Bridging Research and Practice
Professional Development Resources for L2 Teaching and Learning
About this workshop Introduction This workshop focuses on creating Goals, Objectives, and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) related to teaching topics related to interaction and pragmatics by focusing on a number of exercises designed to encourage reflection upon what teachers expect
About this workshop Introduction Dr. Richard Young (University of Wisconsin-Madison) discusses the concept of Interactional Competence (IC), situating it historically among different understandings of competence as have been defined in linguistics, and defining it based upon what language users have
About this workshop Introduction Developing rubrics to assess Interactional Competence (IC) and then applying them to student interaction poses challenges for language teachers in terms of fairness and validity on one hand, and practicality on the other. This workshop aims
About this workshop Introduction Communication strategies have been defined in Second Language Acquisition as compensating for a lack of linguistic competence, and as requiring planning. This workshop problematizes this view, suggesting that a focus on interaction as action (as presented
About this workshop Introduction Dr. Thorsten Huth (University of Tennessee-Knoxville) introduces how language use can be thought of in terms of action, and highlights how the context these actions occur in are integral for understanding their meaning. He then defines
About this workshop Introduction This workshop focuses on open-ended role plays that center around interactionally / pragmatically sensitive situations, with two goals in mind: 1) To provide examples to show how being polite or impolite is done (including phenomena such
About this workshop Introduction In this workshop, Glenn Martinez (Ohio State University) discusses how to introduce the topic of language variation and language varieties into the second language (L2) curriculum. He addresses this topic across all levels of L2 instruction.
About this workshop Introduction In the time since S. P. Corder’s article, “The Significance of Learners’ Errors,” was published, we have come to understand that errors are not necessarily indications that students have learned something incorrectly, but rather evidence regarding
About this workshop Introduction This workshop is divided into two parts: in the first, we define noticing as a cognitive phenomenon and discuss how it may emerge in interaction. We cover the following topics: the noticing hypothesis (Schmidt, 1990), attention
About this workshop Introduction Second language learners need to be able to communicate, and in order to communicate they need to know a wide range of words, as well as how to use them. In this workshop we will consider
Hélade Santos: 1) provides a working definition of authentic language materials; 2) discusses how authentic materials can be used in the second language classroom; and 3) shows examples of how she uses authentic materials in her classes.
Maryam Emami: 1) discusses how IC can be assessed in the second language classroom; 2) demonstrates her methods of assessment of IC, including her rubric; and 3) provides examples of the cycle of instruction and assessment of IC that she implements
Scott Walters (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign): 1) introduces and defines test specs; 2) discusses the reasons for using test specs in L2 assessment; 3) analyzes some existing test specs and sample items; 4) provides an example of and opportunities
About this workshop Introduction In this workshop, Silvia Kunitz discusses multipart oral exams and how they can be analyzed through a conversation analytic lens. She introduces the rationale behind multipart-oral exams, i.e., a testing format that allows the assessment of
Liang Fu (CLIC, Rice University): 1) shares her approach to a Chinese language course for health professionals (CHIN 319), with an emphasis on interactional competence (IC); 2) explains how the students were guided to discover the interactive features and social
Victoria Abad (CLIC, Rice University): 1) showcases the Spanish language course for health professionals, with emphasis on the incorporation of interactional competence (IC); 2) addresses the challenges of introducing IC; 3) guides languages teachers through the process of introducing IC; 4) presents lesson