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Purpose of Program: The IRS Program provides grants to conduct research and studies to improve and strengthen instruction in modern foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields.

See http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-27122.htm for details. Priority to 78 languages.

For Further Information Contact: Beth MacRae, International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 6088, Washington, DC 20006-8521. Telephone: (202) 502-7596; or by e-mail: beth.macrae@ed.gov.

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Learner’s issues:

Non-heritage learners: As they write; they speak

The heritage learners: As they speak; they write

The South Asia Institute at University of Texas at Austin is organizing a two days workshop for Tamil instructors to draw common strategies in teaching Spoken Tamil. The workshop will be held on the University of Texas at Austin campus, in Austin, Texas on 12 & 13 March 2010.

Papers addressing the following topics/themes are welcomed:

Identifying problems in teaching spoken Tamil to students

Do we really need too many rules to teach students about the spoken-written?

What linguistic level or levels must be the scale for this?

Linguistic levels problems and solutions (phonological, morphological, morpho- phonemic, syntactic, semantic, and discourse)

Grammatical category-wise

Levels-wise (Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced)

Borrowed words (non-native-really we need this?). If yes, what strategies we can adapt in transliteration?

Is spoken needs sandhi?

Can we go simultaneously with written and spoken details while teaching?

Any other issues related to spoken-written you feel to discuss is welcomed

I earnestly request you send a short write-up now as an Abstract for the topic you plan for a presentation. The presentation is for 20 minutes in length with an additional 10 minutes for question answer are planned. Kindly send your Abstract on or before Dec. 05, 2009.  I am pleased to inform you that we can reimburse your travel and stay. The program is for two days, on 12 & 13 March between at 9.00 A.M.-4.30 P.M. on 12th and between 9.00 A.M.-12.30 P.M. on 13th and will be concluded by noon. Box lunches will be served for these two days with snacks and coffee during the workshop and there will be a dinner on 12th night in a restaurant with participants.

All presentations will be on 12 March, 2009 and a discussion to workout common strategies on 13 March 2009.

Kindly confirm your participation so that we can make hotel accommodation well in advance and inform you with details. A full program with details will be sent in Jan. 2010.

Please feel free to contact <radha@mail.utexas.edu> for any information regarding the workshop.

Regarding accommodation, airfare, and any other question(s), please contact Rita Omrani by email at <ritaomrani@austin.utexas.edu.>

Looking forward and welcoming you all to UT campus

Deadline extended until November 30, 2009

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The Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages(NCOLCTL) is soliciting articles for publication. As the official journal of the Council, the journal serves the professional interests of teachers, researchers, and administrators of less commonly taught languages in all settings and all levels of instruction. The Journal is refereed and published once a year.

Our general editorial focus is on policy, education, programs, advocacy, and research in the field of less commonly taught languages (all foreign languages except English, French, German, and Spanish). The envisaged segmentation of the Journal is as follows:

a. Methodology and Technology,

b. Academia,

c. Beyond Academia,

d. Social Embeddedness

The first section shall include papers focusing on broader theoretical and technological issues in all fields of less commonly taught languages. The second section will encompass reports about research and teaching in academia, at both K-12 and collegiate levels. The third section shall comprise papers addressing research and teaching in government and industry. Finally, the fourth section will address the issues of a broader social environment, ranging from heritage communities to advancing LCTLs in federal initiatives and legislation.

In preparing the manuscript, please use the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), see http://www.apa.org/journals/authors/guide.pdf. Manuscripts should be a maximum of 25 pages (excluding references, charts, notes, etc.) and preferably submitted electronically via email attachment. Double-space the manuscript throughout, including notes, references, and tables, using 12-point font with a 1.5 inch left margin. The manuscript should be accompanied by a 150 word (or less) abstract and a cover sheet containing the manuscript title, name, address, office and home telephone numbers, fax number, email address, and full names and institutions of each author. Because the manuscript will be blind reviewed, identifying information should be on the cover sheet only, and not appear in the manuscript.

While submissions are welcome at any point, only papers received by November 30, 2009 will be considered for the 2010 issue of the Journal.

ncolctl@mailplus.wisc.edu

NCOLCTL

4231 Humanities Building

455 N. Park Street

Madison, WI 53706

Tel: 608-265-7903; FAX 608 265 7904.

Modern South Asian Studies 2010

26. – 29.07.2010

University of Bonn, Germany

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Scholars and students from any field of research related to the South Asian region are invited to participate in the 21. European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies (ECMSAS) in Bonn (Germany).

