Kassel English Colloquium (KEC)

We would like to invite you to the 24th Kassel English Colloquium which will take place on November 13th 2018 at the University of Kassel. Here you can find further information: invitation, flyer, registration form, map of location

Talk by Frau Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna,
California State University in Monterey Bay, California, USA
“Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
in the English as a Second Language Classroom”
A lot of interested people found their way to the 18th Kassel English Colloquium on June 24th, 2015 in order to listen to the exciting elaborations conducted by Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna, California State University in Monterey Bay, focusing on the language learning situation in California. Prof. Dr. Serna, who works as an Associate Professor in teacher training, depicted in an impressive way the most important facts regarding the present education system of the U.S. going into detail on the ethnic diversity of students in California.
Prof. Dr. Serna presented her study on “Triqui-Speaking Elementary School Students located on California’s Central Coast”, examining the experiences made by a female teacher during her first practical year at work with culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The study was conducted at a primary school in Greenfield, Monterey, California with Triqui-speaking students. Triqui is a language or rather a language variety that is spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico and has been brought to California by immigrants. Prof. Dr. Serna concluded that meanwhile, children have issues communicating with their parents as a result of differences in language competence in English, Spanish and Triqui between the children and their parents.  She discovered that Students who improved their English skills showed a regression in their mother tongue Triqui.
In this context, Prof. Dr. Serna sees the need for trilingual translations in (English/Spanish/Triqui) that consider and respect the learner’s culture. Learning the culture and the language of the students and reflecting on the experiences made as well as getting feedback from the students could be a starting point for the teacher to develop a deeper understanding for the learners. Furthermore, it is a personal concern for Prof. Dr. Serna to highlight the importance of the mother tongue in order to prevent cultural and linguistic loss.
The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with migrant background and the phenomenon of regression have been discussed, too.
The 18th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner was a complete success for the 50 participants as well as for the lecturer.
Text: Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner & Jenny Selbach

We would like to invite you to the 22nd Kassel English Colloquium on “International Online Collaboration: A Workshop on Distance Learning” which will take place on May 24th 2018 at the University of Kassel.
Here you can find further information: invitation, flyer, registration form, map of location

We would like to invite you to the 23rd Kassel English Colloquium on “Language learning journals and language awareness, competence, and ownership in study abroad” which will take place on June 12th 2018 at the University of Kassel.Here you can find further information: invitation, flyer, registration form, map of location

The Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) represents a forum for exchange between the university and practicing teachers, where current issues and developments in foreign language education and foreign language research are discussed. The KEC was established in the winter semester 1998/1999 by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, who teaches and conducts research in Applied Linguistics, Foreign Language Research, & Intercultural Communication.

The 21st Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) took place on Wednesday, May 3rd 2017, 6:30 to 8:00 pm (Room 3004, Georg-Forster-Str. 4) at the University of Kassel.
The guest professor Prof. Dr. Althier Lazar, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, USA held a talk with the following title: “The Dispositions of Equity-Minded Early Career Literacy Teachers”. Here you can find the abstract.

The 20th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) with approximately 70 participants took place at the Gießhaus of the University of Kassel on June 8, 2016. It was a great honor and pleasure to welcome the internationally renowned scholar Prof. Dr. Claire Kramsch from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. She delivered a thrilling lecture called “Teaching Language as Culture” and elaborated on the role of culture in the age of globalization and in language learning.

Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, who established the KEC in 1998, maintains active scholarly contact with Prof. Dr. Claire Kramsch and the University of California, Berkeley, USA since the mid-1990s. As a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley, Prof. Finkbeiner gained valuable experience multiple times and again in February/March 2016 when she gave a talk on “Migration and Language”. In return, Prof. Kramsch, who is currently teaching at the University of Bielefeld as the first Harald Weinrich Visiting Fellow, visited the University of Kassel.

Students and scholars from the University of Kassel, as well as numerous participants of the Canadian Summer School in Germany (CSSG), trainee teachers and teachers from around Kassel, were part of the diverse and highly interested audience. They were all very delighted by the guest speaker’s plea for the essential role of culture in foreign language teaching. Prof. Kramsch highlighted that increasing globalization requires new approaches to developing cultural competence. The audience was sensitized for the topic based on three concise examples of intercultural encounters.

