 | From the President by Carol Chapelle, President, AAAL |
As we look forward to another excellent conference, this year April 21-24 in Costa Mesa, California, I am happy to report on the activities of the AAAL Executive Committee over the past year. The primary focus has been on increasing the effectiveness of AAAL’s outreach by getting the Website design and Newsletter in place and forming committees to focus on issues of critical importance to members.
In October of 2006, submissions for an updated Logo and Website design were solicited. You are looking at the outcome. We also are delighted to welcome Celeste Kinginger, Associate Professor of French and Applied Linguistics at Penn State University as the new AAALetter Editor.
Members should recognize many of the familiar sections and content on the new Website; however, in addition to the new look, the Website will contain the AAALetter at the beginning of each spring and fall. We also have links for Working Papers, and Position Statements each of which provides a mechanism for disseminating materials reflecting the professional knowledge, judgments and concerns of AAAL. Thanks to AAAL’s new Advocacy Action Group and Ad hoc Committee on Professional Issues in Language Education, you will soon see samples of the contents of these sections. These sections are intended to add to—not replace—the resolutions, which are also included on the Website. The Website also provides a mechanism for institutional members to enter their program information and to contribute updates on important events as well as job announcements.
Members will notice an updated process for being prompted to pay their dues as the new system for a rolling membership was recently initiated. The 12 month membership will extend from the time of payment rather than being applied to the calendar year.
The Executive Committee has been busy preparing for the coming conference in Costa Mesa, in addition to the 2008 conference to be held March 29 - April 2 in Washington D.C. and the 2009 conference March 21-24 in Denver. In addition, the AAAL standing committees are in place and members of each committee are listed on the Website. The nominating committee, chaired by Jane Zuengler, is preparing a new slate of candidates before the April AAAL meeting.
As I announced to members in my email late in August, the death of Craig Chaudron put the organization in need of an experienced and willing secretary-treasurer. We are most grateful to Paul Angelis for stepping in at this point to carry through with this work until the nomination and election of a new secretary-treasurer.
Perhaps it goes without saying that the Executive Committee has undertaken AAAL’s work this year under a great burden of sadness resulting from the untimely death of Craig Chaudron, who was not only our secretary-treasurer, but also our colleague, and friend. Craig was dedicated and determined to see the appearance of the new Website and return of the AAALetter this year. We dedicate this new definitive look for AAAL to his memory.
Newsletter Editor:
Celeste Kinginger
The Pennsylvania State University
Secretary-Treasurer:
Paul Angelis
Southern Illinois University
Business Office:
Robert Ranieri
Info@aaal.org
 | Report from the President of AILA by Sue Gass, President, AILA |
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the readership to the workings of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA). AILA is the umbrella organization for many affiliates, mostly representing individual countries. At present, there are approximately 35 affiliates representing countries in North America, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. In total, through its affiliates, AILA represents more than 8000 individual members. In addition, there are approximately 10 associate members representing scholarly organizations (e.g., the International Language Testing Association [ILTA]).
The goal of AILA is to promote the development and exchange of information in all subject areas of applied linguistics, to stimulate international cooperation, to foster language pluralism, and to support and promote applied linguistics in developing countries. In sum, AILA’s mission is to support and promote applied linguistics in all corners of the globe.
There are many activities sponsored by AILA, the most well-known of which is the triennial congress. In fact, the most recent AILA Congress was sponsored by AAAL and was held in Madison, Wisconsin in 2005. This was the first AILA congress held in the U.S. The next Congress (2008) (www.aila2008.org) will be held in Essen, Germany from August 24-August 29 with the theme of “Multilingualism: Challenges and Opportunities. Following the 2008 Congress will be one in Beijing, China in 2011.
In addition to the triennial Congresses, AILA sponsors Research Networks (ReNs) whose goal is to promote the gathering and dissemination of information and the undertaking of research in all academic areas of AILA with a particular focus on areas that have the potential for new cross-disciplinary research. ReNs are established for a limited amount of time (generally 3-6 years). ReNs include newer as well as senior scholars and are made up of individuals who cross national boundaries. Each ReN proposes a program of research activity for a 3-year period of time and commit to presenting research results at the upcoming AILA World Congress.
