Oscar 2024

We share the results of focus group research with heritage learners of Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, and Russian about their knowledge of and interest in federal careers that use their language skills. Learn about high school and university students’ perspectives on the resources they use, questions they have, and obstacles they see in researching and pursuing possible careers. Presenters describe how these insights informed development of free web-based resources to help language learners connect their strengths and interests to career pathways, as well as how educators can support students to make these connections.

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.

Many students choose to study a language, because they want to use it for their enjoyment and advancement in their communities. In this session we explore using Communities standard to engage students, present them with real world opportunities to use their newly acquired language in their schools and communities. During the height of the pandemic, many people disengaged from the community. We re-examine how local communities can be a language learning resource and how learners can use their language skills in their communities.

How can social media platforms like Instagram be used to expand the scope of “classroom” and build a virtual learning community? The presenters introduce a year-long community-building project conducted at an elementary Chinese course in college. We focus on how it successfully fosters a deeper connection among members of the Chinese course (teachers, tutors, students, and beyond), enhances meaningful interaction in their life, and helps learners get immersed in the target language and culture – all in a cohesive community. The participants learn how the project was seamlessly integrated into various parts of the course, and jointly reflect on potential ways to adapt the project into their own instructional contexts especially in the post-pandemic era.

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.