Prof. Dr. Claire Kramsch has the rare gift to captivating her listeners and  motivating them for her research interests. As a highly experienced  articulate and knowledgeable lecturer, she illustrated the multifaceted ways in which we are all confronted by intercultural conflicts, stereotypes, and prejudices referring to personal anecdotes and presenting current research findings. Finally, the participants had the chance to ask questions in a multilingual discussion forum. Prof. Kramsch answered all questions constantly switching between English, French and German and, thereby, demonstrating that she is the epitome of multilingualism.

We are very thankful for Prof. Dr. Claire Kramsch’s fascinating presentation and look forward to meeting her soon again at the 13th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness (ALA) at the Vienna University of Economics and Business in July 2016.

Text: Markus Pusch & Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner

The 19th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) on "The Language Situation in the UK and the Role of Language Awareness" was held in the senate hall of the University of Kassel on 11 May 2016. Students, faculty members, alumni and teachers from all over Hesse, joined the insightful presentation of Senior Lecturer Dr. Agneta Svalberg (University of Leicester, United Kingdom).
Dr. Svalberg visited the University of Kassel in the second week of May as a member of the Erasmus staff mobility exchange. In addition, she shared current research projects with Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner. Both cooperate closely as part of their joint commitment in the Association for Language Awareness (ALA). Prof. Dr. Finkbeiner has been president of the ALA since 2006, while Dr. Svalberg acts as a board member of the association. Due to their long-standing cooperation, an Erasmus partnership between the University of Kassel and the University of Leicester has been established. The agreement allows the mutual exchange of staff and is funded by Erasmus+. A first exchange of doctoral students between the two universities took place under this partnership program. Jennifer Schluer (University of Kassel, PhD student with Prof. Finkbeiner) visited the University of Leicester for a research stay in February/March. She presented her research, discussed details in international expert panels and participated in research colloquia. In return, Dr. Svalberg visited the University of Kassel in May. She held highly interesting guest lectures on various topics in three seminars in the Department of English and American Studies, Foreign Language Research & Intercultural Communication. Moreover, Prof. Finkbeiner was delighted to announce that Dr. Svalberg would present her research in the popular Kassel English Colloquium (KEC). Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, organizer of the KEC, opened the colloquium with a welcome speech. Then, Dr. Svalberg introduced participants to the British education system by refering to the diversity of languages in the United Kingdom, which unfortunately does not correspond with the diversity of language teaching. Dr. Svalberg drew attention to the current situation of foreign language teaching and the associated language teacher training in the UK and underlined the decline of foreign languages at many British schools including German  which is also affected as a foreign language in the UK. After a recap of the origins of the Language Awareness movement, she presented her current research articles on the topic. At the end of the presentation, the enthusiastic lecturer gave practical exercise examples to inspire the participants for their everyday practice and impressed her audience by her multifaceted media use. Thanks to the entertaining informative and interactive lecture by Dr. Svalberg, participants were able to sharpen  their own cultural and  language awareness.  The 19th Kassel English Colloquium greatly motivated and inspired all participants leaving a lasting impression.
Text: Wiebke Ost & Claudia Finkbeiner
Translation: Stephen Mason

