First PACE Professional Development Event Held August 29, 2014

The first in an ongoing series of events supported by the PACE project was held Friday, August 29 on the topic of "What is 'Proficiency'? What is 'Acquisition'?"

Under the guidance of CARLA Director and Professor Elaine Tarone, participants considered samples of learner language to gauge language proficiency development in terms of dimensions used by second language acquisition researchers. Of particular importance was the interplay among three crucial areas of focus: Accuracy, Fluency, and Complexity. Approximately 100 language instructors representing a variety of language programs were in attendance.

The next event will be held October 3, 2014. Details will follow later this semester.