Prerequisite(s): Course registration completed by October 5, 2023

Dates: October 6 & 7, 2023

Description: World (non-English) language teachers in the state of Iowa gather together once a year at the two-day Iowa World Language Association conference.  At this conference, they participate in workshops about best practices in teaching world languages, hear from prestigious keynote speakers about up-to-the minute theory and pedagogy in the field, and network and discuss with teachers from across Iowa and the Midwest.  This professional development program will provide teachers with new information, frameworks, and practices to improve their teaching and their students’ learning about other languages and cultures. 

Course Objectives:

• Teachers will learn about new approaches to and issues in world language teaching through participating in multiple workshops and listening to speakers at the Iowa World Language Association conference.
• Teachers will develop and strengthen relationships with knowledgeable colleagues through collaborative sessions and conversation groups.
• Teachers will synthesize information from a workshops, speakers, and conversations to adapt to changes in their own practice in the classroom.
• Teachers will develop as reflective practitioners through connecting what they have learned at the conference with their own experiences.

Fee and Credit Options: The fee for receiving one ILRU (license renewal credit) is $60.00. No half-credits or double credits are possible, and there can be no substitutions for the requirements.

Course Requirements:

• Participants must attend fifteen hours or more of the Iowa World Language Association conference (it will be in session between 8:00-7:00 on Friday, October 6, and 8-4:45 on Saturday, October 7 – a schedule is available here). Participants will be expected to attend a session during every session period during their recorded attendance time, as well as all other large-group events such as the lunch and keynote speeches.
• If a participant is a presenter at the IWLA conference, they can skip one other session for preparation time.
• Participants will be expected to check in at the beginning and end of every time that they attend (Friday and Saturday) via an online link that will be provided to them.

Capstone Project: After the conference, participants will need to complete an online survey in order to report about their experiences at the conference. Participants who complete all check-ins will be emailed the link to the survey after the conference. Completing the survey will take about one hour. This survey will address their learning experiences at the conference, their plans for applying their new knowledge, and any other reflections.  They will be asked to report reflections on each session that they attended as well as the keynote speeches or other events.  This will be due one week after the conference concludes, by Saturday, October 14, 2023.

Credit Information: If participants complete all requirements satisfactorily, they will be issued an Iowa license renewal credit through the Baker Teacher Leader Center at the University of Iowa.  Information on how to access the documentation of this credit will be sent directly to the email address that was used to register for the credit.  Participants can also login directly to their accounts to access the documentation.

Credit Information: Note: This course has been preapproved by the Iowa Board of Education for licensure renewal credit. If you renew your school license with a different governing body, you will need to reach out to them to ask if this expeience would be approved for renewal credit.

Note: This course has been preapproved by the Iowa Board of Education for licensure renewal credit. If you renew your school license with a different governing body, you will need to reach out to them to ask if this expeience would be approved for renewal credit.