Connect and Share: Ideas for Effective Language Teaching Strategies and Activities
A brownbag for language instructors
Friday, October 30, 2026, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
1418 Van Hise Hall
This brownbag, an informal space for language educators to connect across departments and programs, will feature presentations by graduate teaching assistants of different languages who will share successful classroom activities and examples of effective pedagogical strategies. After the brief presentations, attendees will be invited to join an open discussion.
Presentations
Culture in Stories: Exploring Arabic Language and Culture through Graphic Novels, Short Stories, and Visual Media
Laila Eissa (Arabic), Department of African Cultural Studies
In her presentation, Laila will explore the use of graphic novels, short stories, and visual media with second-semester Arabic learners. Through classroom examples and activities, she will show how these materials can support students’ language development while encouraging engagement with Arabic culture.
Creating a Low-Anxiety Language Classroom: Humor and Creativity as Pedagogical Strategies
María Paula Restrepo Florez (Spanish), Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Fear of making mistakes is a common source of anxiety in language classrooms. Starting with a concrete classroom example, in this presentation María explores how exercises that stimulate creativity and humor can reduce that anxiety by fostering more horizontal, relaxed classroom dynamics.
Teaching Pragmatics in the Language Classroom
Yaqian Zhao (Chinese), Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
In this presentation, Yaqian explores how to scaffold students’ pragmatic language use in the classroom. She will share activity designs and examples that help students notice how context shapes language choices and practice using language in different social situations.
Sponsor: University of Wisconsin–Madison Language Institute
Contact: Jana Martin
The UW–Madison Language Institute is committed to inclusive and accessible programming. To request an accommodation for this event, please contact Language Institute associate director Jana Martin at least three business days in advance.