Contents

From http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2016/11/five_steps_for_setting_language_learning_goals_by_proficiency_not_seat_time.html?r=828239475

Language programs in the 21st century must help students gain the language and literacy proficiency they will need to succeed in the real world. This means that relying only on traditional ways of measuring student progress (e.g., time spent in a class), without measuring what students can actually do in the language, is not enough. A critical component of all competency-based language programs in K-12 is to clearly articulate the knowledge and skills that students will acquire and demonstrate. This can be done by taking a backward design approach of using expected student learning outcomes to drive curriculum and instructional decisions. Shuhan Wang and Joy Kreeft Peyton, of Asia Society's Chinese Early Language and Immersion Network (CELIN), discuss strategies based on a recently published research brief, Mapping Chinese Language Learning Outcomes in Grades K-12.

Read the article at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2016/11/five_steps_for_setting_language_learning_goals_by_proficiency_not_seat_time.html?r=828239475

From http://www.middleweb.com/33368/working-to-build-a-multicultural-classroom/

Cheryl Mizerny writes, “While I don’t control the world, what I can do is control my little part of it – my classroom. Creating a multicultural classroom is no simple feat. It involves a lot of time, effort, and thought. With every fiber of my being, I believe it is worth it.” Read how she creates a multicultural classroom for her middle school student here: http://www.middleweb.com/33368/working-to-build-a-multicultural-classroom/

From http://carla.umn.edu/about/carlaupdate.html#resources

The Clearinghouse is an interactive collection of peer-reviewed Culture and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) materials curated by CARLA and the Consortium for Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum.

The CLAC Clearinghouse is currently seeking CLAC-oriented materials including syllabi, training materials for instructors, specific activities for students, descriptions of CLAC programs and implemented models. In addition, to encourage a living presence, the newly established Clearinghouse provides an online discussion forum.

Find additional information at: carla.umn.edu/CLAC/clearinghouse.html
Browse the current collection of materials at: clac.carla.umn.edu/resources

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, CASLS staff would like to express our extreme gratitude to everyone working diligently in the language education field. At CASLS we believe strongly in our core values, which are:
•    Everyone has the ability to learn a second language and should be provided with that opportunity.
•    Meaningful communication is the purpose of language learning.
•    Teachers and learners play a vital role in language learning.
Thank you to our InterCom readers who inspire us everyday to do the best work we can in order to support them in their profession.

“I'm most thankful for the chance to meet and work with so many great individuals from different parts of the world. Sharing my knowledge with others and having a good time while we learn is all I could ask for in a professional career, and I am so fortunate that I have that working at CASLS.” – Ben Pearson, Digital Technologies Associate

“I'm thankful for the diversity of people, language, and voices who each contribute to the vibrant, interwoven tapestry of our lives.” - Lara Higgins, Graphic Designer

“I’m grateful for an exciting, fulfilling, and challenging job. For the chance to work with colleagues who inspire me. And for new friends.” – Christopher Daradics, Language Technician

“I am grateful for a job I love and the opportunity to work with such amazing people, both at CASLS and in the larger, international, language learning community.” – Julie Sykes, Director

“I am thankful for the wonderful people that I get to work with at CASLS. Also for my children, farmers’ markets, my local newspaper, and DIY almond milk.” – Kim Larsen, Office Specialist 2

“I'm thankful for the support of my family and friends.  I'm thankful to work with such an awesome team of people at CASLS, who are all not just coworkers but also my friends.” – Carl Burnstein, Educational Software Developer

“I am grateful for family nearby, all happy and healthy, a job I love, and to be living in a beautiful part of the country.” – Linda Forrest, Research Director

“I'm grateful for humanity's diversity of thought and ways of living, and I'm especially grateful for the power of our many languages to give us the gift of understanding each other, all over the world and even across time.” – Lindsay Marean, InterCom Editor

“I am thankful for educators. Everyday, they roll up their sleeves and improve the lives of our students and the trajectory of our world.” – Stephanie Knight, Language Technology Specialist

“I am thankful for a healthy and loving family; working alongside colleagues who are intelligent and diligent; the beauty of Oregon's scenery; and a yoga practice that keeps me centered.” – Mandy Gettler, Associate Director

“I am thankful for the love and support of family and friends - and thankful that my work life is spent with a team of talented and committed people whom I consider to be friends.” – Linda Ellis, Business and Financial Development Coordinator

“I am thankful for working in a respectful working environment and with great people who love and care about each other. I am thankful for all the supports which are available for me when I need them.” – Li-Hsien Yang, East Asia Programs Director

“I am thankful for all educators working tirelessly-- and often without thanks-- to inspire and guide students of all ages to explore, think for themselves, and follow their passions.” – Renée Marshall, International Programs Specialist

Renée Marshall is the International Programs Specialist at CASLS. Special thanks to Yamada Center director Jeff Magoto, Self Study director Harinder Khalsa and Hindi/Urdu Self-Study tutor Kainat Shaikh.

This activity was inspired from a self-study, adult, 1-credit, 2-hour a week beginning course in Hindi/Urdu at the University of Oregon Yamada Language Center. Using the vocabulary learned throughout the quarter, students were to present to their classmates on a topic they found interesting. This activity specifies the assignment further into students must present on three or four interesting points they find in a Bollywood song of their choice. The example song is "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" from the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, with the focus on religious symbols and beliefs shown in the video. The example student PowerPoint is from a presentation by a novice-low student (read: there are errors and they do not use Hindi/Urdu script yet). In the 10-week beginning course, they learned how to introduce themselves, discuss their hobbies, count, talk about food and also briefly discussed and learned some limited vocabulary about a few important religions practiced in Pakistan and India.

Learning objectives: Students will be able to identify key aspects of a video that they find interesting or important using the vocabulary from class as well as from outside of class. Students will be able to present the key aspects they chose to their classmates in a way that they can understand.

Modes: Presentational Writing and Presentational Speaking

Materials needed: Video the teacher wishes to present, Rubric created by teacher and/or teacher and students, Possible list of songs in case some students need some ideas

Procedure:

1. Pick a Bollywood song that you enjoy and play it for the students. Play it first without subtitles and have students write down things they see that stand out.

2. In groups or pairs have students discuss what they think the video may be about. Did they pick out any words? How much did they understand? What did they see or what stood out? Then come together and share as a class. Maybe write some of the things they say on the board (especially if it’s something you plan to bring up later)

3. Watch the video again this time with subtitles. Ask students to see if this now changes their first impressions of the video. Discuss and share afterwards. (These conversations can be in L1 or L2 depending on the level)

4. Go through three to four points in the video that you want to point out to students, that you found stood out or have some special meaning. Perhaps it would be points of cultural reference that students may not understand without the background information. For example, in the song "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" from the movie Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, the main characters visit three different religious sites, a Hindu temple, a Catholic church, and a Muslim mosque. You could stop the video at each one and provide the vocabulary and background information for the different religious symbols and customs present in the video.

5. After presenting and discussing the points in your video, ask students what they would present on if they had to present this video. What would they focus on? If they were going to choose their own song, which song would they like to share with the class, and why?

6. Now tell students they will do just that-- they will pick a song in Hindu/Urdu that means something to them and present on about three or four points found in the song. They should use vocabulary learned in class and also found outside class. However, they must make sure that the presentation is understandable to their classmates -- if they are using new words they should plan to teach the class those words or use pictures to make sure their classmates understand. You can choose to grade this or not - it could just be a sharing activity in class that is not attached to a grade. Either way, you can either provide a rubric of expectations or as a class you can create one together. It can be as informal or formal as you wish to make it.

7. Once students have prepared their presentations, have them practice with a partner, either in class or you could have them post videos of themselves. If it’s in class, walk around and check students scripts and watch them, providing help/guidance if needed. If it’s videos, watch the videos and provide any help/guidance needed. 

8. Presentations! Alternatively to presenting in class, they could also create videos or voice-over powerpoints and you could play those in class. The idea is not just that they are presenting a song; they are teaching their fellow students about 3-4 points from the song that they wish to share, as well as some new vocabulary.

Notes (adaptations, etc.):

This activity is for the middle-to-end of a unit or course. Students should have been exposed to and been using key vocabulary that they may be using their presentations. This example is given in Hindi/Urdu using songs from Bollywood movies, but it can be adapted to any language. This activity can be used at all levels, beginning through advanced, depending on how rigorous you make the requirements of the presentation and how much language they use. If you have a large class, you may want to students to pair up or group up to present.

CASLS would like to welcome our newest student hires to the team.

Katherine Wylie was hired in Spring 2016 as a Writing Assistant for the Oregon InternationalInternship Program (OIIP).  Students from China and Taiwan participate in a 5-month internship in local elementary schools in Eugene and Springfield. They also enroll in a class at the UO where they explore intercultural communication, teaching pedagogy, advanced English pragmatics and U.S. culture. Each week students submit a journal entry on an assigned topic. Katherine reads and provides feedback on the students’ journal entries. She gives them each detailed feedback along with a graded rubric for them to review and internalize in order to help them improve their written English communication. Katherine is from Orange County, California and is a Summit scholarship recipient here at the University of Oregon (UO) where she studies Journalism with an emphasis in public relations. “I enjoy working at CASLS because I appreciate the unique opportunity to see real improvement in the writing conventions of each student I work with,” says Katherine on why she enjoys working for CASLS on OIIP. “It is extremely gratifying to be able to see, first-hand, the difference my help is making for these incredibly hard-working students.” After graduation she plans to seek employment as a copy editor.

