Language Institute
University of Wisconsin-Madison Language Institute

Interdepartmental Orientation Workshop for New Language Instructors 2023

A great start to the new semester!

On Monday and Tuesday, August 28 and 29, 39 new language instructors, representing 20 languages participated in the Inderdepartmental Orientation Workshop for New Language Instructors, organized by the Language Institute.

The workshop aimed to give beginning language instructors a basic understanding of the principles and methods of effective language teaching and lesson design. The workshop consisted of two parts: Day 1 – a demonstration lesson and a guided discussion led by faculty from sponsoring departments, followed by information about the instructional technology resources and our campus partners, including a presentation by the Teaching Assistant Association; and Day 2 – “micro-teaching” in mixed-language groups, an opportunity for new instructors to apply in practice the principles and methods covered in the large-group session.

One of the participant groups with facilitators Xania Walter, German, Nordic, Slavic+, and Rachel Maina, African Cultural Studies, after micro-teaching …

The organizers would like to thank the Planning Committee for their input and engagement, with a special thank you to the Co-Chair of the Planning Committee and demonstration lesson presenter Tianlu Zhang and to Adeola Agoke, African Cultural Studies, for a meaningful and engaging discussion around the lesson.

We appreciate and thank our 15 facilitators from the ranks of faculty, instructional staff, and experienced teaching assistants who volunteered their time and expertise for the micro-teaching part of the workshop.

THANK YOU!

Orientation Workshop Planning Committee Members

  • Tianlu Zhang – Asian Languages and Cultures, Co-Chair
  • Jana Martin – Language Institute; Co-Chair
  • Adeola Agoke – African Cultural Studies
  • Heather Allen – French and Italian
  • Loren Eadie – French and Italian
  • Fatemeh Mirsharifi – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Takako Nakakubo – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Alicia Cerezo Paredes – Spanish & Portuguese
  • Jeanne Schueller – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Anna Tumarkin – German, Nordic, and Slavic+

Faculty/Instructor Facilitators

  • Saylín Álvarez – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Fatemeh Mirsharifi – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Takako Nakakubo – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Richard Nicolas – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Anna Tumarkin – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Xania Walter – German, Nordic, and Slavic+

Experienced Teaching Assistant Facilitators

  • Leticia Guedes Barbosa – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Matthew Burner – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Levi Cross – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Amany Khafagy – African Cultural Studies
  • Charles Kilian – French and Italian
  • Rachel Maina – African Cultural Studies
  • Leah Sandner – French and Italian
  • Ji Hye Yun – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Jie Zhang – Asian Languages and Cultures

Select Resources

Sponsoring Departments

This workshop was made possible thanks to the participation of many faculty, staff, and experienced TAs from the departments of:

Adeola Agoke, African Cultural Studies, discusses best practices in language lesson design.