Contents
Content Type: 3
Title: Foreign Languages and the Literary in the Everyday
Body:
Chantelle Warner is Associate Professor of German and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the University of Arizona, where she also co-directs the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy. Her research crosses the fields of literary and applied linguistic inquiry and focuses on how language is involved in struggles for social and symbolic power and the educational potential of playful, literary language use and creative multilingualism.
Last week poetry was a feature topic on the front page of the New York Times magazine. The article quotes poet Jane Hirschfield, on the social power of the poetic: “When poetry is a backwater it means times are OK. When times are dire, that’s exactly when poetry is needed.” While they might not view poetry as a need, linguists have long argued that the poetic is an essential aspect of language.
For Roman Jakobson, the poetic is one of the six communication functions of language, on par with its referential, emotive, and interpersonal potentials. The poetic function focuses attention on “the palpability of signs” (1960: 356). This capacity of language to make meaning by highlighting how the language is being used is central to not only poetry but also much of advertising and political speech. More recently Karen Risager has included the poetic dimension in her model of languaculture – a term meant to capture the connections between language and culture. Both Jakobson and Risager suggest that the poetic dimensions of language heighten attention to the language itself and thus can contribute to awareness raising, which has been shown to facilitate language learning; but Risager in particular, like the poet Hirschfeld, suggests that the poetic dimensions of language have a social role in that they enable us to explore how our use of language relates to our understanding of the world and the roles and spaces we inhabit within it. In a similar vein, Claire Kramsch has made a case for literature as a source for intercultural discussion around what meanings we value and why (Kramsch & Nolden 1994) and as a means of developing symbolic competence, the capacity to “manipulate” language systems in order to make meaning (Kramsch 2011).
The poetic dimensions of language, those made salient in language use we describe as literary, enable learners to explore not only “new words, but also new worlds” (Kern 2000) in ways that are in line with current discussions of intercultural learning and literacy in foreign language education. With the pedagogical goals of developing more effective interpretive abilities and of fostering more aware and even more playful language use, Carl Blyth, Joanna Luks, and I have developed the project Foreign Languages and the Literary in the Everyday as a collaboration between the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) and the Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL). This project shifts the literary back into the realm of everyday language use from the beginning levels of language learning, by exploiting the poetic potential of a wide range of texts. The project site – fllite.org – features a variety of open educational resources, including sample lessons for and by teachers and video guides for selecting and creating lessons around texts.
Works Cited
Alter, Alexandra. (2017, April 21). American Poets, Refusing to Go Gentle, Rage Against the Right. New York Times, pp. A1.
Jakobson, Roman. (1960) Linguistics and Poetics. In Style in Language, edited by Thomas A. Sebeok, 350–377. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Kern, R. (2000). Literacy and language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kramsch, C., & Nolden, T. (1994). Redefining literacy in a foreign language. Unterrichtspraxis, 27, 28-35.
Kramsch, Claire. (2011). The symbolic dimensions of the intercultural. Language Teaching 44:3, 354‐367.
Risager, K. (2006). Language and Culture: Global Flows and Local Complexity. Buffalo: Multilingual Matters.
Source: CASLS Topic of the Week
Inputdate: 2017-04-27 15:48:49
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 3
Title: A Comprehensive View of Literacy
Body:
By Julie Sykes, CASLS Director
Literacy includes a wide array of reading and writing skills, all of which are equally important. Literacy skills span across modes of communication and communicative contexts.
This month in InterCom, we take a look at a number of approaches to literacy in language learning classrooms. Fundamental to each of these discussions in the notion that language learners need literacy skills spanning across modes and levels. While not exclusionary of the skills needed to read literary pieces or write academic papers, a comprehensive focus on literacy also examines reading and writing in informal analog contexts and digital genres. In this spirit, we will explore ways to expand literary skills, write language according to context, and develop digital literacies critical to success in any work or social environment. As you read this month, we encourage you expand the reading genres you include in your language classes, teach learners how to tweet, hashtag, and caption in their target language, and write a variety of types of pieces that range from formal academic analysis to poetry to fan fiction. As learners gain this comprehensive set of literacy skills, they will become well equipped to engage with a variety of contexts where literacy skills are needed. A comprehensive approach to literacy sets them up for scenarios like their community internship where the first day on the job requires reading a formal training manual, analyzing a report, instant messaging on the interoffice system, sending emails, and posting to social media.
