Symposia

1. Research in its Applications

Immersion Education: What Works? Why? And for Whom?

Considerable world-wide research has focused on various models, populations, and assessment outcomes of immersion education. This symposium explores research on topics such as: bilingualism and the development of two languages in immersion education; the development of literacy skills in two languages; outcomes in different programs and outcomes with different and special populations.

2. Target Language Assessment

Establishing Accountability through Language Assessment

This symposium explores the role of assessment in establishing accountability for language proficiency outcomes in an immersion context from national, state, district and school level perspectives. Issues to be discussed include: student and parent education about language growth and measurement; teacher and administrator evaluation; the role of report cards; program evaluation, etc.

3. Preservice and Inservice Teacher Education

Border Crossing: Immersion Teacher Educators Share Successes and Challenges

This symposium showcases an international roster of immersion teacher educators representing a range of immersion models – one-way French immersion (Canada), one-way Swedish immersion (Finland), two-way immersion (U.S.), and immersion for language and culture revitalization of a minority autochthonous language (Welsh) and an indigenous language (Hawaiian). Presenters will share examples of immersion-specific preservice teacher preparation and/or inservice professional development practices in their respective contexts and identify successes as well as persistent challenges.

4. Cross-Cultural Competence

Cross-Cultural Competence: Intercultural Identity and Community

This symposium examines the use of cross-cultural pedagogy and intercultural perspectives in the dual immersion classroom. The symposium will address strategies for teaching and assessing cross-cultural competence in K-12 settings. Specific topics will include curricular innovations for teaching culture through language; teaching strategies that place the cultures of the students and teacher in dialogue with the culture of the target language; using the dual immersion classroom as a resource for promoting cross cultural dialogue in the community; and measuring the effectiveness of cultural curriculum. 

5. Teaching and Learning

Literacy Development in Dual Language/Immersion Programs
This symposium examines issues related to the development of literacy (both reading and writing) in the non-English language that lead toward the high literacy levels required for advanced academic work and the global workforce. The symposium will highlight effective practices as well as promising trends for new directions, including setting literacy goals in the immersion language, high-yield strategies for various types of orthographic systems, and simultaneous vs. sequential literacy instruction options. 

6. Advocacy & Policy

State of the States

This symposium brings together state-level leaders from the U.S. to report on the growth of dual language immersion education in their respective states and describe the policy and advocacy initiatives that have supported this growth. Presenters will consider state-level policies, as well as those at local and national levels that support or discourage a positive policy climate for immersion education. Attendees will be invited to discuss their experiences with policy and advocacy environments with the panel members.