The 6th annual Language Educator Symposium focuses on the development of intercultural competence within and through language education.  Co-sponsored by the Penn Language Center and the Educational Linguistics Division, this symposium offers language teachers a hands-on opportunity to explore what taking an intercultural perspective entails and how they might design classroom experiences that foster intercultural competence within themselves and their students.  A keynote talk by Dr. Anthony J. Liddicoat, a renowned leader in the field of intercultural teaching and learning, will be followed by six interactive workshops that focus on specific classroom practices that support the development of intercultural competence.  Workshop topics include:  

Cori Crane, University of Texas at Austin: Staging, Supporting, and Evaluating Structured Reflection

Christina Frei, University of Pennsylvania: Intercultural Communication Through Scaffolded Critical Thinking Activities

Erin Kearney, SUNY at Buffalo: Core Practices in Intercultural Teaching

Christelle Palpacuer-Lee, Rutgers University: Intercultural Magic: Unlocking the Potential of Museum Objects for Intercultural Teaching and Learning

Anne Pomerantz, University of Pennsylvania: What's so funy?: Using Humor to Develop Intercultural Competence

Betsy Rymes, University of Pennsylvania: Citizen Sociolinguistics in the Language Classroom: What is it? Why do it?

The symposium will close with a panel discussion that brings all workshop leaders together with the participants and offers an opportunity to engage in a formal discussion of the promises and challenges of taking an intercultural approach to language education.