Fostering the professional development of language instructors is one of the CLS's core missions. We believe that a professional does not simply "arrive" at the status of expert and remain there, inert. Instructors of every degree and brand of experience can benefit from professional development activities, and indeed must participate often in such activities to maintain and grow their skills; in superior language programs, stagnation is not an option.

In some cases, professional development opportunities are clearly labeled: workshops and conferences take place every year around the country for the express purpose of effecting a higher quality national teacher corps. However, some endeavors not strictly designed for professional development nevertheless contribute to this end. Research in language acquisition, creation of pedagogical materials, technological training, and publishing instructional materials or research findings all primarily address other goals (scientific discovery, improving the classroom experience, building technical expertise) but simultaneously advance the professional stature of those involved.

For this reason, the CLS takes a broad view of what it calls professional development and the kinds of activities it will host or support. Language instructors from the newest graduate students to the most veteran faculty are encouraged to participate, and many of our activities are open to anyone at Yale interested in language teaching (so bring your students, colleagues, and friends).

Seminars, Presentations, and Workshops

Each year, the CLS hosts a variety of events that give language faculty the opportunity to discuss topics that are both meaningful and of common interest. These gatherings take a variety of formats, including roundtable discussions, informal demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and formal presentations. Some events are led by CLS staff or by guest speakers from outside the university. However, because mentoring others is yet another means of developing one's professional acumen, we often tap our own accomplished faculty to speak at and facilitate various events.

Schedule of Seminars, Presentations, and Workshops (Current and Archived Schedules)

Summer Pedagogy Workshop

Every August, the CLS, with participation from a variety of language faculty and outside presenters, sponsors an intensive pedagogy workshop for graduate students at the beginning of their language teaching careers and for newly arriving language faculty. This multi-day workshop is a forum for this community to become familiar with language teaching at Yale through a well-rounded series of talks designed especially to answer practical questions such as how to design an in-class activity, what to accomplish the first week, and how to go about maintaining an engaged classroom. Other topics include mediating the use of multimedia materials in the classroom, recognizing common learner difficulties, accessing on-line course management tools, and locating campus resources of all kinds. Where there is time, participants also address some of the broader issues confronting the language teaching profession.

Announcement of the 2006 Pedagogy Workshop

Funding for Professional Development

The CLS provides funding to current instructors and instructors-in-the-making to pursue professional development activities in the field of language teaching and learning. (Note that while funding is available for both faculty and graduate students, funded activities must relate directly to the teaching profession. CLS professional development funding cannot be used to improve language speaking skills or for research outside the discipline of language acquisition.) For more information, see our page about Funding from CLS.

Technology Coaching

The Technology Coaching program is an opportunity for language instructors to meet one-one-one with a faculty liaison in a series of hour-long meetings. More information about Technology Coaching.

Faculty Liaisons

Led by Assistant Director Mark Knowles, the Teaching, Learning, and Research team's faculty liaisons offer guidance and assistance in such areas as language pedagogy, the development of new course materials, the use of technology in teaching, curriculum planning, intellectual property concerns, research project planning and implementation, and professional development for teachers. For more information, see the faculty liaisons page.