Linguistics Classroom Research Articles

Social media in the linguistic classroom: Discussing appreciation vs. appropriation

In our paper, we focus on integrating topics directly relevant to students’ lives, a principle we consistently strive to embody in our pedagogical approach. Specifically, we explore the dynamics of appreciation and appropriation within the music industry, inspired by Garza’s (2021) work, as a leading topic for a module of a linguistic course. Through the implementation of in-class discussion activities, we utilized platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Twitter (currently X), to center the modality and the topics that are of high importance for students and their lived experiences. Our paper highlights the benefits of effectively engaging students with topics that are related to their experiences and through the use of technology. By adapting and refining the curriculum based on student interests, we aim to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within linguistics classrooms.

Narrating a path: Digital humanities tools in the linguistics classroom

This paper embraces the premise in Mehl (2021: 331) that “linguists should care about the digital humanities … because collaborations between … linguistics and DH will be fruitful for all of us.” I discuss my incorporation of a selection of DH tools and practices into my teaching of three undergraduate linguistics courses, where in lieu of the traditional “research paper”, students learn about free web-based tools to create interactive exhibits and digitally edited volumes. These tools make multimodal writing and data presentation easy, and they are ideal for interactive presentation of ideas. They also allow students to weave concepts in linguistics with ways in which linguistics, usually more embedded in the social sciences, finds footing in the humanities, including language and identity, language endangerment and revitalization, or specific languages that they speak or are spoken in their worlds. These initiatives address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives promoting cross-linguistic and cross-cultural understanding. They also allow students to actively interrogate the ways in which the discipline may perpetuate or challenge existing power structures and their biases.

Universal Design for Learning as a pathway to accessibility in the linguistics classroom

This paper offers suggestions on enhancing accessibility in our introductory linguistics courses, with a particular focus on teaching phonetics and phonology to students with hearing and visual disabilities. After reviewing some existing resources designed to make linguistics content more accessible, we address some of the practical constraints we experienced in trying to adopt these resources for our own courses. In light of such challenges, we offer practical strategies for improving accessibility both in the physical classroom as well as for online or hybrid courses. We suggest that implementing such strategies, which are in line with the principles of Universal Design for Learning, can prove beneficial for all students, with or without the need for accommodation. Finally, we encourage instructors to take proactive steps to make their course content more accessible, both in their current and future classes.

Analytic autoethnography: Centering students’ linguistic and cultural experiences in assessment

utoethnography is often used as a field research method and by educators to foster intersectionality in, and critical reflection upon, their own pedagogy. However, autoethnography is not commonly used as an assessment tool. There appears to be no literature on its use in a linguistics course, and this paper aims to address that gap. Analytic autoethnography is a productive assessment method for a linguistics course. The goal of analytic autoethnography is to connect one’s lived experience to theoretical concepts and research. I argue that using analytic autoethnography as an assessment method can help students critically reflect on their own lived linguistic and cultural experiences and to connect these to course content. Importantly, I argue that the assessment is more meaningful and more inclusive than standard exams. Additionally, analytic autoethnography is well suited to antiracist teaching as it requires students to examine the ways linguistic privilege and discrimination have affected their own lives and their communities of practice, thereby creating a linguistics classroom that is inclusive of all students’ linguistic and cultural identities. As analytic autoethnography is written using the authors’ native dialect(s) and language(s), it mitigates the privileging of Standard English in the classroom and puts into practice linguistic justice.

Pronouns and social justice in the linguistics classroom

AbstractMy introductory Linguistics course was for many years shaped by the field’s distaste for social justice issues such as cisheterosexism, racism, colonialism and ableism. Like many other linguists, I concentrated my teaching on the core formal subfields. This essay considers how the colonial roots of Linguistics have shaped the field and my teaching, and reflects on my efforts to integrate social justice concerns into my teaching, using the changing grammar of non-binary pronouns as one entry point.

Developmentally Moderated Focus on Form Instruction and Feedback in an Indonesian Kindergarten EFL programme

This study investigates the effect of developmentally moderated focus on form (DMFonF) instruction and feedback within processability theory (PT) on early grammatical development in an Indonesian kindergarten EFL programme, focusing on the acquisition of plural marking of nouns. The study has a pre-test, DMFonF intervention and post-test design. The participants were a teacher, and ten 1st-year and ten 2nd-year kindergarten children. Before the study, children received a meaning-based EFL programme. The children’s English development was measured based on PT stages pre- and post-test. Linguistic classroom environments before and during the DMFonF programme were analysed based on the DMFonF feedback categories. Regardless of how long they had been learning English, all the children were at the single-word stage at pre-test. They had all acquired lexical plural at post-test. Most of the children also acquired phrasal plural agreement. Additionally, the linguistic environment was much richer in DMFonF classes than in meaning-based classes.

