Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures News Blog

Secrets of the Mayan Calendar, Saturday, March 17

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:42:39 GMT

Secrets of the Mayan Calendar

Saturday, March 17

10:00 a.m.

3019 Minnehaha Avenue, Suite 20

Minneapolis, MN 55406

Speaker: Gina Kingsley, spiritual guide and Mayan descendant

Come to hear about Gina Kingsley's personal journey that brought her to be a "time guardian" or spiritual guide. She will speak about the Mayan calendar, explain the implication of the December 21, 2012 date and doomsday scenario, the confusion of multiple end dates, and its meaning to the Mayans.

ASL day at the Minnesota Zoo

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:40:15 GMT

The Minnesota Zoo has added a day for American Sign Language students this year. This first ever event will be May 1. Check it out at http://www.mnzoo.com/education/education_teachersSchools_eventDays.asp#language

A Passage to China at the Mall of America, April 21-22

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:23:56 GMT

We are pleased to announce that our 5th Annual outreach event, A Passage to China, will be held in the Mall of America ® Rotunda, Bloomington, MN, on April 21^st and 22^nd, 11 am – 5 pm on both days. This free, family-oriented educational event will provide attendees with opportunities to participate in numerous interactive activities, exposing them to many diverse aspects of Chinese culture, history and geography in the process.

This 2-day event will feature over 50 local Chinese organizations presenting participatory activities such as Chinese chess and tangrams; calligraphy, painting and Chinese lessons; Chinese name translations; Chinese arts and crafts such as making Chinese musical instruments, ribbon sticks and lanterns and paper cutting and folding; dumpling making, and many other intriguing activities. Authentic Chinese music and dance performances, along with martial arts demonstrations, will take place on the professional stage located in Sears Court.

This entire event will be a rewarding wrap-up experience for your Chinese language students since our activities will reinforce many topics you likely will have covered in class. This event will also be a great introductory experience for the remaining student body in your school; so please share this information with your teaching colleagues.

To emphasize the educational value of our event to your students, you might wish to consider making their attendance a class assignment or an extra-credit project. We are essentially a ready-made lesson for your students and their attendance can be accurately and easily verified by examining the number of stamps they will have collected in the ‘passports’ we give them at the beginning of their individual ‘passage’.

A Passage to China is a collaborative project of the Chinese Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting and preserving Chinese history and culture ( www.chineseheritagefoundation.org ), and China Insight, a monthly newspaper printed in English to foster U.S. and China culture and business understanding ( www.chinainsight.info ).

We invite and welcome you and your students to attend A Passage to China. It will be a wonderful and productive way to celebrate Chinese history and culture. For your use, a poster of the festival is attached.

Sincerely,

A Passage to China Committee

Mandarin Speakers Needed for Museum Event

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:18:14 GMT

The American Association of Museums is hosting their annual meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center from April 30 through May 2, 2012. The conference coordinators are looking for volunteers who are proficient in both English and Mandarin to greet Mandarin-speaking guests and answer their questions. Volunteer shifts are 4-5 hours long. There is a required volunteer orientation on April 26. Volunteers receive a full day pass for the conference.

If you are interested in this opportunity, you can register and sign up at https://2012aam.theregistrationsystem.com

Please direct any questions to:

Ken or Katie Searl

(612) 244-4014

aamvolcoordinator@gmail.com

Teaching Languages Online Survey

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:30:48 GMT

Teaching Languages Online Survey

Do you teach a language online?

If you have experience teaching a language completely online, please take our survey!
www.carla.umn.edu/technology/TLO/survey.html

Many language teachers are being asked to teach online, K-12 and post-secondary, but there is little known on what preparation these teachers need - or receive - in order to teach effectively online. We would like to know about the preparation you received to teach online in order to better prepare future online language teachers.

You will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a free CARLA summer institute (take the survey by March 15!), and join our community of practice for online language teachers!

3rd Annual Minnesota Cuba Film Festival, February 23-March 29

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:28:01 GMT

THIRD ANNUAL MINNESOTA CUBAN FILM FESTIVAL
Six Thursdays, 7:00 pm
February 23-March 29, 2012
Presented in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul
Co-curated with the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC)

Habanastation (2011)
February 23
2012 Academy Award nominee

Boleto al Paraiso (2011)
March 1 (“Ticket to Paradise”)
2012 Goya Award nominee (Spain)

Nosotros la Música (1964)
March 8 (“We are the Music”)
It’s the 60’s in Cuban music and dance!

