Language Institute
University of Wisconsin-Madison Language Institute

Interdepartmental Orientation Workshop for New Language Instructors 2024

A great start to the new semester!

On Monday and Tuesday, August 26 and 27, 50 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.

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 17 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!

Workshop Presenters

  • Tianlu Zhang – Asian Languages and Cultures, Co-Chair
  • Adeola Agoke – Asian Languages and Cultures

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
  • Ida Moen Johnson – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Byung-Jin Lim – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Takako Nakakubo – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Rajiv Rao – Spanish & Portuguese
  • Jeanne Schueller – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Anna Tumarkin – German, Nordic, and Slavic+

Faculty/Instructor Facilitators

  • Mateo Burner – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Hong Dinh – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Julie Larson-Guenette – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Takako Nakakubo – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Richard Nicolas – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Katya Pak – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Jeanne Schueller – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Yuki Shimizu – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Xania Walter – German, Nordic, and Slavic+

Experienced Teaching Assistant Facilitators

  • Levi Cross – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Robin Cummins – German, Nordic, and Slavic+
  • Mathilde Garnier – French and Italian
  • Zimo Kong – Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Florencia Mazzei – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Avery Puskas – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Annika Wallander – Spanish and Portuguese
  • Cassandra Winkelman – German, Nordic, and Slavic+

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.