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PBL Workshop with Dr. Julio Rodriguez

ILETC is pleased to announce that it will host a Workshop on Project-Based Learning (PBL), led by Dr. Julio Rodriguez, Director of the Center for Language & Technology and National Foreign Language Resource Center at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

Dr. Rodriguez will give a presentation of approximately two hours, after which participants will develop their own ideas for lessons and activities using the PBL methodology in consultation with him. Participants are expected to bring a laptop (or other device to use in activities), as well as an idea for a lesson, project, or activity to be developed during the workshop.

We invite you to secure your registration using this form. Since space is limited, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please email us if you have any questions about the workshop. 

We hope that you will take advantage of this valuable opportunity to learn more about PBL pedagogy!

Updates from the HT Team!

Greetings from the Heritage Telecollaboration team at CILC!

We are thrilled to share that on Friday, February 26th our center hosted a talk on assessment by Dr. Lorena Llosa of New York University. Following a presentation on the principles of assessment and relevant theoretical framework, Dr. Llosa elaborated upon the implications and applications of assessment in foreign language curriculum and welcomed participants to reflect and share their own perspectives and considerations on the topic.

As part of the discussion, the Seven Keys of Effective Feedback proposed by Dr. Grant Wiggins were overviewed. Wiggins’ article is available here.

Our faculty working on the HT project had the privilege of participating after the talk in a private workshop with Dr. Llosa to evaluate and discuss assessment methods for the HT projects.

The HT projects are moving forward as planned.

We are currently piloting two telecollaboration projects for heritage Spanish courses.

Dr. Laura Villa of Queens College (CUNY) and Dr. María Jesús Barros of Saint Xavier University in Chicago are currently piloting the first module of their telecollaboration project entitled Latinos en EEUU. Students are debating such topics as the political history of the terms Latino, Hispano and Spanglish, as well as issues of Hybrid Identity, Digital Etiquette and Digital Footprints. Partners have been matched using a compatibility test, and are getting ready for their first conversations, which students will complete and share with the instructors using Google Hangouts on Air.

Dr. Aránzazu Borrachero of Queensborough Community College/CUNY is piloting, together with Dr. Pedro Lange-Churión of the University of San Francisco, a telecollaboration project they are calling Mapas Alternos: comunidades latinas de Nueva York y San Francisco, in which students will explore the differences and similarities between Latino New York City and Latino San Francisco. Currently, students are completing an analysis of Latino photographers, while at the same time sharing their own vision of Latino autorretratos and discussing the power of visual representation.

In Fall 2015, Dr. Xiao Li of Queens College (CUNY) completed the pilot of the mobile telecollaboration project between her beginner heritage Chinese students and students of English at the Beijing International Studies University (China). Project design and first execution are currently being reviewed, and a complete report of the project including activities, materials, and teaching resources will be available on our website in Fall 2016.

We have begun the design phase of two telecollaborative units for Professor Wei-Yi Cheng’s heritage Chinese course at Hunter College (CUNY), in partnership with Professor Yun Guo and her English course at the New Horizon College in China. The project aims to engage students in a cross-cultural analysis of topics such as global food trends, McDonald’s global adaptations, and a cross-comparison of student life in the two target institutions and cities. The telecollaboration modules will be piloted in Fall 2016.

As the background research and development of these courses progresses, we will publish references and materials on CILC’s website. Ultimately, complete, ready-to-implement telecollaboration units based on these pilot courses will be available on our website.

Upcoming HT conference presentations

  • Heritage Language Projects at CILC
    HT representative- María Jesús Barros
    Midwest Heritage Language Summit. East Lansing, MI, April 23.
  • Mobile Language Exchange using WeChat: Intercultural Discussions Using Smartphones.
    Valeria Belmonti
    COIL (Center for Online International Learning) Conference 2016. New York, NY, April 25-26.
  • Benefits of implementing the COIL model in heritage speakers instruction.
    Laura Villa
    COIL (Center for Online International Learning) Conference 2016. New York, NY, April 25-26.
  • Latinos in the US: Promoting interaction among Heritage Language Learners through Telecollaboration.
    Laura Villa
    CALICO Conference. East Lansing, MI, May 10-14.

Valeria Belmonti is Associate Director of Technology at CILC and Coordinator of the Heritage Telecollaboration projects.

