Guiding Language Learners to Grow and Show Their Proficiency

How well is our language program preparing learners to have the independent use of language they will need in their lives and careers? Does our program deliver functional levels of proficiency? How can our program best ensure differentiation for beginners, learners with some prior language skill, and native or near-native speakers?

Unwrap what really counts to move learners to higher levels of language proficiency, the similarities and correlations of various scales and measures of proficiency, and the implications for planning for learning.

Experience and analyze effective practices for strengthening learners’ ability to exchange information and ideas in conversations and discussion; to listen, read, or view to accomplish a specific purpose; and to create messages for different audiences. Build your repertoire and apply it to identify learning targets that focus instruction and that shape appropriate assessments to check what learners can do with what they know.

Bring one specific unit you teach as the lens to process the workshop and reflect on how to be even more effective in guiding your learners to their next level of language proficiency.

Target Audience: K-12 Teachers of Languages

Continuum Levels: 3, 4

NESA's Learning Continuum:

Learn more about how NESA plans Professional Learning

Participants will. . .

• describe the differences in the major levels of language proficiency and what changes as learners move across the continuum of proficiency.
• identify learning targets for a unit of instruction, to guide choices of instructional strategies.
• design the assessments for one unit of instruction to provide evidence of learners’ progress to a higher level of proficiency.
• differentiate for learners’ needs based on their level of proficiency in different modes of communication.

This workshop will build on the previous two years of NESA Fall Training Institutes focused on best practices for teaching and assessing languages. Prior participation is not required.

Activities will trigger participants' prior knowledge on each topic, create shared understanding, and allow for time to reflect on how they have or how they plan to apply key concepts in their support for language learners.

Bring one specific unit you teach as the lens to process the workshop and reflect on how to be even more effective in guiding your learners to their next level of language proficiency.

*Please bring your laptop/tablet to this workshop.

Google Folder: NESA Workshop - November 2018

Other resources and videos can be found at this link: Teaching Foreign Languages K-12 - A Library of Classroom Practices.