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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260120T190000
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UID:30732-1768935600-1773174600@www.caslt.org
SUMMARY:Effective Assessment Strategies for FSL – Winter 2026
DESCRIPTION:Course Details\nSchedule and Format\n8 lessons over 8 weeks that blend theory and practice: \n\nEight 90-minute lessons over eight weeks that blend theory and practice:\n\n60 minutes of synchronous online learning\n30 minutes of collaborative planning and/or individual reflection (synchronously or asynchronously)\n\n\n\nFirst class: January 20\, 2026 \nLast class: March\, 2026 \nRegistration Fees\nRegistration includes a free digital copy of the Action-Oriented Approach Handbook. Participants who successfully complete a course will also receive a $20 gift card for CASLT’s online boutique. \n\n\n\nRegistration Type\nRate\n\n\nCASLT Member\n$145 + tax\n\n\nNon-member*\n$200 + tax\n\n\n\n*Includes a one-year CASLT membership. \nCourse Completion\nAll participants who finish the course successfully will receive a certificate of completion. \nParticipant Profile\nTeachers of K–12 Core\, Intensive/Extended French\, or French Immersion programs across Canada \nLanguage of the Course\nThis course uses a bilingual approach. Course content will be presented in English\, and participants may engage in coursework and discussions in English or French. \nInstructional Approach\n\nFlipped Classroom: Participants will engage with course materials before class\, allowing in-class time to be used for deeper discussion\, hands-on activities\, and collaborative learning.\nPeer Learning: Participants will be encouraged to learn from each other through structured group discussions and collaborative planning.\nReflective Practice: Participants will engage in regular written reflections to critically evaluate their learning and teaching practices.\nApplied Learning: The course will focus on creating and adapting practical\, context-specific tools and resources grounded in sound theoretical principles. Participants will engage in a continuous learning\, application\, and reflection cycle.\n\nCourse Description\nHow can we assess and evaluate our students in French while fostering engagement\, motivation\, and authentic use of the target language? What is the solution to assessment overwhelm and endless nights marking “my favourite animal” slideshows? This foundational course will explore best practices of assessment and evaluation in French as a second/additional language. Participants will learn practical and time-saving strategies for designing and implementing authentic and engaging assessments to evaluate student language proficiency in a classroom with diverse needs. The course covers essential topics\, including assessment frameworks\, triangulation of evidence\, differentiation\, inclusion\, curriculum alignment\, reporting\, workflow\, and international language credentials. Participants will engage in hands-on activities and discussions emphasizing collaborative planning and practical application. By the end of the course\, participants will have developed a personalized repertoire of formative and summative assessments tailored to their specific contexts. \nLearning Outcomes\nBy the end of this 8-lesson course\, participants will: \n\nDesign assessments that incorporate real-world scenarios and encourage the authentic use of the French language.\nDevelop assessment strategies to accommodate diverse learning needs and promote inclusivity.\nImplement triangulation methods to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of student proficiency.\nImplement practical and efficient strategies to streamline the assessment process and reduce workload.\n\nCourse Overview\n\n\n\nLesson\nGuiding Questions\nLearning Objectives\n\n\n1\nWhat are the key components of an effective assessment framework in FSL? \nWhat existing knowledge and experiences do we bring to the course? \nHow can we create a collaborative learning community to enhance our understanding of assessment frameworks?\nIdentify and describe the key components of effective assessment frameworks for FSL. \nAnalyze the impact of different assessment frameworks on language learning and teaching outcomes. \nBuild a collaborative learning community to support ongoing dialogue and shared learning about best practices in FSL assessment.