8th Annual conference 2021
FROM INPUT TO OUTPUT: STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIoN ONLINE AND BEYOND
Sat Feb 20 & Sunday Feb 21
Day 1: Session 1
Arabic Early Reading
Skills
Guest Speaker: DR. HANADA TAHA
Early reading skills are a learner's entrypoint into the world of literacy and language learning. These skills are not solely wrapped around knowing letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds, but rather include a whole menu of other skills such as fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, continuous assessment and early intervention techniques. This session will address many of those skills in addition to a brief mention of the various reading types, text leveling services and sight words. The session will update participants on a new research that targeted oral reading fluency in Arabic.
Day 1: Session 2
LEVERAGING LITERACY-BASED ACTIVITIES
Guest Speaker: ADAM SHEPHERD
Literacy is essential to student success and a main component of any language proficiency course. Literacy skills further impact how well a student will do in other content areas. Despite the importance of reading as a critical skill, there remains a shortage of programs that effectively train foreign language teachers in literacy-based pedagogy. Dr. Kate Paesani of Wayne State University developed an effective and proven method for teaching reading skills in the world language classroom in a matter that is novel, engaging, and meaningful for students.
Day 1: Session 3
Changing the PACE of Grammar Instruction in the Foreign Language
Classroom
Guest Speaker: Randa Taftaf
During this presentation, the presenter will briefly discuss the dialogical approach to grammar instruction, and then present a sample dialogical lesson using Donato & Adair-Haucks’ PACE Model. PACE, an acronym for each stage of the process: Presentation-Attention-Co-Construction-Extension, is a model for contextualizing grammar lessons in the form of a cultural story or other authentic text. After the sample PACE lesson, the audience will collaborate to identify the different elements of the presented PACE sample. Finally, the groups will discuss the effectiveness of the dialogical approach and prepare their own sample PACE lessons. A ‘PACE Model Kit’ will also be provided.
Day 2: Session 1 & 2
GET THEM TALKING (AND MORE): INTERPERSONAL AND PRESENTATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Guest Speaker: Nicole Naditz
Join Nicole Naditz in an exploration of strategies that support learners to engage in true communication, starting at the Novice range of proficiency. This session will focus on the interpersonal and presentational modes and offer strategies you can use and adapt right away, including specific suggestions for facilitating these modes in distance learning.
Workshops and Webinars
Workshop 1
STRENGTHENING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
December 12, 2020
Guest Speaker: Dr. Valérie Sun
Increase student engagement even during distance learning while promoting student agency and creativity. Learn to implement three lesson frames that place students at the center of learning while scaffolding vocabulary development. Lastly, gather tips, tricks, and templates to create dynamic lessons that can be helpful in any learning environment.
Workshop 2
ENGAGING ALL LEARNERS IN BLENDED LANGUAGE LEARNING
March 27, 2021
Guest Speaker: Leslie Grahn
During this virtual workshop, participants will explore key strategies to engage all language learners in blended learning environments. The interactive session will include a variety of instructional choices, templates, and examples educators can use to increase student participation and keep both remote and face-to-face students engaged in the blended classroom.
Workshop 3
Diving for the Pearls of Arabic Culture
June 27, 2021
Session 1: Arabic Calligraphy between the Past and the Present- Dr. Nahidh Hasaniya
Session 2: The Contribution of ME Music to the West - Michael E. Ibrahim
Session 3: Modeling in Poem Reciting - Moeez Alrammah
Session 4: Palestinian Thoub Stitching - Nisreen Melhis
Workshop 4
Teaching and Learning through storytelling
August 1, 2021
Guest Speaker: Ghada Nassereddine
Author and Children book writer