Keynote Speakers

Language learners can vary along a wide range of cognitive, affective, social, educational, and contextual dimensions. Second language acquisition research has long acknowledged the importance of cognitive factors in the effective learning of additional languages but cognitive diversity among learners is rarely considered from the perspective of inclusion and access in our field. The concept of neurodiversity views individual variability along cognitive and neurological dimensions as integral to how people experience and interact with the world around them. Neurodiverse language learners can face several challenges in instructed language learning and assessment contexts, most of which could be alleviated if the barriers to their success were identified and principles of inclusive education were implemented. 

In this presentation, I will give a narrative overview of the series of research projects I have conducted over the past 15 years to enhance neurodiverse students’ access to language learning and to promote inclusive language teaching and assessment practices.  Research findings, derived from interviews, questionnaires, observational studies and the analysis of second language performance, yield insights into the complexities of cognitive and affective challenges neurodiverse students are confronted with. The studies also highlight that policy-level, institutional, curricular, and pedagogical factors and practices can constitute significant barriers for neurodiverse language learners.  The talk will also describe how, based on these findings, I have initiated several teacher education programs on inclusive language teaching, and I will identify the measurable impact of these initiatives on language teachers. I will also summarize the results of our recent research projects in the area of accessible language assessment and the benefits of testing adjustments for test-takers with diverse cognitive abilities. The presentation will conclude with an action plan for future research and implications for inclusive multilingual pedagogies and educational policies. 

Within language education, current equity discourses are heavily focused on creating access and equitable opportunities to multilingual learning for disenfranchised, culturally and linguistically diverse learners. However, one marginalized community continues to be excluded: students with disabilities. In this talk, I will discuss the ways in which current language practices are rooted in pathology, promoting ableist ideals which counter equity movements.  Grounded in my experiences as a bilingual special education teacher trained in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and a CUNY-NYSIEB team member who researched translanguaging uses in special education settings, I present the ways in which translanguaging and UDL can intersect to support diverse learners. Translanguagings’ expansive potential to challenge notions of disordered speech will be presented as well as the sociopolitical need for critical language educators to engage with disability justice movements.  Beyond theoretical understandings, participants will be able to walk away with an emergent understanding of  an integrated pedagogical stance I have termed: TrUDL, a Translanguaging Universal Design for Learning (TrUDL).

In today’s globalized society, interaction plays a pivotal role in teaching, learning, and assessing second languages. This significance arises from learners’ aspirations to enhance communication skills in their second language, opening doors to employment, education, migration, and international experiences. Educators, recognizing these needs, have embraced communication-oriented methodologies like CLT and TBLT. These approaches aim to immerse learners in real-life language contexts beyond the classroom, nurturing the development of communication skills. Researchers across the fields, have delved into understanding learner performance characteristics, drawing on varied theoretical frameworks.

In language assessment, the speaking test format has evolved significantly, from reading aloud tasks and monologues to oral proficiency interviews and pair/group interview formats. As the assessment format has adapted to mirror real-life communicative scenarios, the construct of speaking has undergone substantial changes. Recent trend of speaking assessments increasingly incorporate test-takers’ interactional abilities, referred to as interactional competence, within the speaking construct.

This research trajectory builds on studies focused on the paired/group interaction format of speaking assessment. Numerous investigations in language assessment and classrooms have explored how variables such as task type, learner characteristics, and contextual factors impact the overall quality of interaction. Despite the extensive literature, a relative gap persists in understanding how test-taker backgrounds, particularly those related to their first language (L1), such as communication style rooted in their culture, identity (membership category), learning experience, and the culture of learning, contribute to characterizing interaction and the demonstration of interactional competence in the second language (L2).