Iryna Zagoruyko is a graduate employee (GE) at CASLS and a full-time LTS (Language Teaching Specialization) masters program student at the University of Oregon (UO). Iryna works on the Russian version of CASLS’ Bridging Project, a year-long hybrid course centered on exploring student identities. This project encourages students with high levels of proficiency, especially heritage students and those who graduate from immersion programs, to continue language study at the college level has become increasingly more challenging. “I really enjoy working on this project. I come from Ukraine, and have Russian and Ukrainian as my native language. I have been teaching Russian at the UO for two years. Among my students are heritage learners of Russian. My experience of a teacher working with those heritage learners really helps me with my work at CASLS,” says Iryna.  She continues, “CASLS is a great environment where people support and value each other. It's a big honor for me to work in such a highly-valued and highly-recognized National Foreign Language Resource Centers as CASLS. I truly believe that our work will improve teaching and learning of world languages. I want to say a special thanks to my mentor, Stephanie Knight [CASLS' Language Technology Specialist], who supports me greatly with my project.” Iryna plans to work in the language teaching field when she finishes her (third!) masters degree. She recently gave birth to her daughter, Ariella, who is now 1.5 months old.

Negina Pirzad has joined the CASLS team to work as a script writer for a project that helps refugees in Germany learn the German language. She completed a double Bachelor of Arts degree this June from UO in International Studies and Journalism with a minor in Arabic Studies. Throughout her time in college, Negina worked for various campus efforts including the Yamada Language Center for four years as a Language Lab Assistant, the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence as a Writing Tutor, and the Emerald newspaper as an Opinion Columnist. Negina looks forward to integrating her passion for writing, cultural awareness, linguistics and technology during her time with CASLS, and believes her ethnic Afghan background and knowledge of the Arabic language and the Muslim world in general will help her effectively contribute to the innovative project at hand. "I'm lucky to be working with such an admirable and knowledgeable group of people! I work closest with Kathrin Kaiser [CASLS' Instructional Designer] and she is so encouraging. I'm learning so much from her!"

Laura Sexton teaches Spanish and English at Gaston Early College High School in Dallas, NC and moderates for #LangChat, a weekly Twitter chat for language educators on Thursdays at 8pm and Saturdays at 10am. Read her latest blog posts at www.PBLintheTL.com.

Instant gratification matters to the adolescent brain, but gratification is more than candy or a cash prize. Sure, a sticker or a badge or a plastic trophy can make teenagers--or anyone--feel like their efforts have been noticed. But trinkets alone are not enough to keep anyone moving forward.

Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivate Us, cites mastery, autonomy, and purpose as the true motivators for those in the business world and beyond. I’ve seen evidence of their power in my own classes, especially in projects that scaffold student empowerment in language learning.This sort of scaffolding can shape your whole course or take the form of simple activities interspersed throughout to help students explore autonomy and their own ultimate purposes.

But what of the mastery? That’s where carefully structured tasks and input come in. Circled question and answer sessions with the whole class can be an effective way to provide vocabulary students need to communicate about their goals and progress. Following up with relevant texts rich with images, cognates, and other contextual clues also helps.

Self-improvement is one purpose that has proven motivating for my Spanish II students, especially when they were allowed to choose among three topics: exercise, time management, and money management.

In the Self-Improvement (or Mejor yo) unit, we started off with yes/no and either/or questions about what problems affected them most to decide where they wanted to focus. Students then formed groups according to their goals, and each maintained a weekly routine that involved

• Blogging daily about their progress toward their goal (even if only a simple sentence about what they didn’t do that day)
• Collecting resources like infographs and tutorial videos on a group Pinterest board then summarizing and reflecting on one resource a week
• And discussing what they have done toward their goals and what they can do next.

At the end of the unit, each student got to present what they learned with a motivational video based on what they found that worked for them.

It is a special joy to watch videos like that, because you get to witness where the autonomy and purpose led them, and to actually see the mastery--not only of the language, but of a life skill--in effect.

Spending more time structuring activities, units, and even courses that help students find their own purpose and manage autonomy keeps students on track for mastery, and for lifelong learning.

