Invitation to guest lecture

The research unit in Language Acquisition and Pedagogy has the pleasure to announce a guest lecture by Prof. Steven L. Thorne (Portland State University & University of Groningen). The lecture takes place on Monday 10 March at 14.00 – 16.00 in Nobelparken, 1481-366*. Everyone is welcome!

Interfacing instruction with the wild: Rewilding and desire lines as vectors for innovation

Abstract:

In recent decades, there has been growing research and innovation that interfaces formal L2 education with opportunities for interaction and learning that occur primarily or fully outside of classroom contexts (Reinders et al., 2022; Thorne et al., 2009, 2021), with the goal of increasing the ecological validity of both the content and interactional processes of language learning. This presentation describes a 20-year trajectory of research-informed pedagogical innovation using the metaphor of “rewilding.” Similar in some respects to other extramural and language learning beyond the classroom projects, “rewilding” language education (Thorne, Hellermann, & Jakonen, 2021) involves reverse engineering from studies of learning in the wild in order to augment and restore a diversity of real-world activities and interactional affordances into instructional curricula. The rewilding approach addresses the challenge of how to dynamically integrate formal learning settings with the vibrancy and diversity of linguistic, experiential, and situational contexts out in the world. Included are case studies of design interventions that attempt to rewild instructed language learning. These include use of mobile augmented reality, engagement with online fandom and gaming communities, and use of Large Language Model Generative Artificial Intelligence tools. Together, these projects apply multiple approaches (i.e., sociocultural theory, usage-based linguistics, ethnomethodology, posthumanism), evince social justice commitments, and address diverse L2 and ELT learning contexts.

Bio:

Steven L. Thorne (Ph.D., UC Berkeley) is Professor of Second Language Acquisition in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University (USA), with a secondary appointment in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). His research draws upon contextual traditions of language analysis and usage-based approaches to language development. Areas of interests include formative interventions in world languages education, communication across digital media and mobile technologies, and Indigenous language revitalization.

Organizer: Susana S. Fernández & Line Krogager Andersen

For people unable to attend the lecture in Aarhus, there will be an opportunity for online participation via this link: aarhusuniversity.zoom.us/j/67888188523 - Meeting ID: 678 8818 8523