En el Cuerpo Equivocado (2010)
March 15 (“In the Wrong Body”)
Cuba’s first sex reassignee in 1988

Casa Vieja (2010)
March 22 (“Old House”)
2012 ALBA festival opener (Belgium)

Yo soy, del Son a la Salsa (1996)
March 29 (“From Son to Salsa”)
100 years of Cuban music

• A bonus feature or short will accompany each film
• English subtitles
• Tickets available at the box office or stanthonymaintheatre.com
• Closing night party with live music and raffle for Cuban art and
memorabilia

ST. ANTHONY MAIN THEATRE
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
www.minnesotacubacommittee.org |MNCuba@gmail.com | 612-367-6134
(FULL BROCHURE COMING SOON)
SPONSORS: De León & Nestor; Drs. Herman J. Milligan, Jr., and Constance Osterbaan-
Milligan; Victor’s 1959 Café; Premier Latino Events’ Latin Nights at Faces; Fenelon Sanctuary;
Paraiso Musical, KBEM FM; Viva Brazil!; Southside Pride; René Thompson Dance.

People to People Delegation to Cuba for Spanish Teachers in July

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:54:37 GMT

People to People Delegation to Cuba for Spanish Teachers

What does your textbook series teach about Cuba?

A. Nothing
B. The colors of the flag
C. The capital is Havana
D. It is 90 miles from Miami

Would you be interested in having lessons that teach the richness of Cuban culture? That teach about its current reality? That showcase its accomplishments as well as its challenges? Then join this Spanish teachers’ delegation to Cuba. We will explore and learn about Cuba’s culture and then work collaboratively to design lessons that can be used in your classroom and shared with other teachers.

Who: Spanish teachers working at any level of instruction
When: July 1 to July 11, 2012 leaving from Miami, Florida
Cost: $1550 plus airfare, includes room and board at the Martin Luther
King Community Center in Havana, Cuba
Contact: bettylotterman@hotmail.com, 651-238-6859

Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent, grassroots organization of people committed to nonviolence and led byfaith and conscience. Our mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas by changing US policies and corporate practices that contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Conference at the University of Minnesota, March 9-10

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:00:41 GMT

Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) Conference

March 9-10, 2012

Registration for the CLAC 2012 conference sponsored by CARLA is going strong. 97 language teaching professionals from 16 states, Canada, and Mexico have already registered. Conference registration will no doubt surpass the goal of 100 attendees set by the planning committee.

See details about the program and registration: http://www.carla.umn.edu/conferences/clac/index.html

American Councils for International Education Offer Exchange Programs in China, Egypt, Argentina, Thailand, Brazil, and Uruguay

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:31:39 GMT

Our non-profit organization, American Councils for International Education, would like to remind you of three fully-funded programs for educators, whose deadlines are now approaching. I would appreciate your assistance distributing these announcements to anyone who you think is interested, and I am happy to answer any questions you have about these programs. My contact information can be found at the bottom of this email. All three programs are fully funded through the U.S. State Department.

Host a Guest Teacher from China or Egypt
The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) provides U.S. K-12 schools with the opportunity to host fully funded exchange teachers from Egypt and China for an entire academic year in order to begin or further grow an Arabic or Mandarin program. Public, private, or religious schools from all corners of the nation are encouraged to apply. Bring the world to your school by introducing Arabic or Chinese language and culture to your students. TCLP provides teachers’ salaries, healthcare, roundtrip airfare, training, professional development funds, and ongoing program support. To increase the number of Americans teaching and learning these critical languages, selected host schools also receive access to grant opportunities to support language learning projects. To learn more about the program benefits and requirements, please read about our Program Timeline and Details, or check out our introduction video. To apply, please visit www.tclprogram.org or email tclp@americancouncils.org.
Extended Program Application Deadline: February 1, 2012

Study Language in China or Egypt
Intensive Summer Language Institutes (ISLI) provides fellowships for U.S. classroom teachers to spend six weeks overseas studying intermediate and advanced-level Arabic in Alexandria, Egypt, and Chinese in Changchun, China. Current K-12 teachers, community college instructors of Arabic and Mandarin Chinese, and students enrolled in education programs who intend to teach these languages can apply. Participants earn ten hours of graduate credit through Bryn Mawr College, and are provided with peer tutors and roundtrip airfare. All travel and study-related costs are fully covered. For more information, please visit www.americancouncils.org/isli or email isli@americancouncils.org.
Program Application Deadline: March 2, 2012

