About this series
Building on a strong foundation from the 2020-2021 academic year, the Language Collaboratory continues in 2021-22 to offer a series of online sessions that will provide space for a stimulating dialogue between a discussant from one of the participating institutions and session attendees. This academic year, we will focus our discussions on the theme of student engagement.
In the series, we hope to provide insights on student engagement from two lenses/perspectives: 1) research-based, and 2) pedagogical and practical. Furthermore, the sessions will examine the implications and manifestations of student engagement praxis in and out of the classroom.
Sessions will be guided by the following questions:
- What is engagement and what role does it play in language learning and teaching?
- How do language teaching professionals promote and support meaningful engagement of their students? How do these interactions vary based on the course delivery mode and/or format?
- What are some of the challenges that practitioners encounter when promoting and supporting meaningful engagement of their language students?
Individual sessions will address how student engagement relates to and intersects with topics such as corrective feedback, task design, learning achievement, group dynamics, classroom environment, students’ willingness or reticence to speak, and others. Each session will be scheduled for 30 minutes, with optional 15-minute additional discussion time.
About the Sessions
All sessions are held synchronously via Zoom. Sessions are scheduled for Mondays or Thursdays, 3:30-4:00 (4:15) pm central, 4:30-5:00 (5:15) pm eastern. Sessions are 30 minutes in length, with additional 15 minutes of optional discussion for those interested in digging deeper into the topic.
Target Audience
While we welcome any educator to join our professional development sessions, it may be helpful to know that these discussions are specifically oriented to language research and practice in the context of higher education in the USA. As such, K-12 instructors and international participants may find the parameters of our discussions less relevant to their teaching and learning contexts.
Accommodations
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. Automated live-captions are available for every session. To request accommodations or discuss access needs please contact Adolfo Carrillo Cabello ([email protected]) from the University of Minnesota, at least a week in advance prior to the event. Requests made after that point cannot be guaranteed.
All sessions are recorded and can be viewed on the Language Collaboratory YouTube channel.
Monday, September 27: Defining Student Engagement: Overview of Current Research. Jana Martin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Monday, October 4: Playful Designs: Multiliteracies and Literariness in the Language-Culture Classroom. Chantelle Warner, University of Arizona
Monday, October 11: Social annotation while socially distanced: Using Hypothes.is in the (virtual) language classroom. Stephanie Anderson and Dan Haataja, University of Minnesota
Monday, October 18: Digital Spaces and Games in the Context of Language Teaching and Learning. Julie Sykes, University of Oregon
Monday, October 28: Translate-a-thon: (Co-)curricular community translation and student engagement. Julie Evershed & Philomena Meechan, University of Michigan
Monday, November 1: Engaging World Language Students with Authentic Texts & Tasks. Noah McLaughlin, Kennesaw State University
Monday, November 8: Game Show Assessments: Engaging Students in Competition. Anne Violin-Wigent, Michigan State University
Thursday, November 18: Elements of Engaging Curriculum. Shannon Donnally Quinn & Carol Wilson-Duffy
Monday, December 6: Series wrap-up and discussion. Jana Martin (UW-Madison) and Adolfo Carrillo Cabello (U of Minnesota).