Three fundamental assumptions guide our inclusion of literacy as a focus topic in InterCom this month.
- Learners need to focus on a continuum of reading and writing genres to be successful in multilingual contexts. Explicit instruction on EACH of these genres should be embedded into language courses starting at the novice level.
- Literacy is a complex skill that requires analysis of contextual assumptions, audience, form, lexicon, and content. When taught and evaluated as part of formal course work, all dimensions should be evaluated and prioritized equally, resisting the temptation to overemphasize grammar or lexicon as the primary drivers.
- The digital world is shaping an increasingly large number of communicative contexts requiring complex literacy skills. Attention to these emerging genres and spaces is fundamental to ongoing success in a connected future.
We hope you enjoy this month’s theme and topic and look forward to examining many of these issues in the future.
Source: CASLS Topic of the Week
Inputdate: 2017-04-28 06:45:59
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-01 04:14:42
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-01 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-01 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 5
Title: STARTALK 2017: Contextualizing Conference Attendees as Participants
Body:
“If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.” –John Maxwell
This quote served as an appropriate motto for the 2017 STARTALK Spring Conference last weekend. At the conference, participants visited focus sessions related to STARTALK principles for language learning and teaching steps and were relied upon to cultivate knowledge given their individual experiences. This innovative conference format required all participants to take a step outside of their comfort zones and contributed to incredible professional growth. STARTALK, a component of the National Security Language Initiative designed to expand the teaching and learning of strategic world languages, punctuated its commitment to the growth of national instruction of these languages with their conference format.
The Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) at the University of Oregon supports STARTALK’s growth focus through its creation and ongoing support of LinguaFolio Online (LFO), an online language proficiency portfolio. STARTALK LinguaFolio Online involves mechanisms to encourage learners to engage in deep levels of reflection regarding their growth toward the learning targets (matched to the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements) embedded within each STARTALK program. CASLS representatives were at the conference to support the technical implementation of LInguaFolio Online at three drop-in lab sessions.
Source: CASLS Spotlight
Inputdate: 2017-04-29 08:37:45
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-01 04:14:42
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-01 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-01 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Book: Learner Autonomy and Web 2.0
Body:
From https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/learner-autonomy/
Learner Autonomy and Web 2.0
Edited by Marco Cappellini, Tim Lewis, and Annick Rivens Mompean
Published by Equinox Publishing
The advent of networked digital technologies, in enabling language learners to collaborate and create content online, has given rise to new ways in which learners are able to express their autonomy. Learner Autonomy and Web 2.0 explores tensions between the “classical” definitions of learner autonomy and the learning dynamics observed in specific online contexts. Some of the contributions argue for the emergence of actual new forms of autonomy, others consider that this is merely a case of “old wine in new bottles”. In this volume, autonomy is seen as emerging and developing in a complex relationship with L2 proficiency and other competencies. The volume takes an expansive view of what is meant by Web 2.0 and, as a result, a wide diversity of environments is featured, ranging from adaptive learning systems, through mobile apps, to social networking sites and – almost inevitably – MOOCs. Paradoxically, autonomy is seen to flourish in some quite restricted contexts, while in less constrained environments learners experience difficulty in dealing with a requirement to self-regulate.
Visit the publisher’s website at https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/learner-autonomy/
Source: Equinox Publishing
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:36:43
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Book: New Insights into Language Anxiety
Body:
From http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781783097708
New Insights into Language Anxiety: Theory, Research and Educational Implications
Edited by Christina Gkonou, Mark Daubney, and Jean-Marc Dewaele
Published by Multilingual Matters
This book provides an overview of current theory, research and practice in the field of language anxiety and brings together a range of perspectives on this psychological construct in a single volume. Chapters in the volume are divided into three sections. Part 1 revisits language anxiety theory, showing that it can be viewed as a complex and dynamic construct and that it is linked to other psychological variables, such as the self and personality. In Part 2, a series of contextualized studies on language anxiety are presented, with a key feature of these studies being the diverse research designs which are applied in different instructional settings across the globe. Part 3 bridges theory and practice by presenting coping strategies and practice activities with a view to informing classroom practice and pedagogical interventions.
