Attending the CATESOL OC Chapter Spring 2021 Workshop and Panel Discussion: A Report by Esra Eldem

After receiving an announcement email from my graduate advisor two months ago, I submitted an online application and fortunately gained the opportunity to become a recipient of the CATESOL OC Graduate Student Initiative (GSI) Award for Spring 2021. In addition to a free CATESOL student membership and free admission to the CATESOL OC Chapter’s workshop event, this award provided me with the amazing opportunity to more closely learn about the TESOL profession and to establish network with various teachers and scholars. In this report, I will primarily discuss my experiences throughout the event, which took place on February 27, 2021.

The CATESOL OC Chapter Workshop and Panel Discussion event was held online this year due to the pandemic. Although online events may sometimes seem to decrease the interaction among the audience, this was not the case for this event. The content and speakers as well as the games and discussions in the breakout rooms were all so intriguing that I did not even realize how fast time went by during the 4-hour program.

The CATESOL OC Chapter’s workshop and panel discussion mainly focused on the topic of online teaching and learning environments, and, particularly, how to plan more dynamic lessons on Zoom. The program started with a fascinating talk by the featured speaker, Savyonne Steindler. Through the presentation by Savyonne Steindler, I learned about various online games and activities specially tailored to the needs of college-level ESL learners. The games ranged from taboo and tic tac toe to information gaps, find someone who, and jigsaws. My background as a TESOL major mainly revolved around learning how to teach unplugged, which is slightly different from what we have to do for the ever-changing needs of learners especially due to the pandemic. For most of the online games that Savyonne Steindler shared with us, I have had experiences and practices only in face-to-face settings. Therefore, I was unsure about how I could manage an online class and create an engaging learning environment. The whole-class and group activities shared by Savyonne Steindler, however, which could be adapted for various classes and proficiency levels, helped me feel more comfortable and confident, as I learned that there is a wide variety of options that I can make use of once I start to teach.

The rest of the program involved a panel, a second presentation, and a series of poster/flipgrid presentations that commonly addressed the challenges in Zoom classroom settings and recommendations for online teaching. During this time, I also had the opportunity to discuss with several professors about my experiences regarding the challenges of online teaching, particularly technical issues that may arise. Gaining the chance to discuss with professors about ESL classes motivated me to gain more knowledge and professionality besides getting more hands-on experience and doing more research on online classes.

Although I currently do not work with ESL learners, I will be applying for ESL instructor positions in the near future in community-based classes. The ideas and activities I learned throughout the event have inspired me to serve my students by creating a more engaging environment in the virtual setting, which I do not see as a barrier to effective teaching anymore. With the help of this event, I believe I can better tailor my classes based on the needs of my students as long as I brainstorm and plan well to make use of available tools and resources.

Besides the great experience of attending this wonderful event, getting free access to the Slangman digital online resource through opportunity drawing was also a very rewarding part! I highly recommend every graduate student in the TESOL field to join and enjoy the amazing atmosphere of ESL discussions and meetings with the experts in the field through CATESOL OC Chapter events.

Linguistics, Anti-Racism, & Social Justice Tiktok Contest

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS – LINGUISTICS, ANTI-RACISM, & SOCIAL JUSTICE TIKTOK CONTEST

The CSULB Linguistics Department is pleased to announce a contest for TikToks that bring together linguistics, anti-racism, and social justice. Eligible students are invited to create original TikTok content using the #CSULBLingTok hashtag.

This contest will run through the months of February, March, and April. Each month, we will choose the top ~45 submissions to repost on our @csulblinguistics TikTok account. Each approved submission will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. Up to 140 total submissions will be accepted. In addition, the creator of the best TikTok each month will receive a $200 prize, and the 2 runners-up for that month will each receive $150.

