Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Discussion Session (1 hour)

Mulitple (French, Spanish, Mandarin)

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion

Elementary (K-5)

Now that you've hired your teachers, what are the steps necessary to acclimate them to their new environment and develop plans for professional development specific to the strategies  of immersion instruction? Through discussion we will determine what this process will look like for your school.

BRFLAIM has been involved in immersion education for fourteen years, offering instruction in French and Spanish . During that time BRFLAIM has developed into one of the top performing schools in the district. We are one of only five schools in Louisiana that have received state certification and have been recognized as a Magnet school of excellence. Due to the demand, an additional campus, BRFLAIM II, was opened, adding a second Spanish tract and a Mandarin component to the original program. Much of our success can be credited to our continuing search for professional development that meets the needs of the incoming teachers, assisting them with transferring their experiences from their home countries into the best practices for immersion instruction. 

During the presentation, we will provide several suggestions as to the use of creative scheduling to allow time for new teachers to observe experienced peers, meet and debrief, and attempt strategies in their own class. We will discuss both vertical team meetings and grade level meetings and illustrate how they allow new teachers to become more knowledgable of the curriculum. New teachers are also required to attend weekly meeetings after school to address individual needs.

The discussion portion will be guided by the facillitators to determine how some of the stratgies utilized at BRFLAIM can be implemented on their campuses.