Shoreham-Wading River world languages French teacher Laura Balkam and Spanish teacher Stephanie Lally both volunteered their time this past summer to participate in the Early Career Institute for Teachers of World Languages, held by the NYU Steinhardt Department of Teaching and Learning on July 9-11. 

During attendance at this workshop, both Ms. Balkam and Ms. Lally received an overview of the new NYS standards, checkpoint performance indicators and language functions. They received strategies and tools for using authentic resources in interpretive World Languages lessons and for teaching Intercultural Communication. Additionally, the workshop provided guidance for using NYS Educational Lesson Plan templates. Both teachers also participated in a lesson study to further their overall understanding of the concepts and tools presented. 

Both Ms. Balkam and Ms. Lally reported that the institute was informative and provided valuable teaching tools that can be applied to their everyday teaching methods. 

“Not only did we receive authentic teaching materials,” Ms. Lally said, “we did a deep dive into how to use the NYS standards in the classroom.” 

Ms. Lally also explained that the workshop helped to clarify the four modalities of the locally developed world languages exams (FLACS) which assess students in languages like Spanish and French and are used to grant high school credit and fulfill Regents Diploma requirements.  

Director of Humanities Nicole Waldbauer described Ms. Balkam and Ms. Lally as lifelong learners who continually seek to improve their teaching skills. “Their participation in the Early Career Institute reflects a true commitment to providing students with authentic, engaging and globally minded learning experiences.”