Priority Scholars

School: Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
Language: French
CARLA Summer Institute: Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success

I am interested in participating in this institute to learn more about effective strategies for using AI in the language classroom.  Students are already comfortable using AI for a variety of purposes.  I look forward to becoming a more informed and adept AI user who can guide them to use this tool to enhance their language acquisition.  For example, I would like to show students how to use AI as a conversation partner to help them with their listening/speaking, pronunciation, and vocabulary acquisition in French.  I'd like to do the same with reading passages whose content might be tailored to their skill level and individual areas of interest.  To help students plan for their culture projects, I would like to help them learn how to effectively brainstorm and plan for this assignment.  And I'd like to show students how to improve their written French through tailored prompts using AI. Overall, I am seeking to discover strategies for using AI to help students learn French in productive ways that are of high interest to them.

Proposed Project: As a follow-up activity/project, I would like to prepare a presentation for my colleagues at Spelman that demonstrates how AI can help students to learn a world language.  Based on my experience, students are not always aware of how to effectively study/learn another language, and they may not understand why the same study strategies they use for content-based courses do not necessarily work well for their language course.  Beyond talking to my students about effective study strategies, which I do regularly, I'd like to help remedy this recurring gap using AI.  Some of my students are already using AI by prompting it to give them sentences to practice.  I would like to build on what they are already doing to develop a set of study tools or prompts that will direct them to study in more active, focused, and effective ways.  For example, I envision prompting AI with a set of activities designed to help students practice spelling vocabulary words in French and using them to create meaningful sentences.  This will help students to move beyond a basic recognition and/or translation of French vocabulary toward a more communicative use of the language in context. Another idea is to create a set of activities that helps students to practice focused grammar functions in context.  I also envision helping students to improve their writing skills in French through practice activities using AI.  Ultimately, I would like to show my colleagues how to create activities for any world language using AI, in an effort to help students develop effective study strategies and improve their acquisition of the language overall.   

School: Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Language: Arabic
CARLA Summer Institute: Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom

Attending this institute will allow me to effectively implement cultural elements into my classes. I host many cultural events for my students to introduce them to Arab culture, and this institute will greatly equip me with the best practices for cultural events. Additionally, I learned about the common frameworks of culture and cultural learning (products, practices, and people) during this institute and how to create activities enhanced by this framework. Another thing I want to learn during this institute is how to integrate cultural elements into authentic material-based lessons that support the lesson objectives. Finally, I want to practice assessing my students’ cultural learning, which requires skills different from linguistic learning. 

Proposed Project: My follow-up activity for this institute will include creating a series of lessons integrating Arab culture for intermediate Arabic learners in an asynchronous. The unit will be based on authentic materials and introduce different aspects of Arab culture (e.g., food, traditional customs, music, traditions). The main objective will be to deepen the learners’ understanding of the rich Arab culture. This series of units can be shared with other instructors of Arabic to use with their students. This series can also be shared as an open resource material for Arabic teachers worldwide. Also, I will share the practices I learned at this institute with my fellow graduate students interested in language teaching. 

School: Smith College, Northhampton, MA
Language: Arabic
CARLA Summer Institute: Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success

I would like to enroll in the institute because I need to learn how to integrate AI in language learning and teaching. I want to be able to apply new tools in my teaching to motivate my students learning the language skills. AI tools is making changes in the pedagogical process, and enrolling in the institute will help me a lot to keep up with these changes. I am interested in creating activities related to AI that focus on improving students reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills . This will improve my teaching and class pedagogy. It is important to gain new knowledge, as a teacher, I need to develop my teaching methods, and this will give me an opportunity  to grow and learn and share with other teachers. It will opens for me new venues to write a research.

Proposed Project: I will create a new lesson plan based on using AI. The level will be intermediate. I am interested in developing students' writing and reading skills. I will use an AI tool called " Diffit." Students will read a text in Arabic once a week related  to a topic I will give the class for two months. They will summarize the readings using their own language, make three questions, and learn at least three new vocabulary,  In class, the students will share their summary, questions, and vocabulary. The main goal  is to improve students' writing and learning ability, this also will influence students' speaking ability. Students will learn from each other. The students will be given a notebook to keep a record of their summary, I will read their summaries and give them feedback.

