List of Presentations
Language and Culture in the Classroom
Naseh Shahri, Doctoral Student, Department of Applied Linguistics, Penn State.
Naseh has been working with international students and is currently collecting data on the language socialization of graduate international students.
Seyma Toker, Teaching Fellow, Department of Applied Linguistics, Penn State.
Seyma holds a Master’s of Arts in TESL from the Department of Applied Linguistics at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include L2 teacher education, multilingualism, immigration, and language socialization.
Jade Sandbulte, Doctoral Student, Department of Applied Linguistics, Penn State.
Jade had taught three years of College Composition and one year for an intensive English program before coming to PSU. His research interests include teaching English as a second language, volunteer ESL programs in the U.S., language and identity, and Conversation Analysis.
How culture influences learning and communication in the classroom. Problematizing simplistic understanding of “culture” and “language” and discussion of examples from classroom interaction to show that teachers’ critical understanding of culture and language is key to effective communication and learning.
Bridging the Cultural Gap: Cultural background of Indian students in U.S. Classrooms
Ritu Jayakar, Language Educator and Teacher Trainer, Penn State
Ritu started teaching Hindi to undergraduates in 2008 and has been engaged in finding new ways to make language classes more interactive and engaging. For last four years, she has been involved with CARLA’s StarTalk summer workshop for language teachers. She is always experimenting with different themes and methods to make classrooms engaging and interactive.
Develop an understanding of Indian culture, get a sense of lifestyle, background, communication styles, and the morals and values of an Indian student, and engage in discussion to reflect on strategies to make classrooms culturally responsive.