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33 World Language educators from Western New York attended a WL network collaborative sponsored by the Genesee Region Teachers’ Center (GRTC) and the Tri-County Teacher Resource Center (TCTRC).Ìý This event was organized and led by Beth Slocum, World Language Network Facilitator for the Genesee Valley ¶«¾©ÈÈal Partnership (GVEP) and past president of the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT).ÌýÌý

Beth Slocum also led the morning session on intercultural connections.Ìý The session focused on nurturing authenticity in the world language classroom through intentional skill building.Ìý Participants were challenged to strengthen the connections between language and culture by connecting authentic resources (#authres) with next generation literacy strategies.Ìý Participants brought research into practice by exploring practices, products and perspectives with visible thinking strategies.

The afternoon session was led by Candace Black, World Language Associate at the Office of Bilingual ¶«¾©ÈÈ and World Languages from the ¶«¾©ÈÈ.Ìý In addition to reviewing upcoming changes in World Languages including the revision of the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Standards for New York State, Candace presented a workshop designed to help teachers distinguish the difference between proficiency and performance, identify the characteristics of the three main proficiency levels, and review the paradigm shifts embodied by the proposed revisions to the standards.