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In this issue:

Ø NALRC Hosts NCOLCTL-ALTA Conference

Ø New Textbooks for Swahili and Kikongo

Ø AASP Conference

Ø Africa Network Conference

Ø IEPS Conference

Ø ALTA-NCOLCTL Pictures

African languages share conference with other “LCTLs”
During the third week of April, 2008, the NALRC hosted a joint conference of the African Language Teachers Association (ALTA) and the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) at the Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club in Madison, WI. This is the fifth NCOLCTL conference, and the first ALTA conference, that the NALRC has organized since the secretariats for both organizations moved into the NALRC offices at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The conference began on Thursday, April 24, with a Pre-Conference workshop titled “Lessons Learned in the World of Conducting and Publishing Research: Ten Little Questions and Their Important Answers." It was led by Ray Clifford, President Elect of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and Audrey L. Heining-Boynton, Professor of Foreign/Second Language Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Some of the questions the workshop addressed included: “What constitutes research?”	African language teachers meet at 2008 NCOLCTL-ALTA Conf.		groups for Swahili, Yoruba, and Zulu/Nguni languages met and conducted panel presentations in and about the target language On Saturday, April 26, ALTA members met at the ALTA Business Meeting to discuss the organization’s current and future projects. That night, a banquet was held in honor of Erika Gilson, winner of the NCOLCTL A. Ronald Walton Award, which recognizes distinguished service in the field of LCTLs. In her acceptance speech, Gilson traced her long and distinguished career in service of LCTLs, especially with the Turkic languages. The 2008 ALTA-NCOLCTL conference brought together a variety of African language professionals from different backgrounds and countries around the world. Additionally, by being conducted in conjunction with the NCOLCTL conference, the conference provided expanded possibilities for African language instructors and instructors of other LCTLs to learn from each other about innovations and challenges in the field of language pedagogy. For more information, and pictures, please visit the ALTA conference website.
	“How does one determine what research questions to ask?” And, “How does one become published?” Five plenary sessions were held during the course of the conference, led by African language and less-commonly taught language (LCTL) pioneers such as Donald C. Fischer, of the Defense Language Institute, Robert Slater, of the National Security Education Program, Catherine Ingold, of the National Foreign Language Center, Nelleke Van Deusen-Scholl, of the Yale Center for Language Study, and Ray Clifford, current ACTFL President. In all, 160 papers were presented at this year’s conference on topics ranging from Standards-based measurement of proficiency and the use of technology in the classroom, to pedagogy in a globalized world and the integration of language and culture teaching. For the second year, the ALTA working

NALRC takes Swahili to the next level and adds first Kikongo text
The NALRC has expanded the number of its textbook offerings to 22 with the publication of two new books this Spring. Alwiya Omar and Leonce Rushubirwa’s long-awaited advanced Swahili text completes the NALRC’s comprehensive, communicatively-oriented course on Swahili.		The course now contains three texts, F.E.M.K. Senkoro’s Tuseme Kiswahili, Leonard Muaka and Angaluki Muaka’s Tusome Kiswahili, and now Omar and Rushubirwa’s Tuwasiliane Kwa Kiswahili. These texts offer students the opportunity to study Swahili from elementary to advanced levels, while maintaining continuity of lesson style and design. The elementary text, Tuseme Kiswahili is already accompanied by audio materials, while the intermediate and advanced texts will be accompanied by those elements soon. Also this Spring, the NALRC published an elementary-level text for Kikongo. Beto Tuba Kikongo, by Mazemba A. Nzwanga, seeks to impart both linguistic	and communicative skills through the use of carefully designed communicative activities and grammar discussions. Culture is also will-integrated into the material, giving learners a well-rounded language-learning experience. Please visit the NALRC Website to learn more about these and other textbooks, and to find out how you can order a copy today.

Ongoing NALRC Projects

Please follow the links below to learn more about NALRC publications

Textbooks

Multimedia

Brochures

Hint: Click on any picture for the full-size version.

NALRC challenges potential language educators at AASP

This Spring, the NALRC participated in the Association of African Studies Programs (AASP) Annual Spring Meeting held at Johns Hopkins University from April 10 - 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

Joseph Chikowero and Upenyu Majee, NALRC Project Assistants, arrived in Washington around sunset, the evening of Wednesday, April 9.

