A Fresh Start

Welcome back to a normal year!

Maria Herman, OFLA membership chair 
German Teacher, Maumee High School

Greetings to you all!  I am Maria Herman, the incoming membership chair for OFLA.  I would first of all like to thank Teri Wiechart for all her help in training me in this new position.  I would also like to thank my fellow board members for making me feel welcome in my new role.  And, I would like to thank you, our members, for being a part of this fantastic organization, and for all you do in your classrooms!

I also want to thank everyone for such a fantastic July OFLA conference.  I know it may not have been the ideal time, but it was so nice to see so many of you in person and to collaborate and work together with people in our profession.  It made me ready to dive into what I’m hoping is a “normal” school year.

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Advocating Through Sister Cities International

Kirsten Halling, OFLA Public Relations and Advocacy Chair
Professor of French, Wright State University

In the quest to add experiential learning curriculum to the world language classroom, language teachers sometimes overlook a local resource that can provide a wealth of opportunities for real-life target-language practice and first-hand cultural studies. We notice the names of international sister cities listed on many signposts at the entrance to cities we visit, but do we know what this means, why this is important, or how this can enrich our classrooms, advocate for our profession, and deepen our own understanding of the world? In my experience as a long-term board member for a sister city association, I have been able to combine community service with extra-curricular activities to enhance classroom learning and promote the tangible benefits of language-learning, while earning hands-on professional development. 

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Varied Approaches to Leveled Readers

Tips for Incorporating Novels into Novice Classrooms

Lauren Racela, OFLA Technology Integration Committee Chair
French Teacher, Milford High School

Each year I’ve taught, I’ve elected to teach with a leveled reader. I truly think that the students have benefitted from this experience. It builds the confidence of novice learners to think that they’ve read an entire book in French. I want to share the ways I’ve taught with leveled readers in the past and what I thought about each method. 

Reader’s Theater – This is the way I first taught with leveled readers, and the method I’m employing now. Each day when we’re reading, students know to grab a book, open WordReference on their computer, and find their notes. Most students take all their notes for the whole book on one Google Doc, but others find it more useful to take their notes on paper. We read together, referencing slides on the board where I’ve typed out all the text of the book and added pictures for context. Students take turns reading a few sentences aloud, then we stop and summarize in English. As we’re reading, students are taking notes about new words as well as notes about the major ideas and plot points of the book. We also take multiple choice quizzes, which are all in French, every few chapters. The quizzes cover major plot points in the book, as well as any relevant cultural knowledge.

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OFLA / CSCTFL Joint Conference: March 9 – 11, 2023

For more information head to www.csctfl.org!

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The Antiracist World Language Classroom

Transforming Language Learning

Marcia Davis, OFLA Secondary Language Learning Chair
World Language Middle School, Columbus City Schools

Language is a powerful vehicle through which its learners can communicate about a variety of topics. Traditionally, that communication may have been about the weather, how to order a meal in a restaurant, how to introduce yourself to others, or how to plan travel abroad. Have you ever thought about using language to help learners begin to have critical conversations and interactions to disrupt racism as they navigate the world around them?

In their most recent publication, The Antiracist World Language Classroom, Drs. Krishauna Hines-Gaither and Cécile Accilien draw on current foundational knowledge of antiracism to help world languages educators consider what antiracism looks like in the world language classroom, why it is necessary to establish antiracist practices in the world language classroom, and how to effect antiracist pedagogies that benefit all learners in the world language classroom. 

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Teacher Shortage: A Concerning Matter

Pascale Abadie, OFLA Recruitment and Retention Chair
Associate Professor, Wright State University

It has been more and more challenging to recruit teachers and professors alike; fewer students choose the teaching path, and a job that was once seen as rewarding and fulfilling has become less attractive over the last decade or so. The main reason for this decline might be that parents would rather not have their children choose a career that has inadequate pay and benefits along with a drastic change in students’ behaviors and lack of discipline. Because the profession is more challenging, it has become less desirable to potential candidates. A job that was seen as respected or valued in our society has lost its sheen over the years. Widespread teacher strikes over the United States over low salary and lack of resources for classrooms are not helping the recruiting process for teachers. Not to mention the legitimate after effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Research has shown a 35 percent decline in teacher ed enrollments, highlighting that the teacher shortage problem is very worrisome. According to the National Education Association, schools are facing a shortage of 300,000 teachers and staff across the U.S. 