Connect Internationally
The Educational Seminars Program provides short-term professional development opportunities to teachers and administrators from around the world, for 2-3 week reciprocal exchange programs and one-way professional development programs. Participating countries include Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, and Uruguay for reciprocal exchanges and Greece, India, and Italy for one-way programs. All Educational Seminars provide airfare, training, travel health care, and living costs. For more information, please visit www.americancouncils.org/es or email edseminars@americancouncils.org.
Upcoming Program Application Deadlines for Argentina, Brazil, Thailand: March 30, 2012

Intercultural Student Experiences Offers Summer Travel Opportunity for French Teachers.

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:41:53 GMT

“The Imperial Cities of Morocco”

This unique travel experience is specifically designed for educators! The program for French language teachers is in French but all the other educators are eligible to apply for the English-speaking group.

Highlights include:

You will discover the art, history and culture of Morocco
Experience authentic Moroccan life through a two-day family stay immersion in Fes
Visit artisan co-operatives for demonstrations: tanneries, ceramics, carpets, women’s argan oil co-ops
Cook with a Moroccan chef
Spend a day in a Berber village
Speak French with locals and your peers

Graduate Credits are also available through this program!

Educators have the option to earn two graduate credits for participating in this program. Additional independent coursework is required. Participants will focus on one of the following themes:

French Language and Culture in Modern Morocco
The Educational impact of History, French Colonialism and Religion in Morocco
The impact of Poverty on the Moroccan Education Delivery System
Successes in Multilingual Educational Evolution in Morocco

Contact Anca now to learn more!

Email: anca@isemn.org

Phone: 612.436.8264; 800.892.0022 x. 264

Intercultural Student Experiences Offers Summer Travel Opportunity for Spanish Teachers

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:40:13 GMT

¡Por fin! A unique travel experience designed just for educators!

Highlights include:

Art, history and culture in Mexico City and Oaxaca
Family stay for 8 nights in lovely Oaxaca
Visit artisan workshops for demonstrations as well as hands on learning & fun
Make friends with young Oaxacan students while volunteering at a local nonprofit organization that seeks to lessen poverty through education
Speak Spanish with locals and your peers

Graduate Credits are also available through this program!

Educators have the option to earn two graduate credits for their participation in this program. Additional independent coursework is required. Participants will focus on one of the following themes:

Traditions of Mexico: Enhancing Spanish Language Education in the U.S.
The Economic Impact of Race
Class or Gender in Oaxaca: The Impact of Poverty on the Oaxaca Education Delivery System
Successes in Economic Development in Oaxaca

The first educator program to Mexico took place in 2010 with great success. The next program will take place in Summer 2012.

Contact Tracy now to learn more!

Email: tracy@isemn.org

Phone: 612.436.8262; 800.892.0022 x. 262

French Summer Language Institute for Teachers

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:39:31 GMT

French Summer Language Institute for High School Teachers offered in beautiful Angers, France! Southern Oregon University offers an intensive summer program designed specifically for Middle School, High School, and Community College French teachers taught in Angers, France. Option to obtain your Master of Arts in French Language Teaching over three summers. Obtain the most up-to-date second language acquisition theories and methodologies while improving language proficiency and cultural understanding. Southern Oregon University is a fully accredited public university. For more information, see our attached brochure, or visit our website at www.sou.edu/summerlanguageinstitute/french , or email frenchsli@sou.edu.

15th Annual Meeting of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages, Madison WI, April 26-29

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:53:59 GMT

Railroaded by Nafta/CAFTA

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:24:49 GMT

The Perilous Journey from Central America to the States

Nancy Garcia will speak about the experience of migrants from Central America as they travel across Mexico to the United States.

Garcia works for the Center for the Orientation of Migrants in Oaxaca, Mexico. She'll also speak about U.S. trade policies and military aid lead to migration and affect the increasing violence in Mexico.

