2013 NYC Foreign Language Conference Held on October 26
The 2013 NYC Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYCAFLT) Annual Professional Conference was
held on October 16 at the UFT building in Manhattan. Over 300 teachers of foreign languages
participated in the conference. This annual event is sponsored by NYCAFLT, the United Federation of
Teachers (UFT), and the NYS Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT) in collaboration with
the NYS Language RBE-RN.
As an extended arm of the New York State Education Department Office of Bilingual Education and
Foreign Languages Studies, the NYS Language RBE-RN has a long track record of sponsoring foreign
language-learning professional activities. At this 2013 conference, the staff of the NYS Language RBE-RN
presented two workshops: Creating a Student-Centered Learning Environment and Developing Content
Area Language Skills. All participants reported high satisfaction over the content and presentation.
Several commented that they would like more of this type of workshop.
Creating a Student-Centered Learning Environment to Promote Target Language Learning was
presented by the NYS Language RBE-RN Director, Nellie Mulkay, and Resource Specialist, Pat Lo. Over 40
participants were engaged in interactive learning activities and learned strategies that can be brought
back to their daily practice in creating a student-centered learning environment in any language
classroom.
Developing Content Area Language Skills Through the Use of Informational Texts in our Chinese
Language Classroom was presented by Pat Lo, Resource Specialist, NYS Language RBE-RN and Lisa Lin,
NYC Department of Education Director of Elementary Literacy and Languages Other than English (LOTE).
Through hands-on activities, participants learned how to evaluate and select informational texts in
Chinese for their foreign language classrooms. They also worked in groups using materials in Chinese to
plan for student learning objectives in language and content area, addressing American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards while aligning with Common Core Learning Standards
(CCLS).