LRC Activities 2006-2010
The Center for Advanced Research on Language
Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota, a U.S. Department
of Education Title VI Language Resource Center since 1993, will
add to its resources for language teachers at all levels of instruction.
With continued LRC funding and substantial institutional support,
CARLA will actively collaborate with programs within the University
and across the country to work on the following projects:
Less Commonly Taught Languages Project
To better assess and serve the nation’s strategic needs for
expertise in less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), project staff
will expand CARLA’s frequently-accessed database on where
LCTLs are taught; develop an online LCTL teacher support center
with links to teaching resources; add new LCTL listservs; and offer
its popular yearly summer institute for LCTL teachers.
Web-Based Strategy Instruction for Spanish
To respond to needs identified by a literature review on grammar
learning in Spanish, CARLA will construct and field test a strategy
instruction website fostering students’ development of grammar
skills in Spanish.
Language Immersion Project
To deepen its support for language immersion educators, CARLA will
expand the American Council on Immersion Education (ACIE) membership,
publish its tri-yearly newsletter and maintain its listserv; offer
two levels of intensive summer institutes for immersion teachers
annually; and expand the immersion website, adding an instructional
module for on-demand immersion teacher development.
Language Assessment Project
To expand professional development in classroom-based language
assessment, CARLA will offer training on developing integrated performance
assessment (IPA) units, specifically targeting K-12 LCTL teachers;
create a web-based version of the existing Contextualized Speaking
Assessment (CoSA); offer annual summer institutes on assessment.
Language Teacher Targeted Technology Training (LT4)
To support K-12 language teachers’ need for new technologies,
LT4 staff will coordinate national and state language and technology
organizations to deliver technology training workshops; develop
a technology presenter database; enhance and expand online instructional
modules for K-12 language teachers on uses of technology; and offer
its annual summer institute on uses of technology.
Language Teacher Education Conference
To meet the needs of language teacher educators, CARLA will continue
to sponsor the biennial Language Teacher Education Conference. CARLA
will offer the conference in May 2007 at the University of Minnesota
and will assist the National Capital Language Resource Center in
hosting the conference in spring 2009 in Washington D.C.
CARLA will continue to improve language teaching and learning through
its extensive website, popular summer institute program, publications
in national journals and in the CARLA working paper series, and
presentations at professional conference venues around the country.
|