\n\n\n2\nHow can we modify assessment tasks to meet the diverse learning needs of all learners? \nWhat strategies can we employ to provide appropriate challenges for advanced learners while supporting those who need additional help? \nHow can we design assessments to reflect the diversity of backgrounds and experiences in our classrooms?\nImplement strategies and develop assessment tasks that accommodate the diverse needs of FSL learners. \nIntegrate technology to support differentiated and inclusive assessment practices. \nAssess the effectiveness of differentiated and inclusive assessment strategies and make necessary adjustments.\n\n\n3\nHow can we incorporate real-world scenarios and contexts into our assessments? \nHow can we integrate student interests and experiences into assessment design to enhance engagement and relevance? \nHow can we balance the need for authentic assessments with curriculum requirements and standards?\nIncorporate real-world tasks and content into FSL assessments to enhance language learning relevance and application. \nDevelop rubrics and assessment criteria to effectively assess student performance on authentic tasks. \nIdentify potential challenges in designing and implementing authentic assessments and propose solutions.\n\n\n4\nWhat strategies can ensure validity and reliability when evaluating different types of evidence? \nHow can we leverage technology to gather and organize evidence from various sources? \nHow can we involve students in the process of collecting and reflecting on multiple sources of evidence?\nDifferentiate between formative and summative assessments and explain their roles within an assessment framework. \nImplement triangulation methods to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of student proficiency. \nIdentify and apply strategies to ensure the validity and reliability of different types of evidence in student assessments. \nDevelop methods to actively involve students in the collection and reflection process of various evidence forms\, fostering self-assessment and ownership of learning.\n\n\n5\nHow can we design assessments that are both challenging and motivating for students? \nWhat role does feedback play in maintaining and enhancing student motivation? \nHow can we create a classroom environment that encourages risk-taking and perseverance in language learning?\nCreate stimulating and rigorous assessments to boost student interest and involvement. \nDeliver impactful feedback to drive student motivation and improvement. \nEstablish a supportive classroom atmosphere to promote student confidence and persistence in language learning.\n\n\n6\nHow can we ensure our assessments align with curriculum standards and learning objectives? \nWhat are some effective ways to communicate assessment criteria and expectations to students? \nHow can we report assessment results in a way that is clear\, constructive\, and supportive of student growth? \nHow can we integrate the preparation for international credentials into our regular assessment practices without overwhelming students?\nAlign assessment practices with educational standards and learning targets to ensure relevance and coherence. \nCommunicate assessment goals and criteria effectively to students\, parents\, and other stakeholders. \nIncorporate international language credential preparation into routine assessments thoughtfully and intentionally.\n\n\n7\nWhat are some time-saving strategies for designing and implementing assessments? \nHow can we use digital tools and resources to streamline the assessment and feedback process? \nWhat are some ways to efficiently mark and provide feedback on student work?\nAdopt efficient methods for designing and implementing assessments to save time. \nUtilize digital tools to streamline the assessment and feedback processes. \nApply efficient marking strategies to provide timely and effective feedback.\n\n\n8\nWhat are some key considerations when developing a personalized assessment repertoire for our specific classroom contexts? \nHow can we ensure our assessment plans are flexible and adaptable to changing classroom dynamics and student needs? \nWhat are some practical tips for implementing the strategies learned in this series in our daily teaching practice?\nDevelop a repertoire of formative and summative assessments for immediate use. \nCreate flexible assessment plans that adapt to classroom dynamics and student needs. \nApply practical strategies on an ongoing basis.