Consistent with AILA’s mission to promote the dissemination and exchange of scientific information is AILA’s involvement in a number of publications. AILA Review is a scholarly journal published under the auspices of the Publication Committee of AILA. Volumes are guest-edited and thematically oriented. In the past few years, the focus has been geographically-oriented (e.g., Africa, Latin America) with the most recent issue (2006) focusing on different approaches to second language acquisition. Each issue is published by John Benjamins Publishing Company.
In addition to AILA Review, is the AILA Applied Linguistics Series (AALS), edited by Jasone Cenoz. This is a book series, also published by John Benjamins in Amsterdam and treats different topics of applied linguistics. Each book can be an edited volume or a monograph treating a specific area of applied linguistics. The series aims at representing the field in its diversity.
AILA also has ties with two journals: 1) The International Journal of Applied Linguistics (InJAL), a journal that publishes articles that explore the relationship between expertise in linguistics, broadly defined, and the everyday experience of language. It is primarily concerned with issues showing how local issues of language use or learning exemplify more global concerns and 2) Applied Linguistics is a far-reaching journal that publishes research into language with relevance to real world problems.
Beginning with the Singapore Congress in 2002, AILA began a tradition of supporting scholars from a wide range of geographical areas, particularly those areas not well represented in the association, in their travel to AILA Congresses. A small number of scholarships, called Solidarity Awards, is offered to individuals who otherwise would not be able to present their research at AILA meetings due to the fact that they are from parts of the world where the economic situation makes it difficult, if not prohibitive, for them to travel.
In 2004, AILA began a fund-raising campaign so that these awards could be maintained over the long run. The goal of the Solidarity Award Fund (SAF) is to raise an endowment fund to support scholars to attend AILA meetings. Many individuals, publishing companies, and associations have contributed to this fund (www.aila.info/about/donors.htm). It is a way to help those future scholars from countries with few resources for scientific endeavors. For information on how to make a contribution, please see the AILA website (www.aila.info/about/solidarity_funds.htm).
AILA’s scope is broad and far-reaching. Most national affiliates have a local orientation, that is, their meetings draw scholars primarily from their geographical areas. AILA’s goal extends across affiliate boundaries and aims to support and encourage research in applied linguistics across the globe. We look forward to welcoming you to the next AILA Congress in Essen.
 | Greetings from the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics by Roy Lyster, President, ACLA |
The Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics/Association canadienne de linguistique appliquée (ACLA) held its first conference in 1969 and then became officially incorporated in 1978—the year it hosted the AILA Congress in Montreal. Last year’s joint AAAL-ACLA conference in Montreal marked its first collaboration with AAAL. The success of this co-hosted event suggests much potential for future collaboration between our sister associations. ACLA again thanks the AAAL executive and especially Carol Chapelle, 2006 Program Chair, for enthusiastically embracing the idea of collaboration with ACLA and then so competently overseeing the planning of this joint venture.
With more than 200 members from across Canada and elsewhere, ACLA is a bilingual organization whose aim is to promote research and teaching activities related to applied linguistics across Canada. Its two main activities are its annual conference and the biannual publication of the Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics. Members of its 2006-07 Executive Council are:
- President, Roy Lyster, McGill University
- Past President, Sharon Lapkin, University of Toronto
- First Vice-President, Sylvie Roy, University of Calgary
- Second Vice-President, Laura Collins, Concordia University
- Secretary-Treasurer, Gladys Jean, Université du Québec à Montréal
- Member-at-Large, Monique Bournot-Trites, University of British Columbia
- Editor , Hélène Knoerr, University of Ottawa
The 2007 ACLA conference will be held June 1-3 at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, featuring Marie Battiste, Lucille Mandin, and Bonny Norton as invited plenary speakers, and invited colloquia organized by Hossein Nassaji on form-focused interaction and by Sylvie Roy and Miles Turnbull on teacher education initiatives for French as a second language. In 2008, during the first week of June, the ACLA conference will take place at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Co-edited by Hélène Knoerr and Susan Parks, The Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics publishes articles in both English and French dealing with various aspects of applied linguistics. A special issue will appear this spring, co-edited by Roy Lyster and Sharon Lapkin, titled Multilingualism in Canadian Schools, featuring papers from their invited colloquium held at the 2006 joint conference by Dawn Allen, Jim Cummins, Diane Dagenais and Françoise Armand, Patsy Duff, Heather Lotherington, and Callie Mady.
