Commission members and others are invited to join together in a light working breakfast to discuss the goals of this commission. **Ticket required for participation** This newly revived commission will be undertaking projects of interest to university faculty as they seek to defend and expand French programs. If you are interested in participating, please contact the chairs.
Wednesday July 9, 2025 7:30am - 8:30am CDT Crystal Room
The Commission on Colleges and Universities’ annual session will focus on collaboration with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States. In conjunction with the office of Cultural Services, we will give higher education faculty an opportunity to articulate their concerns and learn about opportunities and support provided by the French Embassy.
If you already sponsor a chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français ( SHF ) or Jeunes Amis du Français (JAF) or are considering founding one, please join us. After presenting an overview, including opportunities for awards, materials, and activities, the presenters look forward to hearing about your own experiences. Whether it be to recognize your outstanding students, provide them with service opportunities, or build an esprit de corps through fun activities, this organization can enrich and promote your program.
This session explores the importance of creating context in both traditional and immersion language classrooms to foster authentic connections to the language. We'll discuss practical strategies for helping students bridge cultural and linguistic gaps, build understanding, and increase motivation. The session also challenges the assumption that immersion learners automatically connect to the language, offering approaches to address gaps and help students engage more meaningfully with the language.
Do you like to show films in class? Want some ideas to maximize the effectiveness of the medium? Film is an outstanding way to process language and culture and can be just as profound for language learning as a text. Come join me as we discover new films, new authentic resources, new ideas, and a myriad of ways to connect le septième art to the classroom.
Le Français sur Objectifs Spécifiques (FOS) est un formidable outil pour les cours et programmes de français. Si ces cours peuvent sembler une gageure, ce panel offre des exemples concrets (des débutants aux avancés) pour démystifier la difficulté de créer des activités FOS : une leçon de français pour les étudiants de Kinésiologie, un cours de français des professions en ligne et un plan détaillé pour organiser des rencontres professionnelles ou un forum de l’emploi.
As French language classes grow less France-centric, incorporating linguistic and cultural aspects of large francophone communities such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) moves to the forefront. This study investigates the frequency of common interrogative structure variants of WH- questions in spoken French-language television and radio interviews from the DRC. This presentation highlights pedagogical methods that French instructors can use to teach interrogative structures, painting a more complete picture of the francophonie.
All teachers provide students with feedback and rubrics, but do students truly use these tools to improve proficiency? A few simple adjustments to instructional practices can yield huge improvements in students' understanding of their own learning. Come examine practical techniques to improve rubrics, implement feedback, manage your grading load, and increase student buy-in, leading to improved student performance. With effective feedback, student-friendly rubrics, and a classroom culture of reflection, every student will experience more growth!
Many American high school students dream of an extended stay in France. How can they do that, and what would their life be like were they to land in Paris for a year? Presenter shares how he plants and waters this seed with this senior project. All materials shared with attendees.
Cet atelier vous propose deux sujets qui contiennent beaucoup de possibilités pour attirer les jeunes dans vos classes! Une grande quantité d’activités vous attend pour rendre les textes choisis accueillants et passionnants pour tous! Vive les terrains de camping et les patinoires!
Explore techniques to promote learning French and your program within your school and community, and discuss connections you can make to share the work and engage new advocates. Participants will also be given the opportunity to put heads together and give thought to resources they would like the commission to produce in the future.
In this interactive session, participants will explore strategies and tools to create meaningful, engaging learning experiences that build proficiency. Through real-world applications and authentic resources, the session will highlight high-leverage practices that boost student engagement and confidence. Topics include strategies that support student interactions in all 3 modes of communication through effective use of authentic resources. Participants will explore how an intentional and effective learning cycle meets students' needs and interests, encouraging learners to continue their language learning journey.
Immersing students not just in the French language but also in the culture is such an enriching way to learn, especially with a language as globally influential as French. It opens up a world of connections and opportunities. The idea of turning language learners into global communicators is inspiring, as it focuses on both language proficiency and cultural understanding—skills that are essential in our interconnected world.
French really does have an incredible global footprint, whether it’s in diplomacy, business, the arts, or international organizations. What are some specific aspects of French culture you plan to explore with your students. Is it through literature, cuisine, history, music, or something else?
This presentation will reveal how anti-fat bias impacts those in French society who have been the target of discrimination based on body size. It will introduce attendees to the activists, bloggers, and influencers who are working to change perspectives and deepen understandings about size inclusivity and body diversity. Their experiences offer a more complete picture of the stigmatization that larger bodies have faced and continue to face in France.
