One of the biggest challenges of less-commonly-taught language (LCTL) teaching is that the teachers often work in isolation. There are very few opportunities or support for LCTL teachers to share their considerable expertise with each other in a sustained, organized way. As a result, tackling large-scale projects, such as developing proficiency standards, creating assessments and teaching materials based on current second language acquisition research are difficult to undertake alone.
From 2019-2025 UW-Madison’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies was home to a project that led groundbreaking, international efforts for organizing teams of teachers of Southeast Asian languages to develop proficiency standards, assessment tools and curricular materials. Supported by a $1.1 million grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, the project was led by Professor Emerita Ellen Rafferty and Dr. Erlin Barnard (Distinguished Teaching Faculty IV, UW-Madison Dept. of Asian Languages and Cultures). To ensure that the work was truly collaborative and responsive to the needs of the whole field, a working group of Southeast Asian language teachers and area studies administrators from across the U.S. was formed, the Southeast Asian Language Council (SEALC), to advise on and support the work of the grant.
The 2019-2025 project was highly successful, generating strong enthusiasm among Southeast Asian language educators to continue collaborating.
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Erlin Barnard will lead SEALC Phase II project, a new four-year initiative (2025-2029) supported by a $1.2 million grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
SEALC Phase II project will support a series of teacher workshops and collaborative efforts focused on:
· Developing new proficiency-based assessment tools
· Developing listening materials rooted in authentic use
· Integrating AI tools in language teaching
· Designing integrated, culturally responsive curricula that align with proficiency targets
· Increasing Southeast Asian language teachers’ capacity to conduct and publish action research
· Producing open-access instructional resources (in collaboration with Michigan State University)
· Creating asynchronous online courses for some of the least-commonly-taught languages of Southeast Asia
In addition, SEALC Phase II project will provide scholarship support for students to study Southeast Asian languages, both during the academic year via distance education and in the summer at SEASSI.
This next phase continues our commitment to building a strong, connected, and well-supported ecosystem for SEA language education.