The 42nd Applied Linguistics Winter Conference

Dr. Erik Voss is a lecturer in Applied Linguistics & TESOL at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. He has almost 20 years of experience as an English language instructor and currently teaches courses in TESOL and applied linguistics. His research interests include applications of natural language processing in applied linguistics, language assessment and technology, and language assessment validation research. Erik recently co-authored the book, “Flipping Academic English Language Learning: Experiences from an American University,” published by Springer Nature. Erik is an active member of the second language testing community and member-at-large on the International Language Testing Association’s (ILTA) executive board.

Originating in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), a flipped learning approach is being adopted by English language teachers at all levels of instruction including in university settings (Voss & Kostka, 2019). As a result of ‘flipping’ instruction and homework, instructors have more time to help students as they engage in activities that are more difficult and promote deeper learning, which is not possible when students work alone outside of class. Furthermore, students become motivated as they take responsibility for their own learning. In this talk, I will provide an overview of Flipped Learning and discuss how its fundamental principles could improve students’ motivation and engagement. Topics will include the role of the instructor in designing assignments and the nature of formative assessment and feedback. I will also highlight technology used to implement the methodology and discuss how teaching English using Flipped Learning can occur in online learning environments.

Dr. Christine Jacknick and Dr. Sarah Creider facilitate a discussion related to questions of participation and engagement, including not just students but also our own engagement as teachers. In this workshop, we will offer practical strategies for rethinking what participation can and should look like, and also discuss the utility of different strategies for encouraging student participation, including teacher-directed questions and more student-centered interactions.

Dr. Marina Dewees, a versatile educator and curriculum author, presents a workshop on engagement and participation strategies in ESOL virtual classroom. The conversation about engagement vs participation; behavioral, emotional and cognitive engagement; and covert and overt engagement is supported with tested classroom strategies, real life stories of failure and success; and an inventory of resources to support students’ engagement during virtual instruction and learning.