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Content Type: 1
Title: Activity Idea: Rotating Conversation Topics
Body:
From http://teachinginthetargetlanguage.com
When students work in pairs or small groups, everyone in class is speaking or listening, using the target language. In this activity, the instructor posts prompts (for example, images related to a theme such as clothing or homes) around the room, and students in pairs or small groups circulate around the classroom discussing each prompt with each other.
For a full description, including ideas for thematic prompts, read the full post at http://teachinginthetargetlanguage.com/rotating-conversation-topics-continuous-interpersonal-speaking/
Source: Teaching in the Target Language
Inputdate: 2018-12-30 06:59:09
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Content Type: 1
Title: Finding Copyright-friendly Media for Classroom Projects
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From https://www.freetech4teachers.com
Richard Byrne has created a guide to finding copyright-friendly media for use in classroom projects. The guide includes explanations of Public Domain, Creative Commons, and Fair Use. In the section on using self-created media he includes an example of how he unintentionally committed a copyright violation when making a screencast video a few years ago. Finally, the guide includes 21 places to find copyright-friendly media to use in classroom projects.
Access the guide from https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/12/21-places-to-find-media-for-classroom.html
Source: Free Technology for Teachers
Inputdate: 2018-12-30 06:59:47
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Content Type: 1
Title: Writing Activity Ideas
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From https://worldlanguagecafe.com
Here are 25 writing activity ideas, intended for middle and high school Spanish students, but appropriate for all levels and any language. Examples include writing a postcard, writing an Instagram post, and writing a letter to next year's students.
Access the list at https://worldlanguagecafe.com/25-spanish-writing-activities-spanish-writing-projects-for-high-school-middle-school-students/
Source: World Language Cafe
Inputdate: 2018-12-30 07:00:24
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Content Type: 1
Title: Podcast Series: What Teachers Need to Know
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From https://www.primarysource.org/for-teachers/podcasts
Do you teach about global cultures or world events in your classroom? If so, Primary Source created this podcast for you. In every compact episode, What Teachers Need to Know offers vital insight for understanding world cultures and current events so that you can facilitate deeper learning about the world with your students. Meet subject-matter experts and explore online resources that can help make a complex and dynamic world accessible for K-12 classrooms.
Here is a list of the episodes so far:
#1: What and Where is the Middle East, Anyway?
#2: Underneath the Veil
#3: Media Literacy & the Middle East
#4: Syria, Explained
#5: The Saudi-Iran Cold War
#6: The Diversity of Islam
#7: Water and War in Yemen
#8: Arab Youth & Youth Activism
#9: Learning from Refugees
#10: Teaching about Iraq, a State in Flux
#11: Imagining Nationhood in the Middle East
Access the podcasts at https://www.primarysource.org/for-teachers/podcasts
Source: Primary Source
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Content Type: 3
Title: Focusing on the Fundamental: Pragmatics in the World Language Classroom
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Carlota was having a party and was very excited to invite her friends she had met while studying abroad. It was her birthday and she couldn’t wait to celebrate. She knew she’d see a bunch of people in class so decided to invite them then. She started with her friend Aliana and asked her to the party. Aliana gave a vague refusal and Carlota didn’t feel like insisting so just let it be, a little disappointed. Aliana also seemed to react strangely. Nothing huge, just enough to give Carlota pause. Then, it happened again, this time with her friend Luis. This time it made Carlota stop to think. Why did they not want to come? She didn’t want to be pushy or insist, but… it was at that moment she remembered other invitations she had heard and it dawned on her. Of course, insistence was part of the invitation! She needed to convey the sincerity in her message and be sure to insist they come, even if they refused the first time. Carlota’s experience is not uncommon. Often the right words and structures in the wrong sequence cause miscommunication or do not convey the intended meaning (i.e., illocutionary force).
With explicit attention on this communication and interpretation of meaning, or pragmatics, learners become equipped to use the language structures they know in the most appropriate way. A critical component of intercultural communicative competence, pragmatics is at the heart of language and should be a fundamental component of the world language classroom. While this can be a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be. This month’s InterCom will explore various ways in which pragmatics can be integrated daily in world language classrooms. This includes a look at what to do if you feel like you are missing pragmatic knowledge, a model for assessing pragmatics, and learner subjectivity. Here are a few tips to get us started.
1 – Start early: Novice learners are equipped to explore pragmatic features of language in their dominant language(s) and the language(s) they are learning. This can start as early as greeting and leave taking sequences. For more on teaching novices, see this short article and this activity.
2 – Include often: To make pragmatic instruction meaningful, it should be integrated throughout the course, not relegated to special “cultural moments” or isolated incidents. This means testing and assessment in addition to classroom activities. Here are some ideas for classroom activities, and here are some assessment options.
3 – Investigate thoroughly: The dynamic nature of language and individual personalities make isolating patterns and learning objectives challenging. Asking learners to investigate possible patterns is one way to manage this variety while also making key components salient for the learner. In the example above, this might include a journal where they record the number of insistence sequences in an invitation and then compare their answers. Here is some guidance for student data collection, along with an example of what this might look like in practice.
