"NCOLCTL'smission is to increase the number of Americans who choose to learn one or more of the less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) as a means of enhancing cross-cultural communication among citizens of the United States. NCOLCTL'swork focuses on the less commonly taught languages which are becoming increasingly vital to the security, economic, social and political welfare of the United States. NCOLCTLseeks to improve the teaching and learning of these languages and to make them more generally available. "

"American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) aims to facilitate communication and cooperation between teachers of Arabic and to promote study, criticism, research and instruction in the field of Arabic language pedagogy, Arabic linguistics and Arabic literature. The information available here is a sampling of the materials available to AATA members. For information on joining, please click here"

 "The AATFis the only professional association devoted exclusively to the needs of French teachers at all levels. The mission of the AATFis to advance the study of the French language and French-speaking literatures and cultures both in schools and in the general public. Membership is open to anyone interested in the teaching of French who is over the age of 18."

The American Association of Teachers of German supports the teaching of the German language and German-speaking cultures in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education in the United States. The AATGpromotes the study of the German-speaking world in all its linguistic, cultural and ethnic diversity, and endeavors to prepare students as transnational, transcultural learners and active, multilingual participants in a globalized world.

"The American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) is an international, non-profit, non-political organization of teachers, scholars, and students of Japanese language, literature, and linguistics, which works to promote study of the Japanese language at all levels of instruction in the field and to broaden and deepen knowledge and appreciation of Japan and its culture."

"The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese promotes the study and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and their corresponding Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian, and other related literatures and cultures at all levels of education."

"ASLTAis the only national organization dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching of ASL and Deaf Studies at all levels of instruction. ASLTAis an individual membership organization of more than 1,000 ASL and Deaf Studies educators from elementary through graduate education as well as agencies. The mission of the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) is to preserve the integrity of American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture."

"While Chinese language instruction has long been a part of the American education system, it has mainly been confined to the university and post undergraduate levels as part of special fields such as literature or history. It is only in the past two decades that instruction of Chinese has been extended to high schools, junior high schools, and even elementary schools. CLASSwas one of the principal organizations involved in the development of the national standards for foreign language learning. CLASSbears a primary responsibility to nurture and in-service K-12 Chinese teachers.CLASScontinues to forge collaborations and form new partnerships with other professional organizations."

District Collaborative Communities

Cobb's District Collaborative Communities allow every Cobb World Language teacher to actively engage in participating in a content specific Collaborative Community no matter of their school location. Teachers are highly encouraged to participate in one of the district wide language specific CCCs based on your language and level. Each language team has a common repository of resources, chat platform, and a meeting platform. This resource allows teachers to communicate synchonously through Skype or asynchronously via chat.

Click on the on the language group’s name or following the hyperlink to access your specific team (Cobb Teachers only)

American Sign Language		Chinese	French	German	Japanese	Latin	Portuguese	Spanish	Dual Language Immersion
Cluster Teams
East
	Campbell	Hillgrove	Lassiter	Pebblebrook	Pope	Sprayberry	Walton	Wheeler
West
	Allatoona	McEachern	Harrison	North Cobb	Kell	Osborne	Kennesaw Mountain	South Cobb

The Foreign Language Association of Georgia (FLAG)  is the official professional organization for World languages in Georgia. Cobb County's World Languages Department sponsors teachers to attend the conference every year (number of attendees will depend on available funding).

When: Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4, 2017.

Where: Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel One Hartsfield Centre Parkway Atlanta, Georgia  30354

For more information visit the FLAG website.

The National Language Resource Centers are an excellent source of resources for all areas of the language learning field. Below is a short description of the initiative and links to the main site as well as the various centers.

"In 1990, the Department of Education established the first Language Resource Centers (LRCs) at U.S. universities in response to the growing national need for expertise and competence in foreign languages. Now, twenty-five years later, Title VI of the Higher Education Act supports sixteen LRCs, creating a national network of resources to promote and improve the teaching and learning of foreign languages. LRCs create language learning and teaching materials, offer professional development opportunities for language instructors, and conduct and disseminate research on foreign language learning. All LRCs engage in efforts that enable U.S. citizens to better work, serve, and lead."

Source: http://www.nflrc.org/

Centers  

Resources for teacher professional learning and teacher support

The mission of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) is the advancement of the study of modern and classical languages and their literatures and cultures at all levels of instruction.

 "The Chinese Language Teachers Association, USA (CLTA) promotes the study of Chinese language and culture in an international context. Given the importance of the Chinese speaking world and its global cultural, social, economic, and political impact, our mission is to promote the Chinese language as a tool for communication worldwide. As a professional organization, CLTArepresents Chinese language teachers in all educational settings. It supports establishing and sustaining quality Chinese programs, K-16 articulation, teacher education and professional development, and research relating to all aspects of teaching and learning about Chinese languages and cultures. The Association is committed to providing leadership, scholarship, and service to its members and to all sectors of society."

Wall posters can not only help us set the environment for our classes, but they are an useful tool to present and reinforce important language concepts (and bring some fun into the classroom).  

Click HERE to learn more about poseter ideas you can use in the classroom and FREE resources you can use to create your own materials! 

Thank you to our WL School Leader at Griffin MS, Mrs. Engle for sharing her ideas!