Thursday Pre-Conference Workshops

Morning Workshops | Afternoon Workshops

Constructing Language Assessments in Indigenous Languages to Inform Immersion Instruction 

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: State III
Lizette Peter, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas
Gloria Sly, Director, Cultural Resource Center, Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma
Tracy Hirata-Edds, Lecturer, University of Kansas

This workshop will focus on the construction of language assessments particularly suited for immersion instruction in less commonly taught languages and for endangered language revitalization. An approach for aligning curricular goals, instructional approaches, and modes of assessment will be offered based on a model developed for early childhood Cherokee language immersion.

PowerPoint
Language Plan
Cherokee Nation

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Developing a K-12 Chinese Language Curriculum Framework: A Critical Component to Building Functional Proficiency in Immersion

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: Governors II
Michael Bacon, Immersion Coordinator
Kojo Hakam, Chinese Curriculum Specialist
Shen Yin, Teacher and Curriculum Specialist
Portland (OR) Public Schools

Articulating the language and literacy curriculum of a K-12 immersion program facilitates lesson planning as well as assessment to ensure high levels of proficiency outcomes. Workshop participants examine various aspects of developing a curriculum framework, discuss how to adapt the framework to their particular setting, and learn how to implement it.

Chinese Curriculum Framework
Curriculum Framework and Textbook Layout
Functions and Forms
Modified Mandarin Immersion Curriculum Framework

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Language Awareness: Examining the Role of Language in Society

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: Kellogg III
Diane Dagenais, Associate Professor
Cécile Sabatier, Assistant Professor
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC

In this workshop, we provide background information about our ongoing project on Language Awareness in which we attend to Aboriginal and immigrant languages in the local linguistic landscape. We will engage the audience in hands-on activities that we have adapted for an early French Immersion program in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency Assessment for PreK-8 Immersion Programs   

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: Governors IV
Lynn Thompson, Research Associate,
Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC

This workshop will introduce participants to several valid and developmentally appropriate assessment instruments, ELLOPA, SOPA, and COPE, developed by CAL to assess the listening comprehension and fluency of immersion students in grades K-8. These tools and rating rubrics will be presented through videotaped samples, hands-on activities, and discussion.

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Literacy-Based ESL and Cross-Language Connections: Adding to the Best Practice Repertoire of TWI Teachers

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: Kellogg I
Kathy Escamilla, Professor
University of Colorado at Boulder

Part I of this workshop will summarize a five-year research project examining transitions to biliteracy. Parts II and III will take the results of this research and present sample lessons that help TWI students create positive trajectories to biliteracy through literacy-based ESL reading and writing activities and cross language connections.

Así se dice PowerPoint
Dictado PowerPoint
Minnesota PowerPoint
Lit Squared References

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Principal and School Administrator Competencies in One-Way Foreign Language Immersion and Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Contexts 

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: State I
Ursina Swanson, Principal, Park Spanish Immersion School, St. Louis Park, MN
Luis Versalles, Program Coordinator, Richfield Dual Language School, Richfield, MN

In this workshop you will learn about specific competencies that immersion school administrators will want to develop. Both one-way and two-way immersion school contexts will be discussed with these areas of focus: vision, advocacy, communication, marketing, recruitment and hiring, program development, immersion teacher staff development. There will be break out Q & A groups for each program model.

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Promoting the Whole Child’s Growth and Fluency: Louisiana French Immersion and the Reggio Philosophy (IN FRENCH)

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: Kellogg II
Fabienne Biasiolo and Françoise Biasiolo, 1st Grade French Immersion Teachers
Lafayette (LA) School District

"A child is made of hundreds: a child has a hundred languages, a hundred hands, a hundred thoughts, a hundred ways of thinking, playing, speaking…” (Malaguzzi). French immersion teachers get inspiration from Reggio philosophy in French immersion to promote and facilitate the whole child’s growth and fluency in the target language.