The transformative assessment approach of standards-based grading (SBG) aligns student performance with the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards (Can-Do Statements and proficiency benchmarks), promoting transparent grading practices rather than penalizing mistakes or emphasizing task completion. Recent research and pertinent questions around student perspectives, homework, grading categorization, assessment anxiety, and varying challenges between secondary and post-secondary implementation will be discussed. Participants are invited to bring and share insights and experiences regarding SBG with the group.
Cherchez-vous des ressources intéressantes et animées pour intégrer la culture québécoise dans vos cours ? Connaissez-vous la danse de la cabane à sucre ? Ben… venez nombreux et vous découvrirez ce qu’il vous faut pour intégrer le vocabulaire, la littérature, le folklore, la musique et «l’fun» de nos amis du nord dans tous les niveaux que vous enseignez!
A memorable intro-level French class should be much more than the alphabet, colors, numbers, etc. With total target-language-use from kids and teacher from day one, innovative speaking-centered activities, and a clear message that kids can (and will) achieve more, beginners can soar way beyond typical expectations. Learn techniques for assuring 100% target-language use, creating speaking-focused classroom tasks, and optimizing practice/assessments with technology, such that level 1 kids have FUN while rising to higher proficiency.
Current and graduating students of la Société Honoraire de Français will discuss how they helped French classes become a thriving community that fosters connection through one shared interest: the French language and cultures. They will elaborate on how this connection came to be, what has worked, what has not, and how other programs might be able to implement a few of these ideas into their own, regardless of their challenges or circumstances.
It’s the 21st century! Participants will discuss several inventions introduced at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair including the Ferris Wheel and the zipper and how these inventions still impact our world today. Join us to celebrate the many contributions of francophone inventors of the past, present, and future. Exciting, innovative, engaging inventors…On y va!
Discover the profound connection between history, culture, and language through Soulmates and Strangers, the remarkable true story of the lifelong bond between two young women—one American, the author’s mother, and one French—beginning as pen pals in 1936. Spanning decades, war, and continents, their friendship unfolds through letters and real-life encounters, offering a powerful exploration of resilience, identity, and human connection. This presentation highlights epistolary storytelling as a compelling tool for teaching French language, history, and cross-cultural understanding.
More than just a training center for French teachers, Francophonia defines itself as an articulator of projects where educational communities (principals, teachers, students, and apprentices in vocational training) meet through unique pedagogical and intercultural experiences. Francophonia is also a conviction that education shapes tomorrow's world and gives future generations the tools to meet the challenges they will face.
Come and learn how to become an active member of our community through our programs: - School trips. - Continuing education for language teachers. - Internships in France for your students. - “les universités d’été”, a summer program where more than 1400 teachers from 91 countries come to Nice (on the beautiful French Riveria) for professional development workshops and cultural events designed around our values: pedagogical excellence, innovation, and intercultural understanding.
La littérature jeunesse est un outil puissant dans l’enseignement du français. Les livres sont une fenêtre sur la francophonie et renforcent les compétences linguistiques et les connaissances culturelles. Il faut donc proposer des livres diversifiés et inclusifs, mais lesquels? Où trouver des livres adaptés à l'âge et au niveau des élèves? Comment les exploiter? Plongeons dans un monde de ressources en français pour soutenir les enseignants. Et pour que les élèves aient du plaisir!
Le croissant, emblème incontournable de la culture française, peut devenir un outil pédagogique en FLE. Ma présentation explore son potentiel comme vecteur d’apprentissage à travers des activités interactives alliant compétences langagières et culturelles (histoire, gastronomie, pratiques sociales). Cette approche engageante et originale s’adresse aux enseignants en quête d’outils ludiques et culturels pour enrichir leurs cours de FLE tout en éveillant la curiosité et la gourmandise des apprenants.
Are parents, students, and administrators in your school and community aware of the academic and cultural experiences you provide in and outside of class? This session will explore how newsletters can serve as an effective tool to highlight the value of your French program, and to foster enthusiasm among current and future students. Presenters will share newsletter content ideas suitable for middle, high school and university instructors, ways to involve students in the creation process, and tips to keep the project manageable.
The Paris Summer Olympics are over, but not forgotten! Come explore how we might utilize the spectacle that was the 2024 Opening Ceremony in our French classrooms to connect our 21st-century students with centuries of French artistic and intellectual output as they were showcased in one ceremony intended for a world-wide audience.
Invite your students to plan a class trip to different Francophone regions using Airbnb.fr and other authentic sites. The tasks will whet students’ appetites for la Francophonie, reinforce communication around travel and housing and facilitate comparisons between the places they discover and “chez nous.” As a task-based assessment, the AirBnB project incorporates ACTFL’s recently updated world-readiness standards. Participants will leave the session with slides and links that can be easily adapted to their needs.
