Workshop Description: Classroom instruction provides important guidance in foreign language learning, but autonomous learning equips language learners with tools to sustain acquired language skills beyond the classroom. This workshop draws on principles of autonomous language learning to equip participants with tools to develop effective learning habits, monitor progress, and create personalized plans for ongoing assessment of acquired language skills. This workshop will use structured, hands-on activities and tasks to examine practical strategies for developing self-directed language-learning skills and sustained practice in speaking, reading, writing, listening, and cultural understanding. By the end of the workshop, participants will be fortified with tools and strategies to sustain language practice, strengthen previously acquired skills, and foster lifelong language learning.
Please Note: This is an interactive workshop and will include participation in breakout rooms.
Audience: This workshop is open to language learners, educators, administrators, and everyone else curious about independent language study.
Recommended Reading: The Multi-Language Seminar: An Approach to Offering More of the “Less Commonly Taught” Languages
Speaker Bio: Dr. Adeola Agoke is a Teaching Assistant Professor and the Director of the African Languages Program in the Department of African Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research interests include applied linguistics, language pedagogy, and the use and practices of language. Her recent publication, “Pedagogical processes and standard dialect use: Implications for creative multilingual interaction from a Yorùbá‐language classroom in southwestern Nigeria,” appeared in the Modern Language Journal. Additionally, Dr. Agoke is the author of the Proficiency-Based Dictionary of Yorùbá. This innovative language learning resource is fortified with audio pronunciation of Yoruba vocabulary and visual representations of Yoruba conversations, organized by proficiency levels. With a passion for bringing theoretical insights in applied linguistics to language pedagogy, Dr. Agoke, along with her colleague, received a $342,000 grant to research autonomous language learning. Her co-authored book (Routledge), “The Autonomous Language Learning Toolkit: A Research-Based Guide for Learners, Educators, and Mentors,” is forthcoming in Fall 2026. At UW-Madison, Dr. Agoke teaches courses in applied linguistics and teaching methods, including the Multilanguage Seminar.