Spring 2025 | Teaching Written Communication with Text-Based Tasks: A Language Pedagogy Training for Second and Heritage Language Instructors

The Center for Integrated Language Communities (CILC, one of sixteen National Language Resource Centers) is offering two virtual language pedagogy trainings—one for L2 instructors and one for heritage language instructors—in Spring 2025, as part of our Text-based Pedagogy Training project, which is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education. Participants will learn how to develop level-appropriate, text-based tasks and integrate them into an existing syllabus, avoiding the need to redesign an entire course plan. The training will also introduce participants to various strategies for implementing the tasks with their learners. Spots are limited!

Text-based instruction uses texts sourced from target-language speech communities to teach learners how to read texts critically, recognize features in the texts, and create their own texts. This pedagogy has been shown to be highly effective in advancing the linguistic development of both L2 and heritage language learners. Yet, text-based tasks are rarely included in commercially available textbooks. During this training, participants will create their own tasks and learn how to implement them, facilitating language development in a challenging and engaging way, using an approach that has been tested by research.

L2 | Arabic, Italian, Russian, & Spanish Training

Dates and Time: February 11th, 18th, 25th; March 4th, 11th, and 18th, 2025 (Tuesdays over six consecutive weeks)
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, EST
Level: High school and post-secondary
Modality: Synchronous virtual
Facilitators: Alberta Gatti and Chiara Montera
Language mentors: Hager Abouelkhair (Arabic) and Cinzia Delfini (Russian)
Registration: Open now until full or February 6th, 2025. To register, go here.

Heritage Spanish Training

Dates and Time: February 13th, 20th, 27th; March 6th, 13th, and 20th, 2025 (Thursdays over six consecutive weeks)
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, EST
Level: Post-secondary
Modality: Synchronous virtual
Facilitator: Alberta Gatti
Registration: Open now until full or February 6th, 2025. To register, go here.

Fee Schedule & Info (per training)  

  • Instructors (part- and full-time) outside CUNY and University of Pittsburgh: $150
  • Instructors (part- and full-time) at CUNY and University of Pittsburgh: $100
  • Graduate students: $50  
  • Payments by credit card incur a 2.65% service fee.
  • In order to receive a certificate, all training requirements must be completed, including attendance and assignments. 
  • Questions? Contact CILC@gc.cuny.edu.