The pandemic offered us opportunities to deepen our existing collaborations through virtual connections across distance and institutions. In the Fall of 2020, we launched a robust professional development series focusing on three challenges – accessibility, inclusivity, and learner autonomy and agency. Representatives from all five institutions informally addressed one of these challenges from their perspective as a practitioner or researcher and engaged with what we hope has been a stimulating dialog with both their local conversant and the session attendees.
Discussion Themes
- Accessibility: How can I ensure that my teaching is accessible to all of my students?
- Inclusivity: How can I be more inclusive in my teaching? What do I need to consider and address?
- Learner Autonomy and Agency: How can I foster student engagement and autonomy? What does learner autonomy mean in a language learning environment?
All sessions with the exception of the December 17 session were scheduled for 30 minutes, 3:30-4:00 pm central, 4:30-5:00 pm eastern. Each session required a separate registration.
- Thursday, December 17, 3:30-4:30 pm central, 4:30-5:30 eastern: Language Collaboratory Networking Session
- Monday, December 7: How Facilitating Learner Autonomy Can Foster Inclusivity. Pamela Bogart, University of Michigan; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, December 3: Agency-Based Language Learning, Felix Kronenberg, Michigan State University; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, November 19: Exploring Guided and Independent Learning Practices to Promote Learner Autonomy and Self-Regulation. Brian Barnett, Emily Groepper, and Katrien Vanpee, University of Minnesota; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, November 12: The Hands-Off Approach to Student Presentations: Gallery Walks in Intermediate Language Classes. Janaya Lasker-Ferretti, University of Michigan; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, November 5: Willkommen, Bienvenido, Bienvenue, You Are Welcome Here. How Do Foreign Language Teachers Make Sense of LGBTQ Identities and Queer-Inclusive Practices in Their Classrooms. William Coghill-Behrends, University of Iowa; Session recording HERE
- Monday, October 26: Asked and Answered?: Rethinking Class Questions…and Other Examples of Asynchronous Instructional Design as Social Justice in a (Post-) Covid World. Jennifer Gipson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, October 22: Technological Phonocentrism: Teaching Strategies for Signed Languages. Rebecca Clark and Jannelle Legg, University of Iowa; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, October 15: Accommodating Diverse Student Needs in the Online and Remote Teaching Environment. Mandy Menke, University of Minnesota; Session recording HERE
- Monday, October 5: “You’re a Teacher, Not a Cop”: Prioritizing Access in Course Structure. Cecil Leigh Wilson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Session recording HERE
- Thursday, October 1: Is My Language Course Ableist? Identifying Tension Between Language Learning Course Design and Fairness for Disabled Learners. Caitlin Cornell, Michigan State University; Session recording HERE
Sponsors: University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Language Media Center; University of Michigan, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) Language Resource Center; University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Language Center; Michigan State University, Center for Language Teaching Advancement; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Language Institute