The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ welcomed language educators from around the world for the , held June 25–28.

More than 220 participants from 14 countries, ranging from K–12 teachers to university faculty, came together to explore how technology, especially generative AI, is shaping language teaching and learning.

Naiyi Xie Fincham, associate director of UH‘s (NFLRC), spoke about the transformative potential of generative AI in language instruction.

“With purposeful task design and a clear curriculum integration plan, regular conversational practice with a generative AI–powered agent offers a low-stakes, low-stress space for independent language learning—delivering personalized, level-appropriate feedback, fostering self-regulated learning skills, and providing teachers with concrete evidence of each learner’s proficiency development to enable tailored instruction.”

Engaging with AI

Many presentations focused on the use of AI tools in curriculum design, assessment and student engagement. These are areas where both NFLRC and (CLT) at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ already support educators with free resources and professional development.

“Our centers at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ are helping shape the future of language education by supporting educators in navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape,” said Julio C. Rodriguez, director of CLT, NFLRC and the at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹. “Whether it’s designing new tools, creating professional learning opportunities, or fostering collaboration, we’re committed to making AI a resource that enhances teaching and learning and helps realize human potential.”

Featured speaker Michele Anciaux Aoki, respected advocate for international education and world languages, called attention to the . However, Aoki also cautioned that AI should support but not replace human connection, underscoring the need to keep learning rooted in culture and community.

Reimagining language labs

FLEAT 8 audiences also heard from Carol Goss, who leads a language and intercultural learning center at Valparaiso University. She encouraged educators to reimagine language labs as collaborative, intercultural spaces, not just places to practice grammar drills.

Hosted by UH’s NFLRC and CLT, FLEAT 8 was co-organized with the International Association for Language Learning Technology and the Japan Association for Language Education and Technology.

The FLEAT conference happens every five years, alternating between Japan and the U.S., and highlights the growing connection between technology and world language education.

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The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa has been awarded seven Title VI International Education grants totaling $7 million over a four-year grant cycle from the U.S. Department of Education, keeping the campus among an elite group of U.S. universities with a dominant presence in international studies, especially in the Asia and Pacific regions.

UH Mānoa programs awarded funds

• National Resource Center for East Asia
• National Resource Center for the Pacific Islands
• National Resource Center for Southeast Asia
• Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship for East Asia
• Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship for the Pacific Islands
• Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship for Southeast Asia
• National Foreign Language Resource Center

“UH Mānoa is at the forefront of education in the Asia-Pacific region,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno. “These competitive grants recognize our unparalleled strengths in instruction, research and training in these critical areas. As a minority-serving institution, we draw diverse students into higher education, build their skills through our fine faculty and academic partnerships, and send our alumni into professional careers that connect Â鶹´«Ã½ and the U.S. to the Pacific and Asia.”

The (NRC) and (FLAS) grants are housed in the (SPAS) in the (CALL) at Mānoa. SPAS is considered a leader in Pacific Islands studies and Asian studies nationally and internationally. UH Mānoa is the only university in the country to be awarded NRC-Pacific Islands and FLAS-Pacific Islands grants.

The NRC grants will support modern language instruction, teacher training, curriculum development, outreach and library collections. FLAS programs fund fellowships for UH Mānoa undergraduate and graduate students who are studying modern foreign languages and area studies.

The (NFLRC) grant was first awarded to UH Mānoa when the NFLRC program was established in 1990 and has been continuously earned since then, making UH Mānoa the oldest language resource center in the nation.

“Faculty and staff at UH Mānoa collaborated across campus and with other campuses to develop innovative projects, e.g. Asia-Pacific Studies Career Readiness Program, the Kapiʻolani Community College Certificate of Community Interpreting, and NFLRC Japanese and Filipino Culture Apps,” said CALL Dean Peter Arnade. “Winning these prestigious grants not only demonstrates our national leadership in these fields but also provides critical support to the university to carry out its mission to serve the people of Â鶹´«Ã½, and its neighbors in the Pacific and Asia.”

Researchers worldwide will gather to share innovative findings on Connecting Communities, Languages and Technology, the theme of the (ICLDC 6), February 28 to March 3, 2019, at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Imin International Conference Center at the .

The ever-growing field of language documentation, covering approximately 7,000 languages, is experiencing major growth in technological advancements, which also brings concerns over ethical practices. ICLDC 6 is an opportunity for linguists, language communities and technology developers to discuss technology and its role in speech communities of varying sizes, financial constraints and diverse cultural values.

The conference will feature keynote talks, talk story sessions, workshops and more. New for 2019 is the Technology Showcase, a networking opportunity for technology developers and language community members. An optional Hilo field study to visit Hawaiian language revitalization programs in action will take place March 4–5, 2019.

Register and learn more about the conference at the . Registration ends on December 15, 2018 or when full.

ICLDC 6 is hosted by UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s and the and is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation.

The U.S. Department of Education (US Ed) has awarded the an estimated $624,000 in new funding for its Title VI Language Resource Center in the . This is the eighth four-year grant awarded, bringing the total funding to more than $10 million to UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s (NFLRC), the only language resource center to receive continuous US Ed funding since its inception in 1990.