Source: CASLS Topic of the Week
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Content Type: 5
Title: Sykes Authors Chapter in Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pragmatics
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CASLS director Julie Sykes and Sébastien Dubreil have contributed a chapter to the new Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Pragmatics, edited by Naoko Taguchi. Here is the introduction to their chapter, "Pragmatics Learning in Digital Games and Virtual Environments":
As human beings engage in interaction, they work together to co-construct meaning in relevant, complex, and dynamic ways. While general patterns of communication can be isolated for research and instructional purposes, the reality is that variability is at the heart of communication, making the teaching and learning of pragmatics (i.e., the expression and interpretation of one’s intended meaning in a social context) a challenging endeavor. The inherently variable nature of pragmatic behaviors makes digital games and virtual environments a particularly suitable environment for teaching and learning second language (L2) pragmatics. Digital games and virtual environments offer L2 learners a space in which they can engage in contextualized participatory practice designed to meet their individual needs while simultaneously offering just-in-time feedback. Furthermore, learners can simulate a range of participant roles in diverse social situations while engaging in goal-oriented tasks. Learners can also practice a variety of pragmatic strategies in interaction, adapting their strategies to situations and modifying strategies for a different game outcome. This chapter explores the ways in which digital games and virtual environments are especially suited to the teaching and learning of L2 pragmatics. We begin by synthesizing notable characteristics of game-based learning, illustrating how these characteristics are compatible with the teaching and learning of L2 pragmatics. This theoretical discussion is followed by a synthesis of the current literature and suggestions for future research.
Sykes says, ""It was wonderful working on this piece with Sebastien and Naoko. Their thinking always makes the final product better! The volume looks to be very relevant critical to the field and I look forward to reading the other contributions on SLA and pragmatics." The handbook is available at https://www.crcpress.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Second-Language-Acquisition-and-Pragmatics/Taguchi/p/book/9780815349761
Source: CASLS Spotlight
Inputdate: 2019-01-04 14:38:51
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Content Type: 4
Title: Making an Invitation
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Learning Objectives: Learners will be able to
- Identify key components of an invitation sequence in English – pre-invitation, invitation, and insistence
- Compare invitation sequences in English to that of their target language
Materials: Invitations worksheet, pre-selected phrases in the target language, example interactions
Procedure:
Observe
Using the Observe activity on the worksheet, ask learners to sort the invitation chunks into three categories. Then, have them compare their answers in groups. Debrief as a whole class to discuss any chunks that students are unsure of. Solicit a few original chunks in each category from the whole class.
Analyze
Model two sample invitation sequences with stick figures on the board. Then, have learners create an invitation dialogue in English with their phrases. Finally, give learners 3-4 phrases in each category in your target language and have them create a dialogue. Ask for a few volunteers to share the conversations.
Extend
First, ask learners to reflect on the value of each component. Then, utilizing the attached journal template, ask learners to find examples in the target language in community interactions or online.
Note: Finding interactions for students to observe can be challenging! Over the long term, learners will come across invitations if they are exposed to authentic target language interactions. In the short term, here are three different approaches to seeking out examples of invitations:
- Shows with which you are familiar. For example, your InterCom editor can think of several memorable invitations from 1980’s movies: https://youtu.be/UUZsR3rFjEU, https://youtu.be/qBrwZTJU4Nk, https://youtu.be/xUXjfYFwgZo.
- For some languages, you can find collections of resources searchable by function. For example, COERLL’s Língua da gente site includes “extending invitations” as a search item: http://linguadagente.coerll.utexas.edu/functions/extending-invitations/
- Find proficient speakers of the target language and ask them to role play scenarios for you to record: an invitation to a dinner party, for coffee, and to see a movie, for example. Record the unscripted conversations so that your students can view them.
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
Inputdate: 2019-01-06 09:58:39
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Content Type: 1
Title: Call for Papers: Northeast Association for Language Learning Technology 2019 Conference
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NEALLT 2019
“Transformative Practices: Teaching and Learning Language and Culture with Technology”
April 5 - 7, 2019
University of Pennsylvania
The NEALLT 2019 Conference, Transformative Practices: Teaching and Learning Language and Culture with Technology, focuses on pedagogical approaches and best practices that language educators combine with technology to create new opportunities for learners to explore language more collaboratively in face-to-face, blended and online environments, and to acquire a deeper appreciation of culture. Papers are sought dealing with one of the following strands:
1. Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching and Learning Language in Online Environments
2. Using Technology Purposefully in Language and Culture Blended Learning Environments
3. Innovative Uses of Course Management Systems
4. Interdisciplinary Instruction in Teaching Language and Culture with Technology
5. Digitally-Enhanced Differentiated Instruction and Learning
6. Effective Uses of Technology in Promoting and Supporting Study Abroad
7. Technology-Enhanced Professional Development for Language and Culture Instructors
8. Digital Pedagogies for Teaching Intercultural Communication
9. Telecollaboration for Intercultural Learning
The proposal deadline is January 15, 2019.
View the full call for papers at http://www.neallt.org/neallt2019/index.html
Source: NEALLT
Inputdate: 2019-01-06 21:29:54
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Title: California Language Teachers' Association Conference
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The California Language Teachers' Association Conference will take place February 28-March 3, 2019, in San Jose. The theme is "Innovate with Languages."
CLTA is excited to announce that this year's plenary speaker is Francisco Jiménez, the author of the short story, Cajas de cartón, that many Spanish teachers have used in their classes. The title of his speech is “The Transformative Power of Multicultural and Bilingual Education: A Personal Perspective.”
The deadline to register for an early bird rate is January 15.
For full details about the conference, go to https://sites.google.com/clta.net/clta19/home
Source: CLTA
Inputdate: 2019-01-06 21:30:58
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Title: 34th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese
Body:
From https://seatj2019.weebly.com/
The 34th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (SEATJ) will be held at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, on Saturday, March 2, 2019.
The registration deadline is January 31. Yo Azama, the 2012 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the the Year, will be the keynote speaker.
Visit the conference website at https://seatj2019.weebly.com/
Source: SEATJ
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