School: Bellevue School District, WA
Language: Arabic, Hindi, Korean
CARLA Summer Institute: Teaching for Proficiency in Dual Language Immersion

I currently serve as a bilingual program developer in my district, where I have numerous responsibilities, including curriculum writing and adoption, coaching classroom teachers and administrators, and program evaluation. I have developed and oversee our Arabic, Hindi, and Korean programs. My primary involvement is with our elementary programs, which follow a dual language model, whereas our secondary programs currently operate more as world language courses. However, I believe that K–12 students across these programs would greatly benefit from a more cohesive approach to language learning.

One of the main reasons we have introduced less commonly taught languages like Arabic, Hindi, and Korean is because our student demographics reflect these linguistic backgrounds. As a result, many of our elementary and secondary classes include heritage language learners with diverse experiences and varying proficiency levels. This makes a deep understanding of ACTFL proficiency guidelines essential, as I need to critically evaluate what is appropriate and beneficial for our students.

Additionally, I am eager to learn more classroom strategies to support teachers in increasing students' oral proficiency. As a Korean speaker, I also write our elementary Korean curriculum and would like to strengthen my lesson plans by integrating content and language more effectively. This institute would provide the professional development I need to refine my approach and better serve our students and teachers.

Proposed Project: I plan to apply my learning from the summer institute in three key ways. First, I will facilitate a summer workshop for classroom teachers, equipping them with research-based strategies to enhance language instruction. Second, I will work with administrators to align teacher evaluations with the principles learned at the institute, ensuring that instructional expectations reflect best practices for multilingual learners. Finally, I will refine and expand my existing curriculum units to incorporate new insights, making them more effective for both teachers and students.
By implementing these follow-up activities, I aim to strengthen instructional practices across our district since I work at central office, ultimately improving language learning outcomes for students.

School: Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA
Language: Chinese
CARLA Summer Institute: Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success

I chose Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success, which is a new option for the summer institute. With the rapid advancements in AI and the potential of AI tools in education, I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the possibilities and unsure of how to best start using them appropriately and systematically in my Chinese language classes. I am eager to gain valuable resources, skills, and insights from this summer institute to enhance my teaching practices and create meaningful learning experiences for my students.

As a Chinese language teacher working with 6th-12th grade students, I strive to integrate innovative strategies into my classroom to motivate and engage learners. Through this opportunity, I hope to seek hands-on training with AI tools and inclusive AI learning experiences, as well as access to adaptable lesson plans that I can tailor to my curriculum. These resources will enable me to inspire curiosity and foster active participation in my classroom, bridging the gap between language acquisition and 21st-century skills.

Additionally, I aim to learn how to design activities using AI to promote students' voices and choices, ensuring differentiation and accessibility for learners of various proficiency levels. By incorporating AI-driven activities, I can better address the diverse needs of my students, empowering them to take ownership of their learning journey. This aligns with my commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive environment where all students feel valued and supported.

Participation in this institute will also provide me with a network of like-minded educators, offering opportunities to exchange ideas and best practices. Ultimately, I hope to leverage these experiences to cultivate a classroom that not only supports language learning but also prepares students with global competence.

Proposed Project: My plans for the follow-up activities/projects are:

1.A presentation to language teachers in my school at the monthly department meeting as well as at the 2026 annual Chinese language teachers conference organized by CLTA-USA. The presentation will showcase the AI tools and sample lesson ideas and activities I will learn from this summer institute. I would like to focus on practical applications about how to use them to engage learners, enhance their proficiency, and offer differentiations with my takeaways and reflections. I will also address ethical considerations. Through such a presentation, I hope to raise awareness among my colleagues about the potential and power of AI in language education and provide more practical guidance to other Chinese language educators on how to effectively and ethically use AI in the classroom.