Although the combined split-level class is a common reality in our French programs, there are few resources available to help teachers approach this unique challenge. This presentation will explore strategies and resources to differentiate intermediate French instruction while ensuring all students stay engaged and challenged. Attendees will take away concrete examples of scaffolding ideas for different proficiency levels, strategies to align AP and non-AP content without lowering rigor, and ways to incorporate flexible assessments, small-group instruction, and project-based learning.
Game theory is the study of how and why individuals—referred to as “players”—make decisions in various situations. In the French-language classroom, we can use a variety of games, both traditional and app-based, to enhance student learning. This hands-on session will explore game-based learning as a way to create an engaging classroom environment that helps students connect more deeply with the French language and its cultural contexts.
Three presentations focus on how to engage students in experiential learning through French for Special Purposes. Dr. Andrea Jonsson shares recent meaningful collaborative activities in France in which students work with community organizations in a popular Serve-Sustain-Learn program. Suzanne Cook describes her university’s evolution of a gen-ed course on Sustainability in the French-speaking world into a sustainability-focused French-International Business study abroad that focuses student sustainability initiatives in the luxury industry. Both model high-impact project-oriented practices. Finally, E. Nicole Meyer contributes fresh interactive exercises that reinforce the importance of cybersecurity to everyday practices and future career possibilities as well as an update on the commission’s activities. All three promote ways that all can include fun, meaningful French for Specific Purposes activities into their programs to increase student interest and learning.
Educators know the incredible cognitive, academic, and professional advantages of bilingualism. Learn how to articulate benefits to engage learners and explore strategies to help students highlight language skills on academic and job applications including resumes, certification, Seals of Biliteracy, CommonApp. Included is powerful research showing that the highly desirable soft skills employers seek are language-learning byproducts. Join us to unlock the full potential in your students and empower them to thrive in a global world.
Discover strategies for integrating a daily/weekly culture segment from 46 francophone countries into your French classroom. This session includes a supplemental activity to expand on francophone culture as well as tips for organized lesson preparation across multiple classes. Enhance your teaching with practical approaches to bring the richness of francophone culture to your students.
This session will explore the many facets of la Francophonie readily available to us via daily technology. Access to often free French-language resources allows us to come closer than ever before to recreating a surround-sound experience, traveling virtually to French communities both around the world and closer to home, and embracing a novel conceptualization of “le Français chez nous.” We will sample a variety of listening, reading, writing, and speaking exercises designed around the integration of contemporary French news clips, music videos, podcasts, TV shows, and films. Reflections will be shared with regard to scaffolding activities appropriately for different levels from middle school through university courses, and participants will be invited to contribute to an ongoing database of shared links with accompanying exercises for future use.
This session will share assignments that tap into student creativity by first asking them to imagine modifications to an existing bande dessinée or other graphic text and then tasking them with creating their own original work combining images and text. These assignments can be used across a range of levels, with individuals or groups, as a short activity or longer project. Attendees will brainstorm possible variations. Sample assignment description, peer feedback form, and assessment rubric will be provided.
This session will explore teaching environmental stewardship in faith-based French classrooms through the documentary, LE CIEL ET LA TERRE which can engage students with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The presentation will demonstrate how the film bridges theological perspectives on creation care with global sustainable development objectives. Teachers will learn to inspire discussion and ecological consciousness. The presenter will offer activities (intermediate, advanced) and an IPA (advanced) that connect faith-based ethics with actionable environmental protection.
College and Career Readiness (CCR) is becoming an increasing focus in our country. Explore how world language programs can be strategically integrated to meet these goals and help preserve your program! The session will focus on leveraging language testing, particularly through the Seal of Biliteracy (SOBL) and ACTFL credentialing, to enhance and promote the value of language programs for students, educators, and employers.
Join us for our dinner groups, Dîner en ville avec des ami.e.s. Be escorted to a restaurant by a local chapter member. Each person will pay for his/her/their own meal, but will eat in the company of other AATF members. It's a great way to make new friends and experience favorite local restaurants!
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM Runtime: 2 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission
Be Our Guest at Disney’s newly reimagined 30th Anniversary production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the breathtaking musical filled with the romance and grandeur audiences know and love.
This enchanting and timeless tale has been brought to life like never before, with spectacular new sets and dazzling costumes. The show boasts the Oscar®-winning and Tony Award®-nominated score, including the classic songs “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Reuniting to create this new production are members of the original Tony Award®-winning artistic team, including composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, with direction and choreography by Matt West, scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward and lighting design by Natasha Katz.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the beloved musical that will fill your heart with joy and Disney magic.
**The show is suitable for ages 6 & up. All persons entering the theater, regardless of age, must have a ticket**
