Professional Development Programs for Language Educators
Advanced Conversation for Language Teachers
Description
The Advanced Conversation for language teachers offers educators an opportunity to practice their language skills around engaging contemporary topics. The classes are offered fully online and taught by experienced language educators.
Every week is centered around current events and topics and provides teachers with opportunities to practice their speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills. The courses are built around authentic course materials (videos, podcasts, news articles). Course activities include asynchronous discussion questions (in writing) on the discussion board; A weekly live meeting with the course instructor and the class; And two weekly one-on-one meetings with a trained conversation partner (30 minutes each).
Registration closes on July 1, 2024, or when the course is full (14 students). This is a fun and relaxed way to refresh your language skills and network with language teachers from all over the country.
Dates
Next session: July 8 to August 9, 2024.
The Advanced Conversation for Language Teachers courses are offered once a year in the summer, as well as on-demand. You will need to enroll at least six students for us to be able to offer an on-demand course.
Languages Available
French | Spanish | Italian | German
French course
Weekly themes include 1) Artificial Intelligence: Balancing Innovation and Risks, 2) French Gastronomy: an Evolving Powerhouse, 3) African Influences in Modern French Music, 4) The Future of the French Education System, and 5) Remote Work and the Evolution of Work Models in France.
Weekly live meeting: Thursday, 5pm Eastern Time
Request a copy of the syllabus.
German course
Weekly themes include 1) Technology and its Impact on People and Society, 2) Environment Protection and Sustainability; 3) Migration, Refugees, and Integration; 4) Extremism and Terrorism in the Modern Age; and 5) The Role of Art in our Lives.
Weekly live meeting: TBD
Request a copy of the syllabus.
Spanish course
Weekly topics include 1) Environmental Issues; 2) Language and Identity; 3) Migration/Immigration; 4) The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society; 5) Education
Weekly live meeting: Wednesday, 5pm Eastern Time.
Request a copy of the syllabus.
Italian course
The weekly topics include 1) Technology and Its Impact on Society; 2) The Environmental Issues; 3) The Italian Health Care System; 4) The Changing Structure of the Italian Family 5) Carnival and its Traditions.
Weekly live meeting: TBD
Request a copy of the syllabus.
The French and Spanish summer 2024 courses will be updated with new readings/ videos and questions or brand-new topics. Sign up for the newsletter to get notified.
Note: Courses continue as scheduled even if a student is absent from the class. An individual student who does not attend a class will not be able to make up the missed hours.
Tuition
Tuition for the course is $475. Early bird price $450, use coupon code PMC25 by May 1, 2024. If you wish to ask your school for funding, consider using this letter template. You may copy and customize the text.
Credits
Students who complete the course will receive 3.5 CEUs and a digital certificate of completion through the micro-credential organization Accredible.
Students also have the option to purchase two graduate credits from the University of the Pacific* for an additional $124 ($62 per graduate credit)
Refunds
Students may withdraw from the course at any time. The ICLS Language Proficiency Maintenance Courses for Language Educators Refund Policy is below:
| WITHDRAWAL PERIOD | REFUND |
|---|---|
| Before Registration Ends | 100% of Tuition Paid |
| After Registration Closes and Before Course Starts | 50% of Tuition Paid |
| After Course Starts | No Refund |
The student must notify ICLS immediately upon the decision to withdraw and complete the Student Withdrawal Form, which is available from the school’s Business Office, to initiate a request for a refund. Refunds will be issued within ten business days.
ICLS reserves the right to cancel a class due to lack of enrollment. In the case of lack of enrollment, tuition will be refunded.
To learn more, contact us to speak to Edwige Simon, ICLS’ Instructional Technology and Online Learning Director.
About the Graduate Credits
The credits offered are post-baccalaureate, graded, graduate-level semester units of credit, provided directly through International Center for Language Studies and University of the Pacific, Benerd College. They are specifically designed to meet the needs of educators for Salary Advancement and Recertification. The credits/units are acceptable where local districts approve and applicable to state licensing where authorized. We always encourage you to check with your employer for the acceptability of these credits/units. Course participants are responsible for determining the acceptability of these credits for their intended use. Each graduate-level semester credit is equivalent to 15 hours of academic involvement.
About University of the Pacific
University of the Pacific, established in 1851, is California’s oldest private chartered university and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
"It was amazing to be pushed out of my comfort zone and get to speak with a native speaker of French twice a week for a short time. It helped my confidence in speaking and was wonderful to hear her accent, thoughts, and colloquial expressions."
"This course not only made me more comfortable speaking in the language but also reminded me that the more you hear and see it, the easier it will get to understand and to figure out words that you do not recognize from context and your knowledge of the language."
