Language Institute
University of Wisconsin-Madison Language Institute

Interdepartmental Orientation Workshop for New Language Instructors

The interdepartmental orientation workshop gives new UW-Madison language instructors a basic understanding of the principles and methods of effective language teaching and lesson design in both face-to-face and online teaching environments. The workshop consists of two parts: Day 1, a demonstration lesson and a guided discussion led by faculty from sponsoring departments; 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.

In Fall 2020, the workshop will be held online through Canvas.

Workshop Schedule

1:30-4:00 pm, Monday, August 24

Lesson Demonstration and Guided Discussion

  • Welcome. Overview of workshop goals, format. Anna Tumarkin, Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic
  • Focal questions for demonstration lesson. Jeanne Schueller, Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic
  • Virtual lesson demonstration. Loren Eadie, Department of French and Italian
  • Discussion of focal points from demonstration lesson. Jeanne Schueller
  • Guided discussion of lesson plan. Instructions for micro-teaching. Loren Eadie.
  • Resources and announcements

9:00-11:00 am, Tuesday, August 25

Peer Micro-Teaching in Cross-Language Groups

Micro-teaching gives new instructors the chance to teach  and receive constructive feedback from peers.

Workshop participants are assigned to a small group of 5-6 new instructors. Each group is typically facilitated by faculty and an experienced TA. New instructors teach a 10-minute micro-lesson in the language that they are teaching in the fall, while the remaining instructors in the group act as students.

Contact:  Jana Martin, Language Institute Associate Director

Faculty/Instructor Facilitators

Adeola Agoke – African Cultural Studies

Farooq Asif – Asian Languages and Cultures

Erlin Barnard – Asian Languages and Cultures

Julie Larson-Guenette – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Scott Mellor – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Takako Nakakubo – Asian Languages and Cultures

Janpanit Surasin – Asian Languages and Cultures

Anna Tumarkin – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Experienced Teaching Assistant Facilitators

Assel Almuratova – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Tessa Archambault – French and Italian

Denise Castillo – Spanish & Portuguese

Roberto García Delgado – Spanish & Portuguese

Michelle Dutton – Spanish & Portuguese

Carolina Ferreira – Spanish & Portuguese

Matthew Greene – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Yoshiyuki Hara – Asian Languages and Cultures

Megan Kennedy – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Sophia Strietholt – German, Nordic, and Slavic

Alexander Taylor – French and Italian

 

Select Resources

Sponsoring Departments

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