Innovations in Teaching Linguistics

Article Guidelines

This article type is meant to introduce the Language readership to innovative pedagogical approaches. Innovations may encompass (1) novel topics in linguistics not traditionally included in the curriculum (including the General Education curriculum), (2) the implementation of novel pedagogical techniques in the linguistics classroom, or (3) novel collaborations for introducing linguistics in the K-16 curriculum. The purpose of this article type is to quickly and broadly share new approaches that can be adopted throughout the discipline. As such, these manuscripts tend to be shorter than research articles and include supplemental materials to allow readers to further explore the innovation. 

Article Sections

Introduction: Introduce the topic or pedagogical innovation.

  • What is the innovation? For example, is it an innovative pedagogical approach? An innovative course topic? A novel interdisciplinary collaboration? 

Background:

  • Literature review (theoretical and/or pedagogical) to provide context for those unfamiliar with the topic, pedagogical approach, or collaborative context.
    • For innovative topics, provide references to linguistic research and resources.
    • For pedagogical approaches that are innovative and about which there is little published, provide references to existing approaches and techniques.
    • For innovative collaborations, provide the context or motivation for the onset of collaboration (i.e. institutional initiatives, community/local funding opportunities, etc.).
  • Survey of existing courses and approaches, if applicable.
  • Introduction to context (motivations for the innovation at the institutional, departmental, or curricular level).

Description of innovation:

  • Provide an overview of main aspects of innovation.
  • Details of implementation
    • For innovative topics, describe sub-topic selection in detail.
    • For pedagogical approaches that are innovative, describe planning and implementation and their thoughtful pairing to course topics.
    • For innovative collaborations, describe the contributions that each member of the collaborative team provided. Make sure to describe the impact that this collaboration had on the non-linguist(s), preferably from their perspective.
    • Description of assignments or activities that showcase the innovation.
    • For innovative pedagogical approaches, include a comparison with other approaches and techniques. Discuss advantages to utilizing the new technique.
    • It is not necessary to include data in an Innovations of Teaching Linguistics article. However, if there was any data collection (e.g. assessment data, course surveys, interviews or focus groups), authors must explain how ethical practices were used. For example, for projects conducted in the US, a brief explanation of the Institutional Review Board approval or exemption would be appropriate. 

Supplemental materials:

Supplemental materials should follow best practices for accessibility. For more information on creating accessible documents, please see this link.

  • Syllabus
    In addition to a copy of your syllabus, include an introduction that explains:
    • Type of institution, student demographics, course level
    • How it fits into the curriculum (e.g. general education course in humanities, upper-level course for elementary education majors) and what other courses fulfill the requirement. If applicable, discuss the argument that was used to explain how the course fulfills certain university requirements.
    • Course learning outcomes
    • Evidence for success of the course/project (as linked to the learning outcomes, if applicable)
  • Sample assignments and activities
  • In cases of collaboration that are motivated by institutional or local initiatives, provide a summary of the proposal or argumentation made, if applicable.

In the footer for each of the supplemental documents, add a Creative Commons license so that readers will know how they may or may not use your pedagogical materials. Please use the following footer template:
© <year> by <author name>. <title of document>. This document is made available under a <Creative Commons license type>: <hyperlink to CC license>
Example: © 2018 by Chris Smith. Articulatory phonetics assignment. This document is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License 4.0 (international): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/