For many years, the ECMSAS has been an important platform and indicator of contemporary trends in South Asian studies worldwide. The 21.ECMSAS will host 44 panels, covering a broad range of research subjects. Contributions to one of the panels during Europe’s primary event in South Asian research next year are appreciated!

Anyone interested to present her or his research to an academic public should contact one of the panel conveners as soon as possible. We are planning to put the complete list of presentations and abstracts on the net towards the end of the year. Please check the list of panels on www.ecmsas.org to find out, where your specialization might fit into. Young researchers are particularly invited to join the conference and present their findings to the academic public. Panels are completely independent, and organizers and the steering committee members don’t intervene on this level.

Bonn, formerly seat of Germany’s government, is a small town on the banks of the river Rhine, easily accessible through rail, car and airplane. Hosting agency of the 21. ECMSAS is the Institute for Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Bonn. The university’s chair of indology, the first of its kind in Germany, was established in the year of the foundation of the university, in 1818.

Early bird register special offer is available through online registration and advance card payment.

2010 ACTFL ANNUAL CONVENTION AND WORLD LANGUAGES EXPO

November 19-21 (Pre-convention workshops on Thursday, November 18)

Boston, Massachusetts

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Languages: Gateway to Global Communities

The Annual Convention and World Languages Expo of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) will be Friday, November 19 (Pre-Convention Workshops scheduled on Thursday, November 18) through Sunday, November 21, 2009 in Boston, MA. The ACTFL Convention features over 500 educational sessions covering the whole spectrum of the foreign language profession. The entire selection of sessions is designed to provide attendees with an exciting array of sessions and events to further their knowledge and help them be better teachers or administrators. We welcome you to submit a proposal for consideration. When you login, it is very important that you read carefully the Submission Guidelines before proceeding to complete your online submission.

The convention draws approximately 6,000 attendees and is the only national event bringing together all languages, levels and assignments within the profession. Please note: Presenters whose proposals are selected for presentation MUST be available to present any day during the Convention.

Proposals may be submitted here.   For further information regarding the convention, see the main ACTFL website at: http://www.actfl.org.

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Title: Second Language Acquisition Theories, Technologies, and Language Learning

Co-editors: Bryan Smith (Arizona State University) and Steven L. Thorne (Penn State)

This special issue of the CALICO Journal is intended to provide a state-of-the-art overview of diverse approaches to the processes, methodologies, and findings associated with second language acquisition theory and research in the context of new media and second/foreign language education. We solicit technology-related research that examines foreign and second language learning and teaching taking place in traditional instructional settings, blended learning formats, distance education contexts, as well as language use and learning in organic and open internet environments (e.g., internet interest communities, online gaming and virtual worlds, etc.). Empirical studies are particularly encouraged and critical review pieces are also welcome.

The editors seek original submissions that represent diverse research methodological and theoretical approaches including (but not limited to):

Psycholinguistics

Human-computer interaction

Ecological approaches

Conversation analysis

Critical applied linguistics/critical pedagogy

Corpus and/or computational linguistics

Cognitive neuroscience

Discourse analysis

Interactional sociolinguistics

Language socialization

Systemic functional linguistics

Interaction approach to SLA

Sociocognitive approaches

Cultural-historical activity theory and/or Vygotskian sociocultural theory

Linguistic anthropology

Cultural studies

Communication theory

Each author will be expected to provide a concise description of the SLA approach and/or research methodology employed in the article, important research and pedagogical findings produced from this framework, and to address the strengths and limitations of the theory in relationship to applied linguistics research, pedagogical practice and technology design.

Please send inquiries and suggestions for contributions to both Steve Thorne (stevenlthorne@gmail.com) and Bryan Smith (bryansmith@asu.edu). Please list CALICO Journal Special Issue in the subject line.

Extended abstracts (~500 words) are due by January 15th, 2010. Full-length manuscripts are due by May 15th, 2010.

The CALICO Journal is the journal of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) and is devoted to the dissemination of information concerning the application of technology to language teaching and language learning. The CALICO Journal is fully refereed and publishes articles, research studies, reports, software reviews, and professional news and announcements. The CALICO Journal (ISSN 0742-7778) is published three times a year (September, January, and May).

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“Our Changing Environments: Cultivating New Spaces, Tools, and Ideas in Language Learning”

Hosted by Georgetown University

Washington, DC

March 10-13, 2010

Pre-conference Workshops: March 10, 2010

Presentation Sessions: March 11 – 13

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Randall Bass, Executive Director of the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship and Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning Initiatives at Georgetown University.

We invite presentation, poster, and panel proposals that would be of interest to educators, administrators, lab directors, researchers, vendors of hardware and software, and others interested in the use of technology in foreign/second language learning and teaching, both at the K-12 and higher education levels.

