Contents

From http://narr-starter.de/magento/index.php/task-based-grammar-teaching-of-english.html

Task-based grammar teaching of English: Where cognitive grammar and task-based language teaching meet
By Susanne Niemeier
Published by Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. 

The focus on communication in TBLT often comes at the expense of form. In this book, the task-based approach is enhanced and coupled with insights into (cognitive) grammar, an approach which sees grammar as meaningful. The book shows how grammar teaching can be integrated into a communicative lesson in a non-explicit way, i.e., “by the backdoor”. The learners are involved in situations that they may also encounter outside their classrooms and they are given communicative tasks they are to work on and solve, usually with a partner or in small groups. What teachers need to invest for preparing such lessons is their own creativity, as they have to come up with communicative situations which guide the learners into using a specific grammatical structure. The book first discusses the didactic and the linguistic theories involved and then translates these theoretical perspectives into actual teaching practice, focusing on the following grammatical phenomena: tense, aspect, modality, conditionals, passive voice, prepositions, phrasal verbs, verb complementation, pronouns and articles.

Visit the publisher's website at http://narr-starter.de/magento/index.php/task-based-grammar-teaching-of-english.html

From http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/spring-conference/default.htm

New Jersey TESOL and New Jersey Bilingual Education will hold their 2018 spring conference May 30-June 1 in New Brunswick. The theme is "Cross-Curricular Conversations for ELLs." 

Members are invited to submit a poster session proposal, presenting a best practice, successful activity, or researched evaluation. Proposals are due by February 1. See the full call for posters at http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/poster/default.htm

For full conference details go to http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/spring-conference/default.htm

From http://nnell.org/call-for-journal-articles/

The journal of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL) serves the profession by providing a medium for the sharing of information, ideas, and concerns among teachers, administrators, researchers, and others interested in the early learning of World languages. Learning Languages embodies NNELL’s commitment to promote opportunities for all children to develop a high level of competence in at least one language and culture in addition to their own.

Submissions are currently being sought for the Fall/Winter 2017 issue, whose theme is "Reaching Out: World Languages for Community Engagement." The due date for submissions is January 31, 2018.

Learn more about the journal and its submission guidelines at http://nnell.org/call-for-journal-articles/

From https://sites.google.com/view/7thhispaniclinguistics/home

7th Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian 
Linguistics Conference
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ - March 30 & 31, 2018

The plenary speakers this year will present on topics in Spanish Heritage Language Acquisition and Pedagogy, Sociolinguistics, and Second Language Acquisition.

Visit the conference website at https://sites.google.com/view/7thhispaniclinguistics/home

Join world language educators at the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL) at the Hilton Midtown in New York City, February 8-10, 2018. The theme of the conference is Unleashing the POWer of Proficiency. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Eileen Glisan, co-author of The Teacher's Handbook. Attendees can select from among fifteen pre-conference sessions and nearly 150 concurrent sessions including ten Featured Sessions related to the conference theme; twelve "Best of" sessions from state conferences in the NECTFL region; along with our TECHlab and Research Roundtable sessions. 

New York State teachers can earn CTLE hours attending the Northeast Conference.

Find more information and online registration at: http://www.nectfl.org/conference/

From https://www.irex.org/project/fulbright-teachers-global-classrooms-program-fulbright-tgc

The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (Fulbright TGC) is a year-long professional development opportunity for U.S. elementary, middle, and high school teachers to develop skills for preparing students for a competitive global economy. The project activities include a semester-long online course focused on best practices in global education; a global symposium in Washington, DC; a two- to three-week travel abroad experience; the creation of a global education guide as a capstone project; and ongoing alumni support.

Apply now for the 2018-2019 Fulbright TGC Fellowship.

Learn more at https://www.irex.org/project/fulbright-teachers-global-classrooms-program-fulbright-tgc

From https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/06/world/americas/paraguay-guarani-language.html

Newfound Pride in Guaraní, a Language Long Disdained in Paraguay
by Miles McCormick
January 6, 2018

Despite its widespread use — Paraguay is the only country in the Americas where the majority of the population speaks a single indigenous language — Guaraní has long been considered palatable for use on the streets and at home, but unsuitable in the spheres of power.

Yet today, officials and intellectuals in Paraguay are working to promote a positive image of the language, in an effort to make good on the 1992 Constitution’s aim to put it on equal footing with Spanish.

Read the full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/06/world/americas/paraguay-guarani-language.html

From https://www.theworldweekly.com/reader/view/magazine/2018-01-04/lifelines-for-indigenous-languages/10437

Lifelines for indigenous languages
by Anna Grace
January 4, 2018

At least 2,500 languages around the world are in danger. Many of those under threat are autochthonous languages, spoken by small numbers of indigenous people often living in remote communities. 

...”There’s a real misconception in the media about linguists ‘saving languages’,” Monica Macaulay, president of The Endangered Language Fund, told TWW. “Linguists have a set of skills to offer which can be helpful, but the motivation and the desire to do it has to come from within the community itself.”

Direct collaboration with native speakers is at the core of some more ambitious efforts, says [Dr.] Macaulay, “there are many wonderful projects going on all over the world run by amazingly inspired speakers and descendants of speakers.” 

Language forms an integral part of the cultural heritage and original identity of many communities. When languages are lost, a wealth of history, cultural specificity and unique forms of communication tend to go with them. 

Read the full article at https://www.theworldweekly.com/reader/view/magazine/2018-01-04/lifelines-for-indigenous-languages/10437

From http://tprsforchinese.blogspot.com/

In this low-prep activity, Chinese learners create sentences together and then illustrate them. Read how at http://tprsforchinese.blogspot.com/2018/01/quick-draw-listening-comprehension.html