Contents

Dear Colleague,

There’s a good chance that study abroad was a part of your language learning trajectory. If it was, do you remember how when you came back to campus after your study abroad experience, you had so much to say about it and how it had changed you? Odds are, you’ve reflected on it even more as you’ve progressed through your education and started a career. Understanding how studying abroad impacted your personal and professional path is useful to us to help us improve language education and education abroad and make it accessible to more students.

That’s why we’ve partnered with researchers from Penn State University to help them recruit participants for a research study funded by the U.S. Department of Education entitled, “Careers of Language Study Abroad Alumni: A Comprehensive Investigation.”

We invite you to contribute to this important research by completing this survey. It will only take about 15-20 minutes of your time:  http://bit.ly/2G4ipbJ

You can learn more about the research project by visiting this website. Any questions or concerns regarding the survey can be directed to the principal investigator, Celeste Kinginger, at cxk37@psu.edu.

Dear Colleague,

A few weeks ago, we encouraged you to participate in a study funded by the U.S. Department of Education entitled, “Careers of Language Study Abroad Alumni: A Comprehensive Investigation.” Your participation in that survey will help researchers at Penn State University explore:

• how the experience of learning language and culture at the undergraduate level influences students’ career options and choices;
• the extent to which proficiency in additional languages is valued on the job market;
• and the continued value and use of foreign language proficiency achieved through study abroad.

If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to participate in the survey now: http://bit.ly/2G4ipbJ

You can learn more about the research project by visiting this website. Any questions or concerns regarding the survey can be directed to the principal investigator, Celeste Kinginger, at cxk37@psu.edu.

Dear Colleague,

Some time ago we encouraged you to participate in the study “Careers of Language Study Abroad Alumni: A Comprehensive Investigation,” being conducted by researchers Penn State University with support from the U.S. Department of Education. Time is running out, but they would still love to hear from you!

Your participation will help language teachers and education abroad professionals understand how learning language and culture through study abroad influences career choices and opportunities for students.

Complete the survey now: http://bit.ly/2G4ipbJ

You can learn more about the research project by visiting this website. Any questions or concerns regarding the survey can be directed to the principal investigator, Celeste Kinginger, at cxk37@psu.edu.

Already completed it? Share the survey with your friends and fellow study abroad alums on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Thank you!

1. Learners will complete the onboarding process for Covet Fashion. 

2. Learners will begin Phase 1 of the Phases 1 and 2 Handout by using context (photos and written descriptions) to identify and make predictions about the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary. As they do this step, they will submit their first Limited Time Challenge.

3. Learners will complete the rest of Phase 1 by using their predictions to work with a partner and create a semantic map of the domain-specific vocabulary they defined. It is possible that teachers will need to intervene at this step to help learners verify predictions and/or to point out linguistic patterns to help learners dissect the terminology.

4. Learners will work in pairs to complete Phase 2 of the Phases 1 and 2 Handout. In this phase, they will vote on fashion challenges. As they vote, they will make predictions about whether the outfits they select will receive a high or low score. They will note if they are correct and any observations/ideas they have about how others are scored.

5. Lead a class discussion in which learners reflect on general trends they note from their experience voting on looks. If you have not already done so, it may be necessary to provide learners with instruction regarding comparisons and superlatives in the target language before completing this step.  Use the questions below to guide the discussion:

a.     What types of clothing are most liked?

b.     Do the body types of the models impact how their clothing is rated? How?

c.     Are there skin colors and hairstyles that seem more highly correlated with high scores than others?

d.     Is there anything else you noticed?

6.    Select a specific Limited Time Challenge or Jet Set Challenge (scores will post for Limited Time Challenges in a couple of days, and scores will post from Jet Set Challenges in 8 hours). Have learners return to Covet Fashion and work in pairs to try to earn the highest score possible. 

7.    The next time you have class, review the results to see who won in the class. If possible, have learners share images of their outfits and the results. 

8.    Revisit the discussion questions from Step 5 in gallery walk format by getting four pieces of butcher paper and writing one question on each piece. Place the four pieces of paper around the room. Divide the students into four groups at random and assign each start group to a specific sheet of paper. Give each group a minute to respond to the question on their paper before rotating to the next sheet.

9.    Work as a class to use the learners’ experiences and observations to create a list of 5 tips for players wanting to earn the highest score possible in Covet Fashion. 

10. Use images from fashion and beauty magazines in the target language to decide whether or not your 5 tips still would apply in the target culture.

The Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) is excited to announce the successful release of LingroFolio, a socially-networked e-Portfolio that accompanies Contraseña: Your Password to Foundational Spanish. Contraseña is an immersive, mobile language-learning program published by LingroLearning.

Contraseña and LingroFolio propel students towards the classroom of the future. Not only do communicative projects detailed in Contraseña prime student learning, but they also serve as evidence that learning has occurred. Students use LingroFolio to create, share, and comment on each other’s multimedia projects as they progress through the program. Their comment threads inform further reflection, engaging students in a meaningful and intentional reflective learning process. Excitingly, these comments can also inform teaching practices. They are viewable by teachers, and the analytic features of LingroFolio make them easy to synthesize and analyze.
LingroFolio is language learning software designed for digitally native students and teachers. CASLS is excited for its debut and to continue its work with partners that positively transform language learning and teaching.

