complex pragmatic interactions involved in discourse.
- After this, the teacher returns to Are you the Traitor? and elaborates more on the rules and objectives of the game, handing out the chart which shows which target person the player has to point at in order for their team to win (See Materials below).
- From there, the teacher asks the students to remember the players in the video clip and to determine what card they had based off of how they behaved and what kind of questions they were asking. The teacher could play the video clip again if the students need a reminder. Using the same ‘Think - Pair - Share’ exercise before, the teacher will challenge the students to explain why particular players behaved in a certain way.
Part 3 - Extension
- After making sure that the students understand the rules of the game and the complexity of the interactions, the teacher breaks the students up into equal groups and has them actually play Are you the Traitor? The teacher projects the general procedure of the game on a screen so that the students can play the game more smoothly. In each group, there should be a scorekeeper who keeps track of how many games each team wins. The students are allowed to keep their handouts in order to make sure they know who they need to point at in order to win. The teacher should also explicitly tell the students not to show their card to anyone; it could lose the game for them! As the games are going on, the teacher provides assistance or suggestions, if necessary.
- After the students have played a decent number of games, the teacher will bring the class back together and ask them how they liked the game, what happened in their groups, and what strategies they came up with. The teacher will bring the students back to the topic of speech acts and pragmatic language use by referring to some of the strategies that the students came up with in order to win the game for their team.
Materials:
Discussion Questions:
- What are the players trying to figure out from the other players?
- What sorts of body movements/behaviors do you notice the players doing?
- What sorts of questions are the players asking? Are the players telling the truth? How can you tell?
- How do you know the game is over?
Find the Rules and Guiding Chart here
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
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Content Type: 5
Title: The UO Chinese Flagship Program and CASLS at The Language Flagship Annual Meeting
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Julie Sykes (Co-Director, UO Chinese Flagship Program), Zhuo Jing-Schmidt (Co-Director, UO Chinese Flagship Program), and Li-Hsien Yang (Interim Coordinator, Chinese Flagship Program) from the University of Oregon attended The Language Flagship Annual Meeting, May 16-19, 2015, in Norman, Oklahoma.
Flagship Programs from all over the country gather annually to discuss best practices, receive annual updates on the program, and learn about new initiatives. Some highlights from this year include:
• The announcement of the Flagship Technology Innovation Center to be housed at the University of Hawaii. Congratulations to Dr. Julio Rodriguez and Dr. Madeline Spring who will lead the center!
• An update on the Flagship Proficiency Initiative currently underway around the country. Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Utah all discussed the results of proficiency testing at their institutions.
• K-16 collaborating partners presented on accomplishments and future directions. Dr. Sykes and Mr. Michael Bacon presented on current successes of Chinese Immersion Programs in Portland Public Schools and The Bridging Project, a future initiative targeting advanced learners a the secondary level.
• Networking and collaboration with colleagues from around the country!
Says Yang of the meeting, "I was really excited to attend this year's meeting. It was my first time to attend and a highlight from this year was meeting coordinators in the various Chinese Flagship Programs and building great connections. It was really nice to know what other institutions are doing."
For more about The Language Flagship Program see: http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/
Dr. Julie Sykes (Univ. of Oregon), Dr. Madeline Spring (Univ. of Hawaii), and Dr. Michael Nugent (DLENSO) present at the Flagship Technology Innovation panel.
Source: CASLS Spotlight
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Content Type: 3
Title: Digital Games and L2 Pragmatics: Leveraging Existing Resources
Body:
by Julie Sykes, CASLS Director
The past decade has witnessed profound interest in the ways in which practitioners and researchers alike have considered digital games in the foreign language classroom (Sykes and Reinhardt, 2012). With intentioned application to classroom teaching, the potential benefits of the use of digital games to facilitate second language (L2) pragmatic acquisition remain. One key, fairly untapped, resource is existing communities surrounding various types of commercial games (Thorne, Black, and Sykes, 2009).
Popular commercial games offer access to online communities of players around the world. As such, discourse patterns, interactional strategies, and cross-cultural communication are critical, core activities of participation in games communities and offer learners the opportunity to engage in a variety of digital contexts. Teachers can leverage this potential through the use of activities that: (1) introduce learners to various types of pragmatic behaviors through salient and targeted observation, (2) enable leaners to analyze these behaviors in existing communities, and, eventually, (3) gain the skills necessary to participate in multilingual communities. Reinhardt and Thorne (2008) propose the Bridging Model, an approach designed to increase literacy and participation in attendant discourse communities. Their model targets five core objectives, and, while not only applicable to games and L2 pragmatics, it is highly relevant.
