Here is the direct link to the video!
This was a free event for OKTESOL members and non-members. We hosted the seminar on our YouTube channel. The short URL for the channel is tinyurl.com/OKTESOLchannel. We will be sending attendees a digital certificate of attendance via email in the near future.
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About the Sessions
Self-selected reading: The most powerful tool we have in language education
Stephen Krashen
Stephen Krashen
In both first and second language acquisition self-selected free voluntary reading (which is largely fiction) is:
(1) the source of our literacy and language development (vocabulary, grammar, writing style, reading ability, spelling), far more powerful than direct instruction.
(2) an important source of knowledge, practical and academic: Those who read more know more about history, literature, science, and even practical matters.
(3) helpful in developing positive “habits of mind.” Readers have a greater capacity for empathy and develop a healthy distrust of overly simple solutions to problems.
A major goal of school is to help students develop a pleasure reading habit. For this to happen, students must have access to books. For students living in poverty, the school and public library are often their only source of books.
The Path to Heritage Language Development
Stephen Krashen & Nooshan Ashtari
Stephen Krashen & Nooshan Ashtari
There are clear advantages to developing the heritage language, including economic advantages, biculturalism, which includes more access to the wisdom of the heritage culture, and possible cognitive advantages.
The most common way of attempting to improve heritage language development is through traditional instruction. We present three studies (two completely unobtrusive) that lead to the conclusion that this path is not attractive for HL acquirers of Farsi/Persian:
(1) attempts to read or study Farsi grammar books do not succeed: readers typically give up after reading about 5% of the books;
(2) HL acquirers may buy the first book in a Farsi pedagogical series, but rarely buy other books in the series;
(3) those who have experienced HL classes generally did not like them. There are alternatives that have been both shown to be effective and pleasant. It is about time we at least try them.
Stephen Krashen has published over 500 articles and a dozen scholarly books in the fields of literacy, language acquisition, neurolinguistics, and bilingual education. Many of these publications are available for free download at sdkrashen.com. According to a recent study, he is the most frequently cited scholar in the world in the field of second language education.
In addition, he has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and was the 1977 Incline Bench Press Champion of Venice Beach. Prior to the pandemic, he trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, California. Now he does deadlifts and rotator cuff exercises and gives webinars worldwide from home.
In addition, he has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and was the 1977 Incline Bench Press Champion of Venice Beach. Prior to the pandemic, he trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, California. Now he does deadlifts and rotator cuff exercises and gives webinars worldwide from home.
Nooshan Ashtari has taught graduate and undergraduate courses and conducted research in various countries around the world for over 15 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature, MA in Applied Linguistics, and her PhD in Education/TESOL. Her main research interests include Virtual Reality in teacher training/professional development, heritage language acquisition, and reading in SLA.
Her only artistic talent is in martial arts, particularly Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing. Once in a Taekwondo competition she got yelled at furiously by her coach because she thought her opponent had excellent technique and deserved to win!
Her only artistic talent is in martial arts, particularly Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing. Once in a Taekwondo competition she got yelled at furiously by her coach because she thought her opponent had excellent technique and deserved to win!
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OKTESOL Virtual Seminar 2020 |