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Precerpt from My 20th Language: L3 Spanish - Spanish House

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  Spanish House I didn’t live in Spanish House; I lived in German House. They were located, however, just two floors apart in my Penn State dorm. French House was there, too. So, it should not have been surprising that we would all run into each other many times. For me, it was fun. I could speak French to my friends in French House, Spanish to my friends in Spanish House, and German to my friends in German House, which was where I spent most of my time and most of my talking. My roommate Brigitte, a native speaker from Koeln, Germany, had a very close friend, Patrice, who lived in Spanish House. They had become friends at the Mount Alto campus prior to moving to the main campus in State College their junior year. It was a given that Patrice and I would become friends, too—a three-some. Brigitte was dating a young man who lived in the same apartment as Patrice’s boyfriend, all of them friends from Mount Alto. So, again, it should not have been surprising that they invited me ...
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International Transformative Learning Association accepting submissions for publication

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  Sharing the following information for those interested in reflexivity and transformation --    The  deadline   was   extended  for proposal submissions to the edited volume "Doing Reflexivity: Practical, Relational, and Methodological Guidance from Qualitative Researchers" to  Monday, April 20th . The volume will be published with Routledge and is intended to be a practical guide for reflexivity in qualitative research from various disciplines, cultures, and geographic perspectives. If you are interested in submitting a chapter proposal or would like to see the full call for papers, please visit  this Google Form .   If you have any questions, please reach out to Elizabeth Pope ( epope@westga.edu ) or Amber Warren ( amber.warren@vanderbilt.edu ). (It is a great organization with great conferences and publications...pulling the world forward, one transformation at a time.) MSI Press,  a veteran-owned   publishing house  b...
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Midlife Dating Chronicles, Episode Six: When Their Pets Judge You (and They Will)

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  In midlife dating, you’re not just meeting a person. You’re meeting their animals —the furry, feathered, or occasionally scaly gatekeepers who have strong opinions and zero social filters. Pets are the real judges of character. They don’t care about your résumé, your hobbies, or how good you look in your profile picture. They care about vibes. And they will absolutely let you know if yours are acceptable. Here’s what to expect. 1. The Cat Who Stares Into Your Soul Cats are the original background‑check service. You walk in. You sit down. You smile politely. The cat appears silently, like a Victorian ghost, and fixes you with a stare that says: “I know what you did in 1994.” If the cat approves, it will blink slowly. If the cat disapproves, it will turn around and present you with its backside, which is the feline equivalent of a negative Yelp review. Midlife daters know: If the cat doesn’t like you, the relationship has a 50% survival rate at best. 2. The Dog...
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How Teachers Can Incorporate AI Responsibly in Very Advanced Foreign Language Study

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AI is now part of the linguistic landscape. Students use it. Institutions expect it. And teachers at the highest levels — ILR 3+, ILR 4, ACTFL Superior/Distinguished — are asking the right question: How do we use AI responsibly without undermining the very skills advanced proficiency requires? At high levels, the goal is not vocabulary acquisition or grammar accuracy. It is: nuance inference cultural literacy rhetorical control register shifting argumentation stylistic authenticity native‑like processing AI can support these goals — but only if used with intention and boundaries. Here is how teachers can integrate AI responsibly at the most advanced levels. 1. Use AI as a stimulus , not a substitute At ILR 3+ and ILR 4, students must produce: original thought original argument original synthesis AI can generate: prompts counterarguments alternative perspectives cultural frames stylistic models But AI must not generate the student’s final product. Responsible use: Ask AI to produce th...
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