Linda Houts-Smith gave two-part presentation at international conference

Linda Houts-Smith gave two-part presentation at international conference

Linda Houts-Smith, Languages and Cultures, gave a two-part presentation entitled “More Often Than Most: The Frequency Rates of Next Speaker Selection Practices in Conversation” at the 2013 Hawaii University International Conference for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences held Jan. 6-8. Her presentations were two facets of a larger study; one presentation was about frequency rates of next speaker selection practices and the other was on the frequency rates of topic management practices.

Houts-Smith also presented a workshop entitled “It’s the language, stupid! Understanding what English learners need and how to give it to them” at the 2013 Hawaii International Conference on Education held Jan. 5-9. Houts-Smith explained the role of the ESL teacher in a U.S. k-12 setting, specifically on what is essential for English learners (ELs). Her presentation shows how the WIDA Consortium standards address these essentials and how their absence affects an EL’s ability to understand other concepts.