Speaking of Language

Shannon Spasova, Technology Specialist in the Center for Language Teaching Advancement at Michigan State University and Assistant Professor of Russian, speaks with us about useful tools for teaching and learning language online. #очевидно  

David Ortega, Language Technology Specialist in the Center for Language Study at Yale University, discusses strategies for engaging learners remotely. #わびさび #侘寂

As we continue our special focus on language teaching and learning strategies in a virtual space, we welcome Andrew Ross to our podcast. Dr. Ross is the director of the Language Center at Harvard University. He joins us to discuss the role of the language center supporting teachers and students in these times. 

In this episode, we are joined once again by our colleague Chris Kaiser, Program Manager for the Shared Course Initiative, a collaborative agreement among Columbia, Cornell, and Yale Universities to share instruction in the less commonly taught languages. Chris shares several philosophies and strategies for assessing students in a time of social distance.

What it is, Speaking of Language listeners! As we're sure you can imagine, our usual schedule here at the Language Resource Center has been disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. But fear not — we still plan to deliver weekly podcasts to you, both to maintain a sense of normalcy in an unusual time, and to keep you up to date on teaching and learning strategies for language in a virtual space, as we all do our best to flatten the curve through quarantine and social distance. For this week, though, please enjoy a re-run of one of our early episodes with one of the masters of language teaching in a synchronous virtual space: Adeolu Ademoyo. Adeolu Ademoyo is a senior lecturer in Yoruba language and culture at Cornell. His research interests include: African Philosophy: Ethics, Epistemology and Aesthetics, the locus of African Languages in delineating met-ethical concepts in African moral discourse, gender issues, and family and social structures.

Story/Lines: Visual Narratives in Japanese Pop Culture is a new exhibit at the Cornell library about the history of manga and its relevance in Japanese culture. We speak with exhibit curators Dan McKee, Karl Rozyn, and Aparna Ghosh about how the comic-book universe can be integrated into learning and teaching.

Ali Moeller, Edith S. Greer Professor of Language Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, joins us on campus as part of our monthly LRC Speaker Series to give a talk titled “Pathways to Language and Intercultural Proficiency.” She discusses how language learners can take on the role of cultural anthropologist for greater success and deeper engagement in the classroom and beyond.

Angelika interviews some fellow attendees of Language Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Trey Calvin, Managing Director of JNCL-NCLIS Rebecca Blouwolff, ACTFL Teacher of the Year 2020, French, Wellesley Middle School in Wellesley, MA  Jenny Delfini, Spanish, Lenape Elementary in New Paltz, NY Keith Cothrun, Executive Director of AATG  Meredith White, Spanish, Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA We learn what LAD is all about,  why it is so important to advocate for languages on the Hill, and how these colleagues share what they learned back in their schools and districts. To learn more about Language Advocacy Day, legislative priorities, and what you can do to advocate for languages, visit languagepolicy.org.

Cornell senior Charlie Accurso describes his experiences as a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellow, and the many opportunities he has been afforded as a speaker of many languages. FLAS Fellowships are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and help graduate and undergraduate students acquire high levels of competence in languages that are deemed critical to the national needs of the United States, and also to gain a fuller understanding of the areas, regions, or countries in which those languages are commonly used. At Cornell, FLAS fellowships are offered through the South Asia Program and the Southeast Asia Program. The following languages are offered: Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Persian, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil, Modern Tibetan, Urdu (SAP) Burmese, Khmer, Indonesian/Malay, Filipino (Tagalog), Thai, Vietnamese (SEAP) Application deadline is Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 4:30 pm. For more information, visit bit.ly/CornellFLAS

Sam and Angelika welcome John Graves, the newest team member at the Cornell University Language Resource Center. John talks about growing up in a bilingual household, considers how to apply his educational philosophies as the new instructional designer and project manager at the LRC, and shares some heart-pounding stories from his past teaching experiences.