Visit the publisher’s website at http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781783097708
Source: Multilingual Matters
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:37:30
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Book: Beyond Age Effects in Instructional L2 Learning
Body:
From http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781783097616
Beyond Age Effects in Instructional L2 Learning: Revisiting the Age Factor
By Simone E. Pfenninger and David Singleton
Published by Multilingual Matters
This book constitutes a holistic study of how and why late starters surpass early starters in comparable instructional settings. Combining advanced quantitative methods with individual-level qualitative data, it examines the role of age of onset in the context of the Swiss multilingual educational system and focuses on performance at the beginning and end of secondary school, thereby offering a long-term view of the teenage experience of foreign language learning. The study scrutinized factors that seem to prevent young starters from profiting from their extended learning period and investigated the mechanisms that enable late beginners to catch up with early beginners relatively quickly. Taking account of contextual factors, individual socio-affective factors and instructional factors within a single longitudinal study, the book makes a convincing case that age of onset is not only of minimal relevance for many aspects of instructed language acquisition, but that in this context, for a number of reasons, a later onset can be beneficial.
Visit the publisher’s website at http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781783097616
Source: Multilingual Matters
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:38:09
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Call for Papers: Russia and the Pacific Northwest
Body:
From the SEELANGS listserv:
Russia and the Pacific Northwest: Russians from Fort Ross to the Aleutian Islands
University of Oregon campus, April 6-7, 2018
Call for Papers:
To mark its fiftieth anniversary, Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Oregon will be holding an interdisciplinary conference on Russia and the Pacific Northwest on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7, 2018. Presentations on all aspects of the topic, such as the history of Russian trade and colonization, Russian émigré literature of the area, environmental and immigrant history, as well as topics centered in such disciplines as linguistics, anthropology, religious studies and art, are solicited. The Pacific Northwest is understood as encompassing northern California, Oregon, Washington, Western coastal Canada, Alaska and Hawaii. The working language of the conference will be English.
Conference organizers invite interested scholars to submit a 300-word abstract, along with a brief CV (1-3 pages) to the email addresses below. The conference will underwrite airfare, hotels and meals for participants.
Deadline for receipt of paper proposals is 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Friday, September 1, 2017.
Send proposals and brief CVs to:
Katya Hokanson, hokanson@uoregon.edu
Ryan Jones, rtj@uoregon.edu
Hokanson, K. [SEELANGS] CFP -- Russia and the Pacific Northwest. SEELANGS listserv (SEELANGS@LISTSERV.UA.EDU, 30 Apr 2017).
Source: SEELANGS
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:38:50
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate: 2017-09-01 00:00:00
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Publication Opportunity: FLTMAG
Body:
The FLTMAG (http://www.fltmag.com) is a free online magazine dedicated to technology integration in the world language classroom. The magazine publishes practical, practice-oriented articles, written by world language educators for world language educators.
Learn more in a 45-minute webinar on May 17th, 2017 at 3pm Pacific, 4pm Mountain, 5pm Central and 6pm Eastern.
Edwige Simon and Adrienne Gonzales, the founding editors of the magazine, will discuss the type of articles we are looking for and the submission and review process. The FLTMAG is a great publication venue for both first-time and experienced writers.
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/publishFLTMAG
Simon, E. [AATG-L] Get published in the FLTMAG this summer! AATG-L listserv (aatg@list.iupui.edu, 3 May 2017)
Source: AATG-L
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:39:29
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: 28th Annual Summer Seminar for Language Educators
Body:
From http://clta.net
The California Language Teachers’ Association will host its 28th Annual Summer Seminar for Language Educators in Santa Barbara, July 14-19. Learn more at http://clta.net/event/28th-annual-summer-seminar-for-language-educators/ and in this brochure: http://clta.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/SS-BROCHURE-2017-Final-April-2017.pdf
Source: CLTA
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:40:40
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate: 2017-07-19 00:00:00
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: WIDA 2017 Annual Conference
Body:
From https://www.wida.us/aboutus/mission.aspx
WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for children and youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse through high quality standards, assessments, research, and professional learning for educators.
WIDA will hold its 2017 conference in Tampa, Florida, October 16-19. The theme is “United in Purpose, United in Practice.
Visit the conference website to learn more and to register: http://www.cvent.com/events/2017-wida-annual-conference/event-summary-56356c79e3714191ba963bd3b07f2b7a.aspx
Source: WIDA
Inputdate: 2017-05-04 14:41:25
Lastmodifieddate: 2017-05-08 03:49:52
Expdate: 2017-10-19 00:00:00
Publishdate: 2017-05-08 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2017-05-08 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
