 |
|
This past fall, the Department released updated guidance on Iowa's Seal of Biliteracy. You can view the guidance document here.
|
Save the Date- World Language Conferences
-
Iowa World Language Conference: The Iowa World Language Conference takes place October 2-3, 2020 in Ankeny. For more information go here.
-
ACTFL: The ACTFL conference takes place November 20-22, 2020 in San Antonio, TX. Check out more information on the conference and submit a proposal here.
Myth Busters in Dual Language Learning
DualLanguageSchools.org recently published a list of 10 myths for dual language learning. These include:
- Develop languages in early years.
- Learning two languages simultaneously inhibits language development.
- Parents should speak English at home.
- Dual language learners experience a silent period.
- Right-brain and left-brain learning
- Students/DLLS have preferred learning styles.
- Language instruction changes depending on the languages spoken.
- There is a specific period of time to learn languages.
- Dual language learners must be taught differently.
To see the research rationale for each of these myths go here.
Making Languages Our Business
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) recently released a report entitled: Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers. The report outlines why language learning is critical for the workforce and for economic success as a nation. You can view the full report here.
Congress Creates New World Languages Grant Program
Congress authorized a new K-12 grant program called the World Language Advancement and Readiness Grant Program! Read more here.
List of Twenty-Five Most Popular Spanish Titles
This list from Booksource includes twenty-five of the most popular classroom titles in Spanish. Download the list for free here.
Was uns bewegt
This resource from IWLA 2019 includes several great resources for teaching about German youth and pop culture.
International Children's Digital Library
The ICDL Foundation's goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world. Check out this resource here.
Dollar Street
Gapminder took over 30,000 photos of families around the world. They visited 264 families in 50 countries and documented their lives. You can view the photographs here.
Ok: Translator Ad
If you need a funny ad to help students understand the importance of language learning, check out this AT & T Wireless commercial.
Early Language Twitter Chat
The National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL) has a Twitter chat every second and fourth Wednesday from 8:00-9:00 pm EST. You can join by following #EarlyLang If you are interested in learning more, check out their website at https://nnell.org/.
Transatlantic Educators Dialogue
Are you interested in talking to other teachers about educational issues beyond classroom management? Do you get excited about topics such as immigration, youth culture, notions of the "other" in national identity formation, and education in rural vs. urban contexts? Are you curious about the differences in education between European countries and the U.S.A.? If so, you are invited to join the Transatlantic Educators Dialogue (TED) 11-week online program!
This project is coordinated by the European Union Center (EUC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The EUC is recruiting teachers in the U.S. and the EU to come together once a week (Sundays 5–6:30 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time, 1–2:30 p.m. EST) in online sessions to explore a variety of educational topics as they relate to issues of identity and difference. Participants will meet simultaneously online using the Blackboard Collaborate application; in addition, prior to each session, participants should access an online course website to read materials and post responses related to the week's topic.
The program will begin on Feb. 16, 2020 and will conclude on May 3, 2020. Online sessions are 90 minutes. Weekly attendance is expected and helpful as discussion sessions will be more productive when a variety of perspectives is shared. At the end of the program, teachers will receive a Certificate of Completion from the EUC at the University of Illinois. (Up to 30 non-credit Professional Development Hours for Illinois teachers and up to 3.0 non-credit Continuing Education Units for 30 contact hours for non-Illinois teachers are available.)
Please apply online at the TED website by Jan. 15, 2020. There is no application fee for TED, and there is no cost to participate. TED is FREE!
Comprehensible Input Conference
The 2020 Comprehensive Input Conference will be held Saturday, June 13, 2020 in Van Meter. The theme is Building Stronger Roots Together. You can find out more information here.
CARLA Summer Institutes
The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota has provided high-quality professional development for language teachers for over two decades. Launched in 1996, this internationally known program reflects CARLA's commitment to link research and theory with practical applications for the classroom. Each institute is highly interactive and includes discussion, hands-on activities, and networking. CARLA summer institute participants—more than 6,300 to date—have come from every state and from countries all over the world. They have included foreign/world language, ESL/EFL, heritage language, and immersion educators at all levels of instruction, as well as program administrators, curriculum specialists, and language teacher educators.