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Secondary Immersion: Making the Connection Between Complex Content and Advanced Academic Language

Thursday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Room: Governors III
Philip Hoare and Stella Kong, Associate Professors
Hong Kong Institute of Education

Immersion teaching and learning at higher grade levels presents particular challenges as students strive to express progressively complex content through increasingly subject-specific academic language. This workshop will explore a knowledge structure - text structure approach to support students’ achievement of content-language learning objectives and present their learning in appropriately academic language. Teachers are encouraged to bring extended texts of their own (approx 1000 words or more) to use.

Workshop PowerPoint
Handout
Text Structures
Respiration text
Answers

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Assessing Reading and Writing in the Target Language: Tools to Guide Instruction    

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: Governors III
Iran Amin, Immersion Specialist
Donna Gouin, French Immersion Coordinator
Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools

The workshop includes an overview of MCPS immersion programs, a description of three assessment tools used to assess students' reading and writing skills in Grades K-8, and an explanation of how data from assessments is used to guide instruction. Participants will have the opportunity to practice scoring sample writing assessments using rubrics.

Workshop PowerPoint   Workshop Handout

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Building Program Evaluation Capacity and Skills for Immersion Practitioners

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: State III
Julie Sugarman, Research Associate, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC

This workshop will help participants understand the basics of program evaluation for the purpose of working with consultants and conducting internal evaluations. Focusing on program-level topics from the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, we will discuss evaluation approaches and methodologies, and ways to develop evaluation questions, report findings, and institutionalize evaluation practices.

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Indigenous Immersion Teacher Education: Three Perspectives

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: Kellogg II
Keiki Kawai’ae’a, Director, Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program, University of Hawai’i at Hilo
Mary Hermes, Associate Professor, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Hemi Dale, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand

One Hawaiian, one Ojibwe and one Maori representative will describe their various teacher education programs. Presenters will show how their programs are structured, demonstrate a unique method used in their program, describe how they achieved certification, and talk about their biggest challenges and future visions for indigenous teacher training.

Teachers as Nation Builders
Top 10 ACIE
Wilson and Kawai’ae’a

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Integrating Multiple Languages in Immersion: A European Example

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: Governors II
Siv Bjőrklund, Professor
Karita Mård-Miettinen, Assistant Professor
University of Vaasa, Finland

In the European context immersion programs typically consist of more than two languages. This workshop, based on a Swedish immersion program, will focus on how all four languages become an integrated part of the program and how early multiple language learning and societal language status challenge both the program’s teaching principles and its outcomes.

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Kōhanga Reo - Maori Pre-School Immersion: Successes and Challenges

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: Kellogg III
Cath Rau, Chairperson, Kia Ata Mai Educational Trust, Aotearoa (New Zealand)

This workshop examines the philosophies that underpin pedagogical and organizational practices in a long established kōhanga reo (pre-school immersion program). The successes and challenges facing this parent/community-driven initiative as they strive to provide a rich language and learning environment will be discussed and lessons learned will be shared.

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Language, Literacy and Vocabulary Development in the Immersion Classroom   

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: Governors IV
Mimi Met, Research Associate, National Foreign Language Center, College Park, Maryland

Given the high stakes implications of No Child Left Behind, attention to the role of language in academic success is both timely and pressing. In this workshop we’ll explore instructional strategies that enhance academics, literacy and vocabulary ensuring that immersion students attain high academic standards as they learn content in a new language.

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Parent Involvement Strategies to Support Your Immersion Program

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: State I
Carrie Jennissen, Parent
Jennifer Taylor, Parent
Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network (MAIN)

MAIN Parents focuses on supporting immersion schools through parent networking and pooling of resources. This workshop will offer organizational strategies and guides to featured topics: website communication, PTO vs. PTA vs. Site Councils, volunteerism, fundraising and budgeting, Teaching Assistant programming, and immersion advocacy.

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Struggling Immersion Learners: Research-Based, Practitioner-Informed Responses   

Thursday, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Room: Kellogg I
Tara Fortune, Immersion Projects Coordinator, CARLA
Mandy Menke, Ph.D. Candidate, Spanish & Portuguese
University of Minnesota

This workshop targets immersion educators and the challenges they face with learners who struggle with language, literacy and learning. Through simulation activities, presentation of research findings and discussion of research-based recommendations, participants will become familiar with instructional strategies and resources to better meet the needs of struggling immersion learners.

References for Top 10 Questions
Resources

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