The University of Arizona Second Language Acquisition and Teaching invites you to a collaborative language teachers professional development series to increase your digital competence as language teaching professionals. 

It is a voluntary gathering of a group of second and foreign language K-12 teachers and university instructors in Arizona to learn from each other to develop their digital competence. Some of these technologies encompass artificial intelligence (AI) and strategies to mitigate potential misuse, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), and the creation of online field trips to authentic cultural locations relevant to the target language, genre, and cultural items. There will not be a group leader.

Participating language teachers who complete the series will receive a minimum of $10 Amazon gift card for each hour dedicated, totaling a minimum of $60 for the entire 5-hour program that includes an hour of one-to-one interview. The total amount may increase depending on the funding we have applied.

We have completed the first session in the summer and are planning to start the second session in Fall semester. The sessions will take place between September 14 to October 5. 

Therefore participation in this study offers several benefits, including:

– The chance to advance in digital competence as language educators,
– Potential provision of a letter for K-12 teachers completing the series, applicable for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) (participants need to confirm this with their teaching districts).
– The opportunity for inclusion in a raffle to win a $10 Amazon gift card,
– An incentive of a minimum of $60 for participation in a 5-hour collaborative teacher professional development series that includes an hour of one-to-one interview.

Approval for this proposal has been obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the
University of Arizona. If you are interested in participating, please visit the survey link at https://forms.gle/RWQAuqGovvv48vhi7 or scan the QR code below.


Additionally, you can visit our website at https://sites.google.com/arizona.edu/collaborativeteachers 

Come together with Arizona's dedicated educators, including teachers, administrators, and other professionals for a transformative experience of learning and growing! Immerse yourself in a three-day conference in the beautiful city of Glendale, Arizona, featuring inspiring keynote speakers and a rich array of sessions. All sessions are delivered by experienced educators, administrators, and field experts, these sessions cater to the needs of educators from birth to grade 12. This event provides a unique opportunity to collaborate, connect, learn, and grow TOGETHER! Explore diverse topics including technology in education, academic standards, effective leadership, assessments, evidence-based practices, and much more. Just as a well-fed plant extends its leaves to reach new heights, the Teachers Institute and Leading Change Conference will empower you to expand your horizons and thrive this summer and beyond! 

Register  Here https://www.azed.gov/tilcconference?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com

"Colored Clouds Chasing the Moon" performed by the Phoenix Chinese Art Ensemble during lunch at the 2024 AZLA Spring Workshop.  

The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota provides high-quality professional development for language teachers that links research and theory with practical applications for the classroom. In 2024, CARLA will offer ten online (asynchronous and synchronous) institutes and four in-person institutes (held on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis). Register by February 23 to save $100.

https://carla.umn.edu/institutes/2024/schedule.html

https://www.smore.com/grqp8?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com

Share your inspriation, spread your ideas, and shout about your initiatives -  write an article for "The Language Educator." TLE encourages submissions from world language educators of any level, any language, and with any level of professional experience. From peer-reviewed to first-person articles, your contributions are welcome. 

Make TLE Work for You - Martha Gorman - PDF. 112623.pdf

KJZZ Interview of Jocelyn Raught. By Mark Brodie.  Published: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 - 2:30pm

West Virginia University’s board of governors voted to eliminate all of its world language degrees in September.

The university is facing a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall. The school says it’ll still offer courses in Spanish and Chinese, although students will not be able to major in those languages. The Modern Language Association reported last year that total enrollments in languages other than English dropped more than 15% nationwide between 2016 and 2020.

To talk about the state of world language programs in Arizona, The Show spoke with Jocelyn Raught, a past president of the Arizona Language Association. Raught has also taught Spanish in the Cave Creek Unified School District for more than 30 years.

The conversation began with what she’s seeing in K-12 schools, in terms of adding faculty and languages, or reducing those being taught.

world-language-classes-mb-show-20231018.mp3

We had the largest group of AZ Dual Language Educators attend this biannual conference that took place in Salt Lake City, Utah along with a visitation day to local DLI schools.

AZLA had a super successful virtual day on Capitol Hill meeting with the offices of Sen. Sinema, Sen. Kelly, Rep. Schweikert, Rep. Gallegos and Rep. Lesko herself during JNCL-NCLIS Advocacy Days! The AZLA delegates went over 5 legislative asks for world language, international education, Native American languages, the Seal of Biliteracy Act, re-authorization of Title VI and felt lots of support! Cheers to AZ delegates @Patricia Fernandez María Cristina Bill Ladas and Jocelyn Danielson Raught for representing! https://www.languagepolicy.org/lad22

AZLA is proud of our 2019 TOY, Melanie Mello, who was selected by SWCOLT and went on to represent our organization at ACTFL 2019. Congratulations, Melanie!