Online Institutes
-
Transitioning to Teaching Language Online—Online course June 22–July 20, 2020 This intensive four-week online course provides language teachers with the experience of being an online learner while exploring the basics of creating a successful online language class.Presenters: Claudine Boucaud, Ritu Jayakar, Marlene Johnshoy, and Frances Matos
-
Using the Web for Communicative Language Learning—Online course June 29–August 2, 2020 In this five-week online course, participants will discover ways to use online tools to promote student language comprehension and production by motivating their participation and collaboration in the target language.Presenters: Florencia Henshaw and Marlene Johnshoy
-
Using Technology in Second Language Teaching—Online option July 20–24, 2020 Participants will learn how to use technology to facilitate student use of the target language and get hands-on practice in using computers to promote students' interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication skills.Presenters: Adolfo Carrillo Cabello, Marlene Johnshoy, and Dan Soneson
Institutes Offered at the University of Minnesota
-
Secondary Dual Language and Immersion:Achieving the Promise of Continuation Programs—New! June 22–24, 2020 During this three-day institute specifically designed for the secondary dual language and immersion context, participants will explore the what, how, and why of secondary continuation programs.Presenter: Cory Mathieu
-
Assessing Language Learners' Communication Skills via Authentic Communicative Performance Tasks July 13–17, 2020 After learning how to design communicative tasks, develop rubrics, and evaluate student performance on a variety of tasks, participants will develop their own standards-based Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA).Presenter: Donna Clementi
-
Creativity in the Language Classroom:Fostering Student Learning Through Creative Language Experiences July 13–17, 2020 This fun institute is designed for second language teachers who want to promote creativity in their classroom while simultaneously improving learners' target language proficiency.Presenters: Anne Cummings Hlas and Amy Young
-
Foreign Language Literacies:Using Target Language Texts to Improve Communication July 13–17, 2020 Participants will learn how to use target language texts (such as movies, infographics, poetry, music videos, magazine articles, and podcasts) to develop students' communicative abilities, critical thinking, intercultural competence, and language awareness.Presenters: Mandy Menke and Kate Paesani
-
Using Technology in Second Language Teaching—Online option July 20–24, 2020 Participants will learn how to use technology to facilitate student use of the target language and get hands-on practice in using computers to promote students' interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication skills.Presenters: Adolfo Carrillo Cabello, Marlene Johnshoy, and Dan Soneson
-
Critical Approaches to Heritage Language Education July 20–24, 2020 Participants will learn how to create powerful learning environments to support the unique needs of heritage language learners in the classroom.Presenters: Jenna Cushing-Leubner and J. Eik
-
Meaningful Portfolio Implementation—New!July 20–24, 2020 After examining reflective practices and portfolio use in the world language classroom, participants will design their own learning scenarios that promote higher-order cognitive and social engagement for learners.Presenters: Stephanie Knight and Julie Sykes
-
Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom July 27–31, 2020 After gaining a deeper understanding of how language-culture-identity informs their teaching, participants will learn how to integrate culture and language learning in their classrooms.Presenters: Martha Bigelow and Kaishan Kong
-
Teaching Language Through the Lens of Social Justice—Back by popular demand! July 27–31, 2020 Participants in this institute will learn how teach for and about social justice in the foreign language classroom. Presenters: Cassandra Glynn, Beth Wassell, and Pamela Wesely
-
Teaching World Languages and Cultures in Elementary Settings July 27–31, 2020 In this institute, participants will gain proficiency-based lesson design and assessment skills necessary to teach world languages and cultures at the elementary level.Presenter: Leah Shepard-Carey
Information and Registration
Scholarships to Study Abroad in Germany
The U.S. State Department funded Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) is for motivated high school students who want to fully immerse themselves in German culture by living with a host family and attending a local high school. No previous language experience is required. For more information go here.
NSLI for Youth Scholarships to Study Language Abroad
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program was launched in 2006 to promote critical language learning among American youth. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils for International Education, awards and administers merit-based scholarships to high school students for participation in summer and academic year immersion programs in locations where the eight NSLI-Y languages are spoken. For more information go here.
Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program
The International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office at the U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the opening of the competition for the fiscal year 2020 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program.
The GPA Program provides grants to institutions and private, nonprofit educational entities that organize programs for K–12 teachers, college students, and faculty to engage in short-term or long-term overseas projects focused on training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies. GPA short-term projects include seminars, curriculum development, and group research or study. GPA long-term projects support advanced intensive overseas programs that focus on languages, the humanities, or social sciences.
IFLE expects to make 25 new awards totaling approximately $2.7 million under the FY 2020 GPA competition. The application is now available at www.grants.gov. The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 18, 2020
Deadline Approaching for Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad Program
The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program provides short-term seminars abroad for U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities to improve their understanding and knowledge of the peoples and cultures of other countries. Each seminar features educational lectures and activities specifically designed for the group, including visits to local schools and organizations, meetings with teachers and students, and visits to cultural sites. Participants draw on their experiences during the program to create new, cross-cultural curricula for their classrooms and school systems back in the U.S. In 2020, summer programs will be offered in Argentina, Israel, and Taiwan. Each seminar will have 16 participants. The program covers airfare, room and board, and program costs. Teacher participants are responsible for a cost-share of $600. To apply: The 2020 Seminars Abroad application is now available on the G5 website at www.g5.gov.If you are a new user, click “Sign Up” on the G5 Homepage. Once registered and activated, click on “Package Submission” under Grant Setup. Follow the steps provided, filling out the forms and uploading the necessary files.
Stefanie Rosenberg Wager
Social Studies Consultant
21st Century Skills- Civic and Financial Literacy
World Languages
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: 515-725-7842
Cell: 515-419-2876
Fax: 515-242-5988
Email: stefanie.wager@iowa.gov
Social Studies standards, website, Iowa Core Social Studies, newsletter, calendar, Pinterest
Financial Literacy website, newsletter, Pinterest
|
