LaTeS: Language Teacher Symposium
CERCLL hosts a biannual day-long symposium at which K-12 language teachers can share ideas and issues that are specific to their community. Arizona Continuing Education is available.
CERCLL is grateful to the University of Arizona’s College of Humanities for its contribution to LaTeS.
Title: Effective Strategies and Activities for Interpersonal Communication
Presenter: Cecile Nedellec (Patrick Henry High School/SAILN & CLTA 2025 TOY)
Event Date: February 15, 2024
Time: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm AZ Time (includes lunch)
Location: In-person at The University of Arizona, Tucson & Online (Virtual attendees will receive the Zoom link via email one day before the event.)
Remote Access Limitations
If you are a virtual attendee, CERCLL will email you with the link for you to join the Zoom meeting one day before the event.
Please note: Virtual attendees will be able to hear and see what is happening in the room, but there may be times when the presenter will be out of the field of view of the camera and you may not be able to hear the in-person attendees. Microphones will be muted for all online participants, any communication such as questions or comments can be made in the chat. Virtual attendees may be eligible to receive a certificate of participation for this event. Terms and conditions apply.
Registration is free! Last day to register is February 10th, space is limited.
Abstract:
Interpersonal communication affects the hearts, minds, and actions of individuals as they function in the everyday social world (Braithwaite, Schrodt 2015). This workshop focuses on interpersonal communication strategies and activities that enhance instructional practices. Participants will discover and practice applications and techniques to increase their students’ engagement in developing interpersonal speaking skills. Designed to equip world language teachers with strategies and activities aligned with the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Interpersonal Communication standard, this workshop explores practical methods to enhance students’ abilities to engage in meaningful, real-life conversations—both spoken and written—in the target language. Participants will discover activities where students follow guided conversations, focusing on key communication skills such as asking questions, providing feedback, and sustaining dialogue. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to see how AI tools can streamline lesson planning and instructional design. By seamlessly combining the latest research with practical, hands-on activities, this workshop ensures educators leave with effective strategies and tools to immediately boost student engagement and communication in their classrooms.
Fall 2024 LaTeS Testimonials
See what attendees found most beneficial about this workshop.
I attended the Language Teacher Symposium (LaTeS) Fall 2024 hosted by The Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy as a virtual participant. The presentation by Angelika Foerst, Mindfulness Practices for Creating an Inclusive Classroom!, provided a great deal of food for through and consideration in my own language teaching practice. I will be able to use what I have learned in this session to further meet my own teaching goals.
I am constrained in what content I can teach and discuss in class by Texas House Bill 3979, Senate Bill 3, and local school district book bans. However, some parts of this presentation I will take away and apply to my own teacher mindfulness practice.
This includes include the concept of santosh, or contentment for no reason. I believe I have experienced this, but lacked the vocabulary to describe it. As a result of my new knowledge form the symposium, I hope to further cultivate this quality in myself and model it at school for my diverse learners.
While I’m still an MPhil scholar, I am eager to start integrating mindfulness techniques into my future classes. Simple practices, like beginning with a brief moment of calm or encouraging students to express their thoughts openly, seem powerful in fostering both focus and a sense of belonging. This symposium has motivated me to embrace these practices with a deeper awareness of their roots and an aim to create a more mindful and inclusive space for learning. I look forward to building classrooms where students not only learn but also feel a genuine sense of connection and acceptance.
I believe that is important for teachers to also look at the different things they can do to practice more mindfulness inside and outside the classroom. There are not a lot of workshops that touch on this topic when it comes to language classrooms and I appreciate that we were able to learn from such an experienced teacher.
LaTeS 2015 Archive
Nicole Naditz, Technology Tools that Build Language and Interculturality; and Laura Terrill, Planning for Learning: Effective Unit and Lesson Design. Fall 2015: Technology Tools that Build Language and Interculturality Participants joined an award-winning world...
LaTeS 2014 Archive
The first LaTeS event took place on March 8, 2014, on the University of Arizona campus in the Integrated Learning Center (ILC) room 119, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A certificate for 7 hours of Continuing Education was offered. Speakers in 2014 were: Carmen King de Ramírez,...