2.A classroom project to be implemented in one or more of my classes, depending on my students’ proficiency levels. I am particularly interested in an AI-enhanced lesson that emphasizes student voice and choice. This project will provide students with hands-on experience using AI tools tailored to their individual interests and proficiency levels, while at the same time developing their 21st-century skills such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and digital literacy. I plan to incorporate peer feedback and student reflections throughout the project to refine my teaching practices.

School: University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College
Language: German, Polish
CARLA Summer Institute: Building Blocks for Intercultural, Pragmatic, and Interactional Competence

Fundamentally, I am a learner trying to improve my own efforts to help students’ development, never completely satisfied with what I have already achieved. It is very important to me to have effective teaching methods and develop interesting assignments for my students. The Summer Institute Building Blocks for Intercultural, Pragmatic, and Interactional Competence would help me tremendously to develop the follow-up project for my intermediate/advanced students of Polish.  I would better explain pragmatics and their individual communicative needs.  I'm not familiar with the IPIC framework and gaining that knowledge would be very beneficial.  I'm also looking for ways to explain how politeness and social norms influence successful intercultural communication. The hands-on institute would give me examples of assessment materials and strategies to provide feedback.

Proposed Project: Based on the topic of the summer institute, I'm proposing an Outreach Activity to my colleagues at the University of Texas and Austin Community College.

In addition, my main interest is in creating a classroom-based project for my intermediate/advanced level students of Polish. In the unit about Polish heritage in our textbook, I would like to develop a project where students can connect with Polish communities beyond their classroom. Austin Polish Society can offer a unique resource for students to reach their full linguistic potential. I have an assignment in mind to ask students to interview a native speaker about their Polish roots. I want my students to communicate both in academic settings and also bring other people's experiences to class.
It could be a great example of sociolinguistic teaching, even to show them that what the native speaker is saying is not wrong, although the standard language is different.

These conversations with the native speaker will make it clear that by getting a read on regional varieties and student experiences, students can learn to look beyond the “standard” version of their language that may be found in textbooks.  I'm hoping the project will widen their perspectives through those conversations.

It would be a project as opposed to textbook material and would help my students to engage with the Polish community in Austin. Students would be able to connect culture with vocabulary.

The immigration stories could be a start point for a research project contrasting and comparing the immigration waves to Texas/USA.  It could be expanded to a field trip to Polish Heritage Center in Panna Maria, TX which was the very first Polish settlement in the US.

School: Macalester College, St. Paul, MN 
Language: Japanese
CARLA Summer Institute: Empowering Language Teachers to Leverage AI for Student Success

I'm eager to explore the many ways AI can enhance learning. I believe it has strong potential not just for curriculum and activity development, but also for individual student language acquisition.

Proposed Project: I plan to share what I've learned with other colleagues. I believe sharing my AI knowledge with other language teachers is crucial. By collaborating, we can develop innovative language education that prepares students for the IT age. I'm excited about AI's potential in language learning.

I'm also eager to employ AI to improve my existing projects, such as the travel and culture projects. In the travel project, students research a city's attractions, food, and culture, sometimes interviewing locals for unique insights. They then create a travel plan. AI could act as a virtual travel consultant, providing personalized advice and resources during their research, leading to richer, more informed travel plans.

In the culture project, students research a topic and then interview Japanese people for their perspectives. AI could help students develop insightful interview questions, analyze the responses, and identify key themes. This would broaden their understanding and improve their analytical skills. AI could also provide access to a wider range of cultural materials, such as articles and virtual museum tours, and give feedback on presentations, focusing on accuracy and cultural sensitivity.

School: Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Language: Chinese, ESL
CARLA Summer Institute: Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom

I currently teach beginner-level Chinese at Howard University, working predominantly with Black undergraduate students. I have found that the textbook we adopt here, Integrated Chinese, lacks cultural content that resonates with my students’ lived experiences. The textbook primarily focuses on students traveling or studying in China, which doesn’t reflect my students’ experiences or identities. I would like to find or develop materials that reflect a broader, more authentic view of the Chinese-speaking world, especially local Chinese communities, rather than just the experience of studying abroad. Given the racial identities of my students, I also want to be especially mindful of how I integrate cultural content to ensure that it is sensitive and inclusive, allowing my students to engage with Chinese culture in ways that feel personally relevant and affirming.

