Contents

5-Question Profile of Stephanie Knight, CASLS Assistant Director.

1. What is your role at CASLS? What types of projects do you usually work on?

I am the assistant director at CASLS. I work to provide curricular materials for teachers and also provide pedagogical support for the implementation of best practices.

2. What are your areas of interest/expertise?

My favorite thing to do is to turn complex theoretical approaches to language acquisition into practical materials to facilitate improved levels of learning. At CASLS, I focus specifically on how to use digital tools with intention in order to facilitate said acquisition.

3. What are some of the joys and challenges of working from Tennessee?

I really love working for the University of Oregon. It has connected me to so many interesting and brilliant researchers and practitioners. Certainly, spending most of my time telecommuting from Tennessee has its challenges (not getting to be in the same room with people for celebrations of successes is one of them), but I have learned to build a work family via video conferencing, and I am able to find a work-life balance that really contributes to the overall quality of the work that I am able to produce and collaborate on while simultaneously contributing to the level at which my family functions.

4. If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

I would slow down time but be able to work at the same speed so that I could fit more into one day! Or teleportation. Then I could be in the office for celebrations!

5. What are your favorite quotations?

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” -Theodore Roosevelt

“Nos quisieron enterrar, pero no sabían que éramos semilla.” (They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds) -Mexican Proverb

Language Center Handbook
By Elizabeth Lavolette and Edwige Simon

The Language Center Handbook is a collection of new chapters and updates to chapters previously published in IALLT’s Language Center Management and Language Center Design volumes. The chapters cover topics related to both language center management and design, including case studies from various contexts.

This publication is a useful resource for language center directors and staff ready to embrace new opportunities for their centers. The Language Center Handbook also provides valuable information for administrators trying to understand what language centers do and how they differ from other academic support units, for committees in charge of designing or redesigning language centers, and for faculty advocating for the addition of a language center at their institution.

Purchase this book at http://www.lulu.com/shop/lavolette-elizabeth-and-simon-edwige/language-center-handbook/hardcover/product-23719151.html

From https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319923956

Current Research in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education
Edited by Piotr Romanowski and Małgorzata Jedynak
Published by Springer

This book covers research topics in bilingual education, language policies, language contact, identity of bilingual speakers, early bilingualism, heritage languages, and more, and provides an overview of current theory, research and practice in the field of bilingualism. Each chapter is written by a specialist in the field. Part I focuses on the numerous and heterogeneous relations between languages as well as the implications arising from bilingual speech processing. In Part II, a series of contextualized studies on bilingual classrooms are presented, with diverse research designs applied in different educational settings being a key feature of these studies. Part III bridges theory and practice by offering an insight into mono- and multilingual school settings showcasing examples of educational institutions where bilingualism successfully soared and depicts the needs related to language education.

Visit the publisher's website at https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319923956

From http://press.georgetown.edu/book/languages/changing-landscape-spanish-language-curricula

The Changing Landscape of Spanish Language Curricula: Designing Higher Education Programs for Diverse Students
By Alan V. Brown and Gregory L. Thompson
Published by Georgetown University Press

Spanish remains a large and constant fixture in the foreign language learning landscape in the United States. As Spanish language study has grown, so too has the diversity of students and contexts of use, placing the field in the midst of a curricular identity crisis. Spanish has become a second, rather than a foreign, language in the US, which leads to unique opportunities and challenges for curriculum and syllabus design, materials development, individual and program assessment, and classroom pedagogy. In their book, Brown and Thompson address these challenges and provide a vision of Spanish language education for the twenty-first century. 

Using data from the College Board, ETS, and the authors' own institutions, as well as responses to their national survey of almost seven hundred Spanish language educators, the authors argue that the field needs to evolve to reflect changes in the sociocultural, socioeducational, and sociopolitical landscape of the US. The authors provide coherent and compelling discussion of the most pressing issues facing Spanish post-secondary education and strategies for converting these challenges into opportunities. Topics that are addressed in the book include: Heritage learners, service learning in Spanish-speaking communities, Spanish for specific purposes, assessment, unique needs for Spanish teacher training, online and hybrid teaching, and the relevance of ACTFL's national standards for Spanish post-secondary education. An essential read for Spanish language scholars, especially those interested in curriculum design and pedagogy, that includes supporting reflection questions and pedagogical activities for use in upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level courses.

