SPLIS Newsletter - September 2020 (Plain Text Version)

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In this issue:
LEADERSHIP UPDATES
•  LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
•  LETTER FROM THE PAST CHAIR
•  LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
ARTICLES
•  ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: FROM MONOLOGUE TO DIALOGUE
•  STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK TO SUPPORT SPEAKING IN THE ESL/EFL CLASSROOM
•  STUDENT-LED DISCUSSION IN TEACHER TRAINING AND INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAMS: ENHANCING LISTENING, SPEAKING, AND CONFIDENCE
•  STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES FOR AUTONOMOUS PRONUNCIATION LEARNING
IN CONVERSATION
•  AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. MARNIE REED
ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY
•  LEADERSHIP TEAM
•  CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Matthias Maunsell, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Shannon McCrocklin, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Matthias Maunsell

Shannon McCrocklin

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the latest issue of As We Speak. Though the COVID cloud has not yet lifted, and the land is not yet healed, we take comfort in knowing our community is still vibrant. We are especially grateful to our contributors who have made the effort at a difficult time to enlighten us with their insights and ideas.

In this issue, the curtain opens with an article by five authors, Teresa Cusumano, Rita DiFiore, Kayla Landers, Mary Newbegin, and Elena Reiss, who with lyrical elegance bring us an intensive English program drama project that helps transform English language learners. This is followed by Juli Sarris’s wonderful addition to the teacher’s toolkit with a thoughtful discussion on effective feedback strategies for speaking performance. Next, Ashley Fifer eloquently highlights culturally sustaining pedagogy and the benefits that arise when student perspectives are entertained. The final article, by Kim Edmunds, Carolyn Saylor-Loof, and Tristan Thorne, reminds us of the merits of targeted independent learning by providing valuable strategies and online resources for students to improve their pronunciation. Of course, we are truly grateful to Dr. Marnie Reed for sharing her pearls of wisdom on listening and pronunciation in the inaugural interview of our new “In Conversation”segment.

We would also like to acknowledge the leadership team and the entire Speech, Pronunciation, and Listening Interest Section membership for their continued support and encouragement as we nurse each issue into the light. If you are interested in submitting an article, a book or technology review, or indeed a nomination for an interview to feature in our new segment, we encourage you to look at the call for submissions in this issue. The deadline to submit is 13 December 2020. We are always glad to hear from you!

Let us finish with a fervent wish that friends and colleagues remain resilient, hopeful, and emboldened in the next academic year.

May the wind be at your backs.

Warm wishes,

Matthias & Shannon