Kristin Lange and Scott Windham from the Department of World Languages and Cultures presented their research at the annual convention and expo of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Elon’s German faculty from the Department of World Languages and Cultures presented at the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) held Nov. 16-19 in Chicago. The event draws more than 8,000 language educators from around the world each year.
Associate Professor Scott Windham and Assistant Professor Kristin Lange presented in a panel on multi-level language courses. Inspired by a student’s idea, they have started teaching first and second semester German as one course, i.e. two-course levels in one room. Teaching Elon’s beginning sequence as multi-level courses has boosted the German program’s retention and created a strong sense of community and belonging among our students. Windham and Lange shared details about the developmental process, curriculum, sample assignments and student feedback with a captive audience, as well as highlighted challenges and opportunities that they have experienced with multi-level courses at Elon.
Lange also organized a panel on successful and sustainable outreach strategies at all levels. Lange collaborated with colleagues from Montclair State University, Franklin & Marshall College, and Mahopac High & Mahopac Middle Schools, were they shared outreach initiatives with the audience that successfully connected German learners at all levels, from K-12 to college. Lange’s presentation focused on North Carolina German Day, which Elon hosted in March 2023 and which brought over 250 middle and high school students to Elon’s campus.