Minutes |
Penobscot Collaborative for Teaching Languages |
January 15, 2003
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The following language educators
met on January 15, 2003,
at Brewer High
School, to share ideas on motivating students to participate in class and
to do homework.
Paula Tarr- Brewer High School
Leslie Fiveland- Bucksport Middle School
Claudette O'Connell- Brewer High School
Claudette Kydd- retired- Bangor School System
Janice Clain- Hermon High School
Anette Ruppel Rodrigues- Bangor Adult Ed, UMO
Anita Tassel- Bangor Montessori School
Karen Lavoie- Etna - Dixmont Schools
Lynda Millar- Mount Desert Schools
Members present shared strategies and rewards they use to promote paricipation in class activities and enforce student homework preparation. Ideas included "goody bags" of rewards, a bonus board with incentives for seeking information in exchange for extra credit, and advising older students of criteria included in teacher recommendation letters. For a more detailed explanation of the ideas gathered at the meeting, contact Janice Clain. Printed sheets may be faxed, mailed or opened as an attachment to this message for those who have Claris Works 5.0 word processing programs. Printed sheets with these ideas will also be available at the collaborative panel discussion at the FLAME Conference.
The next meeting will be a planning meeting , on February 26, for participants in the conference panel discussion.
The next general meeting of the Penobscot Collaborative will be held on Wednesday, March 26 at 3:30 at Brewer High School. Participants are asked to bring examples of activities for a "Swap Shop". Of particular interest are ideas for using lap top computers.
For further information, contact Janice Clain by e-mail response or at
Hermon High School- 848-3365)
March 26, 2003
The following language instructors attended a meeting of the Penobscot Foreign Language Collaborative on March 26 at Brewer High School:
Norm Fineman- Holbrook School Paula Tarr- Brewer High School
Leslee Fiveland- Bucksport Middle School Anita Tassel- Bangor Montessori
School
LeeAnn Small- SAD #23 (Carmel / Levant ES) Carolyn Horth- Dedham Schools
(K-8)
Claudette O'Connell- Brewer High School Janice Clain- Hermon High School
Those in attendance shared a variety of language tools and strategies, including:
Picture This--Professional- clip art software which can produce visuals and games and can label them in the languages most frequently taught iN this area
March Madness competition- students follow NCAA teams, choose French mascots, create slogans and posters to promote their "home teams"
a practice clock for use on an overhead projector
student-created flash cards
student centered language visuals
visuals to prompt language and reinforce grammar / vocabulary lessons
Check the attachment to this e-mail for further details or check with the individuals in attendance.
The next meeting of the collaborative will be Wednesday, May 7 at 3:30 at Bangor High School. Cindy Sturgeon, department chair, has graciously agreed to host the collaborative to demonstrate the equipment and instructional strategies available in their new computer based language lab.
If you have any questions about meetings, contact Janice Clain
(Janice_Clain@hermon.net - 848-3365). Please share this information with other language teachers in the area.
Respectfully submitted by
Janice Clain
May 14, 2003
The following members of the Penobscot Forgeign Language Collaborative met
on May 14 at Bangor High School:
Cindy Sturgeon - Bangor High School Pat Catlin - Central High School
Leslee Fiveland - Bucksport Middle School Anita Tassel - Bangor Montessori School
Betsy Hudson - John Bapst Memorial HS Ray Pelletier - University of Maine at Orono
Crystal Jackins - John Bapst Carolyn Horth - Dedham Schools
Brenda Lopotro - John Bapst Anette Rodrigues - Bangor Adult Ed and UMO
Kristina Ryeberg - Castine and Brooksville Schools Janice Clain - Hermon High School
The participants discussed the openings at several schools in the area (full time Spanish at Bangor and Brewer High Schools, one year Spanish position at Old Town High School, half time Spanish at Hermon High School). Ray Pelletier suggested that the collaborative keep himself, Kathleen March and Gisela Hoecherl-Alden informed as they work with students who are preparing for teaching languages.
Ray informed the group that the MAT programs at UMO have been restored and redefined. He also emphasized that prospective language teachers need to keep taking courses in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics; the Education Department requires students to concentrate on pedagogy, but many students find their language skills impaired unless they take courses where they are practicing communications skills.
The FLAME board advocacy video project was discussed. The board hopes toget the project started this summer. Teachers who have video footage are asked to contact Ann Sullivan or Sarah Spring.
Dates to note for next year include: AATF conference Nov. 7 and 8 at Orono, AATG conference Sept. 20 at Orono, L'Acadie total in immersion and heritage tour in early summer of 2004, and the Ste. Croix Trunk, designed to travel to schools to highlight the 400th anniversary of the French settlement at Ste. Croix Island.
The highlight of the meeting was the opportunity to experience the computer-based language lab at Bangor High School. The lab is used for hands-on, project and research based learning. Students who took the AP tests the week before did them in the lab, recording their oral proficiency sections, which were then burned onto a CD. All Bangor High classes except beginners are scheduled for one period a week in the lab.
Students have been able to improve oral proficiency using the lab, and teachers note that students show increased enthusiasm for language learning. (Check out www.conjuguemos.com)
Thank you to Cindy Sturgeon for hosting the collaborative.