Is Contraseña right for your? Learn more here: http://lingrolearning.com/contrasena/.

The February 2019 issue of Language Learning & Technology is available online at http://www.lltjournal.org/

This is a special issue, "CALL in the Digital Wilds." In this issue: 

What are the digital wilds?
Shannon Sauro; Katerina Zourou

Fan translation of games, anime, and fanfiction
Boris Vazquez-Calvo; Leticia T. Zhang; Mariona Pascual; Daniel Cassany

Language learning in the wild: A young user perspective
Signe Hannibal Jensen

Commercial-off-the-shelf games in the digital wild and L2 learner vocabulary
Pia Sundqvist

Quantity and diversity of informal digital learning of English
Ju Seong Lee

Bronies learning English in the digital wild
Liudmila Shafirova; Daniel Cassany

Plus columns and reviews

From http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781788922456

English-Medium Instruction and Pronunciation: Exposure and Skills Development
By Karin Richter
Published by Multilingual Matters

This book offers new insights into the language gains of adult learners enrolled in an English-medium instruction (EMI) degree program. It provides longitudinal empirical evidence of the phonological gains of the learners; discusses which individual factors contribute to the changes in the learners’ pronunciation and investigates whether and to what extent increased exposure to the target language in EMI classrooms leads to incidental learning of second language pronunciation. Furthermore, it expands on the discussions surrounding the Critical Period Hypothesis, the native-speaker norm, foreign language accent and the role of English as a Lingua Franca. The comparative and longitudinal design of the research study fills a significant gap in the literature and the book offers considerable original and important research-informed insights into the fields of EMI, bilingual education and second language acquisition. As such, it is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners and policymakers in these areas.

Visit the publisher's website at http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781788922456

From https://cambridgescholars.com/meaning-focused-materials-for-language-learning/

Meaning-Focused Materials for Language Learning
Edited by Marina Bouckaert, Monique Konings, and Marjon van Winkelhof
Published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing

This publication is a result of the joint conference held by MATSDA and Fontys University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, in Tilburg in June 2017. MATSDA is an international materials development association founded in 1993 which serves to bring together researchers, teachers, materials developers and publishers in an effort to improve the effectiveness of language learning materials. The 2017 conference centered on issues related to the development of meaning-focused materials for language learning and attracted presenters from twenty-five countries stretching from Greenland to Brazil. These issues are reflected in the chapters in this volume, with each one focusing on a different aspect of meaning-focused materials and many of them introducing the reader to previously unexplored facets of the theory of meaning-focused instruction and its application to materials development. The contributions here are of value to post-graduate students, to teachers, to materials developers and to researchers. They are written to be academically rigorous, but at the same time accessible to newcomers to the field and to experienced experts alike.

Visit the publisher's website at https://cambridgescholars.com/meaning-focused-materials-for-language-learning/

From http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781788922401

Investigating Content and Language Integrated Learning: Insights from Swedish High Schools
Edited by Liss Kerstin Sylvén
Published by Multilingual Matters

This book provides a rich and unique longitudinal account of content and language integrated learning (CLIL). The chapters report on the findings from a large-scale, three-year research project undertaken at senior high school level in Sweden. The ecological perspective, with quantitative and qualitative methods, gives voice to both learners and teachers, as well as being an excellent critical example of how such longitudinal research might be carried out. Through emic and etic approaches, the book provides insights into language learning outcomes, both with regard to the target language English and the majority language Swedish; learner motivation among CLIL and non-CLIL students; effects of extramural exposure to English; issues in relation to assessment in CLIL and much more. As a whole, the book offers an unprecedented overview of learner outcomes and detailed insights into the comparison of CLIL and non-CLIL education. While it is embedded in the Swedish context, the nature of this study means that it has strong implications on an international basis.

Visit the publisher's website at http://www.multilingual-matters.com/display.asp?isb=9781788922401

From https://siouancaddoan39.wordpress.com/

The Department of Languages & Literature at Northeastern State University (NSU) will host the 39th annual Siouan & Caddoan Languages Conference (SCLC) on the NSU’s Broken Arrow campus in Broken Arrow, OK, USA from May 30 through May 31, 2019.

Each year the SCLC brings together linguists, anthropologists, indigenous language speakers and educators, and other scholars to promote the study and teaching of the languages within the Siouan and Caddoan language families. The organizers welcome papers, panel discussions, and workshops dealing with the linguistic description and pedagogical concerns of these languages, as well as the anthropology, archaeology, art, ethnography, ethnobotany, folklore, history, music, sociology, and traditional beliefs of the many tribal groups associated with these languages.

The deadline for proposal submissions is April 15.

View the full call for papers on the conference website at https://siouancaddoan39.wordpress.com/