And this is it! We’ve just had our final banquet! There’s still a class tomorrow morning, but some members of the group are heading out tomorrow as well. So, we had our final banquet and certificates’ ceremony tonight.
We got a delicious meal and an awards ceremony that followed. All the Arabic STARTALK participants received certificates of completion of the program. Dr. Salah Ayari received a 5-year Excellence Award for all the work that he did for CLV these past years.
Finally, the evening concluded with a surprize thank you to the staff from all the teachers.
Enjoy the photos.
Thanks everyone for yet another great summer!
We had an amazing opportunity to spend half-a-day at the Arabic Language Village Al-Waha.
Some highlights of the visit were: observing language classes, singing, dancing, debrief with the dean Emad, as well as conversations with Nur about daily activities at Al-Waha, and conversations with other counselors.
Advance Arabic Class
Intermediate Arabic Class
Conversation with Emad
Conversation with Nur
We learned a great deal from Al-Waha and from each other, had some great times outdoors, and some meaningful conversations and discussions.
Check out the rest of the pictures from the visit here.
Check out photos from our various trips here!
Three teachers observed an opening day on July 12. We met Patrick Roger Bessong of Cameroun, master instrument craftsman and musician. Andrea and Genevieve bought instruments to take back to their classrooms!
STARTALK Chinese teachers, and the cohorts 3 and 4 of our Masters Program attended International Day at Waldsee. We were treated to a presentation of the history of the Language Villages which began 50 years ago. The first village was Waldsee, (for more history see information on the main website). A nordic lunch followed of lox, herring, cheese, bread and salads.
Then we proceeded to the Peace Ceremony at which we paid hommage to the late Concordia College President, Pamela Jolicoeur. She was a strong supporter of the Language Villages and international education.
Lac du Bois-Bemidji offered words of peace in a song, “Cultivons la Paix,” and spoke of the long-time relationship with staff from Cameroon. Cameroon celebrates its 50th anniversary of independance this year.
International Day celebrations of the afternoon included an opening ceremony, songs and chants from every village on the Markplatz, international food stands, shopping, global activities, and a wonderful closing ceremony.
Our instructor, Brandon "Bastien" Locke, presents each of us with our "Certificates of Completion" at our celebration dinner.
Teacher Seminars' participants put closure on their 10 days together by sharing their IPA units with each other.
Today marks the end of our 10-day seminar together. We have all learned a lot, from each other, from guest presenters, and of course, from our visits to the Language Villages. We spent much of the morning sitting in the sun and listening to our colleagues as they shared their IPA topics with our group. It was great to hear how all of the topics presented throughout the course came together in the form of articulated thematic-based curriculum units, from the essential questions to the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational tasks, to the integrated of the National Standards. Our group is dispersing with solid curricular plans in place and we definitely enjoyed listening to each other’s ideas. Likewise, the group benefitted from asking questions of and offering suggestions to their colleagues. This sharing was very powerful. Our challenge now will be to bring back this new knowledge that we have gained from this course, and put it into practice in our classrooms. Seeing CLV in action has inspired us to bring a little bit of CLV back home with us, and hopefully inspire our students with some of the valuable strategies and activities that work so well at the Language Villages.
The 2009 Teacher Seminars program came to a close with our last meal together – a celebration dinner in the form of a 4-course Italian banquet. It was a time to celebrate with each other for one last time, putting closure on our time together. It was a time to reflect on the intensity of the seminar, the rich conversations and discussions with each other , the obvious growth and learning that took place, and the celebration of accomplishments, specifically the IPA units.
“The real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust
“I, too, am enjoying this journey where you are showing us ‘landscapes’ through new eyes.” - Wencke, college German Instructor from Utah