On Thursday, they attended a luncheon and briefing with Congressman Donald M. Payne, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. Then they set up the NALRC booth displaying African language learning and teaching books, flash cards, CD ROMs, and brochures.

Throughout the 3-day event, the NALRC staff met and discussed African language-related issues with scores of delegates as well as students at the nearby Johns Hopkins University. Among other resources, the NALRC showcased the newly published textbooks Let’s Speak Kikongo and Let’s Communicate in Swahili, which were well-received by patrons.

Joseph, representing Professor Antonia Schleicher, gave a presentation on Thursday, April 10, about the role of the NALRC in developing African language learning and teaching materials. While the work of the NALRC was familiar to some attendees, many, who were attending the conference for the first time, showed keen interest. At the end of Joseph’s presentation, one attendee inquired about other African languages for which are not

represented in the NALRC series. In response, while acknowledging that the NALRC has several ongoing projects in this area, Joseph also challenged African language scholars to come forward as partners with the NALRC in developing contemporary and relevant African language learning and teaching materials. Citing the example of the Amharic language, another attendee made the comment that foreign learners sorely needed audio materials, especially in cases of self-instruction. The NALRC is working on this issue.

Both Joseph and Upenyu had an opportunity to meet and chat with distinguished guests at the event, and attend some insightful sessions which discussed issues of research in African Studies, Africa’s

growing strategic importance to the United States, and the latter’s involvement in the educational, democratic, and health challenges of the former, and reports from allied organizations. Representatives from various funding organizations also gave presentations on their work and took the attendees through the application processes.

Upenyu Majee speakes with Samuel Obeng, Director of the African Studies Program at Indiana University

NALRC increases exposure at liberal arts conference in Colorado Springs			NALRC dialogues with LRCs at IEPS conference
On April 19 and 20, NALRC Assistant Director, Adedoyin Adenuga, attended a conference on “Africa and the Liberal Arts,” hosted by Africa Network at Colorado College, in Colorado Springs. According to the organization, “The Africa Network is a growing national consortium of liberal arts colleges committed to literacy about and concern for Africa in American higher education. Some of the member colleges have substantial offerings in African studies; others have very little and are seeking, often with scarce resources, to enhance the representation of Africa in and outside the classroom.” The NALRC presence at this conference helped small institutions learn about the	Click here to learn more about Africa Network resources available for making language instruction an integral part of offering Africa related courses in American classrooms.Mr. Adenuga arrived in Colorado Springs on Saturday, April 19 and set up the NALRC display, showcasing textbooks, CDs, brochures and other materials. On Sunday,	April 20, he delivered a presentation about the NALRC and its resources at a session titled, “Internal and External Resources for Strengthening the Study of Africa on Our Campuses.” The presentation was a huge success in that it brought information about the NALRC to a large new audience. By attending this very important conference, Mr. Adenuga has helped the NALRC realize an important part of its mission. Namely, to make sure that resources for the teaching and learning of African languages are available and familiar to educators across the United States, not just large Universities with Title VI African Studies Programs.	NALRC Assistant Director, Adedoyin Adenuga, attended an International Education Forum, February 22 and 23, hosted by the International Education Programs Service (IEPS), a United States Department of Education program. Mr. Adenuga arrived in Washington D.C. on Friday, the 22^nd, and set up an NALRC exhibit. Many visitors inquired about the textbooks, CDs, and brochures on display, as well as upcoming professional development opportunities at the NALRC. Mr. Adenuga also attended many conference sessions, such as the one delivered by the Chief Operating Officer and President of the United Parcel Service, who spoke about “Preparing Students to Succeed in a Global Era of Change.” In the evening of Saturday, the 23^rd, Mr. Adenuga attended a meeting of Language Resource Centers (LRCs) funded by the Department of Education. Among the many topics discussed were the joint projects being undertaken by the LRCs, such as joint brochures and websites. It is the hope of all LRCs that they can share both the challenges and successes they have each experienced, as well as showcase their differences and similarities through these joint efforts. For more information about LRCs, visit their website: http://nflrc.msu.edu.
ALTA-NCOLCTL Photos

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