Kara Mac Donald (Defense Language Institute, USA)
Abstract
The varying sub-competencies of linguistic competence are best achieved by engaging in or accessing authentic language interactions, not interactions crafted for the classroom. When students and teachers are connected with distinct members of their community and/or diverse individuals in different parts of the world, they can engage in intercultural experiences and make connections that provide more breadth and depth to learning—and in turn truly build 21st century competencies among both parties. In this session, I will focus on three selected instructional and academic accounts of collaboration experiences. Drawing on these, I will describe how collaborating across local communities and borders fostered professionalism, understanding, meaningful relations, and essential skills for the 21st century, including and beyond language. Attendees will also discover three non-profit programs (e.g., Paper Airplanes and more) that they can use as models to construct activities and projects in their classrooms for their contexts.
KOTESOL Featured Workshop; In Person; 50 minutes
Culture & Cross-/Intercultural Perspectives
General Interest
About the Presenter
Kara Mac Donald is an associate professor at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, USA. She conducts pre-service and in-service faculty training and offers academic support to students. Her background consists of over twenty years in English and foreign language teaching, teacher training, and faculty development across elementary, secondary, and higher education. She earned a master's in applied linguistics, TESOL, and a doctorate in applied linguistics. Email: kmacd@rocketmail.com
