Three scholars from the Center of Applied Linguistics (CAL) of United States paid a visit to the School of Foreign Languages (SFL), Southeast University on October 22: Dr. Terrence G. Wiley, president and CEO, Ms. Jen Himmel, director of K-12 ELL professional development programs and Dr. Na Liu, research associate. Dr. Wiley and Ms. Himmel delivered their lectures titled with Trends in Language Policy Research and Analysis: Past, Present, and Future Directions and Lesson Planning and Delivery to Promote Oral Language Proficiency respectively at the SFL lecture hall located on the Jiulonghu campus of Southeast. The lectures were highly accepted and warmly appreciated by the SFL faculty members and MA students who enthusiastically filled the 200-seat lecture hall to capacity. Professor Yuqi Zheng, the representative of the SFL faculty members, hosted the conference and extended his warm welcome to the guests.
Dr. Wiley, an internationally renowned scholar, focused his lecture on basic concepts, historical development and the latest progress in the area of language policy and planning. He eloquently couched numerous complicated concepts and examples in humorous and incisive language. Ms. Himmel, a scholar with years of exploration into K-12 teaching and education, technology development and curriculum design, focused more on hands-on strategies of engaging students in oral English and listening classes. In her lecture, she illustrated how to scaffold students’ learning process by inviting the audience to participate in several of her meticulously designed interactive classroom activities. Both lectures contain a wealth of information that accommodates different audience with different levels of familiarity with language policy and teaching. The SFL faculty members and MA students responded with insightful questions during the Q & A session scheduled towards the end of the three-hour long scholarly exchange activities.
The visit of Dr. Wiley, Ms. Himmel and Dr. Na Liu heralds a long-term collaborative and cooperative relationship between the SFL’s Language Policy Research Center and CAL, one of the world’s most prestigious research organizations dedicated to the promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity around the globe.
(By Jingning Zhang)
