Going to the 2019 ACTFL Conference in Washington D.C.?
The NFLRC team will be there to debut our new ConnecTalk event and offer a number of exciting presentations related to Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL), Online Language Pedagogy (OLP), the many resources we offer along with the other Title VI Language Resource Centers (LRCs), and more. In addition, many of our Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) intensive summer institute participants will be presenting on their exciting projects. Mark your calendars and come join us!
Also visit us in the Language Resource Centers (LRC) Pavilion: Exhibit Hall – Booth 1232
See our 4-page flyer with all events and key resources
Passion. Language. Inspiration.
Saturday, November 23, 2019 | 5:30-7:00 pm | Marriott Marquis Hotel, Washington DC | Independence Ballroom, Salon D
We are pleased to announce ConnecTalks, a brand new event debuting at ACTFL 2019. Join us for these three exciting talks, hosted by Marty Abbott:
- Words and People: What Language Tells Us About Ourselves (Rada Mihalcea, Michigan Artificial Intelligence Lab)
- Why Language Teachers Should Think Multilingually (Lourdes Ortega, Georgetown University)
- How to Use Language as a Tool to Help Fix Our World (Andrew Brown, Global Language Network)
For a sneak peek, view our video. For more information about the event, visit our ConnecTalks website.
We gratefully acknowedge our co-sponsors for the event: ACTFL, the Assessment and Evaluation Language Resource Center (AELRC), the Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER), the Center for Urban Language Teaching and Research (CULTR), and the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center (Tech Center).
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
The Baby and the Bathwater – Making Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) Work with What Already Works (Pre-Convention Workshop)
Thu, 11/21: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 150B
Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) is a complete paradigm shift, but it doesn’t mean you have to throw out everything that worked before. Engaging activities and textbook materials can be effective components of the PBL process, just with a more immediate, real-world endgame. Work through how to re-shape a unit, whether it’s your absolute favorite or a required curriculum unit you wish you loved more. We will develop engaging, driving questions and scaffold how learners can develop potentially public products through interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational tasks that align with different phases of a PBL unit.
Session Presenter: Laura Sexton, Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: All
Keywords: Personalized Learning
Language of Presentation: English
PBLL + TCI: Love Connection or Divorce Court?
Fri, 11/22: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 145B
In the push for project-based learning, where do world languages fit? Explore the challenges in using Teaching with Comprehensible Input (TCI) methods to provide critical input while supporting the student-centered inquiry of Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL). Decide for yourself what strategies will help these newlyweds make it as a couple!
Session Presenters: Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell, Musicuentos; Laura Sexton, Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: High School
Keywords: Proficiency-oriented Language Instruction
Language of Presentation: English
Examples for Designing High-Quality Project-Based Language Learning
Fri, 11/22: 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 144B
The complexity of rigorous project-based language learning (PBLL) poses challenges to beginning practitioners. This session showcases designs from an open PBLL repository built by trained PBLL practitioners, offering an example-based pathway to learning about PBLL and scaffolding your thinking about your own project ideas, from design to execution.
Session Presenters: Stephen Tschudi, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; Abigail Carle, Meridian Academy; Liudmila Klimanova, University of Arizona
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: All
Keywords: Personalized Learning
Language of Presentation: English
Cultivating Intercultural Communicative Competence with Playable Case Studies
Fri, 11/22: 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 146C
Culturally authentic texts and academic content are essential to developing advanced proficiency, but content-focused courses don’t always give adequate attention to language. This session demonstrates the motivating power of blending virtual environments with real world, project-based tasks to foster meaningful language use and cultural capacity.
Session Presenters: Cherice Montgomery, Jon Balzotti, and Derek Hansen, Brigham Young University
Applicable Language: Spanish
Audience Level: Post-Secondary
Keywords: Innovative Use of Technology
Language of Presentation: English
Free Standards-Based Resources from the Title VI Language Resource Centers
Fri, 11/22: 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 151B
Come learn about free standards-based resources for more than 142 languages available from 16 Language Resource Centers funded by the Department of Education. Resources include assessment, classroom materials, and professional development for all levels and languages. URLs for downloadable resources provided.
Session Presenters: Mandy Gettler, Center for Applied Second Language Studies; Jim Yoshioka, National Foreign Language Resource Center
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: All
Keywords: Proficiency-oriented Language Instruction
Language of Presentation: English
Designing microlearning experiences for 21st century learners
Sat, 11/23: 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 151B
Microlearning can transform idle learner time on mobile devices into compelling language learning experiences. Come learn about affordances of mobile microlearning at levels Novice to Advanced. Try your hand at designing engaging mobile microlearning experiences applying principles drawn from testing materials and an app designed for that purpose.
Session Presenters: Julio Rodriguez, Ruslan Suvorov, & Stephen Tschudi, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: All
Keywords: Personalized Learning
Language of Presentation: English
A PBLL Premise: Why Do Students Care? The Product Square Template
Sat, 11/23: 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 103A
When designing your lesson, is it one of your top priorities: will your students care? Spark students’ engagement is key. The audience will learn how to fill out a product square template for their own PBLL project. They will be exposed to effective examples, and they will work collaboratively with their own ideas on a product square template.
Session Presenters: Chantal Esquivias, Weber State University; Ingrid Campos, Layton High School; and Fermín Soriano, Farmington High School
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: High School
Keywords: Proficiency-oriented Language Instruction
Language of Presentation: English
Resources for the ACTFL Mentoring Program for Online Language Teachers
Sat, 11/23: 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Room 102A
This presentation will demonstrate free online resources available as part of the ACTFL Mentoring Program for Online Language Teachers. Developed to support professional learning needs of online language educators, the resources comprise over 40 TED-Ed lessons consisting of video presentations, quizzes, readings, and discussion prompts.
Session Presenters: Ruslan Suvorov, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; Kathryn Murphy-Judy, Virginia Commonwealth University
Applicable Language: Non-language specific
Audience Level: All
Keywords: Teacher Preparation
Language of Presentation: English