OFLA Welcomes the 2013 Central States Conference!

March 14-16, 2013

Roslyn Terek, President

Conference Committee Chairs Set to Finalize Preparations

Hi Everyone!

After several years of planning, it is almost time for our highly anticipated joint Central States/OFLA Conference! The intensive planning will culminate on February 9th as our Conference Committee Chairs meet at the recently opened Hilton Columbus Downtown Hotel. Joining me will be Patrick Raven, CSCTFL Executive Director; Leann Wilcoxen, Program Chair; Barb Andrews, Immediate Past Chair; Sarah Shackelford, Local Arrangements Chair; Carol Eiber, Hospitality Chair; Teri Wiechart, Registration Chair; Mary Goodwin, Raffle Chair and Cheryl Johnson, Photography Chair. We will meet at the conference hotel and will make final decisions for each of the conference events which we started to plan immediately following the 2012 OFLA Conference. Once these decisions are made, we will be ready for the long-awaited event!

Promoting Our Conference at the 2012 ACTFL Conference Booth

Along with several other OFLA Board Members, Sarah Shackelford and I attended the 2012 ACTFL Conference which was held November 15-18 in Philadelphia. We hosted a booth in the exhibit hall where we distributed information about our joint 2013 conference. Patrick Raven, Barb Andrews, Teri Wiechart and Martha Pero joined us to help spread the word about the upcoming event. Many thanks to Barb Andrews who ordered over 15 pounds of Buckeye candy which we offered to those who stopped by our booth. Additionally, Barb met with each of the exhibitors to encourage them to attend our conference. Way to go Barb; the candies as well as the accompanying recipe were a huge hit!

Have you registered for the Conference?

Conference Offers a Myriad of Workshop and Session Topics

The number of workshops and sessions to be presented and the diversity of the topics covered will offer countless opportunities for professional growth for WL teachers at all levels. The conference theme, MultiTasks, MultiSkills, MultiConnections, says it all. You can browse through the workshop titles below, but for more information on the topics covered, follow this link: http://www.csctfl.org/conferences/2013conference.html , and click on Workshops (Thursday, Friday, Saturday). You will also find detailed information on the sessions at that same link.

Thursday Full‐Day Workshops 8:30 a.m. ‐ 4:30 p.m.
W‐01 ACTFL Workshop: Common Core Standards Through World Languages: Developing
Literacy for 21st Century Learners
W‐02 ACTFL Workshop: OPI Familiarization
Thursday Morning Half‐Day Workshops 8:30 a.m. ‐ 11:30 a.m.
W‐03 LinguaFolio: A National Tool for “Can‐Do” Language Learning
W‐04 Linguistic Acquisition + Cultural Knowledge = Communication Confidence
W‐05 Web 2.OH! ‐‐Tools to Build MultiSkills and Make MultiConnections
W‐06 CSCTFL All STAR WORKSHOP: Tips and Tricks for Teaching (mostly) in the Target Language
W‐07 Content‐Related Activities in the Elementary Classroom
W‐08 Drama Pedagogy in Teacher Training and Teacher Performance: Techniques for the Day‐to‐Day Classroom
W‐09 Engaging Students through Project‐Based Learning
Thursday Afternoon Half‐Day Workshops 1:30 p.m. ‐ 4:30 p.m.
W‐10 Formative Assessment in Teaching Less Commonly Taught Languages
W‐11 Using Authentic Materials to Explore Real Culture
W‐12 Beyond the Textbook: Using Technology for Fun, Interactive Activities
W‐13 Staying on Target: Tried and True Techniques for Maintaining Instruction in the Target Language
W‐14 How to Create Professional Quality Language‐Games Using MS Power Point!
W‐15 Growing Teacher Effectiveness: The TELL Project
W‐16 Vertical Alignment Strategies for Pre‐AP
Friday Afternoon Half‐Day Workshops 1:30 p.m. ‐ 4:30 p.m.
W‐17 Best Practices in Teaching Arabic
W‐18 A Great Avenue: Helping Students Acquire Language While Teaching Content & Culture
W‐19 Keynote Speaker Workshop Literacy: The Key to Second Language Development
W‐22 ¡El subjuntivo no es nuestro enemigo!
Saturday Morning Half‐Day Workshops 8:30 a.m. ‐ 11:30 a.m.
W‐24 Chinese through Song
W‐25 OFLA ALL STAR: Increase Language Acquisition Using Online Resources and Your Teacher Webpage
W‐26 Creating Communicative Classrooms PK‐16 with Experiential Design
W‐27 Sing, Dance, Eat and Play Games with the Camp OFLA Staff!
Saturday Afternoon Half‐Day Workshops 1:30 p.m. ‐ 4:30 p.m.
W‐28 Multi‐Connections: World Language and the Common Core Standards
W‐29 The ABC’s of Music in the Spanish Classroom
W‐30 Tapping Multi Mobile Apps to Bridge Language Gaps!
W‐31 Rock, Rap et Hit‐parade: Donnez de l`NRJ à vos cours de français!
W‐32 Teach & Score Text/Art Comparisons & Compared Readings: AP Spanish Literature & Culture

I am confident that you will find at least one workshop that intrigues you! So, be sure to make a decision and register! Follow this link for the conference registration: https://www.web-reg.com/csc-confreg/ .

