How can Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) help learners develop interculturality — the ability to inhabit and interpret different cultures and to see one’s own culture through the eyes of another? How do I design rigorous PBLL projects to incorporate intercultural telecollaborations? The NFLRC 2016 Intensive Summer Institute (ISI) will help you answer these questions with guidance from experts in the field through a dynamic, technology-rich professional development experience. You will further develop a Project Blueprint for your own language classroom assisted by colleagues and guided by a group of language professionals with background in PBL, language pedagogy, instructional technology, and assessment.
In-service K-16 world language educators are invited to apply for this on-site, in-person institute. The NFLRC 2016 Intensive Summer Institute is not a beginner’s workshop. In order to join, applicants will need to first create an interculturality-focused Project Blueprint and earn a digital badge from the 2016 Fundamentals of Project-Based Language Learning Online Institute as a prerequisite. (Participants who have already obtained a 2015 Fundamentals of PBLL badge need to take an additional module and submit an interculturality-focused Project Blueprint to be able to apply.)
Seats are limited and applications will be competitive.
Important Dates
Project Blueprint Submission Deadline for the 2016 Fundamentals of Project-Based Language Learning Online Institute: March 31, 2016 (Digital Badge should be received no later than April 5, 2016)
Intensive Summer Institute (ISI) application deadline: April 15, 2016
ISI Selection Results Notification: by April 27, 2016
ISI dates: June 27-July 1, 2016
Institute Goals
Project-Based Learning (PBL) means much more than having students do projects. In the world language classroom, rigorously implementing established PBL principles to realize genuine Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) requires a deep understanding of Gold Standard PBL, with special attention to the principles of “Authenticity,” “Reflection,” and “A Public Audience.” PBLL presents unique challenges when compared to PBL in other disciplines, precisely because the very means we wish our learners to use to engage in project work — the target language — is at the same time the object of their learning, which in a very important sense remains opaque to them as long as they uncritically inhabit received cultural space, i.e., the norms and values they bring with them to the learning experience. Through an intensive week of engagement with institute staff and fellow educators, participants in this institute will obtain and deploy tools and strategies to support learners’ forays into intercultural space, most importantly through telecollaborative engagement with native speakers and with other learners. To earn the badge conferred upon successful completion of the institute, participants will complete a capstone Project Blueprint integrating strategies for fostering interculturality.
Financial Support
To help defray travel expenses to attend the institute, partial financial support (up to $1,000 for foreign language faculty/staff from U.S. mainland or $350 for Hawai‘i neighbor island institutions) will be offered to our top 10 applicants as funding permits. Other accepted applicants will need to self-fund or seek financial support from their home institutions or other sources of funding in order to cover costs.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
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Participants who receive and accept funding from the NFLRC will be required to submit their completed project to the Project Repository upon completion of the intensive summer institute.
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Due to restrictions on the federal grant which funds the NFLRC, we can only offer this partial financial support to participants who currently live in the United States and whose job impacts language research, learning, or teaching in the United States. Educators and researchers in foreign countries are ineligible for this partial funding. Students are also ineligible for partial funding, unless they are employees of their institution (e.g., paid teaching assistants, lecturers, etc.).
Frequently Asked Questions
1) WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THIS INSTITUTE? HOW DO I APPLY?
We invite practicing K-16 world language educators to apply to participate. The NFLRC 2016 Intensive Summer Institute is not a beginner’s workshop. In order to join, applicants will need to first earn a digital badge from the 2016 Fundamentals of Project-Based Language Learning Online Institute as a prerequisite. Seats are limited and applications will be competitive. Preference will be given to participants currently working at U.S. community colleges and/or minority-serving institutions, but all practicing world language educators K-16 are invited to apply. District supervisors and world language curriculum specialists are ineligible to apply.
Participants are expected to participate fully, present on their PBLL project, and submit their completed project to the Project Repository after completion of the intensive summer institute.
If you meet the above criteria and are interested in the summer institute, we encourage you to apply. Please submit an online application form by the April 15, 2016 deadline. Be sure to allow adequate time to fully answer the questions. Also, don’t forget to proofread your entries before submission. If you experience any difficulty with the online form, please contact us for assistance.