Developing the Writing Skills of Spanish Heritage Learners

Who? Instructors of Spanish heritage learners who have completed the ACTFL Writing Guidelines Familiarization Workshop

When? Half-day: 6/2

What? This workshop delineates recommendations for the teaching of writing to Spanish heritage writers who fall within two ranges of proficiency: Intermediate and Advanced. It combines (i) discussion of the results of a study of the writing of 77 heritage writers of Spanish, conducted by the Center for Integrated Language Communities (CILC)* in collaboration with ACTFL, and (ii) guided, hands-on work by participants.

Space is limited. Registration is first-come, first-served!​

Click here to register:  https://goo.gl/forms/Lflz85TPKF497M3p2​

*CILC is funded by a Title VI Grant from the US DOE.

ACTFL OPI Familiarization

Who? All language instructors

When? Two days: 5/30-5/31

What? This two-day workshop familiarizes language instructors with the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, including an overview of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, and the ACTFL Rating Scale. Participants observe and rate live interviews conducted by the trainer. They discuss the implications of proficiency for academic and professional purposes. The workshop emphasizes implications and applications for instruction and assessment.

Space is limited. Registration is first-come, first-served!​

Click here to register:  https://goo.gl/forms/Lflz85TPKF497M3p2​

Lorena Llosa to Talk in GC’s Skylight Room

Join us as NYU Professor of Education Lorena Llosa comes to the GC to talk about Assessment in the Foreign Language Classroom on Friday, February 26 at 2 PM. Her talk will be held in the Skylight Room of the Graduate Center, room 9206. The full title of her talk is Assessment in the Foreign Language Classroom: Basic Principles and Exciting Possibilities. ILETC, CILC, and The Department of World Languages at CSI (CUNY) are co-sponsoring this event.

Lorena Llosa is Associate Professor of Education in the Steinhardt School’s Department of Teaching and Learning at New York University. Trained as an applied linguist specializing in language assessment, she conducts most of her research in the context of K-16 education.

Her scholarship in assessment addresses validity issues related to the uses of assessments to evaluate English learners’ language and academic skills. Prior to joining New York University, she worked as a research analyst for the Los Angeles Unified School District where she directed a large-scale evaluation of a computer-based literacy program. She also served as a research analyst at the Center for the Study of Evaluation/CRESST at UCLA, where she worked on the development of performance assessments in English and Spanish.

For more information, please see our flyer below or contact us at ILETC@gc.cuny.edu.

Spring 2017 ILETC Events

Welcome to Spring 2017! ILETC is looking forward to a semester filled with stimulating and illuminating public events. Here’s what we have on the calendar so far:

Lectures

Analyzing the Role of Ideology in Arabic Language Accommodation
April 6, 2017, 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Room C203
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
ILETC and its partner organization CILC are excited to announce a talk on “Analyzing the Role of Ideology in Arabic Language Accommodation” by Dr. Brahim Chakrani, Associate Professor of Arabic at Michigan State University.

Workshops

Registration required, click through to each workshop for details and registration link!

Space is limited. Registration is first-come, first-served!​

ACTFL OPI Familiarization
May 30-31, 2017 (Two full days)
Room TBA
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
This two-day workshop familiarizes language instructors with the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview, including an overview of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, and the ACTFL Rating Scale.
Click link above for more details and registration link.

ACTFL Writing Guidelines Familiarization
June 1, 2017 (All day)
Room TBA
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Intended as an introduction to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 – Writing, this workshop introduces participants to the major and minor level descriptors and the criteria for assigning a global writing proficiency rating.
Click link above for more details and registration link.

Developing the Writing Skills of Spanish Heritage Learners
June 2, 2017 (Half day)
Room TBA
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
This workshop delineates recommendations for the teaching of writing to Spanish heritage writers who fall within two ranges of proficiency: Intermediate and Advanced.
Click link above for more details and registration link.

Download workshop flyer.

Heritage Telecollaboration Update: November 2015

Greetings from the Heritage Telecollaboration team at CILC! We are excited to tell you about a very special event coming up next week and several promising telecollaboration projects in the pilot and planning stages.

First, we would like to invite you to a public presentation by Sabine Levet of MIT on Cultura and the teaching of intercultural communicative competence on Thursday, November 12 at the Graduate Center, CUNY. Click the link above or in the menu at the right for more details.

Cultura is one of the most influential telecollaboration models to date, focusing on the development of intercultural communicative competence. Our faculty working on the HT project will also have the privilege of participating in a private workshop on the subject with Professor Levet the same week to develop their skills in this crucial area.

We would also like to update you on the progress of our telecollaboration projects.

