Dr. Llopis-Garcia is a Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Linguistics Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia University
Short abstract: Foreign language teaching methodologies have been under constant review and update during the last two decades. Major improvements have been achieved in the meaningful teaching of the skills or the inclusion of socially relevant topics of culture in the syllabi. The subject of grammar, however, has remained largely untouched and untouchable in language programs.Coming from Applied Cognitive Linguistics, however, exciting progress is being made in the understanding of grammar as a direct representation of the physical and sensorimotor experience of speakers. Grammar instruction, when informed by linguistic theory, adds an important value to the classroom (and beyond), and revolutionizes the way that the foreign language system can be understood. In this talk, I will posit that teaching explicit, cognitive grammar may be a powerful ally for language teaching and learning when applied to the design of pedagogical materials.
Conférence dans le cadre de la Journée ISC – École de langues, tenue le 9 mai 2019