Call for Papers

At the turn of the 21st Century, innovative approaches to language teaching have placed the “learning by doing” principle into focus based on the premise that students learn a language by using the language. ACTFL’s Performance Indicators, influenced by the Can-Do Statements of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), have set the basis for instruction to be action-oriented where the goal is for students to accomplish  relevant and engaging real-world tasks and projects that need to be completed through the use of the target language. 

In such pedagogies, a communicative goal is identified and the planning follows a backward design that sets the path towards supporting and assessing students’ accomplishment of the goal. In short, these innovative pedagogies put the student center stage and, in addition to effectively promoting language learning, they also foster creativity, critical thinking, problem solving skills, and intentional examination of the world through investigation. 

Our goal for the CLS 2024 is to explore how pedagogies focused on experiential learning are designed and implemented in the classroom.

Specific topic proposals may include:

• Task-based language teaching 

• Project-based language teaching 

• Content-based language instruction 

• Content and language integrated learning 

• Integrated Performance Assessment 

We welcome proposals that address or illustrate language teaching reflective of or inspired by these frameworks and that also may also incorporate principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, technology-mediated teaching and learning, multimodality, virtual realities, artificial intelligence, accessibility, or community-based learning.

NOTE: Since its founding in 1999, the Chicago Language Symposium has allowed for lively conversations and sustained dialogues amongst its participants through the course of the sessions. We would like to continue that highly valued aspect of the meeting and have thus established the following guidelines:

• This will be primarily an in-person event

• Remote attendance will be allowed, however, opportunities for remote-participant interaction during sessions will be limited (due to the venue and logistics)

• We require that all presenters attend in-person

Thank you in advance for your understanding and consideration.