Workshop Description: Developing skills and proficiency in a language is not the same as sustaining the acquired language skills. Foreign language learners often learn and develop language skills and proficiency with the support of language instructors and regular classroom interactions. However, sustaining the skills acquired and consistent language practice beyond the classroom environment requires additional effort and commitment to learning and using the language. This workshop will offer insightful strategies for fostering autonomous language learning and for sustaining acquired language skills. We will outline and discuss a structured approach for self-instructional language learning using hands-on learning materials. Participants will also explore effective strategies for language sustainment and becoming independent, lifelong learners.
Please Note: This is an interactive workshop and will include participation in breakout rooms.
Audience: This workshop is open to language learners, educators, administrators, and everyone else curious about independent language study.
Recommended Reading: The Multi-Language Seminar: An Approach to Offering More of the “Less Commonly Taught” Languages
Speaker Bio: Dr. Adeola Agoke is a Teaching Assistant Professor and the Director of the African Languages Program in the Department of African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research interests include applied linguistics, language pedagogy, and the use and practices of language. Her recent publication, “Pedagogical processes and standard dialect use: Implications for creative multilingual interaction from a Yorùbá‐language classroom in southwestern Nigeria,” appeared in the Modern Language Journal. Additionally, Dr. Agoke is the author of the Proficiency-Based Dictionary of Yorùbá. This innovative language learning resource is fortified with audio pronunciation of Yoruba vocabulary and visual representations of Yoruba conversations, organized by proficiency levels. With a passion for bringing theoretical insights in applied linguistics to language pedagogy, Dr. Agoke, along with her colleague, received a $342,000 grant to research autonomous language learning. At UW-Madison, Dr. Agoke teaches courses in applied linguistics and teaching methods, including the Multilanguage Seminar.