URL:https://www.caslt.org/en/event/assessment-fsl-2026/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:FSL Fundamentals,Professional Learning
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260122T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260312T203000
DTSTAMP:20260416T030351
CREATED:20251114T184948Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251201T195926Z
UID:30742-1769108400-1773347400@www.caslt.org
SUMMARY:FSL Teaching Approaches and Strategies – Winter 2026
DESCRIPTION:Course Details\nSchedule and Format\n8 lessons over 8 weeks that blend theory and practice: \n\nSynchronous 90-minute classes Thursdays\, 7:00–8:30 p.m. ET (on Zoom)\nParticipants are asked to apply what they are learning in their own classrooms and share their observations with course colleagues.\nOptional activities: Reading/viewing activities complement the course discussions.\n\nFirst class: January 22\, 2026 \nLast class: March 12\, 2026 \nRegistration Fees\nRegistration includes a free digital copy of the Action-Oriented Approach Handbook. Participants who successfully complete a course will also receive a $20 gift card for CASLT’s online boutique. \n\n\n\nRegistration Type\nRate\n\n\nCASLT Member\n$145 + tax\n\n\nNon-member*\n$200 + tax\n\n\n\n*Includes a one-year CASLT membership. \nCourse Completion\nAll participants who finish the course successfully will receive a certificate of completion. \nParticipant Profile\nTeachers of Core\, Intensive/Extended French\, or French Immersion programs (elementary or secondary) \nLanguage of the Course\nThis course is taught with a bilingual approach. Course content will be presented in English\, with classroom examples in French. Participants may engage with coursework and discussions in English or French. \nInstructional Approach\n\nAction-oriented: Each module will include authentic examples from FSL classrooms\, including videos of classrooms in action and examples of student work. Throughout the course\, participants will contribute their analyses\, questions\, and reflections as we examine these examples together and identify the teachers’ and students’ strategies for improving communication in French.\nDifferentiated: Each participant is asked to set out personalized learning objectives\, reflecting on their own professional learning goals for the course. The activities in the course are designed to be transferable to different teaching contexts. We will make explicit connections to how strategies can be adapted or selected based on student age\, interest\, and skill-level.\n\nCourse Description\nIn this course\, we will explore different approaches and strategies for teaching French. Why do some strategies work better in certain contexts or for teaching certain skills? Join us in a safe\, no-judgment professional learning environment where we will share examples of what works (and what doesn’t!). We will also discuss the research and experiences that inform our teaching practices. \nThe course is anchored in the pedagogy (Action-Oriented Approach) and language skill development (comprehension\, production\, interaction) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) but the principles are also applicable to other frameworks. \nLearning Outcomes\nBy the end of this 8-week course\, participants will be able to: \n\nDistinguish between different pedagogical approaches to teaching French as a second/additional language\nIdentify and compare a variety of evidence-based strategies to help students develop their communicative skills in listening\, speaking\, reading\, and writing\nApply those strategies to their own teaching context and receive feedback on their approach\n\nCourse Overview\n\n\n\nLesson\nGuiding Questions\nLearning Objectives\n\n\n1\nHow do your personal identity\, lived experiences\, interests\, and viewpoints influence the development of your proficiencies in the languages you use? \nWhat can we learn from historical approaches to teaching a second or additional language?\nRecognize the impact of personal learning experiences and preferences on our teaching choices/methods. \nExamine historical and evidence-based approaches used in second/additional language teaching. \nApply a Culturally Responsive Teaching approach to French language classrooms.\n\n\n2\nHow does the brain impact learning and second/additional language acquisition? \nIn what ways does teaching French as a second/additional language in a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework meet the needs of all my students?\nUnderstand how the brain can impact language acquisition. \nApply the framework of UDL to optimize teaching and developing student proficiency in French. \nConsider the affective filter when planning for language acquisition. \nIdentify the needs of your students.\n\n\n3\nHow can the Input Hypothesis develop beginner French skills? \nHow can Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) and Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM) build a foundation for language acquisition?\nUse comprehensible input to develop proficiency in the French language. \nExamine the use of TPRS and AIM to build a foundation for language acquisition in your teaching practice.\n\n\n4\nTo what extent can the Neurolinguistic Approach (NLA) develop learner proficiency in the French language when learning a new structure or skill?\nExamine the use of the NLA to build a comprehensible-input foundation for language acquisition in your teaching practice. \nDesign learning experiences that put boucler la boucle into practice.\n\n\n5\nIn what ways can proficiency samples guide my understanding of expectations and French proficiency? \nIn what ways can I develop learner proficiency in written and oral production skills?\nUnderstand written and oral production proficiency levels of learners (from A1 to B2). \nDesign learning opportunities that develop written and oral production skills. \nIdentify supports for students before and during activities to address their learning needs.\n\n\n6\nIn what ways can proficiency samples guide my understanding of expectations and French proficiency? \nIn what ways can I develop learner proficiency in written and oral comprehension skills?\nUnderstand written and oral comprehension proficiency levels of learners (from A1 to B2). \nDesign learning opportunities that develop written and oral comprehension skills. \nIdentify supports for students before and during activities to address their learning needs.\n\n\n7\nTo what extent can the Action-Oriented Approach (AOA) be used to develop competencies so that students can achieve action-oriented tasks and use French effectively in a social context?\nExamine the use of the AOA to teach French as a second/additional language and develop communicative and intercultural competencies. \nDevelop students’ social agency and learner autonomy.\n\n\n8\nHow can we move forward? Celebrating our growth and identifying our next steps using self-assessment and professional learning practices.\nReflect and plan purposefully to embed what you have learned into your teaching practice. \nUse the CEFR to continue to guide your practice for proficiency growth in the FSL classroom. \nReflect on the power of communities of teaching and learning.