Gaming as pedagogy in the linguistics classroom

We explore how content-driven games may be utilized to enhance linguistics pedagogy in the classroom. We explore three games created by the authors for in-class play. The games involve semantics: Eventuality (about aspect/Aktionsart), f(x) (lambda-calculus); and syntax: Parameters. We discuss the major skills developed by the games and the best practices for designing games for in-class use. We focus on four elements in the talk: player interaction, randomization, process training, and entertainment.

“The moment I realized I am plurilingual”: Plurilingual tasks for creative representations in EAP at a Canadian university

AbstractIn many urban settings across the globe, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes are inherently multilingual and provide unique possibilities to explore a wealth of languages and cultures as well as the interactions among them. Although the field of applied linguistics has historically followed monolingual ideologies, a plurilingual approach in EAP can provide insights into language practices that are situated, creative and contextualized. Raising students’ awareness of their own plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire is key to preparing them to make mindful decisions about culture and language use in real-life situations; plurilingual instruction incudestranslanguaging, validating plurilingual identities, as well as understandingpluriculturalism, all of which can open up possibilities for creativity in culture and language use. While research shows plurilingual-inspired pedagogies can benefit language learning, little is known about the extent to which they can enhance creative representations of language and culture. This article reports results from a study on the effects of plurilingual instruction on creativity in an EAP program. Seven EAP instructors delivered plurilingual tasks to adult students at a Canadian university. Data from demographic questionnaires,Language Portraits, student diaries (N=28), and classroom observations (N=21) were qualitatively analyzed and triangulated. Results suggest that the use of plurilingual tasks afforded a heightened awareness of plurilingual/pluricultural identity and validated the creative use of linguistic and cultural resources, including translanguaging. Suggestions for the inclusion of creative data collection instruments and plurilingual instruction in applied linguistics classroom research are made.

Examining Relations between Teachers’ Explanations of Sources of Students’ Difficulty in Mathematics and Students’ Opportunities to Learn

AbstractThe nature of mathematical activity and discourse that teachers foster in classrooms is likely influenced by their explanations of sources of students’ difficulty. Several small-scale qualitative studies suggest that how teachers make sense of student difficulty matters for whether they engage all of their students in rigorous mathematical activity. In this article we extend such work to a sample of 165 teachers in four large urban districts. In particular, we investigated the extent to which teachers’ explanations of sources of students’ difficulty in mathematics (as due to traits of students or the communities they come from, or as in relation to the opportunities to learn provided in classrooms) are related to students’ participation in quality mathematical discourse. We found that they are significantly related and that they depend on the racial and linguistic classroom composition of students they teach.

Sustaining innovation in school modern foreign language programmes: teachers’ reflections on task-based language teaching three years after initial teacher education

ABSTRACTThe communicative language teaching approach that informs many school modern foreign language programmes has been realised in different ways as theorists and practitioners have sought to identify the most effective combinations of instruction and use [Mitchell, R. 2000. Applied linguistics and evidence-based classroom practice: the case of foreign language grammar pedagogy. Applied Linguistics 21, no. 3: 281–303]. Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is one such realisation. TBLT’s learner-centred and experiential emphasis on use contrasts with more directly instructional models such as presentation-practice-production (PPP). Given the prevalence of practices such as PPP, the effective realisation of TBLT is challenging. This article presents findings from a small-scale study among practising teachers (N = 7) three years after an initial teacher education focus on TBLT. Semi-structured interviews explored how the teachers understood and enacted task-based principles in their classrooms; their perceptions of the barriers to successful implementation; and their responses to perceived barriers. Findings suggest that TBLT principles can be successfully enacted by teachers who are open to the innovation, but that theoretical, practical and contextual constraints limit that enactment. Implications for sustaining innovative practices are presented.

The Effectiveness of Using Linguistic Classroom Activities in Teaching English Language in Developing the Skills of Oral Linguistic Performance and Decision Making Skill among Third Grade Intermediate Students in Makah

<p>The study aimed to reveal the effectiveness of the use of certain classroom language activities in teaching English language in the development of oral linguistic performance and decision-making among intermediate third-grade students in Makah, and it revealed a statistically significant correlation relationship between the averages of the study sample scores, in the post application for linguistic performance test, and measure of decision-making; and to achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used two methods: descriptive approach and quasi-experimental design, per experimental group.</p><p>Ibn al-Qayam intermediate school was chosen randomly, and then the intermediate third grade was chosen deliberately, in the three grades altogether there were 90 students, in each class 30 students; and 3/3 experimental groups, of 30 students each were drawn, and represented the study material in linguistic classroom activities in the English language. Two tools were used: oral linguistic performance test in the English language, and the measure of decision-making; where they were applied on the study sample; after checking their validity and reliability, in the second semester in 2013, and after the end of the training period on linguistic classroom activities in English language classes, they were re-applied to determine the level of the students in each of: oral linguistic performance and the skill of decision-making.</p><p>The study yielded many results of which the most important were: the presence of statistically significant differences between the average score of the sample study in the two applications, pre and post for linguistic performance estimate card and the measure of decision-making; in each axis separately, and in the linguistic performance overall in the English language; and the skill of decision making; in favor of the post application, and the presence of statistically significant correlation relationship between the average scores of the sample study in the post-application linguistic performance estimate card; and the measure of decision-making. Based on the findings of the study results, there are a number of recommendations including: the need to give linguistic classroom activity programs their educational value and status in teaching English in general education, hold regular sessions for teachers and supervisors; to train them to employ linguistic classroom activities to learn English, and the integration of thinking in teaching English language; in order to provide them with modern educational trends in the field of active learning and development of thinking skills.</p>

