PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MODULES
Teaching Toward Professional Level Presentational Skills
These professional development modules were designed to help language teachers build a repertoire of strategies to teach presentational skills. The modules are based on content created for workshops and refer to the Flagship Video Showcase to illustrate learner performance and proficiency level markers. The modules provide background knowledge on presentational mode with a focus on advanced level skills. Particular strategies to teach these skills in Arabic, Chinese and Russian are considered.
MODULE 1
Introduction to Teaching Presentational Speaking
By the end of this module, you will be able to plan a scaffolded series of assignments to enable students to give presentations in a variety of subgenres; define and explain some aspects of self-regulated learning to students at the Intermediate (ILR 1) and Advanced (ILR 2) levels; evaluate ways to enable students at the Intermediate and Advanced levels to identify their own learning styles; and evaluate and compare ways in which you can enable learners to develop their metacognitive learning strategies.
Module 2
Understanding ILR Level 3 (Presentational Mode)
The purpose of this module is to help current and prospective language instructors prepare students for the professional levels of proficiency by identifying the main features of an ILR-3 student performance in the target language using video recordings of performances submitted by Flagship Overseas Capstone students. The module goes on to focus on the changing role of the teacher in transitioning students from classroom-focused instruction to the kind of autonomous, self-managed language/cultural learners capable of meeting the demands of Level 3 presentations in their target language.
MODULE 3
Developing Intercultural Competence in Superior-Level Arabic Classrooms
This module addresses Intercultural Competence (ICC) at the Professional-level of spoken Arabic. Using an example from American culture, you will first understand what Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives are, and how they impact communication. Then, you will be familiarized with the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) descriptors of ICC, and use them to inform the creation of tasks. Using video-recorded Superior-level Arabic presentations and a Coding Scheme developed by the Language Flagship Video Project, you will then analyze language samples.
MODULE 4
Developing Advanced-level Competencies in Chinese as a Foreign Language
This module is designed to help Chinese as a Foreign Language teachers enhance their competencies to teach advanced-level students (ILR 2). In addition to identifying learning objectives that address communicative and intercultural competencies, you will strengthen your ability to help your own students reach learning objectives applying the concepts of open architecture curriculum design, vertical spiraling of proficiency tasks, thematic units, and performance assessment. This module also includes learning activities that address effective technology integration.
Module 5
Lesson and Curricular Design for Presentational Speaking in Russian at the Intermediate (ILR 1) and Advanced (ILR 2) Levels
In their case studies of how teachers implement the World Readiness Standards, Kaplan (2016) and Kissau and Adams (2016) both found that teachers build far fewer presentational speaking activities into instruction than presentational writing or other kinds of interpretive and interpersonal mode activities. This module will help new teachers, or experienced teachers who are new to teaching Russian, to explore the variety of presentational speech activities, the planning needed to implement these activities successfully at the lower level, and assessment plans for evaluating a learner’s engagement in the activity and the quality of the content and speech a learner produces.
Module 6
Preparing Advanced Level Students of Russian for Professional Presentations at ILR and CEFR Level 3
This module is in Russian and is intended for use by professional teachers of Russian engaged in the instruction of advanced-level adult students in the acquisition of the necessary linguistic, cultural and presentational skills for successful communication and interactions in a Russian-speaking professional and/or academic settings. While most instruction at this level currently takes place overseas, these materials may also be of interest to teachers and trainers working with adult learners at ILR Levels 2, 2+ and 3 and the preparation of pre-professional users of the language.
Module 7
Video Recordings As Diagnostic & Instructional Tool
The Flagship Video Project has, during the past several years, demonstrated that recorded video of student oral production can be an effective tool in not only registering students’ linguistic and cultural competency skills but also assisting language educators and students themselves to understand with more nuance and clarity the hallmarks of advanced/superior oral production. This module focuses on the use of video recordings as both a diagnostic and instructional tool in student-centered, proficiency-based language programs. It will capitalize on video samples of student presentations as well as remarks by experts in the field that highlight linguistic, cultural, and pragmatic features, emblematic of specific proficiency levels.
Credits
Project Leads
Dan Davidson, American Councils
Madeline Spring, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Project Management
Doug Reardon, American Councils
Module 1: Introduction to Teaching Presentational Speaking
Karen Evans Romaine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Cynthia Martin, University of Maryland, College Park
Sara McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Madison
William J. Comer, Portland State University
Module 2: Understanding ILR Level 3 (Presentational Mode)
Cindy Martin, University of Maryland, College Park
Dan E. Davidson, American Councils
Module 3: Developing Intercultural Competence in Superior-Level Arabic Classrooms
Laila Familiar, NYU Abu Dhabi and American Councils
Thomas Jesús Garza, University of Texas, Austin
Module 4: Developing Advanced-level Competencies in Chinese as a Foreign Language
Jianhua Bai, Kenyon College and American Councils
Yang Qingyu (Rhode Island)
Yu (Joyce) Wu (Rhode Island)
Madeline Spring, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Module 5: Lesson and Curricular Design for Presentational Speaking in Russian at the Intermediate (ILR 1) and Advanced (ILR 2) Levels
William J. Comer, Portland State University
Anna Tumarkin, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Anna Alsufieva, Portland State University
Daria Aleeva, Portland State University
Karen Evans-Romaine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Module 6: Preparing Advanced Level Students of Russian for Professional Presentations at ILR Level 3
Sandugash Sanszybaeva, Af-Farabi Kazakh National University, in cooperation with Maria D. Lekic, American Councils
Module 7: Video Recordings As Diagnostic & Instructional ToolVideo Recordings As Diagnostic & Instructional Tool
Robert Moser, University of Georgia
Ana Paula Lopez, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei
Instructional Technology and Graphic Design
Julio C. Rodriguez, Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Technology Support
Margaret Asperheim, Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
This project was supported by a grant to American Councils from the Institute of International Education (IIE), acting as the administrative agent of the National Security Education Program (NSEP), Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) for The Language Flagship.
The Language Flagship is a national initiative to change the way Americans learn languages through a groundbreaking approach to language education through a network of programs at institutions of higher education across the United States. The Language Flagship graduates students who will take their place among the next generation of global professionals, commanding a superior level of proficiency in one of ten languages critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.
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