Thusday, October 20
BWC 249
The College of St. Scholasitica
7:00 pm

Sponsered by Witness for Peace and the Alworth Center for the Study of Peace & Justice at CSS and by the CSS Dept. of Global, Cultural and Language Studies

Minnesota Teachers Meet to Network Close to Home: News from Our Regional Representatives

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:16:39 GMT

On September 17, world language teachers from across the state of Minnesota met with their MCTLC regional representatives to share a cup of coffee or tea and ideas about teaching. MCTLC raffled off a gift membership to MCTLC from among those who participated and we are proud to announce the prize goes to Dave Schuettler from the Northeast Minnesota region. We want to give a special thanks to each of the regional representatives who worked hard to organize these events. We hope this tradition of getting together to support each other in our profession will continue and grow. Here are the reports from the individual regional representatives

Martin Pflug from the Northeast Minnesota region had seven teachers at the meeting from all levels and the sharing of ideas was very productive. They agreed to have another regional meeting in the spring. Naomi Pilantz from the Central Minnesota East region had three teachers attend, Monica Cofell, Jennifer Day with her baby Molly and Tracey Kloeckl-Jimenez. They felt the discussion was great. In the East Suburban Metro region Shannon Klint reported that they had a great discussion about TPRS and Language Acquisition Theory as well as talking about travel and culture. In St. Paul Linda Chang reported that six teachers attended and they plan to meet again on November 12 at 9:00 AM. Ayumi Stockman from Minneapolis mentioned that two teachers participated, one from Egypt and one from China. They shared stories about their cultures and talked about their first few weeks of teaching in Minnesota. In the North Suburban Metro area Marjie Hay reported that Charlie Jordan talked about his new class for native/heritage speakers of Spanish and Jessica Trost shared ways to use an online quizzing platform to assess her German students’ mastery of concepts.

If you do not know who your regional representative is, you can find out by clicking on the Contact link on the left hand menu of the website at www.mctlc.org. Select regional representatives. Please feel free to contact your regional representative with any questions you might have about MCTLC or to plan another regional meeting. We are currently looking for volunteers to be regional representatives from the South Central Minnesota, East Suburban, and Southwest Suburban regions. If you would be interested in serving in one of these positions, please contact Betty Lotterman at bettylotterman@hotmail.com

Living la Vida in Ramsey County

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:08:17 GMT

RCHS Gallery, Landmark Center, 75 West 5th Street, Saint Paul, MN
Landmark's building hours: 8-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, Thursdays until 8 p.m.,
Saturday 10-5p.m., and Sunday 1-5 p.m.. Free and open to the public.

Ramsey County Historical Society is pleased to host Living la Vida in Ramsey County, an exhibit developed by Historian Leila Albert, to highlight the culture and history of the Mexican-Americans who have worked over the past century to build a flourishing community in the heart of Ramsey County.

The exhibit in the RCHS Exhibit Gallery on the first floor of Landmark Center gives an overview of the history and culture of Mexican-Americans in Ramsey County. The content of the exhibit will be in both Spanish and English. The exhibit begins September 22, and runs through August 12, 2012.

A self-guided walking tour (download at link below) through St. Paul’s West Side offers you an opportunity to see places featuring local artwork of Mexican-American history and culture in Ramsey County.

West Side walking tour- English West Side walking tour- Spanish

Ramsey County History, the award winning quarterly magazine published by Ramsey County Historical Society, features Mexican-Americans in Ramsey County in volume 46, number 3.

Living la Vida complimentary programs will begin October 20 with a presentation and discussion by Leila Albert focused on how a Mexican-American community came to be situated in Ramsey County. On November 10 there will be a History Talk regarding repatriation in Ramsey County. Both programs begin at 6 p.m.and will be in room 430 of Landmark Center.

The exhibit and programs are free and open to the public

News from Regions 8 & 9

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:55:52 GMT

News from Regions 9 and 10

An enthusiastic group of world language teachers from regions 9 and 10 gathered for an idea exchange and swap meet on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 at Riverland Community College in Owatonna, MN. The cities of Mankato, Owatonna, Chatfield, Rochester and a visitor from St. Louis Park were represented by teachers who were interested in sharing their thoughts and ideas with each other. Some of the schools in regions 9 and 10 include smaller cities and towns where the world language teacher is often the only person in his or her department. The group was very interested in learning new ideas and discovering some tips to make their lessons more challenging, exciting and interesting. Networking is a valuable component of support. The group decided that they would like to meet quarterly.

Barbara Judd (Regional representative for Regions 9 and 10)

MCTLC announces the vice presidential candidates for 2011

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:01:41 GMT

Each year MCTLC votes for a new vice president. This person serves as vice president for one year, then as president elect for a year, the following year serves as president, and finally, as past president for a year. The voting will take place at our fall conference. So be sure to attend. This year we have two outstanding candidates, Kay Edberg and Marjie Hay. Please read their bios and vision statements so you can be prepared to vote at the conference. And if you haven't registered yet, the early bird discount ends September 15.

