URCAD Sneak Peek: Angelika Albertorio

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 08:04:15 -0400

Angelika's URCAD presentation, "MotionWriters: Choreographing Syntactic Knowledge Awareness" brings together her interests in English Literature and Dance. Using a unique teaching style, Angelika explores multimodal approaches that engage practicing English grammar through the involvement of the moving body.

URCAD.umbc.edu

April 19-25, 2021

Abstract

Mentor: Ann Sofie Clemmensen, Dance

English Language Learners' (ELLs) experiences can often be frustrating because their education may not address learning modalities that suit them, specifically when it comes to teaching English grammar. MotionWriters, a learning program created by Assistant Professor Ann Sofie Clemmensen and Dance/English Literature major, Angelika Albertorio seeks to address this problem by implementing a multimodal teaching approach that engages practicing English grammar through the involvement of the moving body. Inspired by the choreographic process, MotionWriters guides participants through a creative process structured around the creation and continuous revision of a fictional narrative. Students will go through a series of modules and creative devices/tasks. The differences of parts of speech, vocabulary, and sentence structure are explored through the whole body, including visual, verbal, and kinesthetic modes of learning. The MotionWriters pilot program is targeted at ELLs who are between the ages of nine to eleven. The community aspect of this program, coupled with the creative approach to English language and grammar, hopes to make for an interactive experience for students and inspire confidence for their future educational endeavors.