Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teachers. Thank you for your feedback on the style and content of the Bulletin! In this issue you will find expanded professional development opportunities, as well as the usual features to help you through the school year. As always, if you would like to reach us please send a message to arabick12@gmail.com. Steven Berbeco, Editor |
The Arabic K-12 Teachers Network consists of more than 900 educators interested in the Arabic K-12 field in the U.S. It is a free membership provided by the National Capital Language Resource Center's Arabic K-12 Project. All members are welcome to submit posts in English or Arabic and may do so by e-mailing their content to arabick12@gmail.com specifying their content for the listserv. Since this listserv is focused on K-12 Arabic teaching, we do not post job openings at the university level. If interested in such positions, go to the AATA's Arabic-L website . |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES NEW RESOURCES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND CLASSROOMS GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS NADA'S WEBSITES CURRENT RESEARCH: "A Teacher Learns the Ropes "Flipping" Instruction" FOCUS ON LEARNING: "Watertown Seeks to Add Arabic Language Classes Through State Department Program" |
Workshops and Webinars CLASSRoad is offering Using Technology to Teach Languages, a four-week online course (April 13 - May 11, 2013), including presentations by CLASSRoad staff members. The course is open to teachers of all languages. Content is provided in English and includes expert video presentations, PDF notes, quizzes, and discussion forums; graded assignments, based on provided tutorials, are to be completed using your target language. For more information: http://bit.ly/15Kfw4T . To sign up: http://bit.ly/QTFbDY . The National Heritage Language Resource Center is offering a five day workshop: Heritage Language Workshop for K-16 Teachers of Less Commonly Taught
Languages (July 22-26, 2013) for teachers of Arabic and other languages. This workshop is designed to address issues at the heart of heritage language teaching, including the differences between teaching L2 and HL learners, differentiated instruction, learner strategies, assessment, and more. Workshop participants will create and present a final group project for their language. There is no charge for the workshop and a limited number of stipends are available. For more information: http://bit.ly/X8Xabr . To apply: http://ucla.in/XV3OQO . Application deadline is April 15, 2013. The National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC) is offering a webinar: Self Efficacy in Foreign Language Learning by Dr. Nicole Mills, Harvard University, on Friday, April 19, 12:00 pm EST. This presentation will provide an overview of the construct of self-efficacy in foreign language education research, including the sources of self-efficacy, simple strategies to guide self-efficacy research, and approaches to fostering student and instructor self-efficacy beliefs. The presenter is coordinator of the Beginning French Language Program at Harvard University and was the curriculum design specialist for last year's STARTALK Persian Curriculum Design Workshop at GWU. The webinar will be a 60 minute live webcast followed by up to 60 minutes of discussion. To RSVP: http://bit.ly/1733Pbl . The National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC) is accepting applications for the 2013 NMELRC/Startalk Arabic Professional Development Workshop (online May 27-June 14; practicum in Provo, UT July 15-19, 2013). This workshop is designed to help teachers step back, see the big picture, and develop highly effective language programs. Participants will learn to build articulated learning sequences appropriate to their students' needs and maturity in a manner that is true to the best in national and state world language learning standards. Participants will learn through doing, in particular gaining in-depth experience with a significant challenge that all K-12 Arabic teachers face: adapting existing material to the needs of their students. Deadline for application is April 20, 2013. For more information: http://bit.ly/Xc28UV . Concordia Language Villages is offering Qatar Professional Development Workshops this spring and fall with full scholarships, substitute teacher reimbursement, and travel stipends for current and future teachers of Arabic, April 25-28 and October 10-13. These workshops will bring together K-16 Arabic language teachers from across the United States to explore innovative instructional strategies. All Arabic language teachers are invited to apply for one or both of these workshops. To register: http://bit.ly/Xm0v7y . Georgetown University (Washington, DC) will present Approaches to Teaching the Middle East, a one-week workshop for K-12 teachers, June 24-28, 2013. This program offers a multidisciplinary approach to teaching about the countries of southwestern Asia and northern Africa. There will be readings and hands-on activities, and plenty of opportunities to ask questions and engage in discussions. Each teacher participant will receive $100 worth of resources, background information, and teaching materials. Deadline for application: May 10, 2013. Contact Zeina Azzam seikalyz@georgetown.edu with questions or to apply. The Developing Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages institute at CARLA (Minneapolis, MN; July 15-19, 2013