SOCIAL MEETING
The last meeting of the year is a social meeting. Ray Pelletier has invited the group to meet at the Canadian American Center in Orono. He has sent a menu from a new Moroccan take out in Orono, and suggests orderingout or contacting the owner to cater dinner. The date for the meeting is Tuesday, June 3 at 5:30. Please contact Janice Clain (Janice_Clain@hermon.net or 848-3365) if interested in attending.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Clain
October 1, 2003
The following language educators attended the first meeting, held on October 1 at Hermon High School, of Penobscot Collaborative for this school year:
LeeAnn Small- SAD 23 Carolyn Horth- Dedham Schools, Anita Tassel- Bangor Montessori, Leslee Fiveland- Bucksport Middle School, Ray Pelletier- UMO, Paula Tarr- Brewer High School, Catherine LaRochelle- grad student, UMO Jill Cote- Searsport High School, Janice Clain- Hermon High School
Janice Clain and Jill Cote presented an overview of their experiences walking the Camino de Santiago, in Spain, this summer. If any teachers, particularly teachers of Spanish, would like information on the Camino, contact Janice or Jill or Marcia Tyrol, Erskine Academy, who walked the Camino in 2000.
Ray Pelletier gave information regarding an intensive total immersion experience, en Acadie, for teachers of French, to be offered June 23 - July 1, 2004. The program begins on the Maine coast, near Castine and Bar Harbor, and continues through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ste. Croix. There are a limited number of places in the program, so registration should be made early. Contact Ray Pelletier for further information.
Ray also expressed concern regarding the leadership crisis in the Maine chapter of AATF. He, Dick Williamson (Bates) and Sylvie Charron (UMF) have offered to serve as an interim officer panel. AATF had planned to dovetail its fall conference with Canadian Week, which is November 3 -7. Ray is proposing a day for AATF on November 6 and within the Canadian Week, and including a meeting with Roch Carrier, Canadian author, and a film by Frédéric Bach.
Catherine LaRochelle, a graduate student in Resource Economics at UMO and a Québécoise, outlined the project that she is preparing in collaboration with George Criner, who is currently studying at Laval University. The project focuses on internationalizing the language curriculum and instituting cross-border activities between American and Canadian schools.
Catherine has offered to serve as a resource for language instructors, and is willing to visit local schools to promote the learning of modern languages.
Suggestions for topics for meetings this year include: TPRS, computer generated instructional materials, laptop instruction and MLTI, and portfolio assessment.
The next meeting is tentatively set for December 3, at 3:30 at Brewer High School. The topic will be computer generated materials. Participants will be asked to bring samples of instructional materials they've found on or adapted from a variety of technology sources. For more information, contact Janice Clain (Janice_Clain@hermon.net).
Information: Le Rendez-vous is a group of Francophiles who meet at Border's in Bangor on the first and third Wed. of every month(5:30 pm). The group is mixed, and includes native speakers, intermediate learners, advanced learners. Area high school students have been welcomed to attend.
A similar group meets at Border's on the second and fourth Wed. of each month to speak German.
Information: The Latin American Student Organization at UMO is offering lessons in Latin Dance at the ALANA center. Lessons are given on Monday and Wednesday. The group will also present a Latino Heritage Celebration on Friday, October 24 at 6:00 pm in Wells Commons. For more information, contact Ana-Ramona_Gilbert@umit.maine.edu.
Check out the FLAME website www.umaine.edu/flame/
submitted by Janice Clain
Dec. 3, 2003
The following language instructors met on December 3 at Brewer High School:
LeeAnn Small- SAD # 23 Leslee Fiveland- Bucksport Middle School
Claudette O'Connell- Brewer High School Lynda Millar- Mount Desert School
Paula Tarr- Brewer High School Janice Clain- Hermon High School
The topic for the meeting was technology / computer sources. Lynda Millar shared her experiences with www.readinga-z.com. Her school has a subscription for this service, which provides graded and illustrated readers in English and several other languages. Users have permission to print out as many copies as they have students. Lynda states that the translation quality varies, so teachers using the texts are advised to check before they use them. You may view 30 titles on a trail basis.
LeeAnn Small shared www.portaportal.com, which allows users to organize and list links. By allowing guests to access the site, the teacher may list pertinent information for students, including assignments and links to informational sites. Check www.portaportal, check in as a guest and view the site for madamesmall or fiveland.
Paula Tarr reported on how she gets students to find, analyze and report information using the web, particularly sites provided by her textbook series. To hold students accountable, she has them fill in a simple form, which she calls a report out sheet, and which can then be assessed using a rubric.
Claudette O'Connell gave an example of a web based research activity in which students access the site for Air France to plan a trip. The SNCF site is also helpful for this project. After planning a trip to a chosen destination, students made a poster advertising Air France.
Janice Clain mentioned the website www.conjuguemos.com which helps students study verb forms, giving them immediate feedback. The site can be used to practice several languages. Also www.puzzlemaker.com has some new word puzzles which can be challenging even for more advanced students.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, January 28 at 3:30 at Brewer High School. The topic will be "Assessment". Members have asked for information on portfolio assessment. Some members have had training in creating rubrics to assess participation, and have agreed to share their ideas with the group.
Please share this information with other colleagues. For further information, reply to Janice Clain: clainj@hermon.net