Topics might include:

- emerging technologies

- language center design and management

- virtual learning environments and simulation

- web 2.0 tools

- mobile learning

- open source software for language instruction

- one-to-one laptop programs

- interactive Whiteboards

- student response systems

- computer-mediated communication

- innovations in language teaching practices/classroom space design

- assessment and research on language learning technologies, including case studies, action research and qualitative/quantitative analyses

Presentation types include 20, 30 and 45-minute sessions, one-hour panels and poster sessions.

To submit a proposal or for further information, please visit the conference website at:  www.maallt.org

Follow the ‘Submit a proposal’ link under the 2010 conference info section.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: November 22

You will be notified of the status of your proposal by January 11, 2010.

South Asia Language Pedagogy & Technology

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South Asia Language Pedagogy & Technology (SALPAT) is currently accepting online submissions for its second volume, “Teaching South Asian Languages: Scope, Challenges, Horizons.”

Submissions may include, but are by no means limited to:

• Furthering the study of less-commonly taught languages

• Distinctive possibilities for technology in South Asia language instruction

• The challenges that South Asian languages present to university teaching

• Implementing new strategies in a working curriculum

• The proper scope of technology in language learning

• Pedagogy and web implementation

• Teaching and testing resources

• Original content development, applets, plugins, and digital resources

• Reviews of technology and pedagogical material

SALPAT is an online journal, hence submissions need not be confined to article format. Video, representative design, elaborated code, and the like are actively sought.

SALPAT is a blind peer-reviewed journal that seeks to promote innovative research on teaching and learning the languages of South Asia. Its editorial board draws from specialists in diverse fields: South Asian languages, language pedagogy, linguistics, sociolinguists, and South Asian history, among others. The editor for this volume is Blake Wentworh, Yale University.

• Please direct enquiries to Blake Wentworth <blake.wentworth@yale.edu>

• Submit an article and subscribe online at http://salpat.uchicago.edu

• Please post and forward this announcement to relevant colleagues and institutions.

*THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS SEPTEMBER 15*

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*We invite submissions internationally from a variety of theoretical and applied perspectives on:*

* *

*HL research pertaining to demographics, sociology, linguistics, psychology, education; *

* *

*HL policy; *

* *

*Aboriginal languages; *

* *

*HL teacher education; *

* *

*Development of HL instructional resources and materials; *

* *

*Any other current issues in the HL field; *

* *

*For more information and proposal submission guidelines:*

* *

*http://www.international.ucla.edu/languages/nhlrc/conference/*
*Co-sponsors:*

*UCLA Center for World Languages, UCLA International Institute, UC Consortium for Language Learning and Teaching, UCLA Confucius Institute, UCLA Center for International Business Education and Research*

————————————————————————————————————–

The Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL, http://www.councilnet.org/jnclctl/index.htm) is soliciting articles for publication. As the official journal of the Council, the journal serves the professional interests of teachers, researchers, and administrators of less commonly taught languages in all settings and all levels of instruction. The Journal is refereed and published once a year.

Our general editorial focus is on policy, education, programs, advocacy, and research in the field of less commonly taught languages (all foreign languages except English, French, German, and Spanish). The envisaged segmentation of the Journal is as follows:

a. Methodology and Technology,
b. Academia,
c. Beyond Academia,
d. Social Embeddedness

The first section shall include papers focusing on broader theoretical and technological issues in all fields of less commonly taught languages. The second section will encompass reports about research and teaching in academia, at both K-12 and collegiate levels. The third section shall comprise papers addressing research and teaching in government and industry. Finally, the fourth section will address the issues of a broader social environment, ranging from heritage communities to advancing LCTLs in federal initiatives and legislation.

In preparing the manuscript, please use the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), see http://www.apa.org/journals/authors/guide.pdf. Manuscripts should be a maximum of 25 pages (excluding references, charts, notes, etc.) and preferably submitted electronically via email attachment. Double-space the manuscript throughout, including notes, references, and tables, using 12-point font with a 1.5 inch left margin. The manuscript should be accompanied by a 150 word (or less) abstract and a cover sheet containing the manuscript title, name, address, office and home telephone numbers, fax number, email address, and full names and institutions of each author. Because the manuscript will be blind reviewed, identifying information should be on the cover sheet only, and not appear in the manuscript.

While submissions are welcome at any point, only papers received by October 31, 2009 will be guaranteed consideration for the 2010 issue of the Journal.

ncolctl@mailplus.wisc.edu
NCOLCTL
4231 Humanities Building
455 N. Park Street
Madison, WI 53706

Tel: 608-265-7903; FAX 608 265 7904.