The Ever Popular TandemPlus Punch Pizza Party

TandemPlus hosted its final event of the semester at the ever popular destination of Punch Pizza in Stadium Village. With the sun shining, the pizza fresh, and the conversation lively, it was a great time for everyone to take a break from the end-of-semester hustle.

The Spring semester is just about wrapped up, with many of Tandem’s participants graduating, but Tandem will commence again in the summer semester! Look forward to registering at tandem.umn.edu sometime in early June.

TandemPlus Bowling: Scoring a Strike!

On Friday, October 24, 2014, TandemPlus held its second get-together of the semester -- a bowling party at Goldy's Gameroom in Coffman Union. About 50 people attended this event and discussed the different ways to say "strike" and "7-10 split" in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, while savoring the untranslatable flavor of Goldy's tater tots and onion rings.

Join TandemPlus for our third and final event of the semester on Wednesday, December 3 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. for the ever-popular Punch Pizza Party at Punch Pizza in Stadium Village. Like all TandemPlus events, this is open to all Tandem participants, paired and unpaired.

TandemPlus Kicks Off!

TandemPlus is off to a great start this fall. The orientation kick-off event on September 24, 2014 was quite a success. With around 60 participants, the event was lively, fun, and many languages could be heard at once, including English, Arabic, Korean, Norwegian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Participants met new friends, played games, shared stories, snacked on food, and learned more about the program.

Get ready for more Fall events! TandemPlus is hosting a bowling night at Goldy's Gameroom on October 24 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., and a pizza party at Punch in Stadium Village on December 3 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Look for more information about these events in upcoming issues of ElsieTalk, or check the TandemPlus website.

TandemPlus registration for Fall Semester closes this Friday, October 10, so anyone interested in a second-language conversation partner should register soon.

Upcoming PACE Workshop: "Using Cognitively Demanding Oral Tasks in Exploratory Practice"

Presented by Elaine Tarone
Friday, October 3, 2014, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Commons Hotel, Room TBA, 615 Washington Ave SE (East Bank)
Breakfast will be provided

This event is open to all CLA Language instructors as a PACE professional development opportunity. Please register online and email elsie@umn.edu with questions.

Elaine Tarone is the Director of the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) and a professor in the Second Language Studies Program at the University of Minnesota. Her research publications focus on the impact of social context on learner language and second language acquisition. She has published research on oral second-language processing by low-literacy learners, interlanguage variation, interaction in immersion classrooms, language play, and genre analysis. A member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers, she is a recipient of the College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Postbaccalaureate, Graduate, and Professional Education.

TandemPlus Fall 2014 Registration & Kick Off

Student registration for TandemPlus is now open! With the beginning of a new school year come new opportunities for language partnerships. This semester there are some exciting developments happening with TandemPlus.

• There are a large number of Portuguese speakers on campus this year who are seeking native English partners for exchange; Portuguese learners are needed!


• It is now mandatory for Arabic learners to participate in Tandem -- Arabic speakers are virtually guaranteed a partner.

To register, sign up at tandem.umn.edu.

Also, Tandem will hold its Fall Semester Kick Off on Wednesday, September 24, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in Nolte 140. Everyone is invited to come learn about Tandem, play language games, enjoy refreshments, and meet other language learners.

For more information about the Kick Off or registration, contact Tandem at tandem@umn.edu.

"Yes They Can! Planning the Journey" Workshop on May 21-22, 2014

The Language Center and the Committee on Second Language Education (ComSLE) is pleased to announce an opportunity for all CLA second language instructors. A two-day workshop on May 21 & 22, 2014 will serve as a sequel to the "Yes They Can!" workshop that was held on February 28. Martha Bigelow will facilitate and lead the group in a discussion of how to implement the Can Do Statements were developed by each language department during the previous workshop.

Martha Bigelow is an Associate Professor with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Interim Director of the Educator Development and Research Center. She has worked with several universities around the globe, including Vietnam, Malaysia, and Costa Rica, and has applied the theory of "backwards design" to create new curricula and materials for their various language programs. We hope that Martha's presence at our May workshop will help us to move forward with the Can Do statements that we have developed.

Wednesday, May 21 & Thursday, May 22, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided
Location: TBD

Feel free to bring a laptop or tablet (not required). If you have any questions, you can contact Caroline Vang at cevang@umn.edu.

Spring in to Annie's Parlour with TandemPlus

Spring (and Spring Jam) is almost here -- celebrate one day early with TandemPlus! On Wednesday, April 23, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., TandemPlus will hold its final event of the semester at Annie's Parlour in Dinkytown. All current TandemPlus participants are invited to come and enjoy fries, malts and more while conversing in their first and second languages. TandemPlus will cover the cost of the first round of appetizers; come early to get the free snacks. Participants who want to attend should email tandem@umn.edu to let us know you'll be there.