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Around the State

Ryan Wertz and Kathy Shelton
World Language Consultants, Ohio Department of Education

Another school year is well underway, and world language teachers everywhere are working hard following the recent disruptions in learning to get their students’ proficiency development and intercultural growth back on track.  At the Ohio Department of Education, we are extremely grateful for your perseverance these last few years and remain in awe of your resilience and continuing hard work.  Thank you for all you are doing to re-engage learners and provide them with opportunities to gain proficiency in another language and expand their knowledge of our world.

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National German Exam Results 2022

Ohio has five winners!

Darlene Lyon, Ohio AATG Testing Chair
German Teacher, Berea-Midpark High School

This year’s National German Exam continued with its successful online format with 641 students in 13 schools around Ohio completing the exam.  At level 2 thirty-six students scored at or above the 90th percentile, at level 3 twenty-three, and at level 4 nineteen.  Outstanding achievements!    

This year the Travel Scholarship sponsored by the PAD (Pädagogische Austausch Dienst) in Germany was reinstated and FIVE students in Ohio accepted the scholarship to travel and study in Germany for 3-weeks this summer. 

We congratulate and recognize the outstanding students (and their teachers) who were  in Germany for travel and study this past summer:

  1. Avery Benjamin (11) German 3, Michele Engberg, Emerald Campus, Dublin
  2. Benjamin Brobst (10), German 3, Peggy Burling, Brecksville-Broadview Heights HS, Broadview Heights
  3. Josephine (Josie) Mayhew (10), German 3, Andrea Bradd-Cook, Shaker Heights HS, Shaker Heights
  4. Tyler Nordstrom(12) German 4, Andrea Bradd-Cook, Shaker Heights HS, Shaker Heights
  5. Colleen Schweninger (10) German 3, Tony Evans, Dublin-Coffman HS, Dublin
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AATSP Update

Alondra Pacheco
Spanish Teacher, University School, Hunting Valley

This past September, AATSP celebrated National Teach Spanish Week to promote the teaching of Spanish as a profession and highlight the importance of Spanish as a world language. This week-long event began with a webinar in partnership with Vista Higher Learning. The webinar, titled “¡Prepárense para traer la alegría!”, was hosted by Nadie Jacobson-McLean, Ryan Casey, and Haydee Taylor Arnold.  Other events included “Lunes de Latinidad” presented by Dr. Sheri Spaine Long and Dr. Celia Chamón Zamora. We also enjoyed a “Feria de Ideas” webinar and a Social Media Takeover by teacher Sybil Sánchez.

The 2022 AATSP Board of Directors Election is underway and all AATSP members are invited to vote. Voting closes October 30 .

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¡Aprovechen del teatro español… en Cleveland!

Dr. Roger Anderson, Assistant Professor of International Languages & Cultures
Central State University

Como profesor de francés y árabe, estoy siempre celoso de todas las oportunidades disponibles para los estudiantes de español para usar el idioma en contextos, fuera de la clase, y profundizar sus capacidades interculturales usando el español.

Para las clases de español en la ciudad de Cleveland y en sus afueras, una de estas oportunidades maravillosas es asistir a una obra de teatro en español… ¡en vivo! Ubicado en el centro (oeste) de Cleveland, el LatinUs Theater Company es el único teatro hispanohablante en el estado de Ohio entero, y además, ¡puede que sea el único teatro en Ohio que presente obras en otro idioma aparte del inglés! Vea el enlace de su sitio web: https://www.latinustheater.com/

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