CATESOL 2016

What makes a person look up a word? When do you use a dictionary? Looking up a word in a dictionary is an intimate act for each of us as individuals, but the words sought by millions of users put together tell us a surprising story about the English language. By watching trends of lookups on a heavily consulted online dictionary, lexicographers track which entries are being consulted at any given moment. Some words are perennial sources of curiosity, while others show spikes of interest triggered by news from the worlds of politics, entertainment, and sports. Some words express the general mood of the culture; others reflect a poignant specificity. At the same time, this Web traffic tells a story about the changing business of dictionaries -- and what is expected of a dictionary in the 21st century.

Predictions about the future, even over relatively short timeframes, such as the next few years, between now and 2020, are notoriously unreliable. However, if we look at where we are now, and how we got here, we can consider where we might be headed in the near-future. For example, according to the Nielsen market research group, the “most distinguishing characteristic” of people in the USA in 2020 “will be their ethnic and racial makeup”. They predict that: “In only a few short years, by at least 2025, over half of all families with children will be multi-cultural. Less than half will be native born non-Hispanic white”. Another major driver of change, especially in the last 20 years, has been access to new technologies. This plenary will, then, look at how these kinds of changes – cultural, linguistic, technological and others – might impact on the work of language teachers and learners, here and elsewhere.

Plenary sponsored by TESOL. 

The plenary speakers will discuss three principles for teaching academic language and content to emergent bilinguals. They will also define academic language and show strategies for developing academic genres and syntax, as well as discuss concrete reasons for teaching academic language and academic content organized around themes. The Freemans will share examples from teachers and show pictures of classrooms to demonstrate how teachers can use specific strategies and organize materials to develop both academic language and content knowledge.

Sponsored by Corwin (booth 122).

Being able to write effectively for academic and professional purposes is more important than ever for L2 students, especially those educated in California. Are L2 writing programs stuck in the past when it comes to college preparatory writing (and reading) instruction? This plenary session will review the past, spotlight the present, and forecast the future with regard to L2 academic literacy instruction, focusing particularly at the postsecondary level. It will highlight the lingering controversy around the role of the “five-paragraph essay,” discuss the importance of reading and vocabulary strategy instruction, and discuss the always lively issue of grammar instruction and error feedback in the writing class. This will be a highly practical session with (it is hoped) something for everyone.