URL:https://www.caslt.org/en/event/fsl-approaches-2026/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:FSL Fundamentals,Professional Learning
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260128T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260128T203000
DTSTAMP:20260416T030351
CREATED:20260108T151344Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260108T151344Z
UID:31197-1769626800-1769632200@www.caslt.org
SUMMARY:Voices from the Field: Understanding the Cultural Adaptation and Integration Challenges of Internationally Trained Teachers
DESCRIPTION:This session is the second in a series of three sessions for our Pathways to Success project\, which focuses on valuing the second and additional language education and the professional integration of internationally trained teachers (ITTs). \nFollowing the first session in February 2025\, this second session provides an opportunity to share\, collaborate\, and co-create sustainable solutions to support the professional integration of ITTs and promote their contribution to the advancement of second and additional language education in Canada. \nThe presentation will be delivered in French\, followed by bilingual (English/French) small-group discussions. Participants are welcome to contribute in either language during the discussion period. \nStep 1: Cultural Adaptation and Professional Integration – Challenges and Possible Solutions\nBuilding on research and field experience\, we will highlight the key professional integration and cultural adaptation challenges experienced by ITTs. We will propose concrete solutions by emphasizing the essential role of internships\, coaching\, and mentoring as well as the conditions that promote sustainable and equitable integration\, both for ITTs and their host communities. \nAt the end of the presentation\, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions\, share their thoughts\, and chat with the presenter to expand on the themes discussed and begin a group discussion that will continue during the collaborative activity. \nStep 2: Fostering the Emergence of Knowledge from the Field\nIn mixed groups bringing together administrators and ITTs\, participants will share experiences to find common ground and analyze challenges\, enabling factors\, and successes related to professional integration and cultural adaptation. Each group will be invited to develop a concrete\, realistic course of action applicable at the institution or support-system level. The goal is not to produce ideal solutions\, but to find paths anchored in the realities of the field.
URL:https://www.caslt.org/en/event/pathways-to-success-20260128/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar,Professional Learning
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260130T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260130T151500
DTSTAMP:20260416T030351
CREATED:20250814T175717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T160528Z
UID:29903-1769767200-1769786100@www.caslt.org
SUMMARY:Virtual Professional Learning Day (January 2026)
DESCRIPTION:Registration is now closed. \nCASLT’s Virtual PL Days provide a platform for teachers to connect with colleagues\, engage in interactive professional learning opportunities\, and share best practices. Our experienced team of professional learning facilitators will explore research-informed teaching approaches and strategies to inspire\, motivate\, and challenge teachers to improve their practice. The sessions will be recorded and participants will also leave each workshop with a ready-to-use teacher tool. \nRegistration Options\nMultiple registration options are available to accommodate scheduling and budgetary constraints: \n\n\n\nOption\nMember Price\nStudent Member Price\nNon-Member Price*\n\n\n\n\nFull day (10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET)\n$90 + tax\n$50 + tax\n$120 + tax\n\n\nHalf day AM (10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET)\n$50 + tax\n$30 + tax\n$80 + tax\n\n\nHalf day PM (12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET)\n$50 + tax\n$30 + tax\n$80 + tax\n\n\n\n*Includes a one-year CASLT membership. \nSchedule\nEach Virtual PL Day will include two streams (one in English and one in French) of four 60-minute workshops. Full day registration includes access to all four workshop blocks\, and half day registration (either AM or PM) includes access to two workshop blocks. \n\n\n\nStart Time*\nEnd Time*\nDescription\n\n\n\n\n10:00 a.m.\n10:15 a.m.\nWelcome and Introduction (Full day or Half day AM registrants)\n\n\n10:15 a.m.\n11:15 a.m.