We are very pleased to announce the creation of The Language Collaboratory, a partnership for the advancement of intercollegiate dialogue on the teaching of languages and cultures, driven by language centers and institutes at the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The purpose of this initiative is to provide collaborative professional development opportunities for educators of language, culture, and literature at the five institutions.
The pandemic offers us opportunities to deepen our existing collaborations through virtual connections across distance and institutions. We are launching a robust professional development series focusing this semester on three challenges - accessibility, inclusivity, and learner autonomy and agency. Representatives from all five institutions will informally address one of these challenges from their perspective as a practitioner or researcher and engage with what we hope to be a stimulating dialog with both their local conversant and the session attendees.
Mondays or Thurdsdays 3:30-4:00pm CST/4:30-5:00pm EST
Discussion Themes:
- Accessibility: How can I ensure that my teaching is accessible to all of my students? What do I need to think about?
- 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?
1st Session on October 1st
Is my language course ableist?
Identifying tension between language learning course design and fairness for disabled learners with Caitlin Cornell (MSU). Click Here to Register