Their “advanced language proficiency goals intend to:
1. improve understanding of both conventional and internet-mediated text genres, emphasizing the concept that specific linguistic choices are associated with desired social-communicative actions;
2. raise awareness of genre specificity (why certain text types work well for specific purposes) and context-appropriate language use;
3. build metalinguistic, metacommunicative, and analytic skills that enable lifelong learning in the support of participation in existing and future genres of plurilingual and transcultural language use;
4. bridge toward relevance to students’ communicative lives outside of the classroom; and
5. increase student agency in relation to the choice, content and stylistic specifics of the texts contributing to the language learning process.”
- from Thorne and Reinhardt (2008, p. 566)
To reach these goals, Thorne and Reinhardt (2008) propose three instructional steps. First, during the Observation and Collection stage learners collect and observe relevant information, as made salient by the instructor. This step is followed by Guided Exploration and Analysis, in which learners are supported in detailed analysis of the target pragmatic behaviors. Finally, at the Creation and Participation stage they are encouraged to engage with the community in some way and, ideally, participate. While certainly not the only approach, commercial games and their attendant discourse communities offer one resource to promote L2 pragmatic development. For further information, sample lesson plans, and game reviews, see Games2Teach, a resource designed to support language teachers in the implementation digital games in the language classroom.
References
Sykes, J. & Reinhardt, J. (2012). Language at Play: Digital Games in Second and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. Series on Theory And Practice In Second Language Classroom Instruction, J. Liskin-Gasparro & M. Lacorte, series eds. Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Thorne, S., Black, R., & Sykes, J. (2009). Second Language Use, Socialization, and Learning in Internet Interest Communities and Online Games. Modern Language Journal, 93, 802-821.
Thorne, S. L. & Reinhardt, J. (2008). “Bridging activities,” new media literacies and advanced foreign language proficiency. CALICO Journal, 25, 558–572.
Source: CASLS Topic of the Week
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Content Type: 1
Title: Book: Productive Foreign Language Skills for an Intercultural World
Body:
Productive Foreign Language Skills for an Intercultural World. A Guide (not only) for Teachers
Edited by Michal B. Paradowski
Published by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
The past two decades have created quantitatively higher and qualitatively different demands for foreign language skills. Learners’ needs, expectations and contexts of language use have undergone radical and far-reaching transformations. This collection of essays by experienced educators, teacher trainers and researchers from diverse linguistic, cultural and professional settings offers a fresh perspective on the aspects and ways of teaching skills which are crucial to contemporary language instruction, especially at the more advanced stages, but which have oftentimes been unjustly neglected in the classroom. The book discusses issues ranging from approaches to teaching, contexts of instruction, testing and assessment to curriculum development and technology in the classroom.
For more information on content and to order, go to http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=78594&concordeid=264879
Source: Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
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Content Type: 1
Title: Book: The Language of Service Encounters
Body:
The Language of Service Encounters: A Pragmatic-Discursive Approach
By J. César Félix-Brasdefer
Published by Cambridge University Press
Service encounters are ubiquitous in social interaction. We buy food and everyday items in supermarkets, convenience stores, or markets; we purchase merchandise in department stores; or we request information at a visitor information center. This book offers a comprehensive account of service encounters in commercial and non-commercial settings. Grounded in naturally occurring face-to-face interactions and drawing on a pragmatic-discursive approach, J. César Félix-Brasdefer sets out a framework for the analysis of transactional and relational talk in various contexts in the United States and Mexico. This book investigates cross-cultural and intra-lingual pragmatic variation during the negotiation of service. The author provides a broad review of research on service encounters to date, and analyzes characteristics of sales transactions, such as participants' roles, pragmatic and discourse functions of relational talk and address forms, the realization of politeness, and changes in alignment from transactional to relational talk.
• Examines face-to-face interactions in commercial and non-commercial service encounter settings, including the analysis of transactional and non-transactional talk
• Analyzes pragmatic and sociolinguistic variation, including linguistic, regional, intra-lingual, and gender variation
• Reviews and evaluates methods and techniques for the collection and analysis of corpus data in service encounters in naturalistic settings
To see the table of contents and order the book, go to http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/languages-linguistics/discourse-analysis/language-service-encounters-pragmatic-discursive-approach?format=HB
Source: Cambridge University Press
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Title: Book: The Educational Potential of Texts of Culture in Teaching English to Senior Secondary School Students
Body:
The Educational Potential of Texts of Culture in Teaching English to Senior Secondary School Students
By Olga Aleksandrowska
Published by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
This book addresses the issue of using texts of culture in the EFL classroom. It analyzes some of the common problems observed in the teaching of English to senior secondary schools students, particularly in the context of the school leaving examination. It offers a discussion of the role of English language education in the school curriculum and stresses the importance of using texts with cognitive appeal at lessons. It presents the impact of literature, films and songs on the student’s overall development and a set of criteria for text selection. It also investigates the English teacher’s role in exploiting the educational potential of culture texts and proposes a way of integrating them with a system of preparation for the school leaving examination in English.
For more information on content and to order, go to http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=75298&concordeid=264431
Source: Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
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