2013 Summer Institutes
at the 8th International Conference on Language Teacher Education

This year, from May 30 through June 1, the NCLRC is hosting the 8th International Conference on Language Teacher Education (LTE 2013).  This conference will address the education of teachers of all languages, at all instructional and institutional levels, including foreign/modern/world language teaching and the teaching of less commonly taught languages. 
The following Summer Institutes will be held on Thursday, May 30th in the Cloyd Heck Marvin Center, located in the Foggy Bottom campus of The George Washington University.  Some of them will be held from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and others from 1:30 to 4:30 PM.
While you may register just for the Summer Institutes, we invite you to register for the entire conference. The conference is a unique opportunity for foreign language teachers to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices and to initiate and sustain meaningful professional dialogue across languages, levels, and settings.

Excel in Teaching Arabic: Implementing Standards-based Arabic Curricula & Instructional Materials
This workshop will provide teachers of Arabic as a foreign language access to state-of-the-art thematic and Standards-based instructional materials. The materials are consisting of 32 thematic topics that are aligned with world language programs and were developed with ACTFL proficiency guidelines in mind. The presenter will provide examples of pedagogical strategies and performance assessment that ensure best practices in implementing the curriculum units. Teachers participating in the workshop will receive a full copy of the materials ready to be used immediately in their classrooms. In this interactive workshop there will be ample time for exchanging ideas, asking questions, and sharing among all participants. Participants also will be on the list of receiving the next level of units currently being developed by the language Flagship program.
Wafa Hassan, Ed.D., Michigan State University

Developing Teacher Knowledge to Promote Listening Skills
This workshop focuses on how teacher educators can most effectively prepare their teachers to teach what is considered the most difficult language skill: listening. It presents a model for integrating learner skills and knowledge to improve listening, considers teaching implications, and examines the impact of the listening process on teaching techniques.  While listening has more recently been recognized as a critical basic skill in language learning, most teachers and textbooks still do not promote listening skills. This workshop will focus on some critical metacognitive strategies for listening, and provide opportunities for participants to consider ways to include them in their courses. Participants discuss the influence of learner beliefs, consider teacher strategies, and examine the relationship of reading to listening.
Joan Rubin, Ph.D. Joan Rubin Associates

Teaching Spanish to Heritage Speakers of Spanish
Secondary heritage Spanish speakers are fluent in oral Spanish, but vary greatly in their level of literacy. Those with educational gaps need help in developing their reading and writing proficiency and also in grammar and academic and literary vocabulary. Practical, research-based activities for high school Hispanic students demonstrate ways to teach literary concepts, language skills, and learning strategies for reading comprehension and writing in Spanish. Ways to differentiate instruction in mixed literacy level classes are suggested.
Claudia Bezaka, District of Columbia Public Schools

Understanding Assessment: Resources for Language Teacher Educators
In this workshop, participants will determine their own level of knowledge about language assessment; identify what they need to know about assessment; and locate resources for enhancing their knowledge of assessment.
Margaret E. Malone, Ph.D., Center for Applied Linguistics
Victoria Nier, Center for Applied Linguistics

Teaching Students to Use the Internet for Autonomous Language Learning
Many tech workshops focus on helping teachers create instructional materials for students. But the undiluted "authentic" or "raw" Internet has much to teach language learners in independent settings. The raw Internet serves as the world's biggest dictionary, phrase handbook, and style checker and pronunciation guide. Even the much maligned Goggle translator, once tamed, can be a marvelous teacher. The presenters will share with the audience a bag of tricks that help students turn from language learners to language getters.
Richard Robin, Ph.D., The George Washington University
Margaret Gonglewski, Ph.D. The George Washington University

From Novice to Master: Preparing new teachers to teach Chinese as a Foreign Language in the U.S.
This institute aims at three objectives: (1) to identify the challenges that teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) new in the United States face, such as teaching techniques, classroom management, learning strategy instruction, differences between the U.S. and Chinese school cultures and its hidden curriculum; (2) to illuminate some of the challenges in concrete examples; (3) to provide participants with hands-on solutions to these challenges and a channel of developing professional learning community. The expected outcomes of this institute are that participants understand the challenges faced by teachers new to TCFL in the United States, that participants are able to overcome these challenges through concrete examples and discussion, and that participants can build up a professional learning community through knowing each other in the institute and continue their professional development afterwards.
Miaochun Wei, The George Washington University

Using Resources to Implement CLIL in Spanish
Free on-line resources will be presented. Materials reviewed will include some designed to promote teacher development, some geared towards learning Spanish as a Foreign Language and some "raw authentic materials" and useful on-line platforms. Participants will interact in a hands-on format and will come out with a practical knowledge of a series of resources (videos, texts, ppts, live radio and television materials, etc) available to both teachers and students working with CLIL methodology.
Rosa López Boullón, Education Office, Embassy of Spain
Carmen de Pablos Martín, Education Office, Embassy of Spain

To register for these institutes, and for more information

Registrations for all NCLRC Summer Institutes are on a non-credit basis.  Certificates and statements of hours are available upon completion.
The registration costs for the above NCLRC summer institutes held during the LTE 2013 conference can be found on the conference website:

NOTE: For information about our 3-day Spanish Immersion Institute, you can contact the NCLRC office at: (202) 973-1086 or email Sheila W. Cockey at swcockey@nclrc.org We will be posting information on it shortly, so you can also come back to this page.