"J’avais peur de ne plus pouvoir parler la langue du tout. Je ne le parle pas très bien, et j’ai beaucoup à apprendre avant de parler au niveau que je veux avoir. Le fait que je me suis amélioré en cinq semaines me dit que je peux espérer continuer à m’améliorer. Je ne savais pas non plus que des cours comme ça existaient."
"This course has been very helpful in reminding me of vocab and grammar that I had forgotten, or didn’t know, and made me more comfortable speaking. This is immensely helpful."
Ed Tech Workshops for Language Educators
SELF-PACED WORKSHOP
Cost: $49
0.5 CEUs | 1 graduate credit (additional $62)
In this self-paced workshop, you will learn to leverage the potential of social media to teach languages. The workshop will cover 1) how to curate social media content, 2) safety and privacy considerations, 3) sample classroom activities that leverage various social media sites, 4) how to use social media for professional development. This workshop is a good fit for teachers with limited experience using social media in the classroom.
You can expect to spend 5 hours on the course if you wish to obtain the 0.5 CEU and 15 hours if you expect to receive the graduate credit. You will retain access to the course for one year after registration.
Contact Edwige Simon at esimon@icls.edu for more information.
Register NowSELF-PACED WORKSHOP
Cost: $49 (0.5 CEU)
In this self-paced workshop, you will learn to use Google Earth Project in conjunction with popular apps to create an interactive field trip for your students. This workshop includes 1) an annotated example of a Google Earth project field trip, 2) an orientation to Google Earth and app smashing, 3) and step-by-step instructions on how to create your first field trip.
Please note that this is a self-paced workshop, which means that you can work on the assignments at your own pace.
You can expect to spend 5 hours on the course if you wish to obtain the 0.5 CEU. You will retain access to the course for one year after registration.
Contact Edwige Simon at esimon@icls.edu for more information.
Register NowSELF-PACED WORKSHOP
Cost: $69
1 CEU | 1 graduate credit (additional cost, pending approval by Pacific University)
In this self-paced workshop, you will learn to leverage the potential of ChatGPT to speed up the creation of language teaching materials. The workshop will cover 1) a thorough introduction to ChatGPT, 2) how to use all the ChatGPT features, 3) how to use ChatGPT to create instructional materials, 4) how students can use ChatGPT for language learning, and 5) how to use ChatGPT for admin tasks.
Please note that this is an entirely self-paced workshop, which means that you can work on the assignments at your own pace.
The minimal technical requirements are a computer (laptop or desktop), a tablet, or a smartphone and a reliable internet connection.
You can expect to spend 10 hours on the course if you wish to obtain the 1 CEU and 15 hours if you expect to receive the graduate credit. You will retain access to the course for one year after registration.
Contact Edwige Simon at esimon@icls.edu for more information.
Register NowThe Language Teacher Book Club
The ICLS Language Teacher Book Club is free and open to all. We read 2-3 books per year and discuss them on Canvas discussion board and occasionally in live Zoom sessions. Certificates of completion showing 15 hours of work will be sent to teachers who complete the requirements listed under the Completion Certificate tab.
Books we’ve read:
- Proficiency-Based Instruction, Input & Interaction in World Language Education by Katherine Ritz and Christina Toro.
- The Language Game: How Improvisation Created Language and Changed the World by Christiansen and Chater.
- Common Ground. Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom by F. Henshaw and M. Hawkins.
- Becoming Fluent: How Cognitive Science Can Help Adults Learn a Foreign Language by Richard M. Roberts and Roger J. Kreuz.
- America’s Bilingual Century: How Americans are giving the gift of bilingualism to themselves, their loved ones, and their country by Steve Leveen.
- Teaching Intercultural Citizenship Across the Curriculum: The Role of Language Education by M. Wagner, F. Cardetti, and M. Byram. You can purchase the Kindle book from Amazon ($19) or the actual book from the ACTFL website.
Spring 2024 book club:
The Art and Science of Language Teaching by Lara Bryfonski and Alison Mackey.
The paperback version will ship on March 7, 2024, but you can pre-order it. The authors have agreed to offer a Q&A on the last week of the book club (more information to come).
Reading schedule:
- 03/17 – 03/23: Chapters 1 – 4
- 03/24 – 03/30: Chapters 5-8
- 03/31 – 04/06: Chapters 9-12
- 04/07 – 04/13: Chapters 13-16
- 04/14 – 04/20: Chapters 17-19
- 04/21 – 04/27: Chapters 20 and 21
Note: participants are responsible for acquiring the book we read.
Here are the requirements to get the certificate of completion:
- Please answer two of the initial questions with at least 200 words each and a direct reference to the text every week.
- Post at least one constructive answer to a colleague by the end of each week (about 100 words).
Certificates of completion will only be sent to teachers who complete the work described above every week of the book club.