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Newsletter - June 2025
Dear all,
I hope everyone is having a great beginning of summer! We are busy with our summer PD programming (see below) but we wanted to open with a request for help. We are working to build a comprehensive list of free resources for LCTL educators (i.e. OERs such as textbooks, teaching materials, etc.). If you know of any high-quality materials, either language specific or language agnostic, would you share them with us? You can email Luca Giupponi at giupponi@msu.edu with a link and a short description.
We were overwhelmed by your enthusiasm for our latest OLT course, Language Teaching with Generative AI: Harnessing AI to Elevate Instruction. We received over 100 applications for just two sections of the course! We hope to offer this course again in the future to meet the high demand!
The ViVID program is accepting applications for its 2025-2026 cohort! Find out more information below!
New to our newsletter? Explore all eleven of our projects in our three core areas of professional development, open resources, and strategic collaboration on our website!
Check out other events on our joint LRC calendar (also linked below under PD Opportunities and Resources).
Updates
Be part of the next ViVID Cohort!
Teachers of LCTLs often come to language teaching from other fields, missing out on crucial training opportunities. LCTL instructors are often isolated in their teaching contexts and may have limited options for materials and curricula. To address these needs, the Virtual Video-based Inquiry for the Development of LCTL Teachers (ViVID) invites cohorts of currently practicing LCTL instructors to engage in reflective teaching and peer-mentoring.
Do you want to meet like-minded LCTL instructors such as yourself and swap teaching strategies while also getting a monthly stipend? Apply here for our ViVID fellows program by 7/15 to be in next year's cohort!
Free Consulting/Coaching
with the NLRC
Did you know that the NLRC offers FREE consulting/coaching?
Do you or your language department want to talk through something related to LCTL teaching or learning? From grant writing feedback to proficiency-based teaching, from online language learning to OERs, you can book time with the NLRC to gather resources, get feedback, and process ideas about the teaching and learning of LCTLs.
Don't hesitate to reach out to us to book an initial 30 minute call!
NLRC Social Media Highlight
This May, we celebrated a month rich in cultural and educational appreciation:
- AAPI Heritage Month was honored with a tribute to the diverse cultures and heritage languages of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
- On Mother’s Day, NLRC highlighted the global role of mothers in language development, celebrating the idea of the “mother tongue.”
- National Teachers’ Day recognized educators across disciplines for their dedication to nurturing knowledge.
- Portuguese Language Day spotlighted Portuguese as the 6th most spoken language globally and a major language in Latin America.
We also marked several deadlines for our summer OLT courses and upcoming ViVID application deadlines! Check out our social media pages for more updates!
OER Textbooks from MSU
Did you know that we have a wide range of OER (Open Educational Resource) LCTL textbooks published at MSU? OER Textbooks are a great form of accessible teaching and learning, for all subjects and languages! MSU and the NLRC will continue to promote and provide resources for LCTL teachers and students. Check them out here:
PD Opportunities and Resources
To view all current LRC offerings in an aggregate format, please see this calendar:
Many of our fellow Language Resource Centers and National Resource Centers (and some of our collaborative partners) have their own professional development opportunities. This section highlights some recent opportunities/resources.
Yale University has developed a series of free resources for teaching of Hindi/ Urdu. The resources on this website can be easily modified / adapted to teach other South Asian and less commonly taught languages. Additionally, most of these can be easily turned into projects.
The Coalition of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools will be holding their 12th Annual Community-Based Heritage Language Schools Conference on October 3-4, 2025, and will be in a hybrid format. Register here to attend!
