This was by far the best MCTLC I have attended! There were more breakout sessions available as a whole, and the sessions were divided into 4 different strands. Needless to say, it made choosing which sessions to attend both easier and more difficult as there were so many amazing options. Here is how I spent my time and what I took away.
The Highlight Reel or Highlight the Real with Meredith White This session was all about getting real in the classroom. Meredith shared a number of tips and strategies to streamline teacher efficiency in the classroom. My takeaway: use pre-made stamps (or stickers) to offer feedback. Meredith had a number of stamps that provide instant feedback for students. For example, one stamp had 4 proficiency levels on it. Meredith could simply stamp a student’s paper and check/circle the proficiency level they were demonstrating. Another stamp had an arrow with the commentary “my favorite part.” So simple, and still providing feedback to students. As an additional bonus, I ended up sitting next to the amazing Kara Parker of the Creative Language Class blog. #starstruck Playing to Proficiency with Brooke K Carlson This is the second time I have attended one of Brooke’s sessions, and she never disappoints. Brooke uses OWL strategies in her classroom and she shared simple ways to get learners to engage in the TL. My favorite was her use of a continuum line. Here is what she tells students - in the TL, “If you love, love, love dogs, head to the [north] side of the room. If you love, love, love cats move to the [south] side of the room. If you are okay with either, move the center. If you like dogs more than cats, but don’t love, love, love dogs, stand somewhere in between the [north] side and the center.” Students form a line and you can instantly tell how they feel about cats or dogs. From here, you can do some great PQA. However, Brooke follows this up by having students turn and talk to the person standing next to them in regards to why they are standing where they are. Using the AAPPL Test for the MN Seal of Biliteracy by Krista Picha AND Answers to Your Questions about Bilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificates by Ursula Lentz These sessions were ones I was waiting for, as I am hoping to offer my students the chance to earn the Seal of Biliteracy this year. Krista’s school has implemented this for a number of years and she shared her journey. My takeaway from this session was to be sure to get students speaking the TL, as they usually have the lowest proficiency in the Interpersonal mode. Ursula works for the Minnesota Department of Education and presented so much factual information about the Seals. What really surprised me was the number of districts that are currently offerings Seals of Biliteracy. The number is lower than I expected, and while Ursula did not have the exact data in front of her, she put the number at around 30. Inspiring and Acquiring through Music by Carol Gaab When is a Carol Gaab presentation ever NOT engaging? This was no exception. Carol shared numerous strategies to help students repeatedly engage with a song and its lyrics. My favorite was probably a pre-listening activity. Simply put song lyrics in a word cloud and have students make predictions as to what the song is about. Also, be sure to have them justify their predictions based on what is in the word cloud.I have heard/learned about this activity numerous times, and this year, I am vowing to actually do it in my classroom. Unwrapping Proficiency by Paul Sandrock This was a full day session on Saturday, presented by ACTFL Director of Education, Paul Sandrock. This session was amazing! Paul explained the different modes of communication and the ACTFL proficiency levels with precise clarity. My takeaway from this training was students need feedback. They need to know what their proficiency level is, and what they can do to “level up.” However, feedback does not need to be in the form of a summative assessment. It can be in the form of multiple, simple formative or even informal assessments. Thank you so much to our MCTLC Executive Board for the many hours they volunteered to offer World Language educators a fantastic conference this year! If you did not have the chance to attend, you can still get valuable snippets from the presenter resources found here. Enjoy!
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Jessie Oelke
#deptofone providing compelling and comprehensible input Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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