Events
Upcoming events
CTELL coffee & chat for language teachers and practitioners
Focus: Variation and change in language teaching and learning
Wednesday, 20th March 2024, 13.00 - 14.00pm
Location: University of Liverpool, 1-7 Abercromby Square, Language Lounge
Languages exist through a multitude of variations, such as regional ‘dialects’ or ‘foreign language accents’, and they keep changing. Yet teachers are often asked to work from the simplistic idea of an agreed standard to be taught as a stable system. More recent discussions around widening participation and a decolonised curriculum have highlighted the role of variation both in the teaching of the target language and in the fact that students bring their own linguistic backgrounds and identities to the learning process.
We will use the hour to exchange ideas and practice and learn from each other.
Our Coffee & Conference Chats are a great way to share ideas and inspiration with other colleagues, and to disseminate any useful takeaways from conferences, training events, workshops or any other kind of CPD you have attended recently. If you'd like to set aside a 10 minute slot to share something specific, just email Ulrike Bavendiek u.bavendiek@liverpool.ac.uk
Want to attend? Just turn up on the day. Bring your own coffee / tea and we’ll supply some biscuits!
Shaping the future of language learning
Wednesday, 24th April 2024, 15.00 - 17.00pm
In this workshop we will learn from two studies exploring new ways to teach languages. The focus will be on Mandarin Chinese, but the results are applicable to most language teaching context.
Yuqiao Cai: A Case Study of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) of Adult Students in a Mandarin Classroom: Exploring the Practice of Developing Students’ ICC and Mandarin Performances
The seminar will focus on teaching strategies that integrate intercultural communication and the teaching of the target language. It will explore the practice of Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning within the British-Chinese context, demonstrating how the foreign language classroom can offer a practical entry point for the learning of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in a communication setting.
The speaker will report on a study that investigated the effectiveness of a designed learning intervention which integrates intercultural relevance theories and an ICC model with Mandarin Chinese learning. It is based on Hofstede’s (1980; 2011) cultural dimensions regarding power distance, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and restraint/indulgence and Hall’s (1959; 1990) high-context and low-context models for comparing communication styles, work ethics and styles and relationships.
1) demonstrated the practicality of ‘the process model for model integration’ for the learning intervention with the lesson plans and the participants’ class test scores;
2) suggested the development of the participants’ intercultural knowledge and behaviours after the intervention and
3) suggested the limitations of ‘the process model for model integration’ for the learning intervention in practice, in terms of the underdeveloped attitudes of the participants.
Yuqiao Cai is a fourth-year PhD student of Chinese Studies at the University of Liverpool, Department of Languages, Cultures and Film. Her research interests involve Intercultural Communication and Mandarin teaching and learning. She also works as a Mandarin teacher for Liverpool Confucius Institute.
Ziwei Guo: Using corpus data to enhance the learning of formulaic sequences
Join us for an engaging workshop focused on enhancing language acquisition through corpus linguistics! Drawing from recent research, we'll delve into the fascinating realm of formulaic sequences (FS) and their crucial role in Second Language (L2) proficiency, with a special focus on Chinese language learning.
Discover how corpus analysis can revolutionize language instruction, especially for learners of Chinese as a foreign language. Through a dynamic action research approach, we'll explore practical strategies to improve FS acquisition among elementary-level L2 learners.
Led by Ziwei Guo, this workshop is designed to empower educators and language enthusiasts alike with innovative teaching techniques informed by corpus linguistics. Learn how to integrate corpus-based methods into your instruction and gain valuable insights from real-world classroom experiences. Feel free to bring your laptop to play with some corpus data!
Don't miss this opportunity to unlock new possibilities in language education! Join us and be part of the conversation shaping the future of language learning.
Ziwei Guo is a final-year PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Liverpool, specializing in corpus linguistics, Chinese as a second language, and chunking theory. With over four years Chinese Mandarin teaching experience, Ziwei is passionate about exploring innovative pedagogical approaches to enhance language acquisition and has presented her research at prestigious international conferences including AACL, TaLC, CASLAR, and IVACS.
The workshop is free to attend. For catering purposes, please register your attendance here.
For further information please contact u.bavendiek@liverpool.ac.uk.
Using subtitling to enhance language learning: the case of Italian at the University of Liverpool
Wednesday, 8th May 2024, 14.00 - 16.00pm
University of Liverpool, South Campus Teaching Hub - PCTC - LL2
Dr Rosalba Biasini, University of Liverpool, Department of Languages, Cultures and Film
In the first part of this two-hour workshop, the speaker will present the results of her research-led learning and teaching experience based on the introduction in her classes of subtitling as a digital tool to further language learning. The innovation was at the heart of the “Learn Italian with Subtitles” project, promoting a systematic use of subtitling activities in FL education, with a pilot in Italian. The project, which merges audiovisual translation studies and FL pedagogy, aims at developing advanced language and language-related skills while exploring the deployment of digital technologies and audiovisual translation tools as well as their applications and social impact on language learning and teaching.
The second part of the workshop will consist in a practical, basic training on the use of a free software with learning and teaching tips on the implementation of subtitling in language education. The workshop is designed for all languages practitioners and students.
Dr Rosalba Biasini is a Senior Lecturer in Italian at the University of Liverpool, where she teaches Italian language and culture at all levels. She holds an MA in Translation Studies (Manchester, UK, 2005), a Master ITALS (Ca’ Foscari, Venezia, Italy, 2013), and a PhD/D.Phil. in Italian literature (Oxford, UK, 2010). For a detailed list of publications see https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/languages-cultures-and-film/staff/rosalba-biasini/publications/
The workshop is free but please register your attendance here for catering purposes. For further information please contact u.bavendiek@liverpool.ac.uk.