I look forward to seeing you in Columbus very soon!

Terry Caccavale Keynote Speaker

Presents Friday Afternoon Workshop:
Literacy: The Key to Second Language Development

Among the well-known presenters at the upcoming conference, we are proud to have Therese Sullivan Caccavale as both our keynote speaker and a workshop presenter. Throughout her career, she has emphasized the use of the target language in the classroom. Terry, a doctoral student at Boston University with a specialization in Second Language Literacy, will present a Friday afternoon workshop titled Literacy: The Key to Second Language Development. In 1975, Terry completed her dual BA in Elementary and French Education at SUNY Cortland from where she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005. Her MA in French Linguistics was awarded at Middlebury College in 1978 and her DEA (Diplôme d’Études Approfondies) from the Université de Franche-Comté (Besançon, France) in 1978. At the Holliston, MA Public Schools she began the Spanish FLES Program, for which the district was awarded the Melba D. Woodruff Award for Exemplary Elementary Foreign Language Instruction in 2011 at the ACTFL Convention in Boston, MA. Terry has served as Secretary and President of the National Network for Early Language Learning, was the Keynote Speaker in 2009 at the New York State Foreign Language Teachers Association Conference, and in 2012 at the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association Conference.

2013 Conference Committee Members

Registration Committee
Teri Wiechart, Chair
Gary DiBianca
Ila Hennig
Debbie McCorkle

Hospitality Committee
Carol Eiber, Chair
Rebecca Bias
Maria Fela
Judi Fowlkes
Judy McCombs
Debbie Robinson
Paula Sondej
Debbie Varga
Ryan Wertz
OFLA Scholarship Winners

Raffle Committee
Mary Goodwin, Chair
Lucas Hoffman
Alan Turner
Freda Lang

Troubleshooters
Sarah Shackelford, Co-Chair
Roz Terek, Co, Chair
Heather Ramsey
Irene Flowers
Leslie Chapman
Marti Kitsanis
Cortney Bird
Lucas Hoffman
Richard Emch
Alan Turner

Photographers
Cheryl Johnson, Chair
Roz Terek
Jessica Burchett
Marian Epperly
Beth Hanlon
Gabriela Link
Teresa Roig-Torres
Fred Toner

Signage
Sarah Shackelford
Roz Terek

Martha Pero Leads the Way for OFLA’s Guidance on Writing SLOs

Our December 1st OFLA Board Meeting was filled with discussion about the conference, but focused largely on the topic of SLOs and computerized WL programs. Our current Professional Development Chair and OFLA Past President, Martha Pero, provided us with a sample template of a Spanish Level 1 SLO. Martha has shown her dedication to Ohio’s WL teachers as she worked on this task. As she presented her work, she was commended by the board. Martha had sent the sample to ODE for their approval, and the template has been placed on the ODE website. The sample WL SLO can be found here:
http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1701&ContentID=137137&Content

New Ad Hoc Committee Research Tech Based WL Programs

OFLA Board’s View of Commercially Produced Tech-Based WL Programs

Additionally, the board discussed the recent posts on the Listserv about the use of technology-based World Language Programs. Richard Emch, OFLA Executive Vice-President, will serve as the chair for the Ad Hoc Committee which was created at this meeting.  The committee will research technology based WL programs and will report to use when their work is complete.

Currently, Ryan Wertz, ODE WL Consultant has a guidance document titled Guidance for Ohio Schools and Districts Considering Online and Technology-Based World Language Options. Within the document there are critical questions for all administrators to consider if they find themselves leaning toward the implementation of one of these programs.  Click on the link here to access this informative document.
http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1701&ContentID=90789&Content=121102

The OFLA Board does not support the use of commercially produced programs for learning a world language. These programs do not provide the personal interaction and support necessary to provide WL learning for our students. The course content is frequently grammar oriented, relies heavily on rote memorization rather than on communicative functions and contains assessments that are not proficiency based. OFLA will keep you updated on the progress of the committee’s research.