Introducing linguistics to Atlanta high school students by opening linguistics talks through Zoom for everyone

Abstract

In this paper, we detail our practice in promoting linguistics to high schools through a sustainable and efficient approach. By considering the interests of high school students and educators in the planning of our university’s linguistics colloquium, and by providing access to these colloquiums via Zoom, we aimed to enhance engagement and outreach. In the Spring of 2023 and 2024, we hosted colloquium talks accessible to high school students and educators that focused on different topics, such as linguistics in the tech industry, linguistics in curriculum design, and language acquisition of sign languages. The initiative proved successful, as demonstrated by the high demand for these events and the enthusiastic feedback from participants. This approach offered high school students and educators a unique opportunity to explore linguistics and its practical applications without the need to travel to university campuses or plan additional events, while also allowing college educators to gain valuable insights into the perspectives of high school educators and students on linguistics education.