\nShifting Perspectives: Centring Student Voices\, Identity\, and CRRP \nPresenters: Karen Devonish-Mazzotta and Cécile Robertson \nLanguage: English\nHelping Students Build Their Identity Through Intercultural Experiences \nPresenter: Carl Ruest \nLanguage: French\n\n\n11:15 a.m.\n11:30 a.m.\nBreak\n\n\n11:30 a.m.\n12:30 p.m.\nLiving Language: Weaving Indigenous Languages and Ways of Knowing \nPresenters: Gemma Porter and Shirley Cardinal \nLanguage: English\nWhen Language Resonates: Music as a Cultural Speaker \nPresenter: Shauna Néro \nLanguage: French\n\n\n12:30 p.m.\n1:00 p.m.\nBreak (Full day registrants)\n\n\n12:45 p.m.\n1:00 p.m.\nWelcome and Introduction (Half day PM registrants)\n\n\n1:00 p.m.\n2:00 p.m.\nTomorrow’s Tools Today: Using AI in the Additional Language Classroom \nPresenter: Stephanie Jackson \nLanguage: English\nThe Role of the Home Language in the L+ Classroom \nPresenter: Monica Tang \nLanguage: French\n\n\n2:00 p.m.\n2:15 p.m.\nBreak\n\n\n2:15 p.m.\n3:15 p.m.\nCreating and Integrating Games Into Language Teaching \nPresenter: Charlotte Crober \nLanguage: English\nFeedback Worth Giving \nPresenter: Marc-Albert Paquette \nLanguage: French\n\n\n\n* Eastern Standard Time \nSession Descriptions\nEnglish Sessions\nShifting Perspectives: Centring Student Voices\, Identity\, and CRRP\nKaren Devonish-Mazotta and Cécile Robertson \nTo better engage additional language (L+) learners\, educators must shift their attention to centring student voice\, interest\, agency\, and identity. When students have more opportunities to see themselves in the L+ classroom and to make meaningful and relevant connections with their lived experiences\, L+ learning becomes an opportunity to explore and apply language in transformative ways. \nDuring this workshop\, participants will reflect on their social identities and how these inform their practice\, L+ pedagogy\, and learning. A juxtaposition between Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP)\, Intercultural Understanding and Awareness (IUA)\, and curriculum will provide an opportunity to explore anti-oppressive teaching strategies and highlight the importance of critical consciousness in all aspects of L+ policy\, practice\, teaching\, and learning. \nLiving Language: Weaving Indigenous Languages and Ways of Knowing\nGemma Porter and Shirley Cardinal \nDrawing from two courses developed for CASLT (Understanding Decolonization and Indigenization and Diversity of Indigenous Languages)\, this session aims to explore the essential relationship between Indigenous languages and Indigenous ways of knowing. Using pedagogies of story\, lands\, and relational reflexivity\, participants will be guided in experiencing how Indigenous languages are deeply intertwined with ways of knowing and being in the world. \nParticipants will engage in interactive activities that highlight moving beyond the relationship between language and cultural identity to consider how language is foundational to relational ways of knowing and being. By the end of the session\, attendees will have gained insights into the importance of preserving and revitalizing Indigenous languages as central to processes of decolonization and promoting educational equity. \nTomorrow’s Tools Today: Using AI in the Additional Language Classroom\nStephanie Jackson \nCurious about how AI can help you save time and spark creativity in your language classroom? This hands-on workshop will explore practical ways teachers can use AI for lesson planning\, creating resources\, and supporting instruction\, all while keeping the human touch front and centre. Participants will discover free AI tools that can generate lesson plans\, sample texts\, and visuals in the target language. Learn how to create attractive slideshows and resources in minutes\, or how to provide customized feedback to students. Participants will also explore strategies for guiding students in the ethical use of AI\, from checking their writing to practicing tricky grammar. Walk away with ready-to-use ideas\, classroom-tested strategies\, and at least one AI-assisted resource to bring straight to your next lesson. \nCreating and Integrating Games Into Language Teaching\nCharlotte Crober \nThis workshop guides participants through the process of creating Plume: Purrfectly Fluent\, a language-learning board game designed with human-centred design principles. In this game\, players follow Plume\, a cat who wakes up with a mermaid tail and must navigate canals to reach the magical antidote (and everyone knows cats hate water!). Players complete English-language challenges to move along in the game. \nThis workshop focuses on empowering educators to create engaging games and activities tailored to their students’ needs. Participants will explore the development