SLA Workshop for College Lecturers and Freelancers
1 - 2 May 2015
Conducted by Dr. Karen Price, Lecturer, School of Education, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Doctorate, Applied Linguistics (with highest honors), Faculte des Lettres, Besancon, France. M.A., New York University and Maitrise, Applied Linguistics (with highest honors). Dr. Price is specialized in Second Language Acquisition, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Educational Contexts for Emerging Technology, Second and Foreign Language Methodologies and English as Second Language.
Dr. Price has published several articles and chapters in many authoritative books on Second Language Acquisition and Technology, she has acted as Keynote and Plenary Speaker in many International Conferences, conducted workshops and has presented numerous papers in various conferences in difference countries.
Day 1: 1 May, 2015
The workshop began at 10.30 am. The coordinator introduced the delegates to Dr. Karen and the Director of RIESI Mr. Narasimhaiah inaugurated the workshop. Academic session began soon after. Out of 30 delegates registered for the workshop, 24 delegated from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu participated the workshop.
Eliciting beliefs of second language practitioners on a select survey report, Dr. Karen Price made delegates familiar with the u-shaped learning of second language. Dr. Price further elaborated and elicited comments on rule-based and exemplar-based second language learning. The post-lunch session was on diverse activities on repair and initiation in SLA. Each activity remained eye-opening for the delegates. Dr. Karen Price highlighted that second language acquisition was to develop interactional competence of learner. Continuing the session, Dr. Price introduced and elaborated the practice of Marsden test. Marsden tests which mere tests explicit language knowledge may not be that important in raising awareness of interactional competence of language learners in second language acquisition. The delegates actively participated in all the activities and found the workshop interesting and illuminating.
Day 2: 2 May, 2015
Day 2 workshop began on “Back Channelling Signals.” It was an interactive session. Dr. Karen Price elicited comments from delegates on the issues citing examples like ‘oh? Uh- Huh!, Yes, Right, Ok, Really.’ Commenting on the importance of comprehension in real time communication, Dr. Price demonstrated the role play example of bad communication and importance of language instructions in second language class. Dr. Price focused on the idea of helping students find the words by asking, “what it is not, what it is, what it is like who, where is it used, and so on. Answering the questions of delegates on order and importance of macro skills, and supporting the importance, Dr. Price elaborated the uses of brain in reading. Other activities conducted in the discussion of second language acquisition are invisible gorilla, and rule formation of rules in the activity of ul/ne and gi/ro in an artificial language to develop awareness in SLA rules.
Post-lunch session began with delegates’ comments on focus on form, and function/ meaning of language as provided in the language use in the form of handout. Communication of diverse types activating the challenges of making language learners aware of form, function and meaning were practiced.