Instructional Development Research Projects
Course Innovation of Hindi 101A (Readings in Modern Hindi Literature)
Nora Melnikova
Lecturer, South & Southeast Asian Studies
In this presentation I share an innovative reworking of a literature reading course designed for medium-high to advanced-high speakers of Hindi. The objective was to shift the curricular focus towards a curriculum that supports the development of critical thinking skills and deeper understandings of historical and societal processes through literary analysis as facilitated by a dialogic pedagogy.
Developing a Toolkit for Language Revitalization: An Interactive Meeramuni Website
Raksit Lau-Preechathammarach
Graduate Student, Linguistics
Language revitalization is a multifaceted endeavor that must ultimately be community-driven. One barrier can be the lack of accessibility to resources for those who wish to contribute. I present a language/culture learning website for Meeramuni, an endangered Yaeyaman language spoken in the southern Ryukyu Islands in Japan. The website contains prototypes of lessons, stories, games, media, and other tools. I present documentation and templates both for community members to take charge of expanding the website and for those who wish to adapt these resources to other languages.
Proverbs & the Role of Image-Making and Word-Play in the Filipino Language Classroom
Karen Llagas
Lecturer, South & Southeast Asian Studies
This BLC project explores how proverbs and word play cultivates symbolic competency and creates a more imaginative and dynamic language learning experience in the Intermediate Filipino classroom. While proverbs can be seen as “received” wisdom from oral traditions, they can also be employed and interrogated to enrich critical and creative thinking skills. The pilot attests to how proverbs can productively frame students’ engagement with themes such as issues of justice and equality and individual and collective identity.
Beyond Bilingual: Translanguaging Experiments in a Reading & Composition Course at an Aspiring Hispanic Serving Institution
Karina Palau
Lecturer, Comparative Literature
What happens when we re-envision a bilingual Spanish-English, Reading & Composition (R&C) course as an opportunity to recognize students’ unbordered language identities and value their dynamic languaging practices? Informed by emerging research on translanguaging, this project explores pedagogical strategies to enhance both student experience and the curricular goals of a Cal R&C course at a critical turning point in the University’s mission to attain HSI status and become a ‘Latinx-thriving campus.’ By outlining interventions at the level of course design and classroom activities, I propose that reaching beyond a bilingual framework to a translanguaging one has the potential to foster a sense of belonging for Spanish-speakers of all levels and produce improved learning outcomes by deepening students’ awareness of language(s)-in-use.
Friday, December 3, 2021
B-4 Dwinelle & via Zoom, 3-5 pm
This lecture is sponsored by the College of Letters and Science.