On Saturday, October 12, the RWC Department of Foreign Languages sponsored a workshop for all foreign language teachers in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas.One hundred teachers from all levels of language teaching attended this annual workshop, entitled “Potpourri for Foreign Language Teachers: Something for Everyone.” The workshop was held at the RWC Annex Building from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and consisted of four sessions presented by four different speakers from around the entire State of Ohio.
The first was called “Update on Foreign Language Education in Ohio,” and Deborah Robinson, the World Languages Consultant from the Ohio Department of Education, presented it. Robinson discussed topics relevant to foreign language teaching in Ohio-National Certification; the status of the praxis exams; the new academic standards for students; and an update of the Ohio curriculum.
The second session was called “Forty Creative Activities to Jump-Start Your Teaching,”and was presented by DeLaina Tonks and Kristina Hartzell of Upper Arlington High School and Christy Charlton of Jones Middle School. This session focused on several different ways to make learning a foreign language fun.
The third session, called “Improving Web Pages: Between Authenticity and Author,” was presented by Mary Ball of Ashland University. She explained how to be able to modify web pages in order to fit the needs of your classroom.
The final session was called “Bringing the Trip Back Home”and was presented by Kay Hedges and Lori McNichols of New Albany High School. This session discussed the ways of incorporating overseas trips into usable classroom experiences for the students who were unable to go, by turning film, video, and postcards into lesson plans and projects.
All in all, the RWC Foreign Language Department believed that the workshop was most successful.