During the Fall Workshop, the 2024-2025 exchange teacher cohort reunited to share their success stories and challenges, as well as learn new tools for cross-cultural communication and classroom management. Exchange teachers attended a special session on classroom management led by guest presenter Joan Kang Shin, Professor of Education at George Mason University. During this session, exchange teachers discussed classroom management challenges and worked together to think through different strategies and responses. Meanwhile, this year’s mentor teachers also had the opportunity to share their experiences with one another during a special mentor teacher roundtable discussion on accomplishments and solutions to common challenges in TCLP schools.
Top Photo Above: Exchange teachers engage in a collaborative discussion on classroom management challenges and strategies.
In addition to their separate sessions, exchange teachers and mentor teachers also attended multiple collaborative sessions during the Fall Workshop. Exchange teacher and mentor teacher pairs attended a special session on cross-cultural communication facilitated by guest speaker Alexandra Johnston, Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University, during which they considered different communication styles and strategies. Exchange teachers and mentor teachers also attended a session on developing their teacher portfolios led by guest speaker Rebecca Fox, Professor Emerita of Education at George Mason University. During this session, participants discussed how to capture and document the impact of their work as educators.
Above: Mentor teachers discuss their personal experiences with intercultural communication.
Finally, exchange teachers and mentor teachers reviewed TCLP policies and procedures, as well as participated in a collaborative workshop session led by TCLP staff, in which they brainstormed ways to grow their schools’ language programs through Critical Language Projects and exchange teachers' capstone projects.
To help teachers make the most of their time in Washington, DC, the intensive workshop sessions were also complemented with some time to explore the city on their own, meals at local restaurants, and a showing of Romeo and Juliet at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre near the U.S. Capitol Building.