Connections

A Journal for Foreign Language Educators 

 

Volume 11 – Fall 2023

Submissions are welcome at any point. The call for papers, authors’ guidelines, and the deadline for the fall 2023 issue.

Please, send papers to or contact us at: connections@flanc.pw


About us

Connections is an online yearly peer-reviewed journal published by the Foreign Language Association of Northern California and directed to the world language professional in the classroom. From its origins with SWCOLT and its continuation with FLANC since 2008, the journal has aimed at sharing meaningful research and outcomes in the field of linguistics as well as current pedagogical trends, best practices on technology-mediated tasks, and activities to integrate the intercultural dimension in language teaching and learning. 

ISSN Online: 1945-0478 

ISSN Print: 1945-046X

Past issues:

Editors’ Note and Acknowledgements

Connections. A journal for Foreign Language Educators, volume 10, brings language educators seven articles and two book reviews. The articles cover a broad spectrum of topics in relation to the teaching and learning of languages, whether in a virtual or a face-to-face format. From relevant research on study abroad and intercultural reflection, to gaming and escape rooms, social justice and the graphic essay, service-learning and study abroad, the teaching of literature in the L2 classroom, strengthening the relationship between teacher candidates and cooperating teachers (especially during and after the pandemic), building self-reflection to improve practices and strategies, and an uplifting note reminding us of some crucial tips to promote and encourage students’ success. Moreover, the book review section focuses on two very recent publications on second language acquisition and research-based teaching techniques.

Preparing this volume of Connections as we have been coming out of the pandemic was a special challenge. We deeply thank our contributors for their commitment to the profession: Faculty from California, Cincinnati, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Utah, have kindly shared their research, philosophies, and best practices, so as to seize the moment and bring fresh perspectives to our language classrooms. Relaunching the journal in its online format, we look forward to Connections continuing evolving as it provides meaningful research and outcomes as well as current pedagogical trends in teaching and learning to world language educators.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of our Editorial Board and reviewers for their contribution in the editorial process as they have been instrumental at maintaining high standards within our publication. As we relaunch Connections online, we would also like to pay tribute to Dr. Agnes Dimitriou, UC Berkeley Emerita, who tirelessly worked as Main Editor for 10 years, from 2007 to 2017, making our print journal possible for language educators in the region. Our special gratitude to Dr. Branka Sarac, FLANC Webmaster, who carefully revised the last version of each manuscript before publication. We deeply appreciate her support and dedication.

Editorial Team

Editors 

  • Sandra García Sanborn, CSU, Stanislaus

  • Gaye Walton-Price, University of San Francisco

Book Review Editor

  • Frances Sweeney, Saint Mary’s College, Moraga

Editorial Board

  • Henri-Simon Blanc-Hoang, Jewish Community High School of the Bay

  • Liz Moreno Chuquen, Idaho State University

  • Brent James, Appalachian State University, Boone

  • Hanan Khaled, DLIFLC, Monterey, California

  • Zhiqiang Li, University of San Francisco

  • Ali Miano, Stanford University

  • Masahiko Minami, San Francisco State University

  • Miriam Hernández Rodríguez, University of California, Berkeley

Main Editors’ Biographical Notes

Gaye Walton-Price is a highly motivated and talented university professor, with extensive experience teaching Arabic and English as a Second Language, as well as an effective administrator and executive. Dr. Walton-Price earned her Ph.D. in Arabic language and linguistics at Georgetown University, and she is currently the Arabic instructor at the University of San Francisco. Since the pandemic, she has gained invaluable experience designing and conducting Arabic classes of various levels online via Zoom, including private tutoring sessions with advanced-level Arabic students. She has lived and worked in Tunis, Tunisia, and Cairo, Egypt, for extended periods of time, and has conducted study tours for Californian undergraduate students to Egypt. After more than 20 years of college and university-level teaching experience, she knows and demonstrates that her passion is the Arabic language, both teaching it, doing research with it and in it, conversing in Arabic, as well as enjoying the great variety of Arab cultures. Along the way, she has also gained experience and expertise in teaching university-level humanities and philosophy courses. Dr. Walton-Price has been an active member of the FLANC board for over eight years and is currently serving as the treasurer of FLANC’s board of advisors and co-editor of the FLANC Journal, Connections. 

Sandra García Sanborn completed her graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley, attaining an M.A. and achieving PhD Candidacy in Hispanic Languages and Literatures. She is a lecturer in Spanish and Hispanic Literatures at California State University, Stanislaus, where she also presides the Latin American Studies Reading Group and is currently director of the LAS Minor. Her main areas of research are in literature of the South Cone and Central American literatures. She has presented papers in national and international conferences, such as the NWSA, CALACS, IAS, LICE, AATSP, FLEDS/SOWLE, plus multiple times in the Congreso Centroamericano de Estudios Culturales (Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua), has published articles and book reviews in the field of literature as well as language acquisition, and has also served as reviewer in Hispania. Her latest publication, in 2021, has been in the ACTFL Learning Scenarios for the World Readiness Standards for Learning Spanish. She was FLANC president for 4 years during the 2016-2019 period and president of the AATSP Northern California Chapter for the 2018 and 2019 years. In the field of language acquisition, she is currently working on a COIL project with faculty from the university Tecnológico de Monterrey, in México, which students find exciting as they approach the language through an online intercultural experience and a blending of disciplines. Additionally, she was past business and associate editor of the UC Berkeley journal Lucero.




Connections. A journal for Foreign Language Educators

is a publication by the Foreign Language Association of Northern California

Connections contact