World Languages Day 2014: Class List now Available!

World Languages Day 2014 is fast approaching. Check out the classes available at this year's event!

Thanks to the University of Minnesota's creative and talented language instructors, we are able to offer almost sixty classes representing more than twenty different languages.

This year's event features several classes intend to expand students' knowledge of the language they currently study in high school. These options include a variety of Spanish immersion courses, such as ¡Wacala!/Yuck!, where students can learn about all things gross, and ¡Bienvenidos a Argentina!, which will immerse students in the history, geography and culture of Argentina. Students of Chinese can try practicing their conversation skills with native Chinese speakers in TandemPlus Chinese Language Exchange. Self-Assessment classes are offered for Chinese, French, German and Spanish students interested in learning more about their own language skills.

Students can also sample a brand new language or culture. We are offering a variety of introductory language courses, including Basic Ojibwe, Survival Finnish, and Introduction to Arabic!, as well as many culture classes. Students can learn some new dance moves in Come Enjoy Bhangra Dance!, or explore international art in The Art of Paperfolding 'Origami' and Bastelstunde! German Arts & Crafts.

This year's World Languages Day has something for everyone!

Encore Session of VoiceThread Workshop: Part 2

By popular demand, the Language Center will offer another opportunity to attend the VoiceThread Workshop: Part 2 on Friday, April 4, 2014. The session will be held from 10:10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Jones 15.

The previous session of VoiceThread Part 2 went very smoothly, and the instructors who attended were able to create VoiceThread "Groups" and then a sample activity using the "Group" feature. One instructor was thrilled to be able to have her lessons and exercises made available online with VoiceThread. Another instructor commented how easy it was to incorporate a VoiceThread lesson into Moodle.

If you are interested in attending, please register in advance: http://z.umn.edu/vt3. Email Caroline Vang at cevang@umn.edu with questions about this workshop.

Spanish Advanced-Level Certificate: Second Orientation and Workshop

Students interested in pursuing the Spanish Certificate of Advanced-Level Proficiency are invited to attend an orientation session on Friday, March 14, 3:00-4:30 p.m. in Jones 15 to learn more about this Certificate and and ask questions.

This is the final Certificate event of Spring 2014. Graduating seniors interested in completing the certificate this academic year are strongly encouraged to attend.

The event will begin with general information about the Certificate program from Spanish Advising representatives. They will summarize the six Required Steps for the Certificate, including the ACTFL exam of advanced-level proficiency, which is the capstone of the program.

Next, Language Testing staff will help students take the Self-Assessment and interpret their results. Attendees should be aware that, rather than being a practice session for the ACTFL exam, the Self-Assessment is an opportunity for students to actively reflect on their ability to use Spanish. This can help them determine if they are ready to succeed on all the four sections of the ACTFL exam. It is also one of the six Required Steps necessary to complete the Certificate, and is essential for writing a successful Critical Reflection Essay.

Registration for the event is not required. However, potential candidates for the Certificate are encouraged to fill out this short form to be informed of upcoming events and opportunities.

TandemPlus Pre-Spring Pizza Party

It's the week before Spring Break. Your language students hungry and their second-language skills are depleted after midterms; what can they do? Tell them to refresh themselves at the TandemPlus Spring Pizza Party on Wednesday, March 12 from 3:30 - 5:00 at Punch Pizza in Stadium Village! Like all Tandem events, the pizza party is open to all TandemPlus registrants as well as interested students and community members. There will be many great opportunities to practice one's language of study and maybe even dabble in learning a new one! We'll provide the pizza -- you provide the conversation!

TandemPlus Kicked Off With Style

On Tuesday, February 11, TandemPlus held its Spring Kickoff Event in Nolte Hall. More than 40 attendees came to check out the new Tandem registration system, enjoy refreshments, and most importantly meet other Tandem participants to engage in multilingual conversation circles. The biggest groups were Korean-English and Arabic-English, reflecting the growing numbers of learners and native speakers of those languages on campus. Also, an enthusiastic, multi-national French-English group conversed, along with a large Chinese-English group.

Spring registration for TandemPlus will close on Friday, February 28, so tell your students who are interested to sign up soon at tandem.umn.edu.

Spanish Advanced-Level Certificate: March Orientation and Workshop

Students interested in pursuing the Spanish Certificate of Advanced-Level Proficiency are invited to attend an orientation session on Friday, March 14, 3:00-4:30 p.m. in Jones 15 to learn more about this certificate and and ask questions. There will also be an opportunity to take the self-assessment instrument. Testing and Advising staff will be on hand to help students interpret their results.
Registration for the event is not required. However, potential candidates for the certificate are encouraged to fill out this short form to be informed of upcoming events and opportunities.

VoiceThread Workshop

Are you curious what VoiceThread is? Or how it can be applied in your language classroom? The Language Center will host a 2-hour workshop introducing the basics of VoiceThread and showcasing different examples of VoiceThread activities that you can use with your own classes.

Easily create interactive presentations, generate threaded student comments, get students to describe images orally and to record videos of themselves talking in your language. Come find out about what this voice-recording and presentational tool can do!

The workshop will be held on February 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Jones 35.

Please register at http://z.umn.edu/j92 by February 5th, 2014.

TandemPlus Spring Kickoff & Orientation

We are excited to announce that on Tuesday, February 11, TandemPlus will host the Spring Kick-off and Orientation Event from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Nolte 140. The event is open to all TandemPlus registrants as well as interested students and community members. At the event, participants will be able to meet other Tandem folk, try out some Tandem Speed chats (such as Spanish-English, Arabic-English, Chinese-English, and just English), learn about Tandem Plus and the self-matching feature, and enjoy free snacks and refreshments. Everyone is invited!

Join TandemPlus for Turkey Bowl!

The TandemPlus Culture and Conversation Program will host Bowling Night on Friday, November 22 at Goldy's Gameroom in Coffman Union from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The event is open to all TandemPlus participants, both paired and unpaired. TandemPlus will cover the cost of games and it is Free Shoe Friday. As an added bonus, it is Turkey Bowl at Goldy's, meaning if you bowl 8 pins with no tap, you win a plush turkey, or other prizes. Join us for fun, food, plush turkeys and foreign languages!

Parlez-Vous Pizza?

TandemPlus hosted a Pizza Social at Punch Pizza in Minneapolis on Tuesday, October 29. This event, which was attended by approximately 60 TandemPlus participants, provided language learners with an opportunity to use their first and second language skills while enjoying free pizza and beverages.

Native Spanish speaker Malca Garavito commented, "It's nice being here because you have the opportunity to listen to native English speakers, or people who speak the language you're practicing, so you get used to it.

Native English speaker Chris Senn said, "I'm really happy I found someone who can help me with my Chinese."

The next (and final) TandemPlus event of the semester, which is open to all participants (both partnered and unpartnered) will be bowling at Goldy's Game Room in Coffman Union on either November 21 or 22; stay tuned for more details.

TandemPlus Past and Upcoming Events

The TandemPlus Conversation Program hosts several events throughout the semester which allow language learners to meet each other, use their second- and first-language skills, and enjoy refreshments in a fun, casual environment. We hosted our initial kickoff event on Friday, September 27, when about 60 people met and played multilingual games such as "2 Truths and a Lie" in two (or more) languages.

Our next event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 29 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Punch Pizza in Stadium Village. Attendees can get to know other TandemPlus participants and use their first and second languages while enjoying a snack of pizza and beverages, courtesy of Punch and TandemPlus. This event is open to anyone who's registered for TandemPlus this semester; if you'd like to attend, please send email tandem@umn.edu to get on the guest list.

TandemPlus Event: Summer Pizza Social

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013, TandemPlus hosted its summer event, a Pizza Social. The event was cozy and personable with approximately ten attendees. Guests broke into two groups and exchanged friendly conversation about cultural differences and the difficulty of learning a new alphabet. Everyone enjoyed lunch from Mesa Pizza and lemonade.

Cold Nose, Warm Onion Rings

TandemPlus's final event for the spring semester was an Ice Cream Social held at Annie's Parlour in Dinkytown on Friday, May 3. Due to the cold, snowy weather, Tandem provided the 25+ attendees with hot appetizers like french fries and onion rings, and many participants shared malts with their friends.

Participants at the event discussed academics, student life, plus their experiences with Tandem. Student Sean Nelson, who is in a Japanese-English Tandem partnership, said: "The events put on by TandemPlus ... have opened up new connections between people who are learning the same language as me along with other people who are learning different languages. They've also contributed to my understanding of how interconnected languages can be. Speaking with the Chinese students along with students who are learning Chinese, has taught me how certain things in Japan have come to be. It has also taught me certain differences between the Chinese characters used in Japanese compared to the Chinese characters used in China."

We're thrilled that Sean and other students have gotten so much out of the events, and look forward to hosting more TandemPlus events again starting in Fall.