CERCLL hosted a series of three webinars focused on the theme of Literacy-based Lesson Planning in the language classroom. We invite you to watch the recorded presentations for one, two, or all three of these events.

Crafting Compelling Experiences: The Power of Stories, Scaffolding, & Sharing

Saturday, November 7, 10-11:30AM (Arizona)

Webinar presented by Cherice Montgomery (Brigham Young University).

Filmmakers are experts at producing memorable movies that educate, entertain, and inspire their audiences. Teachers have similar goals, but sometimes hesitate to engage learners with authentic texts or “real life issues,” fearing that the necessary language will be too complex for them to understand.  During this 90-minute, interactive webinar, you will: (1) learn a step-by-step process for skillfully integrating culturally authentic texts into meaningful interpretive communication activities; (2) explore effective techniques for supporting learners’ comprehension; (3) experience interactive activities for assessing learners’ understanding.  Bring your textbook, a lesson you’d like to improve, and your creativity!

View the webinar recording here


Multimodal Pedagogies in the L2 Classroom: Moving from Language to a Communication Paradigm

Wednesday, November 18, 10-11:30AM (Arizona)

Webinar presented by José Aldemar Álvarez Valencia (Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia).

The current communication landscape shows that communication is multimodal by nature. This new perspective on language and communication impacts second language acquisition and pedagogical practices directly. Multimodal pedagogies intend to bring this perspective into second/foreign language classrooms by highlighting the centrality of modes of communication and transmodal practices in the design of tasks that engage learners in processes of language/communication appropriation. By looking at language as one more semiotic resource among many others that make up communication ecologies, multimodal pedagogies recognize and look for ways to articulate and rearticulate students’ cultural semiotic resources, including their languages, their embodied communicative practices, and their identity affiliations.

View the webinar recording here


Re-Envisioning Writing Instruction Using a Design Approach

Saturday, December 5, 10-11:30AM (Arizona)

Webinar presented by Heather Willis Allen (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

Writing is a critical skill in personal, educational, and professional domains, yet its role in L2 (second language) education in the United States is unclear and several recent studies have identified presentational writing as the most difficult modality to teach and the one that students struggle with the most. In this 90-minute webinar, we will explore the principles of Design writing instruction and discuss pedagogical examples of how this approach can be used to integrate L2 reading and writing, to facilitate learners’ familiarity with and use of appropriate L2 writing conventions, and to foster dialogue around the process and products of L2 writing. For the application stage of this workshop, please bring a presentational writing assignment that you have used in the past and want to improve or revise.

View the webinar recording here