INNOVATIVE LEARNING

Using Comprehensible Input to Change the World Language Classroom

Erin Anthony (Spanish Teacher, Swift Creek Middle School) and Brett Chonko (Spanish Teacher, Clover Hill High School) - Chesterfield County Public Schools

World Language enrollment is on the decline. Students begin their career as World Language students with high hopes of learning the language and being able to speak it. After a year or two, they realize that 1) much studying is needed to be successful in a typical WL class, and 2) there are few gains, even if the time and effort is put in to earn a good grade. Students and parents are becoming disillusioned with the outcomes in a traditional, grammar-based classroom. Presenters in this session propose that by implementing some strategies using the method of Comprehensible Input, student engagement will rise in the classroom, and enrollment will rise overall because the students are more engaged and are learning how to use the language, not just learning about the structure of the language. 

The Science of Happiness: From Research to the Classroom and Back Again

Marcie Walsh (Administrative Director, College Behavioral and Emotional Health Institute) - Virginia Commonwealth University

This presentation will share ways to apply theories of student motivation and engagement to intentionally designed activities and assignments that promote student learning through multiple modalities. Based on a successful undergraduate class called the Science of Happiness, this session is appropriate for all levels of educators from K-12 to higher education.