process\, from the initial concept to a prototype\, and gain insight into the skills and resources needed to design and build a small-scale game. They will leave the session with practical ideas for integrating games into language teaching\, using human-centred design to keep students motivated and engaged. This workshop offers the tools and inspiration to create educational games and activities that soothe anxiety and promote laughter in the classroom. \nFrench Sessions\nHelping Students Build Their Identity Through Intercultural Experiences\nCarl Ruest \nHow can we encourage our students to discover and shape their identity through intercultural experiences? This workshop will present an approach where reading\, viewing authentic texts\, and meeting people from different backgrounds become engines of self-discovery. This approach also allows students to address issues and questions related to equity\, diversity\, inclusion\, and decolonization. This interactive workshop will present concrete activities rooted in the process of intercultural learning. Participants will leave with practical ideas\, a checklist\, and a teaching handout. Encourage your students to show greater respect for others and foster the development of their plural identities! \nWhen Language Resonates: Music as a Cultural Speaker\nShauna Néro \nMusic isn’t just background noise: it’s a gateway to language\, culture\, and identity. Music is a powerful authentic resource that captures learners’ attention and immerses them in the target language. More than a simple teaching tool\, it stimulates communication\, critical reflection and cultural openness. By listening\, reacting to\, and analyzing songs\, students explore universal themes and identities\, discover other points of view\, and develop linguistic and intercultural skills. Through music\, learners interact with audio\, visual\, and cultural elements that enrich their experience\, such as lyrics\, rhythms\, themes\, stereotypes\, or cultural representations. The richness and diversity of music online offer countless opportunities to connect the classroom with the reality of linguistic communities around the world. This workshop will highlight inspiring examples of the Francophonie\, while proposing strategies and resources that can be adapted to any additional language (L+). Participants will leave with hands-on activities to engage their students\, nurture their creativity\, and inspire them to discover their own identities. \nThe Role of the Home Language in the L+ Classroom\nMonica Tang \nIn a plurilingual context\, what are the place and role of the home language in teaching our additional language (L+) students? How do we help our language learners grow new skills in a new language when the temptation to use the more familiar home language is ever present? Whether you teach English as a second language (ESL)\, French Immersion\, or beginner Spanish\, this workshop is for you. \nWhen we teach an L+\, our attitudes about the home language form a linguistic landscape in the classroom that is tied to the form of bilingualism/plurilingualism in which we believe. This belief\, in turn\, informs the kind of linguistic identity that we foster through our teaching. To help our students create positive and legitimate identities\, rather than deficit-based and monolingual identities\, it is important to pay attention to how we relate to their dominant languages and how we can strategically integrate them into our L+ pedagogies. K-12 teachers\, administrators\, and teacher educators are invited to come discuss. \nFeedback Worth Giving\nMarc-Albert Paquette \nThis interactive webinar is specifically designed for second and additional language teachers who want to maximize the impact of their feedback. It will explore how to move from a simple correction to feedback “worth giving”\, which is not only heard but actively sought by the learner. Beyond the theoretical principles\, we will examine three essential components of effective feedback that support students’ skill development: descriptive (observational)\, constructive (action-oriented)\, and targeted (to avoid cognitive overload). To anchor these concepts in the classroom reality\, we will work with concrete examples and authentic scenarios. Together\, we will analyze a test case to practice developing specific avenues for assistance. Participants will leave with practical strategies to build trust and provide feedback that truly energizes their students’ engagement and success.
URL:https://www.caslt.org/en/event/virtual-pl-day-jan-2026/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Professional Learning
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