The tools and frameworks offered in this institute will help me move beyond traditional, often one-dimensional cultural content and enable me to create teaching materials that allow students to critically engage with both the language and the cultural context in which it is spoken. Ultimately, I hope to give my students a more holistic and authentic understanding of Chinese language and culture, regardless of whether they will go abroad in the future.

Proposed Project: For my follow-up project, I plan to revise my current syllabus for the beginner-level Chinese course I teach at Howard University, integrating updated cultural content into each unit or module. One specific focus will be a unit on the Black community living in Guangzhou, exploring how they navigate Chinese culture. This unit will include activities that encourage students to reflect on the complexities of intercultural interactions and identity, providing a real-world context that connects language learning with cultural dimensions.

One example of an activity I will develop is a discussion on names and identities. This activity will compare Chinese naming practices with Black naming practices, allowing students to examine the cultural significance of names and how they shape identity. We will also explore the Chinese names chosen by well-known figures, such as Kamala Harris, discussing how the adoption of a Chinese name can represent cultural negotiation and adaptation.

By revising the syllabus to include these culturally relevant topics, I hope to encourage students to engage deeply with Chinese culture in ways that feel personally meaningful. This will allow them to develop a deeper understanding of both the language and the cultural dynamics that shape how it is used and help them learn to navigate different cultural contexts with greater awareness and sensitivity.

School: Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Ānuenue, Honolulu, HI 
Language: ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi
CARLA Summer Institute: Teaching for Proficiency in Dual Language Immersion

ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi. In other words, knowledge can be obtained from many sources. This holds strong to me as I am constantly seeking the best ways that I improve my practices in the classroom. I am able to learn new concepts, autonomously and with instruction, and implement them in my classroom. I would like to see what the CARLA institute has to offer for me if it is either new information, a refresh of my memory or a shift that I can make to better execute instruction. I am also looking to expand my repertoire in the realm of community building. I would like to provide assistance to families who are not heritage speakers and need to learn their mother tongue. The theory of a 3 generations of speakers is the goal for our community.

Proposed Project: My plan is to develop a series of Family Engagement Nights that will empower parents and guardians with strategies to support their child’s ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi development at home. Sessions will focus on practical language use, cultural integration, and resources to create a Hawaiian language-rich environment beyond the classroom. The first session will focus on understanding language proficiency. ACTFL is a developing resource that our school looks towards for levels of proficiency. The second session will focus on eveyday ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at home. Strategies , songs, and different resources will be highlighted. The third session will focus on strengthening speaking and listening. Patience and positive reinforcement to encourage ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at home. The fourth session will focus on ʻōlelo through cultural practices and sharing of community resources.

School: Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Language: Japanese
CARLA Summer Institute: Teaching Language Through the Lens of Social Justice

I have been interested in incorporating social justice in Japanese class for some time and hope to develop social justice curriculum for different levels that I teach. Under the current political climate in the US, I strongly believe that it is imperative for world language programs to incorporate social justice elements at every proficiency level in creating a more inclusive learning environment, deepening intercultural communicative competence and fostering empathy for others. I have created materials for my third-year course, focusing on diverse culture of Japan and challenging the notion of what it means to be Japanese by increasing representations. However, I find it more challenging to develop social justice units and materials at novice level because of the limitation of language students can use. Participating in this summer workshop will equip me with knowledge and tools necessary to design a first-year Japanese curriculum using social justice lens. 

Proposed Project: If selected for this scholarship, I would like to work on both a classroom-based project and an outreach activity. There is a general sense among Japanese teachers that concrete examples of social justice materials for Japanese are lacking. I believe that more teachers will incorporate social justice themes in their classes if there are curricular and activity models specifically for Japanese. 

For my classroom-based project, I would like to redesign my first semester Japanese course by including social justice themed units, activities and assessments and implement them in the fall semester. I mentioned ideas of a couple of units in the section above. Having social justice elements in the first semester course might be something new for students, so it will also be important to hear their reactions and thoughts by assigning reflections and surveys. I do anticipate positive impact on my students: First, the course should better help students develop intercultural competence. Secondly, instead of seeing Japanese language learning at the novice level as merely a study of basic vocabulary, grammar and daily conversations, students will hopefully begin to see a language classroom as a space for inquiry and reflections that are connected to important real-world issues. 

For an outreach activity, I will share my project with members of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese DEIB SIG during a monthly Zoom meeting in October or November (I am the SIG Chair and help plan activities for the group). I hope that my redesigned course will serve as a much-needed example for Japanese teachers and that it will encourage them to adapt my materials and create their own. DEIB SIG attracts Japanese educators from across the US and sharing social justice materials created by myself first and by others later on at monthly meetings will multiply the impact.

School: University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 
Language: Persian (Farsi)
CARLA Summer Institute: TeachTok: Social Media Hacks to Level Up Your Language Teaching Game

As an instructor of Persian language to undergraduate students, I am constantly looking for innovative ways to engage my students and enhance their learning experience. The "TeachTok: Social Media Hacks to Level Up Your Language Teaching Game" institute directly aligns with my professional development goals by providing practical strategies for leveraging social media to support language acquisition. My students, like many undergraduates today, are deeply immersed in digital platforms, and integrating social media into my teaching can bridge the gap between their academic learning and real-world language exposure.  

One of my primary challenges is increasing student engagement beyond the classroom. Persian is a less commonly taught language, and authentic, accessible digital resources are limited. By attending this institute, I aim to learn how to create compelling, pedagogically sound social media content that enhances vocabulary retention, promotes cultural literacy, and encourages spontaneous language use. I am particularly interested in how I can use platforms like TikTok and Instagram to develop short, interactive learning segments that reinforce grammar points, provide listening practice, and introduce colloquial expressions in ways that feel natural and engaging to students.  

Additionally, I hope to explore best practices for fostering online language communities where students can interact in Persian beyond class hours, improving both their motivation and confidence. This institute will equip me with concrete tools to adapt social media trends to my curriculum in a meaningful and pedagogically sound way, making Persian language learning more dynamic, relevant, and accessible to my students.

Proposed Program: As a follow-up to the TeachTok institute, I will implement a social media-based language challenge in my Persian language courses to enhance student engagement and language retention. The project, titled "Persian in Action: Social Media Challenges for Language Learning," will integrate short, structured activities using platforms like Instagram and TikTok to encourage students to apply their language skills in real-life contexts.  

School: University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Language: Spanish
CARLA Summer Institute: TeachTok: Social Media Hacks to Level Up Your Language Teaching Game

For the past three years, I’ve worked with advanced Spanish language learners in in-person classes, limiting my technology use to authentic real-life texts that enhance cultural language awareness. As I transition to teaching synchronous online Spanish courses for beginners, I want to create lesson plans that incorporate social media to engage students in task-based activities and real-world projects. This will foster communication both inside and outside the classroom with authentic language and materials, helping students make connections to the language in context.

The “TeachTok” institute offers a unique opportunity to enhance my teaching by integrating social media platforms most students are familiar with. These tools will allow me to design interactive, student-centered activities that engage digital-savvy learners. I’m particularly interested in featuring language learner influencers from Spanish-speaking countries. By showcasing content from those who have lived and traveled in these regions, I can inspire students to practice their language skills in authentic ways. However, I also want to empower my students to create their own content, especially those who have different learning needs. Many students feel more comfortable expressing themselves through technology, and by creating their own social media content, they can gain confidence in using the language in a low-pressure, personalized environment.

Moreover, the institute’s focus on fostering linguistic and intercultural awareness through social media will elevate my teaching. By learning how to design activities that explore language and culture in context, I can help students connect language learning to their interests. The resources and confidence gained from this course will enable me to curate high-quality target-language content independently, offering more varied lessons that are accessible and engaging.

Overall, I’m excited to integrate social media into my teaching to create meaningful, student-centered experiences, allowing students to practice language in ways that cater to their unique needs and prepare them for success in a constantly evolving society.

Proposed Project: Upon completing the institute, I plan to share my experience through a presentation at our Applied Linguistics professional development workshops, targeting graduate students and fellow instructors interested in language teaching. This outreach activity will focus on how social media can be integrated into language teaching to enhance engagement and language skills in a real-world context. I aim to provide colleagues with insights on how to incorporate social media platforms  into their own teaching practices, offering practical strategies for language instruction beyond traditional textbooks.

Additionally, I am interested in creating a series of lesson plans that incorporate social media and task-based activities, which I will make available to other instructors through a Creative Commons license via Open Educational Resources. This project will allow me to contribute to the field by providing accessible, innovative resources that address the diverse learning needs of language learners. I believe the lessons will inspire other teachers to move beyond conventional methods and explore new ways to engage students with authentic language materials. Overall, the knowledge I gain from this institute will not only enhance my own teaching but also support the wider community of language educators, making social media a valuable tool for creating meaningful and inclusive language learning experiences.

For my classroom activity, exploring cultural differences in responses to praise (home expressions in Japanese) is a great idea. This activity could enhance students' awareness of cultural nuances in communication and encourage them to think critically about how language reflects cultural values. By comparing and discussing their responses in Japanese and English, students can deepen their understanding of both languages and develop a more nuanced approach to cross-cultural communication. To enhance this activity, I could incorporate multimedia resources such as videos or interviews with native speakers to provide authentic examples of cultural interactions, making the learning experience more engaging and meaningful for students.

School: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Language: Chinese
CARLA Summer Institute: Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom

This culturally-centered course aligns closely with the spirit of my chosen institute’s course, “Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom.” By taking this course, I aim to learn the fundamentals of teaching culture in language classes and refine my course design effectively.

On a more personal level, I am passionate about creating and teaching this course because health is a timely and universally relevant topic. I believe the Taoist tradition offers unique insights into addressing modern health challenges and promoting self-reflection among learners.

Proposed Project: I plan to design and teach an advanced language course centered on health through the lens of the Taoist tradition.

My current language program encourages instructors to use backward design to create engaging topics for advanced students and transition from traditional textbooks to authentic materials. While we’ve successfully blended textbooks with authentic resources, achieving a fully authentic materials-based approach remains a significant challenge. To support this goal, I am committed to starting from scratch to curate appropriate authentic materials for this course and its learners.

Currently, all our program’s courses rely solely or partially on textbook materials, resulting in limited and often commonplace themes. Through this initiative, I aim to bring a breakthrough in the curriculum, offering students a more innovative and meaningful learning experience. Beyond language and cultural acquisition, I hope this course will help empower students to gain deeper self-awareness and understand their relationship with society and nature, fostering deeper personal and intercultural growth.

School: The University of Texas at Arlington
Language: Spanish
CARLA Summer Institute: Creativity in the Language Classroom

Creativity in the Language Classroom was the institute I selected because I realize that my teaching style is becoming stagnant. I have been teaching for the past ten years, and I noticed that I’m doing the same activities with some variations in my language courses semester after semester with little to no creativity to engage students. I have been given lower-level courses more frequently at my university. I know that teaching heritage students and advanced students is not the same as teaching beginning language learners, but I lack the knowledge to do so.

I worry that students get bored while I teach, that they would not register for the next level, or simply think that learning a language is not exciting and useful. By doing the same activities or just using the activities and/or exercises from the textbook, I fear that students get bored contributing to their lack of attendance. If they think that my class is boring, then students might think that other Spanish instructors are boring as well which leads to lack of registration for the following semester. If I continue teaching using the same style over and over, students will think that learning a language is not exciting and useless. Unfortunately, our department is suffering from low enrollment and clearly, I don’t want to be a contributing factor. I want my students to come excited to learn and see the use in communicating in a different language encouraging them to enroll in the next level.

