Cornell University Language Resource Center Speaker Series

The goal of this interactive workshop is to help language educators understand how they can develop materials and implement classroom strategies that are informed by core principles of proficiency-based instruction, and doing so will help their students develop communicative ability in the target language. First, we will focus on setting goals informed by the ACTFL proficiency guidelines, and we will review some fundamental aspects of second language acquisition, particularly as they pertain to proficiency-oriented instruction. Then, participants will evaluate to what extent specific activities help to maximize proficiency development by dissecting their merits and shortcomings. Bio: Florencia Henshaw has a Ph.D. ...

Efforts toward peacebuilding in language education around the world have been gradual, diverse, and continuously growing despite a lack of systematic and comprehensive attempts to position the discipline of language pedagogy within the scope of peace education. This talk will explore the notions of peace linguistics within the field of (applied) linguistics and peace pedagogy within the general field of comparative education, their evolution, history, development, and diversification in connection to the fields of language teaching, language and culture pedagogy, and teacher education, where specific initiatives, frameworks, and practices for teaching about and for peace through languages will be illustrated. A particular emphasis will ...

Providing second language learners with space and guidance to critically reflect on their past and current learning experiences can set them up to better understand and evolve their own worldviews as they learn about and engage with ones different from their own (Crane & Sosulski, 2020; Cranton, 2016; Johnson, 2015). While reflection is often acknowledged as playing an important role in leading language pedagogies such as literacy-based approaches and intercultural language learning, it is rarely theorized from a pedagogical perspective, let alone integrated into formal language assessment. As reflective practice in language instruction has become more mainstream, it is important ...

A problem-based approach to language instruction infuses the communicative classroom with current events, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary connections. Through a process of identifying a problem, gathering resources to understand the problem, and then working with a group to process and report on what they have learned, students acquire language as they learn about the world around them and engage deeply with others’ perspectives. Although problem-based language learning can be used as the foundation of an entire course or program of study, this talk will emphasize how and why instructors can implement problem-based language learning right away through intentional, research-informed modifications ...

This talk discusses the inclusion of Black feminist poetic texts in language teaching. The objective is to rethink the roles of students and teachers in the classroom environment and contribute to inspiring new ideas and teaching practices. Black women’s voices in poetry may promote the development of pedagogical proposals that encourage a critical reading of the world in educational practices. Bio: Luana Reis is a poet, educator, and Black feminist scholar. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Literature at the University of Pittsburgh, where she teaches Portuguese and conducts research on Contemporary Black Women Literature and Quilombismo/Maroonage. As founder ...