Speaking of Language

Amanda Seewald of Learning Kaleidoscope  grew up in a monolingual household. By the time she was in college, she was advocating for language education in Washington, D.C. Later on, she founded Maracas, a homegrown language immersion program that uses music and rhythm to teach Spanish to young learners. This week, we hear her story, and learn about what you can do to help build a global, multilingu...

Sarah Mercer discusses the importance of teacher wellbeing for effective language teaching and offers concrete steps for preventing burnout. Sarah discusses the “Greater Good in Action” website in her interview; that can be viewed here:  https://ggia.berkeley.edu/ Donations in memory of Dan Gaibel can be made to Hospicare of Ithaca,  https://www.hospicare.org/ . Dan also established a GoFundMe to...

Sara Lee talks about language learning and dyslexia and offers helpful suggestions for supporting dyslexic learners in and outside the classroom. Learn more about the Orton-Gillingham Approach Sara mentions and check out this recent article about Dyslexia, Bilingualism, and Learning a Second Language .

We speak with Daniel Bass , of Cornell’s South Asia Program, and host of WRFI’s Monsoon Radio , about music, cultures, and languages. For more information on Daniel's show, visit the links below: https://www.facebook.com/MonsoonRadioWRFI/ https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/show/monsoon-radio-w-daniel-bass-wrfi-community-radio  

Theresa Schenker discusses the benefits of telecollaborative photo exchanges for language learning and intercultural competence.

Brenna Fitzgerald, Arbias Llolluni, and Thamora Fishel talk about the Afterschool Language and Culture Program that is offered through Cornell’s Area Studies Centers in the Einaudi Center and the Public Service Center. The program provides opportunities for Cornell undergraduate and graduate students to share their knowledge of a language and culture with curious students from local schools. If yo...

Andrew Campana joins us to share his research into audio games, cinepoems, and other boundary-breaking forms of media emanating from Japan. Dr. Campana and the LRC’s Sam Lupowitz discuss the ways in which media and literature can be reimagined to communicate ideas in new ways, to previously overlooked communities. More information on Dr. Campana and his work can be found at the links below: https:...

Mona Eikel-Pohen  joins our podcast to talk about language learning and disabilities and some strategies and considerations for creating inclusive classrooms. Her article titled “Assessing Disability-Inclusive Language Teaching Methods with Multimodality and Universal Design Principles” will appear in the spring issue (52.1) of the AATG journal  Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German . A brief desc...

The  Shared Course Initiative  uses high-definition videoconferencing to connect language classrooms at Cornell, Columbia, and Yale. By sharing instruction across three sites, the SCI increases the number of languages available at each university. Listen to the language center directors of these three universities (Columbia’s  Stephane Charitos , Yale’s  Nelleke Van Deusen-Scholl , and your host,...

We are joined by Michelle Cox, Director of Cornell’s English Language Support Office. She talks about the programs they offer to support, empower, and engage international graduate and professional students on campus and in the community.

In our first episode of season 3, we speak with Dr. Jolene Rickard, Director of the  American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program , about the  United Nations 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages . In addition to offering some of her own personal history, Dr. Rickard talks about the benefits of honoring and learning about the language and culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americ...

In our final episode of the season, Uttiyo Raychaudhuri, executive director of  Cornell’s Office of Global Learning , discusses the importance of promoting global citizenship and international engagement. Listen to this important and moving episode! We will be back in the new year with new topics and guests. In the meantime, you can listen to our archived shows on our  website  or on  iTunes . We...

Today, we welcome Christian Hilchey to our studio. Dr. Hilchey is a lecturer in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas, Austin and was a part of our LRC Speaker Series this semester. He gave a talk last week titled “Open Media and the Next Frontier in Open Education,” and we extend our conversations about open education and open-source software solutions on our po...

Members of Cornell’s student organization Language Expansion Program discuss the importance of language learning on campus in a comfortable, encouraging environment. Their weekly event Language Corner takes place at the Language Resource Center in Stimson Hall G27.

Stéphane Charitos , Language Resource Center director at Columbia University, discusses current national trends in language study and suggests four practical recommendations that can help uphold visibility and the importance of world language education in the U.S. The reports Stéphane references can be found here: American Academy of Arts & Sciences report: Commission on Language Learning. The Ame...

Patsy Lightbown, Distinguished Professor Emerita in Applied Linguistics at Concordia University, joins our podcast to discuss form-focused instruction and the balance between form-focused and meaning-focused learning activities.

In this episode, Jeremy Thompson, Research Associate and Lecturer in Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, shares his experience with Jumpstart and Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum courses.

In this episode, Dan Gaibel and Angelika Kraemer talk about the role of technology in language learning. They discuss benefits and challenges of utilizing technology for language learning and share some of their personal favorites.

In this episode, Maureen Morris from the Library and Melina Draper from the Center for Teaching Innovation speak about the  Cornell Portal . They explain the history of the Portal and ways it can be used for intercultural encounters that can enhance language and culture learning. The gold-painted shipping container is located just outside of Olin Library on the Arts Quad and is on campus through N...

In this episode,  Celeste Kinginger , Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Pennsylvania State University, joins our podcast to discuss what helps and hinders advancing language proficiency while studying abroad, including social-interactive and pragmatic aspects of language acquisition. Celeste also provides advice for students and instructors to make the most of their time abroad.

In this episode, Angelika Kraemer speaks with Derron Borders, the Residence Hall Director of Cornell’s  Language House . They explore the history of the Language House and some of the current events and activities that allow residents and guests to immerse themselves in their language learning experience.

In this episode, we are joined by Stephanie Divo, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies and Language Program Director of Mandarin Chinese. Stephanie talks about her program’s two-pronged approach to teaching beginning Chinese, fact and act.

In this episode, Angelika Kraemer speaks with Lisa Sansoucy, coordinator of language learning initiatives at the LRC, about LAC – the Languages Across the Curriculum initiative. Lisa outlines the history and structure of the program and they discuss the importance of interdisciplinary learning and teaching in today’s global society.

In this episode, LRC director Angelika Kraemer is joined by Bill VanPatten, host of the popular SLA radio show Tea with BVP. They discuss two perennial issues in language teaching: the roles of input and output and the role of explicit teaching. Bill also offers some advice for new and seasoned language teachers.   Listen live to Bill’s new call-in radio show, TalkinL2 with BVP, at  http://www.tal...

Today, we introduce Angelika Kraemer, the new director of the Language Resource Center at Cornell University. In the first episode of our second season, Angelika speaks with Sam Lupowitz, the LRC’s media manager, about communicative language teaching: using your immediate surroundings to contextualize your expression and interpretation of language. Dr. Angelika Kraemer is the Director of the Langu...