AATF COMMISSIONS
| Advocacy | Cultural Competence | FLES* |
| French for Business and International Trade | High Schools | Middle Schools |
| Professional Teacher Standards | Promotion of French | Student Standards |
| Technology |
Universities |
Commission on Cultural Competence
Co-Chair: Michèle Bissière, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, E-mail: mhbissie@uncc.edu (2013-2015) and Co-Chair: Marie Schein, Texas Christian University, E-mail: mmschein1@gmail.com (2013-2015)
The new co-chairs are launching two collaborative projects for the Commission: “Developing Resources for Teaching Contemporary France and the French-Speaking World” and “Revealing Multicultural France Through History, Popular Culture, and Politics.” They invite you to join the Commission and attend its Working Session at the Providence convention to learn more about the new initiatives and share your ideas.
The Commission on Cultural Competence worked for three years to produce their initial report entitled Acquiring Cross-Cultural Competence: Four Stages for Students of French, ed. Alan J. Singerman (National Textbook Co., 1995) which outlines a rationale and standards for the teaching of culture. Three additional volumes have also appeared, France at the Dawn of the 21st Century on issues in contemporary France, a volume on contemporary cultural issues in Quebec has also appeared, Le Québec aujourd'hui. Identité, société et culture, as well as a recent issue of Dialogues et cultures devoted to Switzerland and Belgium. Click here for information on these volumes.
The Commission's first Web site was created and managed by Jayne Abrate, AATF Executive Director.
FLES* Commission (Sequential FLES*, Sequential FLEX, Exploratory, and Immersion)
Chair: Karen Campbell Kuebler, Baltimore County Public Schools (MD), E-mail: kkcdanser@verizon.net (2012-2014)
The FLES* Commission has produced a multitude of useful materials for teachers including the Calendrier perpétuel as well as methodological and promotional materials. AATF FLES* Commission members serve as contact persons in many regions and states of the country to provide assistance with FLES*. They serve as a national advisory council on AATF FLES* concerns, research, issues, and projects.
A collection of the most pertinent articles of their annual reports was published in 1998 in a volume entitled A Celebration of FLES* to celebrate the last "duodecade" of activities for the National FLES* Commission of AATF.
Click here for the Salut les jeunes! column from the National Bulletin.
Commission on French for Business and Economic Purposes
Chair: Deb Reisinger, Duke University, E-mail: debsreis@gmail.com (2013-2015)
TThis Commission has produced multiple publications, including multimedia resources on teaching business French, Issues and Methods in French for Business and Economic Purposes (ed. Patricia W. Cummins (Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1995) and Making Business French Work: Modes, Materials, Methodologies, (ed. Steven Loughrin-Sacco and Jayne Abrate). The Commission is currently working toward the expansion of business French at the secondary and post-secondary level, with the goal of creating a network of business French teachers that both reflects and informs current practices and methods in the field of French for Specific Purposes.
Click here to view projects developed through the Title VI grant received from the U.S. Dept. of Education.
Click here to read the latest report of the Commission.
Commission for the Promotion of French
Co-Chairs: Joyce Beckwith, Wilmington High School (MA), E-mail: joyce.beckwith@wilmington.k12.ma.us , and Dolliann Hurtig, Lousiana Tech University, E-mail: dhurtig@latech.edu
The Commission for the Promotion of French in the U.S. was created in the fall of 1994 as a Task Force and chaired by Marie-Christine Koop until fall 1997, when it became a Commission. Its main objective was to help teachers recruit students by producing various documents such as flyers, guides, teaching ideas, and letters to convince students, parents, and administrators of the value of French. Many of the materials developed by the Task Force and the Commission are available through the AATF Materials Center. The Commission sponsors a regular feature in the National Bulletin entitled "Promotion in Motion." The Co-Chairs are currently working on a publication entitled "Allons au Cinema: Promoting French Through Films" which will include 15 Francophone films for use in the classroom.
Click here to read the latest article featured in Promotion in Motion.
