Webinar Series: “Advances in World Language Pedagogy-The CALPER Professional Development Webinars”

The Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER) is pleased to announce three free webinars in Spring 2023, as part of the webinar series:Advances in World Language Pedagogy-The CALPER Professional Development Webinars, for language educators. The free and accessible webinars are led by specialists with expertise in a variety of pedagogical approaches that can be used to support and enhance the teaching and learning of world languages. Please find more information at our website and share this excellent professional development opportunity with your colleagues and graduate students.

Registration is free but required: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N1HacRDoS8eUXlFxhZPkNA


Here is the list of webinars in Spring 2023:


Embracing Sociolinguistic Variation in the L2 Arabic Classroom
February 8, 2023, 4:00-5:30PM (New York Time)
The goal of this webinar is to provide teachers and program administrators with newways of imagining how sociolinguistic variation can be incorporated into the L2 Arabic classroom. Attendees will first learn about sociolinguistic variation as a useful framework for rethinking the great “Integration Debate” over the role of diglossia in an L2 curriculum. After a brief overview of relevant research findings, attendees will be introduced to a range of print and digital materials that can support the teaching of sociolinguistic variation. Finally, attendees will see concrete examples of classroom activities in a fully-integrated curriculum.
Presenter: Lizz Huntley, Michigan State University


Dual-language Immersion and Content-based Language Courses Development
March 29, 2023, 4:00-5:30PM (New York Time)
The development of content-based foreign language curricula is often targeted at courses intended for intermediate to advanced level learners. This approach can present a barrier to accessible and large-scale language study for professional purposes.  Creating beginning-level content-based courses engages students in applied learning as they recognize the immediate function of language skills in their careers and professional pathways. This webinar presents a series of examples of entry-level content-based courses and programs developed both for undergraduate and graduate learners.  Examples include: Medical Spanish, Spanish for Law Enforcement, World Literature (available Chinese and Spanish), Spanish for Social graduate certificate program, as well as additional offerings being developed in other languages. The presentation will conclude with an overview of recommended approaches and best practices in developing content-based courses and learning activities.
Presenter: Brody Bluemel, Delaware State University


Best Practices in L2 Pronunciation Teaching
April 19, 2023, 4:00-5:30PM (New York Time)
This webinar will provide an overview of best practices in L2 pronunciation teaching, both in face-to-face (F2F) and online classroom settings. After a short introduction of research principles that inform teaching practice, the presenter will show how this research translates to best practices in the F2F and online classroom by discussing what to prioritize in pronunciation teaching and how different phases of pronunciation teaching build on one another. Attendees will receive concrete examples of activity types for teaching pronunciation, such as teaching pronunciation (1) with the inductive approach, (2) through peer corrective feedback, (3) through web-based apps and programs, and (4) through homework assignments.
Presenter: Ines Martin, United States Naval Academy