Lecture by Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna, California State University, Monterey Bay, California, USA "Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners in the English as a Second Language Classroom" at the Kassel English Colloquium (KEC), organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Research and Intercultural Communication. For the 18th Kassel English Colloquium on June 24, 2015, a large number of interested people turned out to listen to the exciting presentations of Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna, California State University, Monterey Bay, on the language learning situation in Southern California. Prof. Serna, who is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education, gave an impressive description of the key facts of the current educational system in the U.S. and addressed the ethnic diversity of students in California. Prof. Serna presented her study on "Triqui-Speaking Elementary School Students on California's Central Coast," which examines a first-year teacher's experience working with culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The study was conducted in an elementary school in Greenfield, Monterey, California with Triqui-speaking students. Triqui is a language or variety of language spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico and brought to California by immigrants. In the presentation, Prof. Serna concluded that immigrant children in California have communication difficulties with parents in part because of differences in English, Spanish, and Triqui language proficiency among children and parents. For students whose English proficiency improved over time, a regression in their native Triqui language was observed at the same time. Prof. Serna sees a need for trilingual translations (English/Spanish/Triqui) to take into account and respect the culture of the learners. She sees an approach for teachers to get to know the culture and language of the students and to have a deeper understanding of the learners through reflection and feedback. Furthermore, Prof. Serna is concerned to emphasize the importance of the mother tongue in order to avoid cultural as well as linguistic loss. The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with migration background in Germany and the analogous regression phenomenon (for example in Turkish) was discussed. The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with migration background in Germany and the analogous regression phenomenon (for example in Turkish) was discussed. The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with migration background in Germany and the analogous regression phenomenon (for example in Turkish) was discussed. The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with migration background in Germany and the analogous regression phenomenon (for example in Turkish) was discussed. The 18. Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) was a success for all 50 participants as well as for the presenter. "Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners in the English as a Second Language Classroom" in the context of the Kassel English Colloquium (KEC), organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Research and Intercultural Communication. For the 18th Kassel English Colloquium on June 24, 2015, a large number of interested people came to listen to the exciting presentation of Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna, California State University, Monterey Bay, on the language learning situation in Southern California. Prof. Serna, who is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education, gave an impressive description of the key facts of the current educational system in the U.S. and addressed the ethnic diversity of students in California. Prof. Serna presented her study on "Triqui-Speaking Elementary School Students on California's Central Coast," which examines the experiences of a first-year teacher in practice working with culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The study was conducted in an elementary school in Greenfield, Monterey, California with Triqui-speaking students. Triqui is a language or variety of language spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico and brought to California by immigrants. In the presentation, Prof. Serna concluded that immigrant children in California have communication difficulties with parents in part because of differences in English, Spanish, and Triqui language proficiency among children and parents. Students whose English proficiency improved over time were simultaneously observed to regress in their native Triqui language. Prof. Serna sees a need for trilingual translation (English/Spanish/Triqui) to accommodate and respect learners' cultures. She sees an approach for teachers to get to know the culture and language of the students and to have a deeper understanding of the learners through reflection and feedback. Furthermore, Prof. Serna is concerned to emphasize the importance of the mother tongue in order to avoid cultural as well as linguistic loss. The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with migration background in Germany and the analogous regression phenomenon (for example in Turkish) was discussed. The 18th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner was a success for all 50 participants as well as for the lecturer.                                                 Text: Jenny Selbach and Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner

The 17th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) with the title „An International Approach to English Language Teaching: Reports from Catalonia, Spain and Oregon, USA“ took place on June 25, 2014 in the senate hall of the University of Kassel. After a warm welcome by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, organizer of the KEC, Prof. Dr. Josep M. Cots (University of Lleida, Spain) was the first to hold his presentation on “Teaching Pragmatic Aspects of English: A Translanguaging Approach“. Following this, Prof. Dr. Cornelia Paraskevas und Prof. Dr. Frank Nevius (Western Oregon University, USA) presented their common research findings “Reading with Caution: Using American Newspapers in the ELT Classroom“. These highly interesting contributions were commented and discussed by the audience, teachers from and around Kassel as well as students and employees of the faculty of Humanities of the University of Kassel. Having thanked the international scholars for their highly interesting presentations Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner handed over two posters as a gift. The KEC provided an accredited advanced education training for teachers, who received a KEC certificate.

The 16th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) took place on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 from 5pm - 7pm in the concert hall of the University of Kassel ("Musiksaal", Mönchebergstr. 1, 34109 Kassel). Guest lecturers from Sweden, Spain, the USA, Turkey and France gave insight into the teaching of English as a foreign language in their home countries, thus providing a truly international perspective on the central theme "Language, Culture, Literacy and their Role in Education". For details please read the KEC flyer.

The 15th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) took place on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 in the Murrhardsche Library. Guest speaker was Dr. Joseph M. Cots, University of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain.

Dr. Joseph M. Cots gave a key note on “Promoting Intercultural Communicative Competence in a Secondary School”.

Flyer

14th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC), April 24, 2008 at the Eulensaal of the University of Kassel.

Prof. Dr. Ruggiano Schmidt from Syracuse , New York, USA gave a key note on „Reading and Writing in an Integrated Curriculum“.

