Teacher Workshops
The 2024 Summer Teacher Workshop series starts in June! Sign up for CULTR’s newsletter to stay up-to-date on upcoming details.
Connect, Share and Grow
CULTR is thrilled to welcome teachers in-person for the Summer 2024 Teacher Professional Development Workshops at Georgia State’s Downtown campus! Come connect for face-to-face learning and sharing with your peers to exchange insights, gain new skills, and recharge your outlook and career. Included in your registration is lunch. Workshops are subject to a minimum number of registrants. Please email [email protected] if you have specific dietary needs. This year’s line-up includes Elementary, Middle, and High School teachers. All workshops will be taught in English. Some examples and resources may be language specific.
For updates about the Summer 2024 Teacher Workshops, subscribe to our newsletter!
Upcoming In-Person Workshops
Explore the exciting learning opportunities below. We invite all educators to join us at each workshop to learn something inspiring!
Empowering Language Learning through Projects
Workshop Description
Empowering Learning through Projects offers a dynamic opportunity for educators to dive into the world of project-based learning (PBL). Participants will gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience to implement PBL effectively in their classrooms. Through engaging sessions, educators will explore the fundamentals of PBL, design and structure projects aligned with learning objectives, and learn strategies to foster collaboration and student engagement. By showcasing best practices and success stories, educators will leave equipped with a toolkit of resources, including template frameworks and ongoing support opportunities, to continue their PBL journey beyond the workshop. This experience aims to enhance student learning outcomes and cultivate a culture of creativity and critical thinking in your classroom.
About Workshop Instructor
Pamela Mapelli is an ESL and Spanish teacher with a rich educational background, including a Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and ongoing doctoral studies in Applied Linguistics. She brings extensive teaching experience from both Argentina and the U.S., focusing on immersive and communicative methods to enhance language learning. Pamela has played a pivotal role in curriculum development and professional learning communities, showcasing her commitment to educational excellence and cultural awareness. Her work extends beyond the classroom through contributions to academic research and professional development in language teaching.
When Humor Meets Language and Culture:
Chinese TPRS and Culture Class
Workshop Description
The instructor will conduct Chinese demo classes to introduce Total Physical Response & Storytelling (TPRS) and other art-based methods for K-16 classroom settings. It is a language learning experience and a workshop for immersion program training. The instructor will use 4 hours to teach Chinese 101, Taichi, and Paper Cutting, and debrief at the end of each session for learners to discuss the strategies and why they are effective and engaging for many K-16 students.
Participants will receive resources, documents, and curriculum examples for the class. Please wear comfortable shoes.
About Workshop Instructor
Zihan “Sandra” Lin is a language and culture educator, MC, and local Stand-up Comedian. As an educator and performer, both she and her students have received many top awards in China and the U.S. in Chinese public speaking, poetry performing, and federal-funded summer programs. She merges traditional Chinese language/culture teaching pedagogy and critical pedagogy into TPRS, podcast, performance, poetry, and other communicative and art-based methods.
She has been a K-16 instructor for different schools in the last 15 years, including Georgia Tech, Atlanta International School, and the University of North Georgia. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student in the TESOL & World Language Education program at the University of Georgia and a trainer for local K-12 language instructors.
Drama-Based Pedagogy in Lesson Planning and Language Instruction for Novice Language Teachers
Workshop Description
Drama in the language classroom is ultimately indispensable because it offers a lens for learners to use their imagination. Also, it encourages adaptability, fluency and communicative competence. It puts language into context and, by giving learners experience of success in real-life situations, it should arm them with the confidence for tackling the world outside the classroom (Davies 1990: 97). The participants will learn various drama-based activities to engage their students in the learning process and to motivate them to participate actively in a humorous environment. These activities will be implemented in lesson plans using the gradual release of responsibility. In addition, the participants will learn how to employ such activities to highlight some topics like power, identity, gender, and social justice in language classrooms. This helps learners from different cultures escape strict realities, take risks, and reach higher levels of comfort to acquire the target language in a safer environment.