Constructed languages in the classroom

Constructed languages (purposefully invented languages like Esperanto and Klingon) have long captured the human imagination. They can also be used as pedagogical tools in the linguistics classroom to enhance how certain aspects of linguistics are taught and to broaden the appeal of linguistics as a field. In this article, I discuss the history and nature of constructed languages and describe various ways I have successfully brought them into use in the classroom. I conclude from the results of my courses that linguists should take a closer look at how they might benefit from similarly enlisting this often criticized hobby into more mainstream use in the linguistics classroom.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IN CROSS – CULTURAL CONTEXT

The subject to be discussed in the present article is classroom management in cross-cultural context. The main reason for the choice of this particular choice was determined mostly by the necessity of varying English language teachers’ management skills and teaching techniques in a mixed linguistic classroom. The aim of the research is to explore the ways of improving classroom management skills in a cross-cultural context.

Student Teachers Evaluating and Assessing SCRATCH in the Applied Linguistics Classroom

For the past four years, students and student teachers taking applied linguistics at the University of Guam were required to design class projects using SCRATCH, a free downloadable program from MIT. Their projects had to integrate principles of second language teaching/learning or other subfields of applied linguistics into their projects. In 2012 and 2013, students integrated their computer projects into their lesson plans for elementary, middle, or high school students. This presentation will propose criteria for evaluating students’ computer projects and summarize students’ assessments of and comments about, using MIT's SCRATCH program in foreign language and content area teaching.

Continuing with the Promise of “Scratch” in the Applied Linguistics Classroom

Students and student-teachers of applied linguistics (LN400/G) taught at the University of Guam continue to explore the promise of SCRATCH, a free downloadable program from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). For the past three fall semesters, students and student-teachers were required to design class projects with Scratch. They were instructed to integrate principles of second language teaching/learning and or other subfields of applied linguistics into their projects, and told that they should be able to use these in the language, literature, or other content area classroom. A CD Rom of their individual projects, accompanied by written reports evaluating SCRATCH, were submitted at the end of each semester. In Fall 2012, students were required to integrate their computer projects into their lesson plans for elementary, middle, and or high school students. This presentation will propose criteria for evaluating students’ computer projects and summarize their evaluations of and comments about MIT's SCRATCH computer program.

Using online databases in the linguistics classroom: dealing with clause patterns

In recent years, a corpus-driven approach to the analysis of language and the appropriateness of applying new technologies in language pedagogy have gained considerable attention. The integration of corpus applications in the language classroom enables both teachers and learners to reflect on genuine data with the assistance of computer technologies. This article aims at illustrating an application of an online corpus database for the teaching and learning of clause patterns. So as to serve this purpose, a continuous assessment task, especially designed for the undergraduate course Gramàtica Descriptiva de l'Anglès II (GDAII) “Descriptive Grammar of English II” will be presented, as well as a description of the questionnaire that was carried out among participants aimed at assessing their satisfaction towards the newly designed online database and the effectiveness of the task.

Using Literature in the Linguistics Classroom

Using Literature in the Linguistics Classroom

Media Clips Collection: Creation and Application for the Linguistics Classroom

Media Clips Collection: Creation and Application for the Linguistics Classroom

Making use of bilingualism — construction of a monolingual classroom, and its consequences

The percentage of pupils fluent in both Swedish and Finnish in Swedish-speaking schools in Finland has grown and now includes a third of all pupils. This article focuses on the linguistic classroom discourse in a Swedish-speaking school in a strongly Finnish-dominated area. The purpose is to increase the understanding of how linguistic norms are maintained, and what these norms imply for the participation of bilingual pupils in classroom interaction. Videotaped lessons were analyzed by means of conversation analysis focusing on the interaction between the teacher and the bilingual pupils as well as on language-related sequences. The results show that the bilingual pupils cannot be regarded as victims of a language policy governed from above, but that they actively contribute to the construction and maintenance of a monolingual norm in the classroom. When using Finnish, they at the same time point at the “other-languageness” of the code-switched words. Monolingualism as a norm means a limitation restraining the pupils with gaps in their Swedish from participating with full competence in the classroom conversation. Between pupils, occasional Finnish words are used in an unproblematic manner. Code-switching in these cases works as a means to keep one's position on the conversational floor. By violating the monolingual norm, pupils can lodge a protest against the agenda of the teacher.

A Writing-to-Learn Approach to Writing in the Discipline in the Introductory Linguistics Classroom

A Writing-to-Learn Approach to Writing in the Discipline in the Introductory Linguistics Classroom