Postsecondary Workshops

ACTFL offers institutions a variety of workshops catered to postsecondary language educators

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ACTFL offers institutions a variety of workshops catered to postsecondary language educators. These workshops are grounded on a foundation of proficiency and standards-based teaching practices, all targeted toward providing educators with the tools to guide their learners to the next level within the context of higher education. We are always working on launching new workshops covering a wide range of topics – be sure to refer back to this page for updates!

To submit your interest in an institutional postsecondary workshop, fill out our waitlist form here:

Submit Request

Guiding Learners to Higher Levels of Proficency

What really counts to move along the proficiency continuum (from Novice, to Intermediate, and towards the Advanced level of proficiency)? What strategies are effective for developing proficiency using each Mode of Communication? Through the lens of the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements, unpack the elements of proficiency and what they mean for planning effective tasks. Experience and analyze a variety of examples from one sample unit of instruction. Identify one class you are teaching and use that as a lens through which to apply your learning. Guide your learners to develop the language functions and confidence to move to higher levels of proficiency.

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 7.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 7.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

Developing & Assessing the Three Modes of Communication

Begin by developing a shared understanding of what language proficiency is across levels and how to support learners’ progress towards proficiency goals. Develop a toolbox of strategies to design purposeful units and performance tasks in the three modes of communication (Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational) and identify day-to-day learning activities that support language goals. Apply the principles of backward design and the use of authentic resources to effectively plan meaningful learning experiences in the target language. Explore the assessment of language skills in each mode of communication as well as strategies for involving learners in self-assessment for ongoing proficiency growth.

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 7.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 7.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

OPI Familiarization

This workshop familiarizes participants with the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), ACTFL Rating Scale, and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). The OPI is a valid and reliable means of assessing how well a person speaks a language. This workshop includes presentations by ACTFL staff or facilitators, examples of ACTFL OPIs conducted by our certified testers, as well as activities that will solidify your understanding of each major proficiency level.

Note: Participants who complete this workshop are not eligible to apply for Limited (Novice Low – Intermediate High) or Full (Novice Low – Superior) OPI Tester Certification. This workshop is appropriate for language educators who do not wish to pursue OPI Tester Certification.

Maximum Participants: 20
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here (this applies only to synchronous and in-person deliveries).

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom (conducted fully by facilitator)
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 8.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. Asynchronous via on-demand modules (no facilitator)
    Course can be open for up to one month maximum
    Hours: 12 (estimated for completion of modules)

  3. Hybrid (on-demand modules and two 1.5 hour Zoom discussion sessions with facilitator)
    Course can be open for up to one month maximum
    Hours: 15 (estimated for completion of modules and discussion sessions)

  4. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 8.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

Writing Guidelines Familiarization

Intended as an introduction to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 – Writing, this workshop introduces participants to the major and minor level descriptors and the criteria for assigning a global writing proficiency rating. Participants explore a variety of writing tasks across levels of proficiency, evaluate language samples based on the criteria as described in the guidelines, and design appropriate writing activities and writing assessment prompts at the four major levels.

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 7 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 7 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

Crossing Major Borders (Higher levels)

This workshop provides an overview of the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Rating Scale and a description of the functions, contexts/content areas, discourse type and accuracy features appropriate to each level. Participants discuss the curricular implications of the proficiency scale and explore strategies and activities that enable students to cross proficiency level borders (i.e., Intermediate to Advanced, Advanced to Superior).

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 7 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 7 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

Integrating Skills and Modes for Curriculum Design

This workshop focuses on how to build a curriculum that is designed to keep students making steady progress in terms of overall proficiency. ACTFL will customize the workshop to focus on achieving Intermediate, Advanced, or Superior levels of proficiency in various skills (Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening) and modes (Interpersonal, Presentational, Interpretive) depending on the needs and aims of your program, faculty and students. The integration of Study Abroad experiences into the program of study will also be considered.

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 7 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 7 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

The Role of Grammar in the Development of Proficiency

This workshop focuses on how to approach grammar from a functional, proficiency-oriented perspective. After exploring a framework for addressing grammar functionally, participants will be guided through hands-on activities to evaluate their existing materials, rethink the treatment of grammar inside individual courses and across the curriculum, and design activities intended to help students acquire grammatical structures at various levels of proficiency.

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 8 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 8 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

Developing Interpretive Reading and Listening Proficiency

This workshop focuses on how to use the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines to develop general proficiency in the interpretive modes of listening and reading in the target language. Participants will review the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for Reading and Listening, followed by an introduction to text typology for these interpretive modes. The majority of the workshop time is spent in hands-on activities to guide participants in how 1) to evaluate the effectiveness of their existing materials in terms of their overall goals and target audience, and 2) to select authentic reading and aural texts and use them to design appropriate proficiency-based activities at various levels. At the end of the workshop, participants will also have the opportunity to discuss implications for assessing these interpretive modes.

Maximum Participants: 25
Language of Delivery: English
Please see our detailed agenda here.

Delivery Options:

  1. Synchronous on Zoom
    Can be scheduled as one day or split over two days
    Hours: 7.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

  2. In-Person (may not be offered due to pandemic)
    Scheduled as one-day/full-day workshop
    Hours: 7.5 (including 1.5 hours of breaks)

Workshop Checklist

Are you ready to schedule an ACTFL workshop? If you’ve chosen a workshop above that best fits your institutions’ needs, please review and complete the following checklist, prior to submitting your request to ACTFL, as this will help expedite the arrangements:

  1. Decide on the best delivery format for your institution and encumber the funds for this workshop.
  2. Determine your preferred dates and schedule. Please refer to your institution’s calendar for available PD days and consult your intended participants on a schedule that is convenient for them. You must provide two sets of dates when submitting your request to ACTFL. We will do our best to accommodate your preferences, but please know that we cannot guarantee that ACTFL staff and an appropriate facilitator will be available.
  3. Recruit your list of participants. This will enable you to determine the best dates and schedule for you and your participants by surveying them.
  4. Consult your finance and/or procurement departments to be clear on your institution’s procedures for arranging and remitting payment for professional development services. Be sure that you can answer the following:
    1. What institution/organization will be paying the invoice for this workshop and what is the billing address?
    2. Does ACTFL need to go through a vendor application process with your institution?
    3. Are there contracts/paperwork that ACTFL must sign for your institution?
    4. Are you required to create a Purchase Order to process ACTFL’s invoice?
    5. Does the invoice need to be sent to a specific individual for processing? If so, what is their name and email address?
    6. Will you require a separate proposal/quote document aside from signing ACTFL’s services agreement?

Request a Workshop

Once you have completed the above checklist, you are now ready to contact ACTFL and submit your request! Should you submit your request and have not completed this checklist, this will significantly delay the processing of your request and ACTFL staff will be unable to move forward with workshop arrangements until all checklist items have been finalized.

ACTFL receives requests for institutionally hosted workshops through this waitlist form (also linked in the button below). After you complete the waitlist form, ACTFL will be in contact with you regarding your submission within 2 business weeks. Note that requests for virtual workshops must be submitted at least 60 days in advance of the workshop start date, and at least 90 days in advance for in-person workshops. Please address any inquiries to workshops@actfl.org.

Submit Request

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