Reference Cited

Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009.

by Stephanie Knight, CASLS Language Technology Specialist

As The Lego Movie opens, viewers experience life that is decidedly in the box. Lego figurines swarm in unison according to the instructions that they are provided with and happily work the day away while singing that “Everything is Awesome.” While there is a certain bliss to the scene-every figurine seems genuinely pleased with compliance- the fact that each individual is simply a soldier in a regimented army that is largely void of autonomy is clear. In fact, it is only when one of these unwitting soldiers goes off course that the action of the movie begins.

While it is very unlikely that the creators of The Lego Movie developed the work as an allegorical representation of education in the United States, much can be gleaned from the movie’s content regarding our current system as it relates to learner autonomy. In many ways, this system inadvertently produces soldiers for an army of instruction followers; federal mandates become state mandates, state mandates become district mandates, district mandates become administrator mandates, administrator mandates become teacher mandates, and teacher mandates become student mandates. While these mandates are well-intentioned, their top-down nature oftentimes minimizes the potential impact of the learner voice. This reality is particularly troubling because in a world in which low-cost technological tools make broad levels of communication and exploration possible, we have the potential to promote and encourage meaningful learner autonomy at a very high level.

To engage in the promotion of such autonomy, we must first understand what this promotion is. It is not simply scripting a few possible assessment tasks and allowing students to pick one according to their interests. While such an approach is potentially useful for learning autonomy, it is also potentially superficial: Students are still working with the box that we provide them. If we want them to work outside of that box, we must empower them with the skills and strategies that are necessary to prove mastery of learning targets in situations in which we do not script how they must prove that mastery. In this vein, we as educators must recontextualize our role from imparters of content to guides that support the acquisition and application of content.

Engaging in this paradigm shift, however meaningful, is not easy. For one, in order to promote learner autonomy successfully, we must empower our students to be reflective and to engage in personal goal setting (for more information about the power of goal setting and reflection in the world language context, please see Moeller, Thieler, and Wu (2012)). Not only will such an allocation of class time result in learners possibly stepping outside of our own comfort zones when developing their approaches to learning, but such reflective time is difficult to fit in when we are expected to cover a sometimes overwhelming amount of content. Indeed, when we are faced with a regimented set of circumstances in which we are forced to prove our teaching, it can be difficult to not impose a similarly regimented approach on our students’ learning. Still, if my work with educators around the country is any indication, I know that we are well-positioned to resist this temptation. Just as Wiggins’ (1989, 2011) work on authentic assessment suggests, making such shift not only prepares learners for success within our classrooms, but also prepares them to successfully and positively impact the rest of the world.

References

Lord, P., & Miller, C. (2014). The Lego Movie (Motion Picture). United States: Warner Home Video.

Moeller, A.J., Theiler, J. M., & Wu, C.. (2012) Goal Setting and Student Achievement: A Longitudinal Study. The Modern Language Journal, 96 (ii), 153-169.

Wiggins, G. (1989). A true test: Toward more authentic and equitable assessment. The  Phi Delta Kappan, 70(9), 703-713.

Wiggins, G. (2011). Moving to modern assessments. The Phi Delta Kappan, 92(7), 63.

Our December InterCom theme is learner agency. This week Stephanie Knight explores the quest for promoting learner autonomy in an environment of top-down instructional mandates.  Next week guest contributor Laura K. Sexton discusses three components of motivation that can drive our students’ learning. Following that, Christopher Daradics will discuss ways that classroom teachers can support students who are interested in autonomous language learning.

We would like to extend a special welcome to our new subscribers who learned about us at the ACTFL convention. Now is a great time to also remind all of our subscribers to make sure that your password, email address, and subscriptions preferences are as you want them. You can go to caslsintercom.uoregon.edu and log in under the Members tab to change your subscription preferences at any time.

If you find InterCom beneficial, we hope that you will also encourage your colleagues to subscribe - InterCom is free and will appear in your inbox each Monday morning.

by Christopher Daradics, CASLS Language Technician

• Project based learning
• Journaling
• Self-evaluation
• Personal reflection
• Individualized goal setting 

• Transparent, accessible, and current grade reporting
• Regular review and self-evaluation of student progress towards (self-selected) goals
• Predictable interpersonal dynamics within the classroom

• Allowing students to exercise choice
• Creating an accepting intellectual and emotional environment

• Allowing students to set (some of) their own learning goals
• Supporting ongoing, iterative self-evaluation (where students’ own previous reflections on growth and progress are included in the materials being reviewed. See our Activity of the Week for an example).