For more information about journal submission guidelines and upcoming conferences, and also about becoming a member of ACLA, please visit our website at http://www.aclacaal.org/. The annual membership fee of only $75 includes a subscription to the journal and special conference registration rates.
Hoping to see many of you in Costa Mesa and then maybe Saskatoon.
News from
by Sophia Birdas, Center for Applied Linguistics
New Research Findings Shed Light On The Literacy Challenges Faced By English Language Learners In The U.S.
U.S. schools now serve more than 14 million children who come from households in which English is not the primary language spoken. Literacy development among youth and adolescent second language learners continues to be a major challenge for educators, policymakers, and researchers. To better meet this challenge, educators are seeking guidance from research to help second language learners improve their performance in U.S. schools. The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has been involved in two major projects related to youth and adolescent literacy.
In the first project, CAL partnered with SRI International on a contract from the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences to convene a National Literacy Panel to conduct a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the research literature on the development of literacy among 
language minority children and youth. The project’s final report, Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Reporter of the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, was published in July 2006 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. (For more information, visit www.cal.org/topics/le.) The panel report analyzes research evidence on teaching reading and writing to language minority students and identifies gaps in the research. Findings include the following:
- It is possible to improve the literacy of English language learners.
- Instruction focused on key components, such as phonemic awareness, decoding, oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing, has clear benefits.
- Differences due to children’s second language proficiency make it important to adjust instruction to meet the needs of second language learners.
- Language minority students who are literate in their first language are likely to be advantaged in the acquisition of English literacy.
In the second project, CAL, working on behalf of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, assembled a panel of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to share their expertise on the issues and challenges confronting adolescent English language learners (ELLs). The report, Double the Work: Challenges and Solutions to Acquiring Language and Academic Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners, was released by the Alliance for Excellent Education in November 2006. (For more information, visit www.cal.org/projects/adolescentell.html.)
Research conducted as part of the project included a review by CAL of the literature on adolescent ELL literacy and site visits to three promising programs. Because adolescent English language learners are learning English at the same time they are studying core content areas in English, they must actually perform double the work of native English speakers in U.S. secondary schools. The panel outlined six major challenges to improving the literacy 
of English language learners and recommended an array of strategies for day-to-day teaching practices to surmount these challenges. The report follows each challenge section with an extensive discussion of possible solutions and provides important information to help policymakers develop strategies that will help these students reach their full potential. For example, one challenge identified by the researchers was the limited use by educators of research-based instructional practices. The report provides information about nine promising instructional practices, including teaching reading comprehension strategies, building on and activating background knowledge, using students’ native languages strategically, and pairing technology with existing interventions.
The findings and suggested courses of action provided by both reports offer researchers, practitioners, and policymakers a wealth of information for improving instruction of ELL youth and adolescents and enhancing their literacy development.
 | Interested in Strengthening Public Advocacy at AAAL? Join the Advocacy Action Group by Lourdes Ortega, University of Hawai’i at Manoa |
Lively discussions about public advocacy in AAAL began at the 2006 annual conference in Montreal at the Resolutions Committee open meeting. They were continued for several months via email exchanges among a group of about 20 members of AAAL. The ad hoc group articulated the heart-felt realization that U.S. politicians, policy makers, and the voting public are asked to make important language-related decisions, often on short notice, and even more often with an apparent disregard for what expert applied linguists have to say about the issues involved. Moreover, damaging myths and assumptions about the nature of language use and language learning thrive in the public media despite the fact that they are contradicted by current applied linguistic research. Thus, the group recognized a dire need for—and the potential for great benefits from—a permanent group that fosters and facilitates individual and collective advocacy in the Association.