) will provide Instructors with practical tools and hands-on experience in developing a wide range of materials. Grounded in the latest research on effective language pedagogy and second language acquisition, this institute will focus on proficiency-oriented approaches to teaching. For more information: http://bit.ly/16rRtIp . Professional Conferences The National Arabic Teachers Association is offering Arabic Between Today and Tomorrow, an evening discussion about the classical and contemporary Arabic language and the challenges facing Arabic teachers. The event will be held at the Islamic Center of Irvine (Irvine, CA) on April 20, 2013, from 4pm to 6pm. For more information: nationalata@gmail.com. The National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) annual conference will be held April 25-28, 2013 in Chicago, IL. The conference theme is "Expanding Opportunities for LCTL Learning at All Levels of Instruction." For more information: http://bit.ly/Vv3esh . The International Conference on Language Teacher Education will be held May 30 - June 1, 2013 at George Washington University (Washington, DC). Designed for practitioners and researchers involved in the preparation and ongoing professional development of language teachers, LTE 2013 will address the education of teachers of all languages, at all instructional and institutional levels, and in many national and international contexts in which this takes place including: English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instruction; foreign/modern/world language teaching; bilingual education; immersion education; indigenous and minority language education; and the teaching of less commonly taught languages. For more information: http://bit.ly/THAevN . Call For Proposals and Papers The Language Center of Yarmouk University (Irbid, Jordan) will hold its Second International Conference on Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers between October 29-31, 2013.The conference will focus upon "Educational and Linguistic Aspects of Teaching Arabic to Non-native Speakers," including: differences and similarities between teaching Arabic to native and non-native speakers; evaluation of Arabic curriculum for non-native speakers; Arabic examinations for non-natives; educational technologies for teaching Arabic to non-natives; and contextual Arabic dictionaries for non-native speakers. Submit an abstract of 400 words that specifies the these of your paper to: maward98@yahoo.com. Deadline for proposals is April 15, 2013. The Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (JNCOLCTL) is soliciting articles for publication. The Journal, published annually by NCOLCTL, is dedicated to the issues and concerns related to the teaching and learning of Less Commonly Taught Languages such as Arabic. The Journal primarily seeks to address the interests of language teachers, administrators, and researchers. Articles that describe innovative and successful teaching methods that are relevant to the concerns or problems of the profession, or that report educational research or experimentation in Less Commonly Taught Languages are welcome. For more information: http://bit.ly/12gmiRT . To submit an article: Danko.Sipka@asu.edu . The Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA) will be holding its annual conference Oct 3-4, 2013 at Williamsburg, VA. FLAVA is seeking papers, panels, and workshops on teaching Arabic L2. Last year we had eight sessions on Arabic that where well-attended by teachers of Arabic, French, Spanish, Chinese, and more. School teachers as well as college professes are strongly encouraged to share their teaching and research with teachers of other languages attend this annual meeting. For more details: http://bit.ly/Xf3aBL . |
Earworms (http://bit.ly/XWDER0) are short language lessons set to catchy tunes. These up-beat music tracks make use of research that demonstrates that music can be a powerful memory aid. Available for Arabic and several other languages; the demo is free and they website offers many other free resources. Dropbox is a great way to store files on-line, and these utilities make it easier to use Dropbox when collecting assignments from your students: Students can upload work directly to your Dropbox with DropItToMe (http://www.dropittome.com) or email files to your Dropbox with SendToDropbox (http://www.sendtodropbox.com). Check out this website for more ideas on how to make the most of Dropbox in your classroom: http://bit.ly/11LFFOx . The US Institute of Peace is offering a free Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators. It is a resource developed by and for educators, to enable middle school and high school teachers to introduce peacebuilding themes and skills into the classroom. For more information: http://bit.ly/ZueGpl . Dalal Abayazied has created a series of free Arabic courses on-line: http://bit.ly/10baejC . Comments, advice, and suggestions are welcome! High School Summer Programs Columbia University Middle East Research Center in Amman and King's Academy in Jordan are offering a summer program for 11th and 12th grade high school students June 23- July 20, 2013. Students combine substantive reading and coursework with first-hand experience in an Arab country, studying at Columbia University (NYC) and King's Academy (Manja, Jordan), and traveling extensively in Jordan.Students emerge from this program with a working knowledge of the history and cultures of the modern Arab world and rudimentary conversational Arabic. For more information: http://bit.ly/11HiFDo . King's Academy is offering a summer program for middle school and high school students on its campus outside of Amman, Jordan (June 30-July 25). The program will offer separate tracks for heritage and non-heritage speakers. Students will also engage in afternoon and weekend activities to explore the culture, traditions and history of Jordan and the Arab world. Students will live in King's Academy dormitories, supervised by school faculty. For more information: http://bit.ly/XUSgLB or email Joe Silvestri jsilvestri@kingsacademy.edu.jo. Choate Rosemary Hall is offering a high school summer program in Amman, Jordan (June 10 - July 10, 2013). The program will offer Modern Standard Arabic (at a level appropriate to proficiency) and intensive Jordanian colloquial classes. Students will also explore Jordanian History and learn about traditional Islamic arts, and students will live in pairs with Jordanian families. For further information: http://bit.ly/10CGmYr or email Georges Chahwan gchahwan@choate.edu. University of North Georgia is offering the Federal Service Language Academy, an intensive first-year and second-year Arabic program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in international-related careers with the federal government. Includes a daily fitness program, career counseling from federal agency representatives, and possible high school credit. For further information: http://bit.ly/TYKd3B . Connecting With Teachers Connect with hundreds of Arabic teachers in America and from around the world on the Teachers of Arabic Language K-12 (TALK12) Facebook page. Teachers can chat, swap ideas, and give each other advice: http://www.talk12.org . Arabic teachers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut: the New England Association of Arabic Teachers has been supporting K-12 Arabic teachers since 2008 with workshops, material and resources, and regular meetings. To join, contact Steven Berbeco berbeco@bu.edu. The Marhaba! Project is facilitating biweekly Virtual Coffee Hours, where a small group of teachers "meet up" on a conference call to talk about classroom teaching, materials and resources, and educational technology. The next coffee hour will be April 13 at 11am EST. Contact coffeehour@marhabaproject.org if you have any questions or would like to participate. |
QFI's Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Program is announcing its Request for Proposals for teachers interested in applying for curriculum development grants up to $50,000. This would be a great opportunity for your colleagues to further develop and strengthen their curricula, while becoming more acquainted with QFI and the Arabic program and faculty at their respective schools. For information on applying: http://bit.ly/12gX3Pt . Application deadline is May 3, 2013. For questions, contact Marianne Nari Fisher mfisher@qfi.org. The ACTFL Arabic SIG has announced the Dora Johnson 2013 award for K-12 teachers who wish to attend the ACTFL 2013 convention in Orlando, FL. To be eligible, teachers must be ACTFL and Arabic SIG members, and either first-time attendees or confirmed conference presenters. Application deadline is May 31, 2013. For more information: arabicsig@gmail.com. Job Openings Roland Park Country School (Baltimore, MD) is seeking a full-time high school Arabic teacher for levels 1 to 4. Candidates should be able to teach Levantine or Egyptian in addition to Modern Standard Arabic, and they are expected to integrate technology into the curriculum. To apply send your resume to Associate Head of School Carla Spawn-van Berkum: vanBerkumC@RPCS.org. Chicago Ridge School (Chicago Ridge, IL) is seeking a full-time elementary school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/16yGbjH . Newark Collegiate Academy (Newark, NJ), a KIPP school, is seeking a full-time high school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/WL05YE . American Councils for International Education is seeking a Summer Assistant Resident Director for the NSLI-Y program for high-school students in Amman, Jordan (June 11-August 1, 2013). For more information: http://bit.ly/16Ck3XJ . The Awty International School (Houston, TX) is seeking a Classical Arabic language teacher to teach in the middle and high school IB program for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/13PbScW . International Rescue Committee (New York, NY) is seeking an Arabic-speaking Refugee Youth Summer Academy Lead Academic Teacher for a summer program for elementary, middle, and high school students July 1 - August 16, 2013. For more information: http://bit.ly/Yrkke1 . Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences (Los Angeles, CA) is seeking a part-time high school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/13MlNzK . Loomis Chaffee School (Windsor, CT) is seeking a full-time high school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/YKDtDe . E.L. Haynes High School (Washington, DC) is seeking a full-time middle school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. To apply: http://bit.ly/YcJBE3 . Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (Cambridge, MA) is seeking a full-time high school Arabic teacher. For more information: http://bit.ly/15AeZlW . The American School in London (London, England) is seeking a full-time high school Arabic and/or French teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. To apply: http://bit.ly/12u4D9B . |
Nada Shaath (Bell High School, CA) suggests: Voicethread (http://www.voicethread.com), a collaborative and multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos. Students and teachers can navigate slides and leave comments using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, an audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments, too. Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies. |
A Teacher Learns the Ropes "Flipping" Instruction
By Kim Marshall | Marshall Memo #478, March 25, 2013, http://www.marshallmemo.com In this article in School Administrator, veteran Missouri teacher April Lynn Burton shares the mistakes she made when she first tried to "flip" her high-school French classes, and what she learned: • Mistake #1: No rationale – Burton launched the idea of having students watch video explanations of new concepts at home without telling students why she was making the change. Students were used to one kind of school routine and were not enthusiastic. When she explained the thinking behind the idea – fewer distractions and more flexibility listening to her lessons at home and much more interaction and teacher attention in class – there was less resistance and more buy-in. • Mistake #2: No skill-building – To Burton's surprise, many students needed explicit training in how to watch a video lesson at home – for example, taking notes, pausing and replaying segments, and explaining what they watched to someone else. Once she modeled and students practiced these skills, video viewing became more productive. • Mistake #3: Using stock videotapes – At first, Burton used the "cute animated videos" that came with the textbook, but students complained, "You never teach us anymore." So Burton started filming her own 6-7-minute explanations and posting them on her website. "Because my students knew I was working hard to create these videos," she says, "they were more willing to put forth the effort to watch the videos at home." • Mistake #4: Assuming students who don't have Internet access will speak up – It turned out many of these students were loath to admit it. Now Burton offers several options: watching her videos online; taking them home on a jump drive or DVD; watching them on the school library computers before or after school; or reading the explanations in the textbook. What difference did flipping make? Burton says grades improved, students were more actively engaged during class time, and misbehavior stopped. "It isn't a quiet classroom," she says, "but it is a class where students are sharing opinions, learning to work with peers and participating in higher-level activities." "My Mistaken Thinking in a Flipped Classroom" by April Lynn Burton in School Administrator, March 2013 (Vol. 70, #3, p. 29), http://bit.ly/16XFsvz . |
Watertown Seeks to Add Arabic Language Classes Through State Department Program
By Charlie Breitrose | Watertown Patch, March 21, 2013
Source: bit.ly/XTbh1Z Watertown (MA) school officials have looked at adding a new foreign language to the high school, and they have a shot at doing just that through a program run by the U.S. State Department. The high school is a finalist in the Teachers of Critical Languages Program and, if chosen, a teacher from Egypt will come to town and teach in Watertown, said WHS Headmaster Steve Watson. The program matches schools with teachers of Mandarin Chinese and Arabic - languages the State Department considers as of growing importance. They teach for one year and their salary is covered by the program. The high school currently does not offer classes in any non-European language courses. Both languages were considered, Watson told the School Committee, but they decided on Arabic because there are more students in town who speak Arabic or have links to countries where Arabic is spoken. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the teacher would likely have classes both at the high school and middle school. The school has not heard about whether it will be chosen for the program, Watson said, but he and other administrators recently interviewed a teacher from Egypt. He added that if the teacher and the school are a good match he hopes Watertown will be picked. |
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