What we’re looking for:

Submissions should focus on issues related to language and social justice, broadly defined. We’re especially interested the following genres and topics:

• Anti-racism and language
• Black English/African American English
• Black ASL
• Afro-Latinx language varieties
• Combating myths and stigma about language and race/ethnicity
• Educational videos
• Submissions about languages you speak or sign at home
• Your personal experiences with language and social justice-related issues

Contest details and how to submit:

1. Make your video(s), being as creative as you like. Submissions should be both entertaining and factually accurate. Remember that linguistics celebrates linguistic diversity, rather than mocking it! IMPORTANT: For accessibility purposes, you must include accurate captions in all submissions.
2. Post your video(s) to your own TikTok account, making sure to use the #CSULBLingTok hashtag AND tag our account (@csulblinguistics).
3. For each individual submission, fill out the Qualtrics Form at the following link [https://csulb.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3eDcF38sQvPfbsW]. (This information is necessary both to verify your eligibility and to distribute your incentive if your video is accepted. Submissions that are missing a matching form entry will not be considered.)
4. Make sure to post your videos by the cut-off date for each month’s contest:

Sunday, February 28; Wednesday, March 31; and Friday, April 16. (Note the earlier date for April!)

A committee of Linguistics faculty and students will review all submissions for factual accuracy, educational and entertainment value, and overall good vibes. We will let you know whether your submission has been accepted. At the end of each month, we’ll announce that month’s winning video and the two runners-up.

All accepted submissions will be reposted on our @csulblinguistics TikTok account. In addition, we will post the monthly winners on our departmental website and social media pages.

While you can submit an unlimited number of videos, there is a limit of 1 $25 participant incentive per person.

Eligibility:

You must be a currently enrolled CSULB student to participate. Eligibility is limited to only those students who were enrolled in any graduate or undergraduate LING or ASLD class during Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 (including cross-listed sections under ANTH, ENG, or WGSS).

Important things to remember:

• Please make sure that your videos are publicly viewable, available to save, and available to Stitch and Duet.
• Don’t forget to use the #CSULBLingTok hashtag and tag us @csulblinguistics so that we can see your content.
• You are also welcome to include hashtags like #linguistics, #linguisticsmemes, and #socialjustice, as well as hashtags related to the languages/varieties mentioned in your submission, but this is not required.
• Remember that all submissions must be accurately captioned to be considered!
• Make sure that your posts follow the TikTok community guidelines.
• Examples of linguistics TikToks we like: here and here and here

For more information, please contact cla-linguistics@csulb.edu.

Linguistics Research Showcase (Call for Research Presenters!)

Statement of Solidarity with “Black Lives Matter”

The faculty in the Linguistics Department at the California State University are anguished by the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis. This murder was not an isolated instance but the latest in an endless litany of police violence against the lives of Black Americans that serves to highlight the racist societies in which we live. We stand in solidarity with the “Black Lives Matter” movement in the quest for social justice, condemnation of police brutality, and the enduring struggle against institutional racism.

As members of the linguistics faculty, we approach language as a powerful form of social action and as a tool for learning how everyday language stratifies people and reproduces both overt and covert forms of racism against linguistic and ethnic minorities, and Black people, in particular. In upholding the humanitarian principles of egalitarianism, civil, linguistic and socioeconomic parity, the faculty pledge to examine our own role in perpetuating white supremacy as a department to identify and work to dismantle systems of oppression. We encourage all of our students to engage in similar discussions in their communities, and with us at the departmental and university level .

We promote social equity and justice for all, particularly those who have been adversely affected by the legacy and history of racism. Martin Luther King declared that “The arc of the moral universe is long, it bends toward justice.” Although it has taken centuries, we feel encouraged that a global movement is now gaining momentum against repressive ideologies of state violence, discourses of subordination, marginalization, and exclusion that stem from pervasive ideals of white supremacy.

Finally, we reaffirm our support for change at linguistic, sociocultural and educational levels. We are strong advocates for linguistic rights and language access for all communities, and we believe that discursive change and institutional change go hand in hand. We express our solidarity with the growing anti-racist protests and their humanitarian ideals for transformation as these protests and demonstrations are swiftly spreading beyond the United States, connecting the enduring struggles of Black communities and those of oppressed communities throughout the world.

College of Liberal Arts 2020 Best Master’s Thesis

Welcome Assistant Professor Dr. Itxaso Rodríguez-Ordóñez

We are happy to announce that Dr. Itxaso Rodríguez-Ordóñez will be joining the Linguistics department in Fall 2020. Dr. Rodríguez-Ordóñez received her Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. Her research focuses the mechanisms that emerge in contact situations that lead to typologically common and uncommon linguistic patterns. Most of her work pertains to the Basque-Spanish contact situation in Spain. More recently, she has also focused on contact effects in the Linguistic Landscapes of Spanish and English in Chicago. In Fall 2020, she will teach LING 329 Language Acquisition and LING 424 Laboratory Phonetics.