“We are incredibly proud of the outstanding work that the Center for Language and Technology team does each year through the NFLRC grant,” said , interim dean of the . “They truly lead the field and nation in providing cutting-edge technological and pedagogical resources for the teaching of world languages.”

NFLRC projects for the next four-year cycle include: professional learning activities and materials for world language teachers on blended learning, online language learning pedagogy, and project-based language learning. The center sponsors activities that include hosting professional conferences and events, and supporting three open refereed professional journals.

All NFLRC projects and activities have a strong focus on the needs of the less-commonly taught languages, particularly the languages of the Asia-Pacific region. The NFLRC team includes Director and Associate Director .

from on .

The acclaimed film will be shown at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ on August 4, 4:30 p.m. at Moore Hall 258. The free event is part of the (NFLRC) .

Directed by renowned documentarian Greg Whiteley, Most Likely To Succeed examines the history of education in the United States, revealing the growing shortcomings of conventional education methods in today’s innovative world. The documentary offers an inspiring look at what students and teachers are capable of—if they have the vision and courage to transform their schools.

The film has been an official selection of two dozen of the world’s top film festivals, including Sundance, Tribeca and AFI DOCS. It’s been featured at leading conferences on education, including ASU/GSV, SxSWedu, Harvard/GoldmanSachs and NewSchools Venture Fund. Audience members call Most Likely to Succeed the most compelling film ever done on the topic of school. In the past year, more than 2,300 communities have booked a screening of the film.

The purpose of this PBLL Intensive Summer Institute event is to foster meaningful discussion among educators, administrators, parents and students about how current obstacles can be overcome and steps towards change can be taken on a local level. These conversations have resulted in community-wide commitments to moving forward, transformational initiatives and real change.

RSVP is required, as seats are limited: email Stephen Tschudi or call (808) 349-3213.

Please visit for more information about the film and movement.

—By Karin Mackenzie

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa Professor Emeritus Richard “Dick” Schmidt, the longest serving director of the title=”University of Hawaii”>UH (NFLRC), passed away on March 15, 2017. He led NFLRC from 1994 to 2012, when he retired.

“Dick Schmidt was a prolific and visionary researcher, teacher and mentor, who has influenced several generations of scholars across the world, including many of our colleagues in this college,” said Laura E. Lyons, interim dean of the . “We extend our deepest sympathies to Dick’s family, his colleagues and friends, particularly those in and the , which houses NFLRC.”

Following completion of his doctorate in linguistics (specializing in Arabic linguistics), Professor Schmidt spent his career engaged in the training of second and foreign language teachers, including teacher-training projects in Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Spain and Egypt.

His primary research areas concerned cognitive and affective factors in adult second and foreign language learning—including the role of attention and awareness and the importance of motivation in learning—as well as the problems of learning and teaching difficult, less commonly taught languages.

He wrote many pivotal and much-cited articles in these areas. His most recent book was the fourth edition of Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. He was chair of the Language Resource Center Council of Directors for two years, president of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) from 2003 to 2004, and the 2009 recipient of the AAAL Distinguished Service and Scholarship Award.

In 2013, NFLRC published a festschrift (a book honoring a respected person) titled , in which an international array of researchers spoke of the impact of his Noticing Hypothesis on their research over the years and into the future.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa Department of and recently hosted the 4th . The event attracted more than 450 participants from around the world who are engaged in documenting, preserving and revitalizing endangered languages. Titled “Enriching Theory, Practice, and Application,” the four-day gathering highlighted the importance and necessity of collaboration and integration in language learning and teaching.

There are almost 7,000 languages in the world and many experts believe that more than half of these languages will be extinct within 100 years. The impact and influence of this conference reverberates among participants throughout the international and indigenous communities they represent.

‘The conference stands at the forefront of cultural and scientific efforts to save thousands of languages, including the Hawaiian language,” said Jeffrey Carroll, dean of the UH Mānoa College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature. “We are proud to play a leadership role for this unique conference and in these important efforts.”

Conference participant Baffinuc Ilai keeping Kere traditions alive

Baffinuc Ilai travelled over 4,000 miles from Papua New Guinea to attend the conference. He speaks Kere, Tabare, Kuman and Tok Pisin, all languages of Papua New Guinea, as well as English. Ilai became involved in language documentation as a way to keep Kere traditions alive and to improve village life in his home region.

With a team that includes UH Mānoa Assistant Professor of Linguistics Andrea Berez and PhD student of linguistics Samantha Rarrick, Ilai helps to document Kere through a video project funded by the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme based at the . The program’s mission it is to research the world’s most endangered languages.

As the project’s language consultant, Ilai is the integral link to the community. He masterfully creates documentaries of traditional practices and stories. Undertaking such endeavors could not even be considered without a local person of Ilai’s capabilities and knowledge. Fueled by his tireless efforts, the Kere project aims to create, sustain and promote language and cultural resources and practices for future generations.

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