Based on such prolonged discussions, a group of about 20 members of AAAL proposed to the Executive Board in its 2006 mid-year meeting in Costa Mesa that the Association establish an Advocacy Action Group, to be directed by a steering committee. The group arrived at the following agreed-upon operational definition of “advocacy”: Support for and promotion of positions on issues germane to the AAAL mission regarding language-related policy in the U.S. (and, in special cases, elsewhere in the world). The proposal was enthusiastically accepted by the Executive Committee.
The approved structure is a AAAL Advocacy Action Group (AAG) and an eight-member Steering Committee (AAGSC) chaired by one of the AAAL members-at-large of the Executive Committee. The group and committee will be responsible for initiation of individual and association-level pronouncements on policy issues by AAAL.
The first AAGSC is composed of:
- Mariana Achugar, Carnegie Mellon University
- Dwight Atkinson, Purdue University
- Sue Dicker, Hostos Community College in New York City
- Kari Gibson, UC Irvine
- Jeff Harlig, Words@Work
- Kendall King, Georgetown University
- Lourdes Ortega, chair, University of Hawai‘i
- Ana Wu, City College of San Francisco
The AAG consists of any AAAL members who choose to associate themselves by joining the AAG listserv/discussion forum. Via the listserv, they will have the opportunity to bring issues to the group’s attention and urge others to act individually on them. The AAG has several goals:
- Maintain and moderate a AAAL advocacy discussion forum, such as a list-serv
- Identify and discuss language-related issues deserving advocacy
- Craft position papers on such issues and solicit position papers from other member-experts
- Identify issues for action at higher/wider levels, such as recommending pronouncements by the Executive Board
Liaise with sister organizations on advocacy matters - Organize and conduct a professional development session at each annual meeting that reviews the AAG’s advocacy activities from the preceding year and educates members on advocacy methods.
Any AAAL member interested in getting involved in enabling more and better advocacy action in the Association is urged to join the AAG. We welcome new AAG members at any level of commitment, from joining the listserv and just lurking, to simply attending the 2007 Advocacy Professional Development session, to actively participating in the drafting of position papers on critical issues. Inquiries and expressions of interest can be sent to lortega@hawaii.edu.
What about TESOL? AAAL's Relationship with Other Organizations |
At the midyear meeting in November 2006, the Executive Committee discussed a proposal from TESOL for ongoing coordination of meeting dates and locations. This discussion gave us an opportunity to clarify the position of AAAL with respect to other organizations, following a successful professional session at the 2006 conference which included representatives of a number of organizations related to TESOL.
The EC wishes to maintain AAAL’s autonomy from TESOL particularly in view of AAAL’s many members who are not involved in English language issues. A large portion of the AAAL membership works on research issues across languages, and this group values the emerging identity of AAAL as an organization not dominated by English language issues. Even those members concerned with English applied linguistics recognize and appreciate the distinct focus of AAAL as a professional organization focused on research issues including those issues related directly to practice.
At the same time the EC recognizes the potential intellectual benefits of links with other organizations, including TESOL, and particularly the economic benefits to those coming from outside the United States if AAAL is adjacent to another conference. The membership values enormously the participation of those who travel from outside the United States to AAAL. As a consequence, the EC will continue to monitor the location for TESOL as well as that of other conferences and plan AAAL at an adjacent time and location whenever it is in AAAL’s interest to do so. We were able to plan AAAL 2008 for Washington DC in the days preceding TESOL 2008 in New York. We have also contracted with a hotel in Denver the weekend before TESOL 2009 in Denver. In 2010, however, we are looking for cities in the south, and therefore are unlikely to follow TESOL that year.
The EC clarified the current position in order to respond to some interesting proposals from TESOL, and plan for the immediate future. However, the question of AAAL’s relationship with other organizations should remain on the table for discussion as the identities and roles of all language organizations evolve.
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