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Tribune News Network
Boston
THE 2016 American Councils on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Convention will see 54 Qatar Foundation International (QFI) sponsored Arabic language educators from across the US, brought together to gain professional development, network with other foreign language educators, and preview a series of new Arabic language learning resources presented by QFI.
K-16 language educators and experts are also invited to participate in a first-of-its kind, Arabic language forum to discuss issues of relevance to the Arabic K-16 pipeline, especially 'speedbumps' on the path towards building Arabic proficiency, and to better understand each other's experiences and educational contexts.
The event will span multiple mediums of presentation, including workshops, roundtable discussions, panels, and will be kicked off by keynote speaker, Maysoon Zayid, an actress, comedian, disability advocate, and writer.
At the ACTFL convention, QFI will exhibit at booth #1127 and feature a series of new resources, as well as premiere new resources and updates to existing tools, including:
* A sneak peak into two new I Speak Arabic videos, which aims to use storytelling to showcase the benefits of studying Arabic.
* A new Total Physical Response (TPR) Arabic language lesson through #ArabicYoga
* A preview of seven Annenberg Learner videos depicting best practices for teaching Arabic as a foreign language across the elementary, middle and high school levels.
* Tilemaker web application, which allows users to create unique mosaic tiles while learning about the geometric principles behind them.
QFI will present two sessions at the ACTFL convention on Sunday morning; 'Best Practice Strategies for Teaching Arabic' will be presented by Dr Mahmoud al Batal, Rana Abdul Aziz, Katie Quackenbush, and Rita Lahoud; 'A Roadmap to the World: Using the World-Readiness Standards' with Annenberg Learner will be presented by Paul Sandrock, Michele McLeod, and Amy Tonkonogy.
Additionally, QFI will announce the winners of its Dora Johnson Awards during QFI's annual Arabic banquet, taking place on Thursday evening. The reception is open to the public to celebrate Arabic language education and showcase outstanding programmes and teachers of Arabic.
QFI will also host a workshop for its cohort of Teacher Fellows as part of its commitment to professional development within the field of K-12 Arabic education. This event will focus on providing QFI's Teacher Fellows with strategies and best practices for teaching Arabic as a foreign language. Topics will include integrating formal and colloquial Arabic in the classroom as well as incorporating cultural elements into one's curricula.
Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director of QFI said:"We have participated in ACTFL for the past six years, contributing quality, open resources and hosting educators from various backgrounds and school levels in order to network and explore new opportunities so rarely provided to the Arabic language teaching community. We strive to empower language teachers and hope that our contributions will motivate and increase awareness and the importance of Arabic language and culture education."
