An IPA (Integrated Performance Assessment) is an assessment sequence using the modes of communication–Interpretive, Interpersonal, & Presentational–but which can also provide a framework to design curriculum and instruction. We can repurpose the IPA as a framework for designing learning sequences and curricular units. We explore the IPA framework to deliberately move learners from meaningful input to authentic interaction, providing specific classroom examples drawing from our new (2022) ACTFL publication “Proficiency-Based Instruction: Input & Interaction in World Language Education.”
This session presents practical and readily adaptable instructional strategies to keep young learners interested and motivated. A thematic approach, incorporating stories, music and most importantly, play, captures students’ interest and whets the appetite for a range of language learning tasks, including repetition, listening comprehension and role play. The activities are repetitive and scaffolded and require no writing, making it suitable for young children, and students who learn differently. After modelling various themes and after discussing the instructional strategies, each participant develops a thematic language session individually. A speed date activity follows to sample the sessions and provide constructive feedback to each other.
Do you want to learn how to make your arts unit come to life? Would you like for your students to experience works of art in an interactive and engaging way? Learn how to design these interactive activities using minimal technology, as well as how to make the experience comprehensible for all language learners. Come and experience how we can leverage the Google Arts and Culture app to make art come alive and promote proficiency all while having fun!
Technology allows exploration of the artistic and social landscape of L2 cities. Design a project-based module on street art and public art using Google Earth, Instagram, and online resources to explore French and Francophone history, identity, and public discourse around racial diversity, social issues, and ownership of public space. Students leverage online access to public spaces and existing social media skills to create and respond to multimodal virtual tours of specific cities while building linguistic, intercultural, and visual literacy skills. This approach supports exploration of social justice and cultural values at all proficiency levels. Attendees develop materials for their students in hands-on activities. Some knowledge of Instagram is helpful but not required.
It is possible to have an English-free, target language only environment. I introduce some of the techniques, strategies, and methodology of the Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM) that, when combined holistically, create an immersion-like classroom. You have the opportunity to learn and practice some AIM gestures paired with high-frequency words that will quickly move your students to spontaneously communicating their own thoughts in the target language. Student comprehension and oral output will soar once they are freed from memorizing and being passive listeners.
To aid their future careers as military officers, the United States Air Force Academy teaches its cadets a brand-new course, “French for Professional Purposes”, through the new pedagogical practice of “Inclusive Learning”. Participants hear how the instructor and her cadet co-presenter built a curriculum to meet the needs of a student body diverse in background, learning styles, age, and gender, with material curated through cadet research. Participants engage in inclusive activities and content representative of the course’s novel approaches to assignments and assessments, and leave with new techniques to make their courses even more inclusive for students.
Gifted students frequently abandon language study in favor of what they consider more useful subjects. We examine how these other subjects can become part of the language program. Students may be able to integrate the language they know in various ways in courses such as history, art, political science, or business. This promotes greater collaboration among teachers and better connections for students. The presenter gives examples and show how Language across the curriculum can become part of a language program. Participants are invited to share ideas.
Interacting in a language class can be intimidating for the best of us. However, engaging in oral interactions is paramount to becoming proficient in a language, to believing in one's own abilities and engaging in the learning process.
In the last few years, CANVAS has become increasingly important for many of our classes. Many of us are required to use it, but have we been using it effectively? We explore ways to combine best practices for language instruction with existing CANVAS tools to deliver instruction and assessment in the most pedagogically sound way possible and explore ways to promote and assess all modes of communication within the canvas platform. We look at different strategies for formative and summative assessment using the CANVAS tools that allow us to go beyond discrete point grammar and vocabulary activities
This session highlights the development and sequencing of a proficiency-oriented unit that uses a feature film in the target language as its base. Participants discover how to gather supporting authentic resources, utilize engaging discussion techniques, underscore targeted grammatical structures and develop appropriate assessments that support the themes of the film aligned with proficiency goals. By using high-frequency vocabulary and high-interest topics these engaging units of film study provide optimal comprehensible input and boost language acquisition.
Do you struggle with ideas for how to empower your students to use the language beyond the walls of your classroom? Come and learn from the 2022 NECTFL Teachers of the Year state finalists! From empowering your students to teach younger students in your school community, to showcasing student work around town, Teachers of the Year from the northeast region share some of the strategies they implement to practice the Communities standard and advocate for their language programs in their broader communities. Examples are in Spanish, French, Latin, and Chinese across all age groups.
How do we get students to engage with content so that meaningful learning happens? How can educators gradually release responsibility for learning over to students, so that students do more of the work? Join this ACTFL Teacher of the Year and experience hands-on learning of activities that engage students in communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving. Most activities are low or no-prep and can be reused at various levels and with varied content. They hit multiple modes of communication, use authentic resources, support social justice themes, and require students to speak interpersonally. The learning routines require students show what they are thinking and learning decreasing grading. Step away from the copy machine and say good-bye to your turn in work bin!
This session examines how to teach the Holocaust through French Literature in Translation with a study abroad component as well as interviews with Holocaust survivors. The session examines the curriculum and how to integrate various disciplines in order to further delve in the content. Furthermore, the session examines how students performed on a pre-test and post-test of the content and how the impact of integrating the curriculum allowed for further development of knowledge.
Discussing meaningful topics with Novice learners in the target language can feel hard. They are able to speak about themselves, but can they really dig deeper into questions of identity with their limited language? Focus on one French teacher's attempt to use existing literature (Everyone's an aliebn when you're an aliebn too by Jonny Sun) to create identity-driven activities for her students. Examples and resources are shared and participant feedback is sought on how this work could continue to be developed and improved.
How can we move beyond sporadically teaching about culture and identity, and integrate these concepts into our lessons on a daily basis? This session will explore interculturality and identity in the language classroom and demonstrate some simple strategies for making important cultural connections and comparisons. We will also look at how EntreCulturas and EntreCultures from Wayside Publishing help teachers achieve their interculturality goals while also focusing on language acquisition.
How do we guide learners from input to output while also making our students more independent learners? The Gradual Release of Responsibilities (I do, we do, you do) is a framework to help scaffold our lessons and units to achieve those goals. Explore this framework and how it applies to learning a second language. We examine lesson examples in the 3 modes of communication as well as how to apply this framework to planning thematic units that gradually guides students to communicating independently