Welcome Assistant Professor Anna Bax

We are happy to announce that Anna Bax will be joining the Linguistics department in Fall 2020. Ms. Bax will soon receive her PhD in Linguistics from UC Santa Barbara. She studies language and identity with Tu’un Savi (Mixtec)-speaking communities in California, with a particular focus on youth’s multilingual identity and language socialization practices in the face of first-generation language shift. She also works on community-led language reclamation, documentation, and maintenance projects. In Fall 2020, she will teach LING 100 The Nature of Language and LING 472 Language and Social Justice.

Dr. Stephen B. Ross

We are sad to announce the recent passing of Professor Emeritus Stephen Ross. Thank you to Terrence Wiley for contributing the following beautiful tribute to Steve’s life and legacy:

Professor Stephen B. Ross (1935-2020)

It was with great sadness that we learned last week of the passing of our colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend, Professor Stephen B. Ross. Steve was a major force in the development of the Linguistics program at CSULB as well as ESL and EFL programs on the campus.    

Steve grew up in Oregon and did his undergraduate work at George Fox College, where his father served as President. Steve received his B.A. there in 1957. Next, he received a degree in Divinity at a theological seminary in Kansas. After moving to California, he completed an M.A. in English from the University of Southern California in 1968, which was followed by a Ph.D. in Linguistics  in 1973. Steve began his career at CSULB while completing his doctorate at U.S.C. Over the years, he served in numerous important positions at CSULB. He was, for example, Director of the American Language Program (ALP) from 1970-1979, and he was founding Director of the Interdisciplinary Linguistics from 1985-1992. Steve was also instrumental, with colleagues, in establishing the Department of Linguistics. Steve was similarly very active in professional organizations such as TESOL, the American Association for Applied Linguistics, and particularly CATESOL, for which he served as president in 1984-1985.

At CSULB, Steve taught foundational seminars in syntax, phonology, language acquisition, research methods, and language testing, as well as seminars dealing with pedagogical grammar and communicative syllabus design. He was an excellent advisor to students and mentored many into professional organizations by involving them in panels and workshops at CATESOL and TESOL, where he was also a frequent presenter. Steve was also active in leading CSULB students on international field experiences, for example, to Upsala Sweden in 1976, and Taiwan in 1988. Additionally, he helped to coordinate numerous EFL summer institute programs at CSULB, which brought EFL students from around the globe to campus and provided EFL teaching-internships for students specializing in TESOL. Steve tirelessly provided advice and mentorship to his students. He retired 1999 and FERPED until 2004.

Steve was also an avid supporter of CSULB athletics. He served a Statistician for CSULB’s erstwhile football program (1976-1978) as well as Official Scorer for CSCULB’s Women’s Basketball from 1979-1988. He also served as an Official Basketball Scorer for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Steve married Teresa Ross in 1983. It was a second marriage for both. Tere Ross, now retired, served as an ESL/EFL teacher and later became Interim director of the American Language Institute at CSULB. Together they brought to their marriage eight children and 15 grandchildren.

Preparations for a memorial celebration of Steve’s life are currently being planned for later this year. An update will be provided as more information is received. Steve will be greatly missed by his former students, colleagues, family and friends.

Together From a Distance

Congratulations to Elica Sue on acceptance to the PhD program in Education at UC Santa Barbara

Congratulations to Elica Sue on acceptance to the PhD program in Education at UC Santa Barbara. Elica completed her MA in Linguistics with an Option in Language and Culture in 2018. She has since worked in industry as a linguistic annotator and tester.

As a PhD student, Elica plans to conduct research on heritage and second language acquisition in the context of literacy, writing, and language-learning through technology. She is interested in how child and adult learners of heritage languages (whose writing systems differ from English) acquire a new writing system, and how they develop skills in literacy. She is also interested in language courses created specifically for native/heritage speakers, and how their learning is facilitated through teachers and the classroom setting. She hopes to find ways in which heritage and second language learners can improve their literacy through the use of technology.