Kay Edberg

It has been a privilege to serve the members of MCTLC as Membership Chair during the past year. As a candidate for MCTLC vice president this year I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and allow members to get to know me better.

I graduated from Eveleth-Gilbert High School and attended Mesabi Community College and Bemidji State University where I received a B.S. in Spanish and Secondary Education. As part of my undergraduate work I studied abroad at the Universidad Autónoma de
Guadalajara. After several years of teaching, I received a scholarship from the Spanish government and earned a Máster Universitario en Lengua y Cultura Españolas from the Universidad de Salamanca. I currently teach four levels of high school Spanish
in Mora including two concurrent enrollment classes. I have also led several trips with students to both Spain and Costa Rica.

As I look toward the future of MCTLC, I hope to encourage more members to get involved in our organization. I encourage you to share your ideas on how MCTLC can better serve you, the members and I look forward to seeing all of our members at this
year's conference. We have 50 years of tradition to celebrate and the obligation to make the next 50 years even greater.

Marjie Hay

Greetings, friends and colleagues! My name is Marjie Hay and I’m excited about the prospect of serving as the next Vice President of MCTLC. I have been involved with our amazing state world language association for the past six years as a metro regional representative and most recently as the Historian. This past summer I read through MCTLC’s entire archived collection of MN Language Reviews and recent newsletters and was greatly inspired by the dedication and spirit of past board members. I aim to grow our membership and to better connect our members by organizing more formal and informal gatherings/workshops. I hope to increase our members’ awareness of resources through our website and Facebook, and to stand as a political and social advocate for world language education in MN and beyond.

This fall I begin my 14^th year of teaching. I currently teach Spanish at Brooklyn Center Jr./Sr. High School. After graduating from Colorado College I taught English and Speech in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Colorado for five years. I moved back to Minnesota in 2003 to teach Spanish and enrolled in graduate school at the University of MN where I recently earned my M.Ed. in 2^nd Languages and Cultures. My husband Chris and I reside in Brooklyn Center and have two little boys, Gus and Ollie.

It would be an honor to be elected the Vice President of MCTLC. I am committed to serving our cause and leading Minnesota forward in our quest to advance the teaching and learning of world languages and cultures.

Looking for host families

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:04:07 GMT

Our non-profit organization, American Councils for International Education, is looking for people willing to open their doors to a high school exchange student on our scholarship programs for from 6 weeks to three months. The deadline for this is August 25. Please contact as many people as you know who may be willing to commit to this or can pass this on to others who are potential temporary hosts. There are still a number of students left to place from countries like Serbia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, India, and Bangladesh. Temporary families allow us to enroll a student in a local school district and allow us the time to seek a permanent family for the rest of the year (August-June.) We are interested in hearing from people all over the U.S. People who have connections to these countries, or are active in their communities with volunteerism, civic leadership, etc. are ideal for this. If you have particular contacts at schools that would be helpful for us to know as well.

Our website has information about the programs and stories highlighting stories of the past year:

http://apps.americancouncils.org/acinbound

Hosting information is here:

http://apps.americancouncils.org/acinbound/?q=content/hosting-student-american-councils

Any interested host families can contact us at:

inbound@americancouncils.org or can call us at (866)790-2086 toll free.

Thanks for your help in getting the word out.

Best Regards,

The Inbound Team

Inbound Secondary School Placement

American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, Inc.

1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1200

Washington, DC 20036

(866)790-2086 toll free

(202)833-7522 phone

(202)833-7523 fax

For more information on hosting an exchange student: http://apps.americancouncils.org/acinbound

Education Seminars Program

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:57:26 GMT

American Councils for International Education

Bring the World to Your School with Educational Seminars!

The Educational Seminars program is funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and is implemented by American Councils for International Education. Program funding covers all costs and international travel takes place in the summer. U.S. school teachers and administrators are invited to apply for short-term exchanges in Argentina, Brazil, Greece, India, Italy, Thailand, and Uruguay. While in the host country, the educators will exchange best practices, network with educational leaders, and/or develop joint classroom projects and school partnerships.

The deadline for the Uruguay teacher exchange program is September 12, 2011. Applications for other programs will be available in October 2011.

Please share this professional development opportunity with U.S. school teachers and administrators.

Visit us: www.americancouncils.org/es.
Contact us: edseminars@americancouncils.org