The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the leading national organization for language teaching and learning, publishes the quarterly magazine The Language Educator. It is described as “the best resource for language professionals” and “a single, comprehensive source of news and information” for educators of all languages at all levels, from teachers to administrators. Its latest issue (April 2019) features two pieces by UW-Eau Claire’s Department of Languages faculty. This issue focuses on the theme “Connecting Research to our Practice”. Submissions were blind-reviewed by two education experts.
Drs. Jessica Miller and Martina Lindseth (faculty in French and German) contributed “Taking Ownership: Making Program Assessment Doable, Sustainable, and Rewarding”, one of only six pieces selected for inclusion in this issue. In their article, they describe a program assessment protocol that they developed through the College of Arts & Sciences Strategic Initiative program.
Anne Cummings Hlas (faculty in Spanish) was invited by ACTFL to co-author the introduction to the topic prefacing all six articles on the theme. She and Cori Crane (Duke University) detail a few ideas to connect research to practice, such as collaborating with colleagues, becoming involved in assessment work, serving as a mentor, joining a professional organization, conducting classroom research, and learning more about high-leverage teaching practices.
For more information on this issue and to read a sample article, please visit The Language Educator website.
