MSI Press Blog

  This week's story-behind-the-book post provides a look behind the scenes for Teaching and Learning to Near-Native Levels of Language Proficiency . From the publisher -  Well, this is a trip down memory lane! This series of books served as the proceedings of the annual conferences of the Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers (CDLC). There are four volumes; two more were planned, but the CDLC, the organization providing the book editors and authors, closed it doors before the proceedings from the final two conferences could be processed.  CDLC was a unique organization in that it formed as an umbrella organization for support to language centers from a range of institutions, including ivies (e.g. Yale University), state universities (e.g., San Diego State University), and private schools. The reach was international, and member institutions came from the US, Jordan, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. CDLC was also unique in that it focused on the very highest levels...

  Today's story behind the book tells the tale behind a 4-volume series of books: Teaching and Learning to Near-Native Levels of Language Proficiency ,  edited by: Volume 1. Betty Lou Leaver & Boris Shekhtman Volume 2. Richard Robin & Inna Dubinsky Volume 3. Inna Dubinsky & Donna Bain Butler Volume 4. Donna Bain Butler & Yalun Zhoua   From the publisher --  In the early years of the Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers , little was known about how to achieve near-native levels of foreign language proficiency. In fact, that was the reason the CDLC was founded -- to research and promulgate ways to help learners achieve these very high levels of proficiency. The CDLC began with annual conferences, which attained a certain level of popularity. Word of mouth was working; grants were acquired; information was coming. But it was not being codified. A decision was made to look into publishing some of the work of the CDLC, which is actually how MSI Pre...

excerpt from Teaching and Learning to Near Native Levels of Language Learning III (Dubinsky and Butler)  Introduction of Keynote Speaker, HRH Prince Firas bin Raad of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, by Betty Lou Leaver, Executive Director, CDLC               Because I have been a resident of the extraordinary Kingdom of Jordan since January 2004, it is a singular pleasure and honor to introduce our very special keynote speaker, His Royal Highness Prince Firas bin Raad of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. His biography and international and cross-cultural experiences coincide very much with the international orientation of our audience today. Let me give you a few examples:   (1) He was born in Amman, Jordan, attended boarding school in New Hampshire, earned a BA in economics and public health in 1991 from John Hopkins University, an MA in international studies in 1993 from the School of Advanced Internatio...