Events and Programming
Upcoming
Planning for additional programming in 2026-27 is in the works. Stay tuned for details!
Invited lecture series on identity and language learning
- The Emotional Turn in Second Language Teacher Education, Peter De Costa, Michigan State University, 3:00-4:00 pm, Friday, September 11, 2026, 1418 Van Hise Hall.
- When Difficulty Motivates (and When It Doesn’t): What Identity-Based Motivation Theory Can Offer to Second Language Acquisition, Sophia Strietholt, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2:00-3:00 pm, Thursday, October 8, 2026, 1418 Van Hise Hall.
- Lecture by Ryuko Kubota, date and time in Spring 2027 TBD.
Other lectures and workshops
- An Introduction to ChitterChatter: AI Speaking Practice for Language Instructors, Jadon Geathers, Cornell University, 4:00 pm, Thursday, September 24, 2026, online on Zoom.
- Language and Place: Communities and Corpora, Minnie Quartey Annan, Georgetown University and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, 3:30-5:00 pm central, Friday, October 2, 2026, online on Zoom.
- Preparing for Preliminary Exams: A Panel for Graduate Students in SLA and Other Language-Related Fields, organized by SLASO, 2:30-3:30 pm, Friday, October 9, 3134 Levy Hall.
- Connect and Share: Ideas for Effective Language Teaching Strategies and Activities, brownbag, 12:00-1:00 pm, Friday, October 30, 2026, 1418 Van Hise Hall.
Conferences and workshops by national organizations. The Language Institute is the local host for the following national events:
- International Association for Language Learning Technology Conference, June 16-19, 2027. The deadline for proposals is October 16, 2026.
- ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview Workshop. Summer 2027. Details TBA.
Past
Artificial Intelligence in World Language Education, a non-credit certificate program in Summer-Fall 2026 through The Ohio State University Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures, in collaboration with the Language Institute. Registration is closed.
Interdepartmental Orientation Workshop for New Language Instructors, 1:30-4:00 pm, Monday, August 24 and 9:00-11:00 am, Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
Multilingual Socialization, Multilingualism as a First Language, and Education for Social Justice, a talk by Prof. Ajit Mohanty, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 12:00-1:00 pm, Thursday, July 23, 2026, 5631 Morgridge Hall.
Engagement & Community in Virtual Language Classrooms, a pre-service workshop for instructors of 2026 WISLI programs, Jana Martin, Language Institute, 1:00-2:30 pm, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Organized by WISLI.
Spring 2026 Events
- Series on Generative AI and Research in Language Studies
- Panel on Generative AI Throughout the Research Cycle: Ethical Considerations, 3:00 pm, Friday, January 30, 2026, 1418 Van Hise Hall.
- Workshop on Harnessing AI for Research in Applied Linguistics: From Qualitative Coding to Quantitative Analysis, Lara Bryfonski, Georgetown University, 3:00-5:00 pm, Thursday, March 19, 2026, 1418 Van Hise Hall.
- Strategies for Teaching Multi-Level LCTL Courses: An Informal Conversation, 2:00 pm, Friday, February 6, 2026. For LCTL instructors from UW–Madison and Indiana University. Contact Dianna Murphy to register.
- Brownbag, Connect and Share: Innovation and Success in Language Teaching, Spring 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm, Friday, February 20, 2026, 254 Van Hise Hall.
- Webinar, Sustaining and Strengthening Less Commonly Taught Languages in Precarious Times: Focus on Pedagogy and Placement, 2:00-3:15 pm CST, Friday, February 27, 2026, on Zoom.
- Workshop, Research Statement Writing, 10:00 – 11:30 am, Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 1418 Van Hise Hall. K.D. Thompson, Religious Studies, SLA Director; and Mariana Pacheco, Curriculum and Instruction, SLA Steering Committee member. Organized by the SLA Student Organization (SLASO).
- SLA Spring Conferences Mock Presentations, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Thursday, March 12, 2026, 1418 and 720 Van Hise Hall.
- Presentation, “Not Ghetto! Normal or Spanish”: Ideologies of Race Reflected in the Speech of Pre-Adolescents, Nandi Sims, Stanford University, 3:30 – 4:30 pm, Friday, April 10, 2026, on Zoom with an in-person viewing in 1418 Van Hise Hall
Fall 2025 Events
- AI and Questionable Research Practices: Ethical Considerations for Authors, Journal Editors, and Reviewers, a brownbag for UW–Madison researchers led by Luke Plonsky, Northern Arizona University, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Thursday, November 6, 2025, 1418 Van Hise Hall. Part of the Series on Generative AI and Research in Language Studies.
- What do you Mean by ‘Questionable’? The Ethics of Study Quality in Applied Linguistics, invited lecture by Luke Plonsky, Northern Arizona University, 3:00-4:00 pm, Thursday, November 6, 2025, 1418 Van Hise Hall. Lecture slides here.
- ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview Familiarization Workshop for UW–Madison language instructors. September-October, 2025.
- Connect and Share: Experimenting with AI in Language Teaching, a panel with recipients of Spring 2025 Language Institute instructional awards to share the outcomes of projects to pilot instructional activities or develop materials using generative AI, 11:00 am-12:00 pm, Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 1418 Van Hise Hall.
- Sustaining and Strengthening Less Commonly Taught Languages in the Big Ten in Precarious Times: A Grassroots Town Hall, 2:00 pm central, Friday, October 10, 2025, on Zoom.
- Language Teaching Philosophy Workshop for graduate students and other language educators, led by Heather Willis Allen, Department of French and Italian; Karen Evans-Romaine, Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+; and William Morgan, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, 12:30-2:00 pm, October 1, 2025, 1418 Van Hise Hall. Sponsored by the SLA Student Organization.
- To Study or Not to Study Language: Student Perspectives and Potential Responses, organized by the Berkeley Language Center and featuring a panel with Dianna Murphy, UW–Madison Language Institute, 5:00-7:00 pm central, 3:00-5:00 pm pacific, Tuesday, September 16, 2025, on Zoom.
- Interdepartmental Orientation Workshop for New Language Instructors, 1:30-4:00 pm, Monday, August 25 and 9:00-11:00 am, Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
For Language Institute events for students, please see the Languages at UW–Madison website.