The mission of CERCLL is to support the educational community and the nation by providing resources and research focused on culture, language and literacy in less commonly taught languages (LCTLs).
CERCLL will serve as a unique local, regional, and national resource for scholars, academic professionals, teachers and others interested in improving our nation's capacity to deliver high quality, pedagogically sound, and cost-effective instruction in foreign languages. The majority of CERCLL's projects focus on the teaching and learning needs of the LCTLs, and many are aimed at increasing the nation's capacity to produce Americans with advanced proficiency in the LCTLs, through the development, assessment, publication and dissemination of instructional materials in the LCTLs. In accordance with the invitational priorities, we have several projects that include languages spoken in the Middle East and have been developed with UA's Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), which is a Title VI National Resource Center (NRC); we also have projects developed in collaboration with UA's Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS).
Second language acquisition research shows that it is sometimes very difficult for learners at the intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency in foreign languages – especially LCTLs – to make advances in literacy skills as quickly and efficiently as possible. We want to help learners attain not just emergent but active literacy through CERCLL's projects. We also choose to define literacy broadly. We will address not only traditional concepts of literacy related to the reading of printed text, but also the concept of new/multi-literacies, which we understand to include at least cultural literacy and use of the new technologies (e.g., technological literacy, media literacy). Knowledge of a language and ability to read authentic texts mean that the language learner also has to understand the cultural and social context in which that language is used. In short, learners need to attain a level of social and cultural literacy that will allow them to read with deepened understanding. Thus, teachers need to be trained to weave cultural and social information into their language courses in ways that will engage the learners and have effective results.
Our projects will encompass culture and literacy as we:
- conduct and disseminate research on new and improved methods for teaching foreign languages,including the use of advanced educational technology;
- develop and disseminate new teaching materials reflecting the results of such research research in effective teaching strategies;
- develop, apply and disseminate performance assessments for use as a standard and comparable
- train teachers in the administration and interpretation of performance tests, the use of effective
- teaching strategies, and the use of new technologies;
- develop and disseminate materials designed to serve as a resource for K-16 foreign language teachers;
- operate academic year and summer intensive workshops to provide professional development for K-16 language teachers.
CERCLL is located in the Learning Technologies Center at The University of Arizona and brings together faculty members and other academic professionals from throughout the university, from such diverse areas as the College of Humanities, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the College of Education, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Center for Latin American Studies, as well as the Critical Languages Program, Partnership Across Languages (PAL), which brings together foreign language teachers at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College and local high schools, among many others.
CERCLL's local advisory board provides feedback and guidance for the Center. The advisory board is composed of individuals from the University of Arizona and the Southern Arizona Community. Advisory board members and their affiliation are: Janet Nicol, SLAT Program, The University of Arizona, Kim Jones, SLAT Program, The University of Arizona, Mary Wildner-Bassett, SLAT Program, The University of Arizona, Stephanie Duisberg, Partnership Across Languuages, Patricia Houston,Pima Community College, Catalina Rodriquez, Tucson Unified School District and Robert Young, the International School of Tucson.
National Advisory Board - meeting, March 2008
CERCLL's national advisory board is composed of the following individuals: Micheline Chalhoub-Deville, U of North Carolina - Gainsboro, Ray Clifford, Brigham Young University, Claire Kramsch, University of California, Berkeley, Carmen Chaves Tesser, University of Georgia.
Special thanks to Mark Voss for permission to use his photos. Visit Mark's website http://www.markvoss.com/Photo/photo.htm
