Upcoming CARLA Presentations with Language Center Connection

Development of Academic Writing Skills in the Spanish Major
Monday, March 7, 2016
12:20-1:10 p.m.
University International Center 101

In this presentation, we will explore the writing development of undergraduates in the Spanish major. The presentation will begin with a comparison of student writing with self-reported faculty expectations, highlighting incongruities between the two and the potential impact of under-defined criteria in assignment descriptions and rubrics. From there, we will explore the linguistic forms and expressions students use to fulfill one of these criteria—adoption of a critical and analytical stance—via a function-form analysis.

Presenters: Ana Maria Anderson is a Ph.D. student in Hispanic Linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies. She has done work in a variety of areas of linguistics, including studies of Metaphor and of Second/Third Language Acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese, and her main focus is on Language Contact between Galician and Castellano in Galicia.

Mandy Menke is an Assistant Professor of Hispanic Linguistics and Director of Language Programs in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies. She regularly researches topics related to both second language acquisition and foreign language pedagogy, at both the university and K-12 levels.

Cosponsored by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the PACE Project.


Implementing Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) in University Foreign Language Teaching
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
12:20-1:10 p.m.
Nolte 140

In this presentation, instructors from the Departments of German, Scandinavian and Dutch and Spanish & Portuguese will share their experiences implementing Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) in first-year and second-year foreign language courses, including the challenges and successes. The presentations will be followed by 15-20-minute Q&A session.

Presenters: Angela Carlson Lombardi, Beth Kautz, Elizabeth Lake & Helena Ruf
Cosponsored by the CLA Language Center PACE project. Beth Kautz is an Education Specialist in the CLA Language Center.


Developing Communicative Resilience in Language Learners
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
12:20-1:10 p.m.
University International Center 101

Language learners need communicative resilience: the ability to persist in unrehearsed interactions even in the face of communication breakdowns. The present study analyzes the effect of continuous and explicit instruction of communication strategies on the communicative resilience of intermediate level adult learners of German.

The treatment in this study included weekly input in the form of core vocabulary and training activities. A comparison of pre- and post-tests show a substantial rise in the learners’ ability to manage communicative breakdowns and interact successfully despite them. This study has implications for teaching interpersonal communication skills to language learners and in improving their self-confidence while engaging in unrehearsed interactions in a second language.

Presenters: Anuradha Gopalakrishnan and Beth Kautz

Cosponsored by the Second Language Education Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Beth Kautz is an Education Specialist in the CLA Language Center.