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Despite attempts to discourage the use of machine translation (MT), we have observed that students continue to rely on it. Are teachers powerless? We believe not! Consistent with a range of solutions proposed in previous publications, we hypothesized that a “hands-on” approach would be effective in helping students raise awareness of the benefits and limitations of machine translation. This approach strives to reframe machine translation from an object of interdiction to an object of critical reflection. Hence, we created, implemented, and evaluated a 50-minute online lesson during Fall 2020. Our aim was to guide students toward a critical awareness of various machine translation tools [Google Translate (GT), WordReference.com (WR), French dictionaries] by choosing carefully crafted machine translation examples and asking students to correct them in class (“post-editing”). We also tried to track any potential change in the students’ representations via a confidential pre- and a post-survey, and an audio-record of the interactions in class. One of our main results is that a majority of the students had already built complex representations and clever usages of machine translation before the class, much more than what we had expected. This allows us to reflect on what kind of impacts can or cannot be expected from such a class and to discuss the benefits and limits of such an approach to better integrate translation tools into second language teaching.

In this paper, I examine the development, implementation, and results of utilizing three types of storybooks in a language revitalization classroom for students ages 5-12 learning Teotitlán del Valle Zapotec, an indigenous language of southern Mexico. Although each method used for creating books in Zapotec generated a positive reaction from students and parents, I consider the ways in which each method facilitates student learning while also problematizing the cultural authenticity of the classroom. Based on classroom observations, a parent focus group, and student interviews, I conclude that the most effective method for storybook creation involved students creating their own book modeled on a pre-existing book written in the non-indigenous language. This student-created book generated sustained interest in the language and allowed for students to shape the materials into something that was culturally relevant for them personally.

Teaching Chinese as a second language in Taiwan vs. in the United States.How are they different?What are the challenges to teachers?This article will bring to you interesting findings from the perspective of a native speaking Chinese teacher.

Second language teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a sophisticated combination of pedagogical and content knowledge. This study explores the acquisition and articulation of PCK, highlighting the question of whether teacher education programs add to language teachers' knowledge base. Data was gathered using a performance assessment that incorporated teacher writing tasks in Spanish with a reflective paragraph to explain decisions made while writing. Areas of interest were language awareness, knowledge of effective teaching, and knowledge of learners. The study’s primary purpose is to reveal whether PCK differed in preservice Spanish teachers’ writing, as compared to Spanish Liberal Arts majors’ writing. Qualitative analysis revealed differing stages of PCK between the groups, suggesting teacher education’s influence on the preservice teachers’ performance.