About Workshop Instructor
Alaa Hedeeb is an Arabic teacher and the Head of the World Language Department at one of Clayton County Public Schools. In 2008, Hedeeb earned his BA in English literature from his home country, Palestine. Then, in 2016, he moved to the USA where he earned his MAT in World Language Education from University of Georgia six years after. Currently, he is enrolled in an Ed.S in Teacher Leadership program as he hopes to support other teachers in their career life and collaborate with them to overcome their daily challenges.
2023 Teacher Workshop Instructors
CULTR welcomed teachers to the Summer and Fall 2023 Teacher Professional Development Workshops! We thank this year’s instructors for making their workshops engaging and impactful!
Kayland Lamar
“More Boundaries, Less Burn Out”
Michelle Parris
“Creating Old School and New School Vocabulary and Grammar Games for All Levels and Languages”
Jennifer Kim and Min Jeong Kim
“Increasing Language Accessibility for Beginning Learners: In the Context of Korean DLI”
Jiaxing Weng
“Introduction to Chinese Qigong”
Vesna Galtere and Lucretia Cahill
“Teaching French and Spanish to Little Learners”
14
States Represented
This year’s virtual format enabled educators to participate from across the country. Additionally, one attendee joined us from Dublin, Ireland!
62
Registered Workshop Attendees
47 distinct attendees
100%
Recommend CULTR’s Teacher Workshops to Colleagues
What else are attendees saying?
Participant Overview
13.9
Average Years of Teaching Experience
Ranging from less than one year to 35 years in the classroom, attending educators brought a wealth of experiences to their workshops.
Subjects Taught (%)
- Spanish
- French
- Science
- Math
- German
- Russian
- Korean
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Other
Teaching Level (%)
Compared to 2020, CULTR had greater representation by university educators (2% to 25%).
- High School
- Middle School
- Elementary School
- University
- Not Currently Teaching
Teaching Environment (%)
Compared to 2020, CULTR had greater representation by urban (13% to 17%) and rural (4% to 12%) schools.
<p style=”text-align: center”>The Center for Urban Language Teaching and Learning (CULTR) held its first summer workshops series in a virtual format during July 2020. Special thanks to all attendees for participating and helping to make this year’s virtual teacher workshops a huge success!</p>
<h2 style=”text-align: center”><strong>14</strong></h2>
<p style=”text-align: center”><strong>States Represented</strong></p>
<p style=”text-align: center”>This year’s move to a virtual format enabled educators to participate from across the country.</p>
<h3 style=”text-align: center”>55</h3>
<p style=”text-align: center”>Attending Educators</p>
<h3 style=”text-align: center”>100%</h3>
<p style=”text-align: center”>Recommend CULTR’s Teacher Workshops to Colleagues</p>
<strong>What else are attendees saying?</strong>
<h3 style=”text-align: center”><span style=”color: #ffffff”>Participant Overview</span></h3>
<h3 style=”text-align: center”>14.7</h3>
<p style=”text-align: center”>Average Years of Teaching Experience</p>
<p style=”text-align: center”>Ranging from less than one year to 34 years in the classroom, attending educators brought a wealth of experiences to their workshops.</p>
<h4 style=”text-align: center”>Subjects Taught (%)</h4>
- Spanish
- French
- Chinese
- German
- Gifted Studies
- Italian
- Korean
- Marketing
- Science
- Special Education
<h4 style=”text-align: center”>Teaching Level (%)</h4>
- High School
- Middle School
- Elementary School
- University
- Not Currently Teaching
<h4 style=”text-align: center”>Teaching Environment (%)</h4>
<h3 style=”text-align: center”><span style=”color: #ffffff”>Workshop Instructors</span></h3>
<p style=”text-align: center”>Special thanks to this year’s amazing instructors for going above and beyond in their workshops!</p>
<p style=”text-align: center”><strong>Angela Burgess</strong></p>
<p style=”text-align: center”><strong>Meredith White</strong></p>
<p style=”text-align: center”><strong>Michaela Claus-Nix</strong></p>