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UPCOMING NEW YORK AREA WORKSHOP IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS - FEBRUARY 29 - MARCH 1, 2008
2007 Rassias Teacher Workshops Summary
March - Packer Collgiate Institute, Brooklyn Heights, NY www.packer.edu
Mano Amiga Schools, Mexico City, Mexico www.worldfund.org and www.altius.org
April - Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School, Devens, MA
www.parker.org
Shuang Wen School, New York, NY, (this is part of Foreign Language Assistance Grant)
Northeast Conference on Foreign Language Teaching, New York, NY, presentation
May - Bell Multicultural School, Washington, DC
American University of Kuwait, Safat, Kuwait
Conference on Serving Youth & Adults with Learning Disabilities, Farmington, CT
Rutgers University, MAT course on Language Methodology
Shuang Wen School, New York, NY
June - Shuang Wen School, New York, NY
June/July - Two week teacher workshop for Mexican Educators www.worldfund.org
August - KIPP (Knowledge is Power) Charter Schools Summit, Scottsdale, AZ<
Indian Education Section of the Oklahoma Department of Education,
Tulsa, OK
October - Shuang Wen School, New York, NY
Project Springboard, Regional Teacher Workshop, Reykjavik, Iceland
November - Association of Maryland Independent Schools Conference, Baltimore, MD
Fairfield University, Regional Workshop, Fairfield, University
2006 Rassias Teacher Workshops Summary
February – Tabor Academy, Marion, MA
March – New Haven Adult Education Programs, CT
Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester, MA http://www.vspl.netfirms.com/
April – Hanover http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/teacher/hanover_workshops.html
June – Rutgers http://languageinstitute.rutgers.edu/rassias.htm
and http://wli.rutgers.edu/
August – Sweetgrass Language Conference,Cornwall, ONT
September – Hanover http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/teacher/hanover_workshops.html
November – Gateway Community College
ACTFL, Nashville, TN http://www.actfl.org
Newton North & South Highschools, Newton, MA
Razziataz Program
Elementary
School French-Teacher’s Report
Though the United States might be described as one
of the world’s richest and most powerful nations, it has fallen
woefully behind with regard to language instruction and
acquisition. In today’s uncertain world, there is an immediate
and dire need for us to learn to communicate with our fellow human
beings. Communication is the key to understanding. And
understanding of other nations and cultures is the first step to a more
just and peaceful world.
Growing research shows that we learn language better
and easier as children.1
Why then do many school systems in the United States offer
language instruction beginning only at the secondary school
level? Concerned parents know that their children should start
earlier, in order to best learn their second or third language.
The Rassias Foundation is here to help.
As part of a collaboration with a motivated group of
parents, we have launched a pilot program called Razziatazz® at the
Ray School in here in Hanover. We are developing the program as
we go, adapting the renowned Rassias Method for use with seven and
eight year old children. Parents and teachers alike have been
astonished at the promising results. Our twelve students are
learning French at an amazing rate, even with only three half-hour
classes per week at an early hour, before the start of the regular
school day! We have even made connections with our Canadian
cousins, in Claire, New Brunswick, who are helping us with
pronunciation via the internet.2
We have a vision for the future of Razziatazz.
We will fine tune this successful program into a package that can be
accessed and utilized by other towns, schools and groups of motivated
parents. Continuing in the Rassias tradition, we will concentrate
on two things: training teachers and teaching language. We will
do so at an earlier age, with children, for whom the energy and passion
of a Rassias Method curriculum lends itself perfectly.
John Rassias has said that it is “crucial” that we
begin to use language “as an instrument of peace.”3
What better way to start than with our children?
Monique Roy
Master Teacher, Razziataz Program
Please call the Rassias Foundation in order to learn more about World
Language programs for children and adults.
1http://www.dartmouth.edu/~lpetitto/lab/index.html#overview,
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~lpetitto/
2http://www.rayschoolfrenchclub.org/Grade2/Alphabet.htm
3John Rassias,
January 17, 2006,
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/features/podcasts/2006/rassias.html.
Rassias
Foundation News – January update
2005 Rassias Teacher Workshops Summary:
January – Loyola Marymount, Los Angeles, http://www.lmu.edu/Page3539.aspx
and do a search for Rassias)
March – New Hampshire Seacoast Conference
Gateway Community College http://www.gwctc.commnet.edu/
April – Hanover http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/teacher/hanover_workshops.html
June – Rutgers http://languageinstitute.rutgers.edu/rassias.htm
and http://wli.rutgers.edu/
September – Woodsville, NH -in-service day for SAU
23 http://www.sau23.k12.nh.us/
Frances Parker School
(Devens, MA) http://www.parker.org/
Fairfield University, (Fairfield,
CT) http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/jgoldfield/RILCS
October -- Hanover,
Woodsville, NH (in service day
for SAU 23)
November – NHWLT Conference, Meredith, NH http://www.nhawlt.org/
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Language Revitalization Project, (Ontario, Canada)
ACTFL,
Baltimore, MD http://www.actfl.org
December – Hanover (departmental)
New ATs in NYC!
Packer Collegiate School in Brooklyn Heights, NY has introduced a
class on student mentoring through the language department using
Assistant Teachers (ATs) drilling as the central medium. The Rassias
Mentoring class is being taught by Mark Rosenblum, a long time Rassias
Master Teacher in French and Spanish. Mark and the ATs (juniors
and seniors) work together twice a week before the drill classes with
their 6th and 7th grade students. We recently visited Packer and the
drill classes were inspirational thanks to the energetic and effective
team work created by Master Teachers José Badué and
Sandra Fahy the ATs and Mark. http://www.packer.edu/page.cfm?p=71
The Packer Rassias Project originated with Mark’s Klingenstein
Fellowship Project http://www.klingenstein.org
during the 2004-2005
school year.
*** Hear John Rassias “live” on the importance of world language
acquisition http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/features/podcasts/
***
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