Visit the publisher's website at http://press.georgetown.edu/book/languages/changing-landscape-spanish-language-curricula

From the SEELANGS listserv: 

Folklorica, the peer-reviewed journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Society (affiliate of ASEEES), is seeking submissions for a thematic issue on the “Teaching of Folklore and Teaching with Folklore.” Folklore courses are some of the biggest draws to our departments. Yet many departments have no folklorists. This issue will address the challenges and successes of folklore classes. Folklore also plays an important role in language, culture, or literature classroom, and papers addressing its role in those contexts would also be welcome. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2018.

You need not be a member of SEEFA to submit papers to the journal.

More information on the journal, including back issues, and submission guidelines may be found at: https://journals.ku.edu/folklorica

Information on membership may be found at: http://www.seefa.org/

Rouhier-Willoughby, J. [SEELANGS] Folklorica: CFP. SEELANGS listserv (SEELANGS@LISTSERV.UA.EDU, 12 Aug 2018).

From the LTEST-L listserv: 

The editors of Papers in Language Testing and Assessment (PLTA) invite proposals from prospective guest editors for a themed special issue to appear towards the end of 2019. The special issue will be organized by a guest editor around a theme of current interest and importance to researchers and practitioners in the field of language testing and assessment. Previous special issues have focused on topics of language teacher assessment literacy (2017, edited by Kathryn Hill), language assessment program evaluation (2016, edited by Catherine Elder) and language assessment in higher education (2014/15, edited by Kathryn Hill). For all PLTA issues from 2012, visit: https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/ltrc/research/papers/back-issues

Proposals should be sent to the PLTA editors (plta.editor@gmail.com) by 8 October 2018, and should include:

1. Name, position, and affiliation of guest editor
2. Brief outline of the theme and explanation of the rationale for the special issue
3. Article titles with abstracts (approx. 300-400 words) and authors
4. Proposed timeline (agreed timeline to be negotiated with the PLTA editors)

Proposals will be evaluated for their scholarly quality, the rationale provided for the special issue, and the thematic coherence of the prospective articles.

The issue should consist of 4-6 papers of no more than 8,000 words each. The guest editor will be responsible for soliciting contributions and organizing and overseeing the review and editing process. The guest editor will serve as first reviewer for all papers and will appoint either one second reviewer for all papers or second reviewers individually for each paper. The guest editor will submit the set of accepted papers to the PLTA editors, who will make the final decisions on publication.

For any questions, please email plta.editor@gmail.com 

Huisman, A. [LTEST-L] PLTA journal - call for special issue proposals. LTEST-L listserv (LTEST-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU, 12 Aug 2018).

From https://linguistlist.org/issues/29/29-3145.html

The annual International Conference on Integrationism (aka Integrational Linguistics) will be held at the Pennsylvania State University, August 30 to September 2, 2019, hosted by the Department of Applied Linguistics and the African Studies program. Integrationism is a theory of communication that emphasizes innovative participation within contexts and rejects rule-based models of language. Integrationism rejects the notion of distinctions between language and non-language. Ideas about integrationism have permeated substantial areas of language studies. 

The main objective of the conference is to systematically explore the nature of the overlap and the disjunctures between core ideas about Integrationism and certain philosophies of language, including Socio-Cultural Theory, Critical Discourse Theory, Identity, Translanguaging, and Systemic Functional Theory, as well as Colonial and Postcolonial Theory. 

Educational Workshops: The conference will begin with two days of workshops (Friday, August 30, and Saturday, August 31, 2019) for graduate students and other interested attendees that address theoretical and empirical issues related to Integrationism. Graduate students who wish to attend the conference are encouraged to attend the educational workshops. Expressions of interest in taking part in the workshop should be made by January 30, 2019. 

Call for Papers: Abstracts of a maximum of 300 words must be submitted by March 31, 2019.

For full details, go to https://linguistlist.org/issues/29/29-3145.html

From https://www.ncdli2019.com/

Seventh International Conference on Immersion & Dual Language Education

February 6-9, 2019 
Charlotte, North Carolina 
Transforming Communities through Multilingualism

Registration is now open; visit the conference website for more information and to register: https://www.ncdli2019.com/