1. Second Language Acquisition Education 286

2. Today: Introduction What is the nature of the interdisciplinary field of research (linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology) that comprise second language acquisition? What areas of education policy and practice find value in knowledge about second language acquisition? What is the difference between second language acquisition and foreign language learning? How has research addressed the relationship between language and cognition?

3. Federal and state policy framework. How do federal laws and policies address the needs of English language learners (ELLs)? How do the laws and policies reflect the distinction between language acquisition and cognitive development for English language learners? What is the accountability framework with respect to the academic development of ELLs? What implications do the Common Core State Standards have on standards, instruction, and expectations for ELLs with respect to their acquisition of English?

4. Linguistic Theory How has linguistic theory treated differences between languages? What implications does the theoretical stance have on our understanding of second language learners? Does the first language matter in the acquisition of the second language?

5. Language Acquisition Theory Task-specificity debate. Nature-nurture interaction. What gets set by L1 acquisition? Role of social context.

6. Second Language Acquisition Similarities and differences with native language acquisition. Contrastive analysis / role of L1 What expectations should we have about the rate of second language acquisition? What factors might condition the rate of acquisition? Is there a critical period for second language acquisition?

7. Instruction Is explicit direct instruction of language forms and functions effective? Is language different in any way from other domains of cognition such as reading and math? How is the English language development (ELD) curriculum shaped by theories of linguistics and language acquisition?

8. Standards, Assessment and Accountability What is the relationship between the state standards in English language proficiency and the ELD curriculum? What are the prospects for the influence of the Common Core Standards in re-shaping state English language proficiency standards? How valid are standardized measures of second language acquisition?

9. Teacher qualities for supporting second language acquisition. What do teachers need to know about language in order to be effective in teaching English language learners? What kinds of expectations might be built into state certification requirements for such teachers?