Language Planning

English users speak many different mother tongues (L1s) and a variety of “Englishes.” They use English for different (cross-cultural and/or international) communicative purposes, depending on their contexts, needs, and their own unique “plurilingual” backgrounds (discussed in Part III). In many of today’s globalized societies, mobility and change are key features. Language planners, multi-national stakeholders, and transnational individuals affected by mobility and change view English as crucial to their interests, and frequently claim it as their own. English also has imperial and (post-) colonial legacies; hence, many localized forms of English have been developed and are used internationally, making English a context-specific, dynamic, international language. The term English as an international language (EIL) describes both the language (English/es), and its linguistic function in international contexts

Critical Language Awareness

In the latter half of the 20th century, applied linguists, dissatisfied with the positioning of language teaching, called for a multidimensional curriculum to reframe teaching (about) languages, be they first or heritage languages (L1s or HLs); English as a second, foreign or international language (ESL, EFL and EIL); or other foreign languages (FLs). Their dissatisfaction stemmed from languages being viewed in isolation (like linguistic silos), an overemphasis on teaching the four skills in a discrete (unintegrated) manner, and decontextualized grammar and vocabulary teaching. Out of this discontent grew the notion of “language awareness,” with language awareness pedagogy implemented in the UK school system for the first time in 1974. The notion and pedagogical interventions emerged from the desire to bridge languages taught in isolation, and recognize the role language plays in all subject matter teaching (i.e., language-across-the- curriculum)

The Power of “Can Do” statements: Teachers’ Perceptions of CEFR- informed Instruction in French as a Second Language Classrooms in Ontario

This article reports on French as a second language (FSL) teachers’ perceptions of using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)-informed instruction (action-oriented instruction focusing on language use) in FSL classrooms in Ontario. In particular, this paper focuses on teachers’ perspectives of the strengths and challenges of providing CEFR- informed practice in FSL classrooms. FSL teachers (n=93) as well as elementary and secondary school students (n=943) participated in this province-wide study. Participating teachers were introduced to the CEFR and CEFR-informed activities and resources. Teachers then used the resources in their classrooms for approximately three months. At the end of this period, teachers participated in interviews and focus group sessions which focused on their perceptions’ of CEFR’s action-oriented approach. Teachers reported that CEFR-informed instruction increased student motivation, built self-confidence in their learners, promoted authentic language use in the classroom and encouraged learner autonomy. These findings have implications for FSL programs in Canada and possibly other second language education programs worldwide

The Ten-Year Road: Joys and Challenges on the Road to Tenure

This paper explores the pre-tenure experiences of five assistant professors employed in the faculty of education of a research-intensive university. Acting as co-researchers, the authors researched their experiences through a critical narrative approach. The analysis, informed by critically-oriented writing that extends Wenger\u27s Communities of Practice, takes as axiomatic the notion that globalized processes of economic restructuring are mediating work in the academy and examines its local manifestations. Discussions explore issues of power, equity, shifting identities, and the need for improved navigational resources. The authors found that the process of critically and collaboratively researching their pre-tenure experiences offered insight into sites of personal and professional agency and also served as the impetus to form the social semiotic spaces that encouraged a sense of community. The Dean, a tenured member, but also a newcomer, serves in the role of critical friend

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in Canada: A Research Agenda

This article proposes a research agenda for future inquiry into the use of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in the plurilingual Canadian context. Drawing on data collected from a research forum hosted by the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers in 2014, as well as a detailed analysis of Canadian empirical studies and practice-based projects to date, the authors examine three areas of emphasis related to CEFR use: (a) K-12 education, including uses with learners; (b) initial teacher education, where additional language teacher candidates are situated as both learners and future teachers; and (c) postsecondary language learning contexts. Future research directions are proposed in consideration of how policymaking, language teaching and language learning are articulated across each of these three contexts. To conclude, a call is made for ongoing conversations encouraging stakeholders to consider how they might take up pan-Canadian interests when introducing various aspects of the CEFR and its related tools

GA-based heuristic algorithms for bandwidth-delay-constrained least-cost multicast routing

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Multifractal analysis of the electronic states in the Fibonacci superlattice under weak electric fields

Influence of the weak electric field on the electronic structure of the Fibonacci superlattice is considered. The electric field produces a nonlinear dynamics of the energy spectrum of the aperiodic superlattice. Mechanism of the nonlinearity is explained in terms of energy levels anticrossings. The multifractal formalism is applied to investigate the effect of weak electric field on the statistical properties of electronic eigenfunctions. It is shown that the applied electric field does not remove the multifractal character of the electronic eigenfunctions, and that the singularity spectrum remains non-parabolic, however with a modified shape. Changes of the distances between energy levels of neighbouring eigenstates lead to the changes of the inverse participation ratio of the corresponding eigenfunctions in the weak electric field. It is demonstrated, that the local minima of the inverse participation ratio in the vicinity of the anticrossings correspond to discontinuity of the first derivative of the difference between marginal values of the singularity strength. Analysis of the generalized dimension as a function of the electric field shows that the electric field correlates spatial fluctuations of the neighbouring electronic eigenfunction amplitudes in the vicinity of anticrossings, and the nonlinear character of the scaling exponent confirms multifractality of the corresponding electronic eigenfunctions.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure

Environmental Response and Genomic Regions Correlated with Rice Root Growth and Yield under Drought in the OryzaSNP Panel across Multiple Study Systems

Funding: This research was funded by the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) project G3008.06, “Targeting Drought-Avoidance Root Traits to Enhance Rice Productivity under Water-Limited Environments". The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD