Monday, December 7
Description:
In this session we will explore one dimension of inclusivity: creating opportunities for each student to shape their own relevant learning experience. We will discuss a range of inclusive language teaching practices through a learner autonomy lens. How can language teachers supply choices (without spreading themselves too thin)? What kinds of choices make it possible to honor students’ complex, overlapping identities? How can a course be structured to be enriched by diverse student proficiency levels? How can a course make space for both neurotypical and neurounique students to thrive? How does taking charge of one’s own learning engage various types of motivation? What kinds of community relationships can develop in a language course designed for individual personalization, and what role do these relationships play in the learning process? Please consider sharing examples of ways that you have sought to include students by equipping them to personalize their learning experiences.
About the Discussant:
Pamela S. H. Bogart teaches academic and professional English communication and language pedagogy at the University of Michigan English Language Institute. After teaching English internationally and earning her MA in French at the University of Michigan in 1994, she led adult and family literacy and ESL programs in the community. In 2000, she returned to the University of Michigan to teach both French and English for international students, earning her MA in TESOL at Eastern Michigan University in 2003, and turning to full-time curriculum development, program coordination, teaching, and digital initiatives at the University of Michigan English Language Institute. Her work endeavors to tailor the learning experience to address advanced language students’ individual goals and contexts and to foster a welcoming and vibrant learning community. Bogart’s curricular development projects have focused on increasing learner access and agency through technology, on spoken and written corpora, and on innovative pedagogies that support curricular personalization.