By attending the institute, I can offer a creative experience in the classroom. I want students to come excited to class and to learn. By learning creative strategies and creative activities, I know my teaching style will improve, my students will benefit, as well as my department. 

Proposed Project: My proposed follow-up project is to present to the Department of Modern Languages. The department is composed of forty faculty members teaching ASL, Russian, German, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, French, and Spanish. All semesters different faculty members present on what we call Lunch and Learn. Lunch and Learn is a time designed in our department to share teaching ideas or share something that faculty is doing differently in the classroom. It is designed as a workshop and lasts one hour. The structure of the workshop is: 1) to present a new teaching idea; 2. attendees work in groups where they brainstorm how they would use the information, and sometimes they are asked to create an activity they would use in the classroom; 3. attendees then share their ideas to the whole group.

By presenting in Lunch and Learn, I will share the knowledge I acquired from the institute, because many colleagues think they are not creative in the classroom. Unfortunately, many of them lack the time and resources of attending conferences or workshops. By disseminating the information with my department, I am helping my colleagues be up to date with new resources and strategies available. By teaching them what other language educators are doing in the classroom that works, they would implement new strategies in their teaching that will help all students succeed and hopefully, retention.  My plan is to present different activities that can be applied in lower-level courses, but also how they can be modified to be used in upper-level. For the activity they create in the workshop, I would ask them to brainstorm ideas of how they would use the presented strategies or with which topics they would use them. 
 

School: Midland Public Schools, MI 
Language: Chinese
CARLA Summer Institute: Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom

When I teach, I always find it is important to integrate culture and language together to help students learn both and have cultural awareness. However, sometimes it is hard for me to stay in enough target language to introduce culture. In order to avoid using too much English to introduce culture of target language, I want to learn more strategies to use more target language as comprehensive inputs for students learning culture. Therefore, they can benefit to learn language and culture more effectively. In addition, I also want to learn more about how to choose and modify authentic materials according to students' proficiency levels and learning targets. Assessing students' culture learning is another focus area I would like to learn more. Not like language assessments, culture learning can be hard since it involves concept understanding. When I read the introduction of the institute, the goals fit my needs. I would like to learn more regarding integrating more target language in a comprehensive way, choosing and modifying authentic materials and designing assessments while promoting culture learning for my students. 

Proposed Project: The topic of my classroom-based project will be the culture of Chinese Mid-autumn festival. It is one of the major festivals in China. It emphasizes family reunion and harvest. It also involves some interesting legends such as Houyi Shot the Suns and Chang'e Flew to the Moon. It is an important festival to learn for understanding Chinese culture. During and after the institute, I plan to create a unit of teaching the culture of Chinese Mid-autumn festival. I will determine the vocabulary and sentences for my students to learn and teach them in comprehensive ways while teaching the culture. I also plan to find some authentic materials such as a menu of the traditional food for that festival (mooncake) for students to interpret and appreciate a related poem about Mid-autumn festival. Another component in my unit is to assess their culture learning, which is to design a skit of legends related to the festival for students to perform. In addition, students will also have an opportunity to compare Chinese Mid-autumn festival with some festivals in USA to enhance their cultural awareness. 

School: Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies School, Detroit, MI 
Language: Chinese
CARLA Summer Institute: Creativity in the Language Classroom

As an advocate of immersion language programs, the core concepts of this institute are exactly what we need in the process of developing: promote creativity in the classroom while simultaneously improving the learners’ target language proficiency. If the previous CARLA summer institutes, workshops, and webinars I attended set up a solid foundation for my understanding of the immersion programs, this institute will enrich my language instructions in the classroom: Apply improvisational techniques to improve creative flow; use targeted language functions, forms, and vocabulary to support creativity; and kinesthetic, naming a few. 

Proposed Project: This project builds upon the foundations of improvisational techniques, language functions, and interactive group activities to further develop creative flow in language learning. The aim is to design an immersive, multi-sensory, and collaborative lesson plan that fosters linguistic creativity through kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and tactile tools.