Notification of selection results will take place by April 27, 2016 via email. We will be accepting around 20 participants for this summer institute.
2) I RECEIVED A BADGE FOR COMPLETION OF THE 2015 FUNDAMENTALS OF PBLL ONLINE INSTITUTE. DO I NEED TO TAKE THE 2016 ONLINE INSTITUTE TO APPLY FOR THE 2016 ISI?
If you earned a 2015 Fundamentals of PBLL Online Institute badge, we can grant you free access to the 2016 PBLL Online Institute site. While it is not necessary for you to take the 2016 Online Institute in full, you will need to submit an additional interculturality-focused Project Blueprint to qualifty for application to the 2016 Intensive Summer Institute. Contact nflrc@hawaii.edu for more information.
3) I TEACH ESL/EFL. CAN I APPLY FOR THE INSTITUTE?
The National Foreign Language Resource Centerʻs mission is to help improve the U.S.’s capacity in foreign language education, especially in less commonly taught languages. English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) is outside the scope of this summer institute. Applicants should be teachers of languages other than English.
4) ARE THERE ANY INSTITUTE FEES?
There are no fees for submitting an online application form. However, accepted participants are required to pay a non-refundable $100 registration fee. Please DO NOT SEND PAYMENT UNLESS NOTIFIED OF ACCEPTANCE.
5) WHERE WILL THE INSTITUTE TAKE PLACE?
The June 27-July 1 summer institute will be held in Moore Hall 155 on the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa campus. Only accepted participants are allowed to attend.
The UH Mānoa campus is 3 miles from Waikiki (about a 10-minute drive). If you are coming from the Honolulu International Airport, it is about a 20-minute drive (non-rush hour traffic).
6) ARE THERE LODGING OPTIONS AVAILABLE?
There are a number of housing options available. For those who are on a budget or prefer the convenience of staying on campus, rooms in the East-West Center residence halls (Hale Mānoa, Hale Kuahine, or Lincoln Hall) can be reserved by accepted institute participants. Room rates range from $32 to $80 per night, depending on room type (dorm room or visitor housing).
For those who wish to stay in a hotel and have easy access to Waikiki and its beaches, shopping, and restaurants during institute after-hours, studios w/kitchennetes at the Ewa Hotel Waikiki can be reserved at special summer institute rates. More information about housing options will be made available to workshop participants once they are accepted.
7) ARE MEALS PROVIDED?
Participants will be provided with continental breakfast refreshments each morning as well as afternoon snacks. There will also be a welcoming reception on the first day of the institute. Apart from that, participants are responsible for their own meals. Extensive information regarding on-campus and off-campus dining options will be provided to participants upon their arrival.
8) IS TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED?
No transportation is provided. Transportation is the responsibility of the participant.
The island of O‘ahu is serviced by the Honolulu International Airport (HNL). Airlines that fly to Hawai‘i include American, United, Delta, Hawaiian, & Alaska Airlines, and a wide variety of airlines from abroad. The airport is about a 20-minute drive (non-rush hour traffic time) from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa or Waikiki.
For more information about available ground transportation services (including shuttles, taxis, The Bus, etc.), click here.
9) IS CHILDCARE PROVIDED AT THE INSTITUTE?
No childcare is provided. Also, there are some restrictions regarding children staying in the East-West Center residence halls. Please contact us for more information.
10) WHAT DIGITAL BADGES CAN I EARN?
Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) Intensive Summer Institute Designer badge: This badge certifies that a participant has finalized the design of a project and that the project meets the minimum quality standards specified in the Developing column of the Project Design rubric. Criteria: 2016
Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) Intensive Summer Institute Implementer badge: This badge is granted to a participant who has implemented a project in a language class. Criteria: all years.
Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) Intensive Summer Institute Teacher badge: This badge is granted to a participant who has designed and subsequently implemented at least one additional distinct project (over and above the originally implemented project) in a language class. Criteria: all years.