How can I integrate Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) in my existing curriculum? How do I design PBLL projects to incorporate 21st Century Skills? The NFLRC 2015 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 work on project design 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.
We invite practicing K-16 world language educators to apply to participate. The NFLRC 2015 Intensive Summer Institute is not a beginner’s workshop. In order to join, applicants will need to first earn a digital badge from the Fundamentals of Project-Based Language Learning Online Institute as a prerequisite. Seats are limited and applications will be competitive. Accepted participants will need to pay a $100 registration fee for the Intensive Summer Institute. Stipends to defray travel expenses will be available to selected participants traveling to Honolulu for the ISI. Preference will be given to participants currently working at U.S. community colleges and/or minority-serving institutions and teaching less-commonly taught languages, but all practicing world language educators K-16 are invited to apply. District supervisors and world language curriculum specialists are ineligible to apply.
Important Dates
Project Blueprint Submission Deadline: March 23, 2015 (Digital Badge should be received no later than March 27, 2015)
Application deadline: March 31, 2015
Selection Results Notification: by April 15, 2015
Intensive Summer Institute dates: July 27-31, 2015
The deadline for applications (March 31, 2015) has passed. We are no longer accepting applications.
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 2015 Intensive Summer Institute is not a beginner’s workshop. In order to join, applicants will need to first earn a digital badge from the 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 and present on their LSP project toward the end of the 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 March 31, 2015 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 15, 2015 via email. We will be accepting around 20 participants for this summer institute.
2) 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.
3) IS FINANCIAL SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR ACCEPTED PARTICIPANTS?
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 successful applicants as funding permits. Because this partial financial support will likely not cover all costs involved in attending the institute, we highly recommend that accepted participants look into supplemental travel support from their home institutions or other sources of funding.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: 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.).
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 July 27-31 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, rooms at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel 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 and 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.