2022 Spring Speaker Series
Talk #1: 3:30-5PM, Thursday, Feb 10
Speaker: Joshua Gordon, Ph.D.
Email: joshua.gordon@uni.edu
Title: Second Language Pronunciation Instruction: Addressing High-Value Features to Enhance Intelligibility in Intercultural Communication
Abstract: Research in second language (L2) pronunciation has demonstrated the positive benefits of explicit phonetic/phonological instruction to help learners achieve intelligible L2 speech (Lee et al., 2015; Saito & Plonsky, 2019; Thomson & Derwing, 2015). Despite the positive benefits of explicit pronunciation instruction in enhancing oral communication (Darcy, 2018; Derwing & Munro, 1995, 2020), pronunciation is not necessarily taught systematically in many cases (Couper, 2017; Foote et al, 2011, 2016; Huensch, 2019). This presentation will address relevant aspects needed for the implementation of L2 pronunciation instruction using a communicative framework (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010), such as (a) basic aspects of L2 speech development theory, (b) the teaching of segmentals (vowels & consonants) and suprasegmentals (e.g., stress, rhythm, intonation) within a communicative framework, and (c) the benefits of using non-native models of L2 pronunciation in the L2 classroom. The presenter will review basic theoretical aspects that are relevant to the implementation of research-based pronunciation teaching practices and demonstrate pedagogical suggestions to be incorporated in the L2 classroom.
Biographical Information: Presenter: Joshua Gordon, Ph.D.
Joshua Gordon is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the University of Northern Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has taught ESL, EFL, and Spanish as a foreign language. He has trained pre-service and in-service teachers in the United States and in Costa Rica. His research interests include second-language pronunciation teaching and learning, second-language teacher cognition, and nonnative-speaking teachers of English.
Talk #2: 3:30-5PM, Friday, March 25
Speaker: L.J. Randolph Jr, Cassandra Glynn
TITLE: Teaching World Language through a Lens of Social Justice
Email: cglynn@cord.edu
Abstract: In this talk, we will examine some key foundational principles for teaching for social justice in world language classes. This will be followed by a discussion of entry points into curriculum, critically examining curricular materials, and adaptations for assessments, with some attention given to critical moments and current events that need to be addressed in the classroom.
Biographical Information:
L. J. Randolph Jr., Ed.D., is an associate professor of Spanish and Education and coordinator of the World Language Teacher Education Program at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Dr. Randolph’s teaching career has spanned nearly 20 years, including a decade as a Spanish and ESOL teacher at the secondary level. At the university level, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Spanish language, contemporary Latina/o/x cultures, and second language teaching methods. He has also directed study abroad programs in China, Mexico, Spain, and the Dominican Republic for secondary, undergraduate, and graduate students. Dr. Randolph’s research, publications, and professional engagement have focused on a variety of critical issues in language education, including teaching Spanish to heritage and native speakers and incorporating justice-oriented and anti-colonial pedagogies. He has authored/co-authored several publications and given dozens of scholarly presentations on those topics. He is a co-editor of the forthcoming book How We Take Action: Social Justice in K-16 Classrooms. Throughout Dr. Randolph’s career, he has served in leadership roles in various language organizations, including president of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC), president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), coordinator of the Cape Fear Foreign Language Collaborative (CFFLC), board member for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and founding vice-chair of ACTFL’s special interest group for Critical and Social Justice approaches.
Dr. Cassandra Glynn is an Associate Professor of Education at Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. She also serves as Director of Graduate Education, overseeing the Master of Education in World Language Instruction in partnership with Concordia Language Villages and the Master of Education with a concentration in Teaching and Learning. She received her MA and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Minnesota with a focus in Second Languages and Cultures Education. Dr. Glynn’s research interests center around the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented students in world language classes and on world language teachers’ experiences as they take critical approaches to teaching languages and cultures. Her work has been published in journals such as the L2 Journal, Modern Language Journal, Language Teaching Research, and the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She is co-author of Words and Actions: Teaching Languages through the Lens of Social Justice (ACTFL, 2014, 2018) and co-editor of the forthcoming volume Transforming World Language Teaching and Teacher Education for Equity and Justice: Pushing Boundaries in U.S. Contexts. Prior to starting at Concordia College, Dr. Glynn taught middle school language classes and high school German, including dual credit, and worked in the German and French Villages at Concordia Language Villages.
Talk #3: 3:30-5PM, Thursday, April 7
Speaker: Anita Nadal
Email: nadalaa@vcu.edu
Title: Engaging Service-Learning
Abstract: This presentation will focus on community-engaged professional experiences with various communities in the greater Richmond area and abroad. Over the past 10 years, I have worked with Latin American, Roma, and Mixteco immigrant populations across the metro-Richmond region and abroad. This presentation will inform the audience on how to build relationships within various communities and how to follow through by providing guidance for successful engaged community service. This presentation focuses on the interactions among the community liaisons, students and myself, and the profound effect that these experiences have had on my personal and professional practices.
Biographical Information: https://chs.vcu.edu/about/directory/anita-nadal.html