SALTA Teaching Award

Overview

The SALTA Teaching Award recognizes educators who are deeply committed to the teaching and learning of South Asian languages. We understand that meaningful teaching happens in many spaces , such as community classrooms, universities, online environments, and informal learning settings, and that teaching excellence can take many forms. In this spirit, the  SALTA Teaching Award seeks to honor teachers who demonstrate care for learners, make thoughtful pedagogical choices, contribute to the growth of South Asian language education, and engage in ongoing reflection and development. 

Who is this award for?

This award is open to teachers working with any South Asian language(s), including but not limited to Assamese, Bengali, Dari, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and others. We welcome applications from educators around the world. 

Eligibility 

Applicants must meet all of the following:

  • Be a paid SALTA member for two years or more
  • Have at least 3 years of teaching experience at the time of application. Eligible teaching contexts include: 
    • Community-based schools
    • K-12 settings
    • Colleges and universities
    • Online or hybrid environments
    • Formal or informal teaching spaces
  •  Be an active teacher of a South Asian language at the time of application. Applicants may be:
    • Part-time or full-time instructors
    • Early career or experienced educators
    • Teaching children, youth, or adult learners
    • Working at any proficiency level
  • Have participated in at least two professional development opportunities in the past academic year. At least one must be SALTA-sponsored 
  • Have participated in at least one SALTA annual conference within the past two years
  • In addition, applicants should demonstrate at least one or more of the following through their application materials (see below) :
    • Engagement in the welfare and growth of South Asian languages 
    • Involvement in innovative teaching or program-building efforts 
    • Creation or sharing of teaching materials and resources

Current SALTA Board Members are NOT eligible to apply for the award. 

Application Materials

We invite you to share materials that offer a meaningful glimpse into your teaching. These should help us understand your approach, your context, and your work with learners through concrete examples. 

Application link: https://forms.gle/u9UHrJNcHNoFgwYr6

Required Materials

All materials (unless otherwise specified) should be submitted as individual pdfs to the Application Form. 

CV or Resume

A brief document (in English) outlining your professional background, including your teaching experience, education, and any relevant work connected to South Asian languages.

Cover Letter (maximum 2 pages)

A short- written statement (not more than two pages, in English) that introduces you as an educator. Please include:

  • A brief introduction of yourself
  • Your professional journey as a language educator
  • Your approach to teaching (teaching philosophy)
  • Any experiences that have shaped your teaching of South Asian languages

Teaching Artifacts (2 total)

Examples of materials or activities from your teaching that help us understand what your teaching philosophy looks like in practice. Examples may include but are not limited to lesson plans, individual activities or assignments, teaching materials or resources you have created, or any other classroom tasks you found especially meaningful. 

For each artifact, include a short note (in English) describing:

  1. What the artifact is
  2. How you implement it (or envision implementing it)
  3. Why it matters for student learning

If materials are submitted in a language other than English, please include a brief English description or translation where possible so reviewers can understand the context.

Recommendation Letter (at least 1)

A letter written by an individual who is familiar with your teaching and can speak to your work as an educator of South Asian languages. This may include a student (or parent), colleague, supervisor, or program coordinator. The purpose of this letter is to provide an informed, experience-based perspective on your teaching practice and its impact. It may be written in any language.

Optional Material: Teaching Video (up to 10 minutes)

Link to a short 10-minute recording of your teaching (live or simulated) that helps us understand your classroom practice. Please include a brief English description describing what’s going on in the video and what is the teaching context. 

Evaluation 

Applications will be evaluated using the SALTA Teaching Award Rubric (available here)

Reviewers are guided by the following principles: 

  • Approach each application with generosity, openness, curiosity, and care
  • Evaluate content over writing polish
  • Recognize that teaching excellence looks different across contexts

Please note that if a sufficient number of high-quality applications are not received, we reserve the right not to confer an award in the application cycle.