Creating an optimal ecosystem for language learning
In this presentation, co-authors and language specialists Joan Saslow and Allen Ascher will share techniques and choices that make the best use of class time in both face-to-face and hybrid ecosystems to support the development of communicative competence in students of all language levels.
Time: 2:00pm PST / 4:00pm CST / 5:00pm EST
The achievement of communicative competence rests on a complex and balanced ecosystem of interdependent technological and human contributors: learners who want to master a language; print, digital, and online courseware; and teachers who facilitate learning. Just as in the natural world, where well-balanced ecosystems thrive and unbalanced systems struggle, language learning that is too dependent on just one component is bound to fail.
No matter where learners are enrolled in English study, they all need adequate exposure to comprehensible language as well as abundant opportunities to practice it. Even when the world outside the classroom is English-speaking, the language students encounter there can seem random, chaotic, and difficult to make sense of. For this reason, it is crucial to offer learners focused language models and carefully constructed interactive speaking practices that develop quantity and quality of expression. As language teaching has moved towards more remote and hybrid settings, we must ensure that this new learning ecosystem is able to optimize the efficacy of our technology without losing the essentials of communication development.
In this presentation, co-authors and language specialists Joan Saslow and Allen Ascher will share techniques and choices that make the best use of class time in both face-to-face and hybrid ecosystems to support the development of communicative competence in students of all language levels.
Time: 2:00pm PST / 4:00pm CST / 5:00pm EST
Presenter(s): Joan Saslow, Allen Ascher
About Joan Saslow and Allen Ascher
Joan Saslow and Allen Ascher are co-authors of Pearson’s double award-winning Top Notch and Summit series, as well as of their most recent course, Connectivity. They are both frequent presenters at professional conferences and teacher-training events around the world. Their materials are noted for their demonstrated success in boosting students’ self-confidence and expressive communication.
