SYLLABUS
Inclusive Assessment of Multimodal Multilinguals (IAM3)
Advanced Studies Institute funded by National Science Foundation
June 7 - 22, 2023 Stockholm University Stockholm, Sweden
Description
Goals
Leadership Team
Institute Topics
Host University
Expectations
Reasonable Accommodations
Grading Policies
Institute Structure
Assessment of Learning
This Institute entitled “Inclusive Assessment of Multi-Modal Multilinguals” (IAM3) is designed for advanced graduate students who wish to further their understanding of how deaf individuals acquire print literacy within a framework of translanguaging. The challenge of employing the translanguaging theory is that it is philosophically and practically incompatible with traditional approaches to language assessment and processing which require labeling the languages and maintaining linguistic boundaries for the purpose of assessment and investigation. Translanguaging calls for removing linguistic boundaries and recognizes the value of all communication resources used by individuals and communities. At the Institute, the faculty and students will take a critical approach to translanguaging and language assessment and processing methodologies with the expectation of making their study designs more inclusive and sensitive to participants’ language, communication, and cultural backgrounds. The methodological theme in 2023 is mixed methods in a translanguaging context with a focus on inclusion and autonomy.
Hosted by The Department of Linguistics at Stockholm University, the major goals of the Advanced Studies Institute are to:
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provide advanced graduate students with a theoretical framework - allied to methodological and technical skills - that will allow them to build a science of multimodal literacy that emphasizes how languages are used (in this case by deaf individuals) to serve different functions, including the acquisition of print literacy;
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introduce advanced graduate students to the principles of mixed methods as they relate to the design, implementation and use of language proficiency assessments;
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make advanced graduate studies available to a diverse group of individuals who have demonstrated an aptitude for scientific research, regardless of gender, sexual identity, race and disability
Institute Director
Dr. Joseph C. Hill (ASL, English) is an Associate Professor in the Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology. His research interests include socio-historical and -linguistic aspects of African-American variety of American Sign Language and attitudes and ideologies about signing varieties in the American Deaf community.
Joseph will not be able to attend IAM3 in 2023, and will be replaced by Dr. Deirdre “DD” Schlehofer. DD is an Associate Professor of Deaf Cultural Studies at RIT/NTID and has expertise in qualitative and mixed methods.
Institute Co-Director
Dr. Matthew Dye (ASL, English) is a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf where he directs the NTID SPACE Center [http://www.rit.edu/ntid/space]. His research focuses on the development of visual attention in deaf children, with an interest in the role of language in promoting healthy cognition. Dr. Dye uses behavioral, psychophysical and EEG methods in his research program.
Institute Co-Director
Dr. Deirdre “DD” Schlehofer (ASL, BSL, English) is an Associate Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) at the National Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in Rochester, New York (USA). Her research interests are language learning, qualitative methods, and deaf women’s health at the global level.
Translanguaging
Students will learn about the theoretical concept of translanguaging and how it differs from multimodal multilingualism. Special attention will be paid to translanguaging in Deaf communities and how translanguaging can inform models of print literacy acquisition in the majority language for speakers of minority languages.
Mixed Methods
Through lectures and hands-on activities, students will learn the principles of mixed methods and start to apply those principles to the design of language assessment tools.
Inclusion and Autonomy
Through lectures and discussion, students will approach issues related to linguistic inclusion and autonomy in language assessment. There will be a focus on the identification of language ideologies, how these ideologies manifest during language assessment and in language policy, and how such ideologies can be circumvented to enable inclusive language assessment approaches that protect and respect the linguistic autonomy of language users.
The Institute is held at the Department of Linguistics at Stockholm University. The department is distinctive in that it has two divisions concerned with language and language development in deaf individuals. The Sign Language division is led by Sweden’s first deaf full professor - Prof. Johanna Mesch - and conducts research on the structure of sign languages as well as how deaf children acquire a sign language. The division hosts two large linguistic corpora: one of Swedish Sign Language as used by members of the Swedish Deaf community, and another focusing on the development of Swedish Sign Language competence in second language learners. The second division is called Multilingualism in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, led by Dr. Krister Schönström. This unit focuses on Swedish as a second language for deaf individuals and has strong links with Swedish special schools for the deaf. The Department of Linguistics also has facilities for linguistic, psychological, developmental and cognitive neuroscience research, and is an ideal scholarly venue for the proposed Institutes.
Students are expected to actively participate in all components of the Institute to which they have been accepted. This includes:
Pre-Institute Activities:
All students will be assigned reading materials prior to the Institute. They will be expected to read these materials and develop a brief research statement based on their application. This document will form the basis for the study proposal that they will be expected to produce by the end of the Institute. It will also allow the Institute Directors to better assign mentors from amongst the Institute faculty.
Institute Attendance:
Students are expected to attend the Institute each and every day. Classes will start at 9AM every day, and students will be responsible for ensuring that they arrive on time and ready (physically and mentally) to participate to the best of their ability. Students may be expected to engage in some small group or paired activities, and they should be ready to engage with their fellow students as appropriate. Sometimes homework will be assigned for the evening - this work should be completed prior to engaging in social activities. Periodically, they will be given time to work on writing their final assessment - a proposal presentation - to be defended on the last day of the institute.
Post-Institute Activities:
Institute directors will follow up with students after the Institute in order to get feedback, perform an evaluation of the Institute, and assess medium- and long-term outcomes.
The languages of the Institute will be American Sign Language (ASL), International Sign, and English. No interpretation will be provided and all participants - faculty and students - are expected to be respectful of the communication choices of others and flexible and patient in their communicative interactions. If students require other accommodations in order to be effective learners, they are encouraged to inform the directors in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
While the Institute is not graded, students are expected to submit (and present and defend) the draft of a Fulbright U.S. Student Program application. Students matriculated in EU universities should draft and present a Fulbright application according to the policies of the Fulbright Commission for the country where they study. Please reach out to the Institute directors if you have any questions.
Lectures and research talks (and accompanying reading lists) are intended to increase students’ currency in the field. They will have an emphasis on multimodal language from multidisciplinary perspectives (psychology, linguistics, Deaf studies, neuroscience, educational psychology, applied linguistics) and faculty will facilitate students making connections between their current knowledge base and the new material they are learning. This will allow them to expand their theoretical knowledge base, incorporate key terms and concepts into their research, and help them to communicate across disciplines.
Group Activities: Students will learn practical skills such as quantitative and qualitative data analytic approaches through small group work that is designed to reinforce material taught in lectures and through readings.
One-on-One Interactive Discussion: There will be opportunities for students to get direct feedback on their work from faculty mentors. Attempts will be made to match students to faculty who have complementary expertise that is not available in their advisor’s lab. There will also be ample time for discussion incorporated into the schedule to allow students to question, explore new ideas, and challenge the faculty.
Students will prepare, propose and defend a small research study. The written proposal will be expected to follow the guidelines for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program (or its equivalent). The research questions must address a topic relevant to translanguaging and language assessment. There will be opportunities for peer and faculty feedback throughout the institute. All students will be required to prepare a 20 minute presentation with slides, and to defend their proposal during a subsequent Q&A session with students and faculty moderated by the leadership team. For US students, refer to the Statement of Grant Purpose guidelines.