Prof. Xiao Li of Queens College is currently (Fall 2015) running the first pilot of a telecollaboration between a heritage Chinese course at QC and a partner English course at the Beijing International Studies University (China). The students are participating in guided chats using WeChat, a mobile instant messaging app popular in Asia. Besides allowing both groups to practice their written language skills, we believe that encouraging reflection on the similarities and differences between Chinese and Chinese-American experiences will provide meaningful (and unexpected) cultural insights to students on both sides of the globe.

Three other courses are at the preparation stages, with first runs planned for Spring 2016. In a twist on the traditional telecollaboration model —which usually involves collaboration with partners in other countries— two CUNY Spanish professors are designing modules that will connect Latino New Yorkers with Latinos in other regions of the United States. Prof. Aránzazu Borrachero of Queensborough Community College is working with a partner course at the University of San Francisco to develop telecollaboration activities in which students will explore the differences between Latino Queens and Latino San Francisco, focusing on the self, the college experience, and city life. Prof. Laura Villa of Queens College will guide students at QC in a telecollaboration with Latino students at St. Xavier University in Chicago. They will concentrate on constructing their own definitions of Latino identity through the lens of family history. Finally, We-Yi Cheng of Hunter College has a very exciting project in the works for an intermediate heritage Chinese course that will allow students to expand their linguistic and cultural repertoires through multiple modes of telecollaboration.

As the background research and development of these courses progresses, we will publish references and materials on CILC’s website. The faculty involved will also present the results of the pilots at several conferences and submit articles for publication in academic journals. Ultimately, complete, ready-to-implement telecollaboration lesson plans based on these pilot courses will be available on the CILC website.

Watch this space for more details!

Michael Rolland is the Research Assistant for the Heritage Telecollaboration team.

Sabine Levet to Talk at Segal Theater, The Graduate Center

Sabine Levet is Senior Lecturer in French in the department of Global Studies and Languages at MIT, and has taught all levels of language and culture classes.

She is one of the original creators and developers of Cultura, which was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and received a special recognition from the American Council on Education, and is the current Cultura project director.

Join us as we welcome her to The Graduate Center to lead her presentation, “Cultura Talk” on November 12 at 6:15 PM.

Levet has written articles and chapters about the development of tools for cross-cultural understanding, and has given numerous talks and workshops on intercultural communication, the teaching of culture, and the integration of technology into the foreign language curriculum. Levet’s talk will take place in the Segal Theater and is open to the public, free of charge.

For more information, please contact ILETC at iletc@gc.cuny.edu

Fall 2015 ILETC Events

We are pleased to announce the following public event for Fall 2015:

Telecollaboration and Intercultural Learning in the Language Class: The Cultura Project
November 12, 2015, 6:15 PM
Segal Theater, The Graduate Center (CUNY)
Introduction to principles that guide the Cultura project, a COIL pedagogical model for language education.

For more information or to reserve a place at any ILETC event, email ILETC@gc.cuny.edu or call 212-817-2083.

LCCN to survey Students and Teachers of World Languages in Community College

One of our projects under Language at the Community College Nexus (LCCN) is surveys of students and instructors of world languages classes at community colleges.  When we first sat down to discuss the shape and scope of the surveys, we of course wanted to make them nationally representative.  Since we can’t access rosters with student enrollment information, we decided upon a cluster sampling method. First, we identify community colleges across the country by affiliation with the American Association of Community Colleges. Then, using a protocol, we spend time on each school’s website to identify names and contact information for language instructors. In the Fall, when we administer the survey, we will reach out to the instructors to invite them to participate. For instructors who participate, we will ask them to take the instructor survey, and to administer the student survey to one of their courses, which we will randomly select if they teach multiple courses. We piloted the survey instrument earlier this Spring and got some great feedback and results to use in improving the survey. First thing in the Fall we will pilot reaching out to instructors to estimate an anticipated response rate.

Our goal is to achieve a sample size over 1000 for students and around 100 for instructors.  Particularly for the student sample, this will allow us to generate estimates on a national level as well as explore differences between students by gender, region, etc.

If you’re curious about where these schools are and interested in some basic information about each school, Tomonori Nagano, one of the project coordinators for LCCN, created this interactive map.

We hope you’ll join us at the ACTFL 2015 Annual Convention and World Languages Expo to hear more about our methods. And don’t be surprised if you get an email from us later this year!

Eric Ketcham is the Research Assistant for the Language at the Community College Nexus project.