Welcome Session
Fall Orientation is designed specifically for new FLTAs, AIs, and instructors, though all language instructors are welcome to attend our orientation events. Watch our 2020 Fall Orientation and meet the presenters.
Best Practices in Foreign Language Teaching
This workshop provides an overview of best practices in foreign language instruction, including usage of authentic materials, promoting a student-centered classroom, and ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Community.
Lesson Planning and Demos on Modes of Communication
This session will provide sample lesson plans and demos on the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational. For homework, each participant will develop a lesson plan focusing on one or two modes of communication to be presented during the microteaching session.
Experiencing a New Language
This session showcases a sample first-day foreign language lesson. Participants will be exposed to best teaching practices and strategies for using the target language from the first day of class. A guided discussion and analysis will follow.
Teaching Grammar in Context
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of some contemporary pedagogy concepts to help new associate instructors to teach grammar in context.
Teaching Demonstrations
Instructors will demonstrate lessons on Best Practices in language instruction. Lessons in three different languages will be modeled in the demos. Participants who do not speak the relevant demo language will take the role of students.
Microteaching Sessions and Reflections
Each participant will present a lesson plan that clearly reflects best FL instruction practices and (a minimum) of one mode of communication, followed by discussion and feedback from fellow instructors and Orientation leaders. Participants will be assigned a mode(s) of communication.
Counseling and Psychological Services
In this session, you will learn about Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) services, adjusting to graduate school, signs of distress, and how Associate Instructors should refer students to CAPS. We offer free online workshops on stress, anxiety, mindfulness, and other topics. Students learn strategies they can use immediately to improve symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety, and to better manage problems that affect their academic success.
College academic policies and academic integrity procedures
This training session is for Associate Instructors covering campus and College academic policies as well as academic integrity procedures. virtual session via Zoom that will include information on specific policies that apply and actions that AIs should take when faced with common classroom situations.
Introduction to Canvas for Language Instructors
This hands-on workshop provides an overview of the basic features and tools of the Canvas learning management system, which is used in all courses at IU. Specifically, you will learn to set up a new course manually, customize course navigation, create critical components such as syllabus, content pages, assignments, quizzes, rubrics, modules, course email, and discussion forums.
Zoom introduction
This hands-on workshop provides an overview of the basic features Zoom. This session will simulate teaching with Zoom—so you can both practice teaching with Zoom as well as having student experience. We will cover: scheduling zoom meetings, sharing meeting information, setting up the meeting for automatic recording, delivering a lesson with the room, screen sharing, creating breakout rooms for conversation, and locating and sharing recorded meetings.