Proficiency & Engagement with Visitation Day

Have different OWL needs addressed in one weekend: no matter where you’re at in your OWL journey, there’s something for you, both introductory & experienced tracks. Both days together provide the maximum amount of observation + application. Friday will consist of being in classes with students, debriefs and training elements. Saturday will be a day of application, where teachers will have the opportunity to learn more about the practices and structures, apply it to their own classroom and students, and practice the techniques. The best of both worlds!

Visitation Day – Friday, November 4 

See students and teachers in action in this all-day OWL Visitation Days! Participants will spend time in student-centered, proficiency-based classes observing strategies for a variety of levels. They will see techniques designed around building a strong sense of community and solidarity and creating curriculum based off of the student and their language level. See how movement, pairings and groupings, speaking and literacy are cohesively brought together in one class period. Teachers will observe the seamless integration of authentic reading, writing and communication into the planning, activities and assessment of a classroom, which will be applied on day 2 in the Proficiency and Engagement Training. Classes will be in Spanish, however, debriefs will be in English. Since many aspects are so visual, a non-speaking Spanish teacher will benefit greatly from the experience. Participants will hear from students through a Student Panel.

Recommended for all teachers, with or without previous OWL workshop attendance.

Goals:

• Observe and participate with students and teachers in an authentic environment
• Q&A time and Debrief with the facilitators
• Receive materials to effectively reflect and debrief

Proficiency & Engagement Training – Saturday, November 5

Learn how to create a kinesthetic, student- centered, proficiency-based classroom. Teachers will experience the techniques to effectively build community, stay in the target language and provide structure that will allow students to guide the learning. Building on the observations and training from the day before, classroom application of the concepts will be examined and discussed. All instruction is done by modeling what may have been seen the day before, but in new ways, adding to your toolbox. This workshop directly addresses teacher confidence in an immersion classroom and asks the questions, ‘How can OWL be implemented in line with the current program?’ ‘What tools, strategies, and techniques can be incorporated?’ Teachers will see how to connect with students and feel confident in the language acquisition journey, and will have the opportunity to try their hand at some of the techniques! 

Outcomes:

• Methods for building community and relationships 
• Techniques for high student engagement
• Exploration of the immersive second language environment
• Strategies for eliciting student production
• Integration of movement 
• Experience the concepts of dynamic learning and student-directed learning
• Introduction to or building on your knowledge of proficiency-based lesson plans

Themes 

• Community Building and Student Interaction
• Target Language Use 
• OWL’s Four Values & 6 Student Goals 
• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)