WORKSHOPS
LingroLearning and its authors, content developers, and instructional designers are committed to facilitating the very best ongoing professional development opportunities for you. We believe wholeheartedly in the power of peer to peer active learning. Please join our community and participate in past, present, and future workshops—virtual and “live.” Tell us what you want to see or hear more of or less of—and whom you’d like to meet next!
Contraseña Conversations Virtual Workshops
Change can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. Over the past several years, language educators have been asked to do more with less to increase enrollment, engage students and reduce the price of course materials without sacrificing quality. Implementing change is challenging, but making changes now will power the future of language instruction.
Past Workshops
Friday, October 28th, 2022 1:00 PM -1:40 PM Eastern
With shifting demographics, budget constraints, and shrinking Spanish enrollments, instructors now, more than ever, are finding themselves having to sell the benefits of learning another language and increase awareness to various stakeholders –students, colleagues, chairs, and deans. In this conversation, panelists share how they’ve successfully advocated for and adapted their approaches to increase enrollments. The session will provide actionable items that will empower you to begin your process for change in 2023.
Wednesday, April 13th 2022 2:00 PM-2:40 PM Eastern
Small changes, big results. While the paperless classroom has been here for some time, the COVID Crisis of 2020 pushed the boundaries of what could be accomplished in a digital environment. Join a conversation on the lessons learned two years later from adapting to digital classrooms, including examples of explicit 21st Century Skill Development and alternative assessment.Tuesday, April 5th 2022 2:00 PM-2:40 PM Eastern
Report from the trenches: Instructor and GTA perspectives. In our series, we have discussed changing materials and the benefits of doing so at a programmatic level. In this conversation, we shift our focus to the day-to-day experience as viewed by instructors and graduate teaching instructors. Join instructors and graduate teaching assistants who recently implemented new course materials in their program as they compare their experiences before and after the implementation. They will highlight both the instructor and student perspectives of implementation.Thursday, March 31st 2022 2:00 PM-2:40 PM Eastern
Implementing Change: Three case studies. Change is hard, but the reward outweighs the risk. What are you waiting for? Join faculty from around the country for a panel discussion by three language program directors from distinct contexts who are transforming their programs with the help of Contraseña. They’ll share their experience implementing change in their respective Introductory and Intermediate Spanish programs, highlighting their challenges and results.
Friday, March 25th 2022 2:00 PM-2:40 PM Eastern
Pedagogical materials as agents of change. The landscape of higher education is changing rapidly, as is the role of language teaching and learning. This conversation focuses on the need to create materials that are based on theory and that also meet the needs and interests of today’s students. Student outcomes from learners will be provided in order to show that this transformed approach benefits both students and instructors.
Friday, April 16th 2021 2:00 PM-2:30 PM Eastern
Implementing a 21st Century Skills program: Three case studies and approaches. Looking for materials that help you maximize limited time, meet the needs of diverse student populations, facilitate positive experiences, and demonstrate effective teaching and learning? Join faculty from around the country for a panel discussion by three language program directors who are transforming their programs with the help of Contraseña. They’ll share highlights and practical recommendations for how best to implement this innovative program across diverse Elementary and Intermediate Spanish programs.Tuesday, April 6th 2021 2:00 PM-2:30 PM Eastern
Promoting 21st Century Media and Technology Literacy. While the paperless classroom has been here for some time, the COVID Crisis of 2020 pushed the boundaries of what could be accomplished in a digital environment. Join Dr. Amy Rossomondo for a conversation on the lessons learned from adapting to digital classrooms, including examples of how Contraseña promotes key media and technological literacy.
Friday, March 26th 2021 2:00PM-2:30 PM Eastern
Promoting 21st Century Critical Thinking and Information Literacy through authentic materials. How do we prepare language students to approach authentic content? In this conversation Dr. Gillian Lord focus on how text-driven language learning and task-based instruction, paired with detailed receptive and productive strategies, can prepare students to engage in higher level authentic materials, which promote critical thinking and information literacy. Samples from Contraseña will be shared.
Tuesday, March 9th 2021 2:00PM-2:30 PM Eastern
Assessing students in the 21st century. Say goodbye to mechanical drill exams and allow your students to shine! In Contraseña, students are assessed through motivating, personalized and engaging projects that allow them to showcase their language skills, and subsequently reflect on their learning. Join Dr. Amy Rossomondo for a conversation on the benefits, both linguistically and psychologically, of this unique form of assessment with more realistic, and less anxiety-inducing, grading expectations.
Friday, Feb 26th 2021 2:00PM-2:30 PM Eastern
Project-based learning for 21st century students. Are we prepared to meet the needs of 21st century students and give them materials that foster communication, allow them to be successful, provide opportunities to share inclusive perspectives, and are accessible and affordable? Join us for an introduction to Contraseña, a new digital Introductory and Intermediate Spanish program from LingroLearning, which aims to meet these goals. Join Dr. Gillian Lord for a conversation that will highlight the theoretical and practical principles of project-based learning and backward design that informs this groundbreaking program, including a demonstration from a sample unit.
Friday, March 27, 2020 1:00 PM-1:40 PM Eastern
Getting real: How can we help beginning level students approach authentic content? How do we prepare language students to approach authentic content? Dr. Gillian Lord will focus on how text-driven language learning and task-based instruction, paired with detailed receptive and productive strategies, can prepare students to engage in higher-level authentic materials, as early as the second semester. Samples from Contraseña will be shared.
Friday, February 28, 2020 1:00 PM-1:40 PM Eastern
Backward design: what is it and how can it lead to student success? Backward design is a method of designing a foundational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessment. Join Dr. Amy Rossomondo to discuss the benefits of this approach. How can we motivate students not only to do more but to gain better insight into their learning? Samples from Contraseña will be shared.
Friday, January 31, 2020 1:00 PM-1:40 PM Eastern
Truly Transformed and Fully Flipped: Examples from a 21st Century Foundational Spanish Course. Join Drs. Amy Rossomondo and Gillian Lord as they explore experiences and outcomes from students using their new foundational Spanish program, integrating self-assessment and reflection and designed to foster translingual and transcultural competence. Initial findings and data will be shared. A version of this workshop was presented at ACTFL in November 2019.
Friday, October 11, 2019 1:30-2:20 PM Eastern
Engaging Our Students: Social Learning and Project-Based Assessment. An estimated 74% of 21st-century students spend over 2+ hours on social media every day. How can we leverage this in our language courses? In this 40-minute talk, Dr. Amy Rossomondo will propose some benefits of social learning and project-based assessment as ways to motivate greater student and instructor engagement and performance. She’ll share sample student ePortfolio projects from varying points in the Introductory Spanish course and ideas on how instructors can facilitate opportunities for students to become participant users of Spanish in foundational courses across all modalities.