Flyer

13th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC), January 17, 2007 at the Reinhardwaldschule

"Diagnosing text competence and cultural competence"

more information (in German) Publik Report (in German)

The 12th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) was held on January 16th, 2006. The workshops offered:

• Intercultural Learning in the EFL Classroom
• Language Awareness and Computer-Assisted Language Learning
• WebQuests in the Foreign Language Classroom
• Content and Language Integrated Learning (Bilingualer Unterricht)

The workshops were organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, Prof. Dr. Leo van Lier, Wolrad König (OStR i.H.), Dr. Sylvia Fehling, Markus Knierim, M.A., und Eva Wilden.
Read the article in Publik

On Monday, December 12, Prof. Dr. James P. Lantolf (Pennsylvania State University) gave a lecture on "Dynamic Assessment in Foreign Language Development"

Prof. Dr. Leo van Lier, Monterey Institute for International Studies, Monterey/Kalifornien, USA, was giving a presentation about "Perception and action in a project-based curriculum: An Ecological Perspective" at the 10th Kassel English Colloquium on January 11, 2005.

Programm

"The Intercultural Experience" was the topic of the 9th Kassel English Colloquium on Juni 16, 2004 at the University of Kassel. Prof. Dr. Patricia Ruggiano Schmidt of the Le Moyne College, Syracuse/NY, USA talked about "The ABC's of Intercultural Understanding and Communication". After this presentation the conference continued with four different workshops on intercultural learning and teaching conducted by Prof. Schmidt, Prof. Finkbeiner, Markus Knierim and Eva Wilden.

Programme

"Content and Language Integrated Learning and Teaching" was the topic of the eighth Kassel English Colloquium which took place on May 23, 2003. Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, Sylvia Fehling and Michaela Göbel from the University of Kassel presented the Comenius II-project MOBIDIC (Module einer bilingualen Didaktik und Methodik des Sachfachunterrichts für die Lehrerbildung). Moreover, Dorothea Burdzik and Margozata Multanska from Warsaw, partners in the MOBIDIC-project, talked about content and language integrated learning and teaching in Poland. In the afternoon the conference continued with workshops conducted by Prof. Finkbeiner, Sylvia Fehling, Edmund Borschel and Wolrad König.

more pictures

"Today English was the best class! – EFL Methodology in the primary classroom" was the topic of a presentation by Prof. Dr. Gisela Schmid-Schönbein on May 15, 2002. Prof. Schmid-Schönbein is professor for the English language and English language teaching methodology at the University of Koblenz-Landau, author of numerous publications especially in this fields: Methodology of Early Foreign Language Learning, Content and Language Integrated Learning, Computer-assisted Language Learning.

The Kassel English Colloquium was continued in the summer term 2000 with the opening of the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Learning Centre and a lecture by Prof. Juliane House about "Intercultural Learning".

On the occasion of the third Kassel English Colloquium on June 26, 2000, Prof. Dr. Günter Huber gave a talk about "Cooperative Learning in the Context of Learning and Teaching Environments." Günter Huber is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Tübingen.

"Internet for English Teaching" was the topic of a presentation by Reinhard Donath on January 27, 2000. Reinhard Donath is an EFL teacher in Aurich and author of several books on computer-enhanced learning and teaching.

In the winter term of 1999/2000 the Kassel English Colloquium continued with a lecture given by Prof. Dieter Wolff on the subject of "Cognitivism and Constructivism: How compatible are new theories of learning with Foreign Language Textbooks?" Dr. Dieter Wolff has a professorship for Fachdidaktik Englisch at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at the Bergische University Gesamthochschule Wuppertal. He is author of numerous books and publications in the fields of learner autonomy, computer supported learning, learning strategies and learning techniques, constructivism as well as Bilingualer Sachfachunterricht.

Since the winter term 1998/99, Prof. Dr. Finkbeiner has had the pleasure to welcome numerous, eminent scholars specializing in a broad range of topics within the fields of Applied Linguistics, Foreign Language Research, & Intercultural Communication. The initial KEC on January 14, 1999, featured a presentation by Ute Rampillon on "Learning Techniques and Learning Strategies." Ute Rampillon is author of numerous books in foreign language education and is editor of the journal "Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht."

The enormous participation shown by the public at the Kassel English Colloquia, as well as the very stimulating discussions after the lectures, do not only show the positive resonance, which this forum of exchange meets within Kassel and the surrounding area, but also the necessity of holding events such as these.