Click here to learn more about Ideas for French Language & Culture Advocacy in the U.S.
Commission on High Schools
Chair:Anne Jensen, Gunn High School (CA), E-mail: annejensen@att.net (2012-2014)
The Commission has produced a flyer targeting guidance counselors entitled "Help Wanted." Limited copies are available free of charge to AATF members (send a self-addressed stamped envelope to AATF Headquarters). The goal of the AATF Commission on High Schools will be to identify the needs specific to high school teachers of French in the areas of curriculum, assessment, the promotion of French at the high school level, and the articulation of high school programs with junior high and post-secondary programs. The Commission recently produced a new flyer intended for high school guidance counselors. See the most recent issue of the National Bulletin for more information.
Click here for the Commission on High School's Web site.
Commission on Middle Schools
Chair: Janel Lafond-Paquin, Rogers High School (RI), E-mail: madamep51@hotmail.com (2013-2015)
The Middle School Commission will be preparing a
resource manual for teachers of children’s literature that integrates
well into a middle school curriculum.
The manual will include bibliographical information on each
selection, a list of topics, grammatical structures and cultural aspects
(if any) found in the story, as well as several activities for teaching
the selection. If you are
interested in being a participant in this project, please contact the
Chair. Your submissions are
most welcome!
Click here to view teaching units and materials developed by the Commisison.
Commission on Student Standards
Chair: Rebecca Fox, George Mason University (VA), E-mail: rfox@gmu.edu (2013-2015)
The Commission on Student Standards provides liaison between the AATF membership and the Joint National Standards Project, of which AATF was a founding partner, and which has just produced the generic document Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century (1996). Learning scenarios which reflect one or more standards are being solicited from teachers of French for inclusion in this document.
A summary Standards in Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century is on-line for consultation. This site also provides information about purchase of the complete document. The new volume of the National Standards, reviews by Commission members, and including language-specific adaptations of the generic standards to French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Classics, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Russian, and now Arabic is now available.
The Commisson recently produced a volume of standards-based activities, Global Connections.
Commission on Professional Teacher Standards
Chair: Adina Alexandru, Southington Public Schools (CT), E-mail: aalexand@baypath.edu (2012-2014)
The goal of the Commission is to bridge a solid connection between the (current or future) teachers of French interested in meeting professional national standards and the respective organization that provides/facilitates such services. We are looking for new members! Let us know if you are interested in serving on this commission by contacting the Chair. The structure of the Commission is informal and open to all AATF members. We need contributions form experienced as well as new teachers of French. Generally, the meetings are taking place virtually through the “GoToMeeting” platform. Click here to visit the Commission's Web site.
Commission on Technology
Co-Chairs: Lara Lomicka Anderson, University of South Carolina, E-mail: lomicka@sc.edu, and Catherine Ousselin, Mount Vernon High School (WA), E-mail: catherineku72@gmail.com
The Commission on Technology provides information on the adoption and use of current and innovative Web and mobile device tools. It is a regular sponsor of on-site trainings, workshops, and social media chats through Twitter and Facebook. The Commission maintains a blog to inform members of new technologies and practical curricular applications. Members of the AATF are encouraged to share their favorite tools via the Commission’s social media channels.
New Commission Web site: www.frenchteachers.org/technology
Click here to read the latest report of the Commission.
Click here to read the Telematics Commission articles from the National Bulletin.
Click here to visit the AATF Facebook page.
Commission on Universities
Chair to be named
The AATF Commission on Colleges and Universities is working with other organizations nationally and internationally to promote language portfolios for learning, teaching, and assessment. They make use of the National Standards and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in helping students to assess their skills in listening, reading, speaking in a presentational mode, speaking in an interactional mode, and writing. These are the same areas covered by the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, endorsed by AATF and 40 other language organizations. See the Global Language Portfolio website at http://www.globallanguageportfolio.com.
Click here to read the most recent Commission Report.
Commission on Advocacy
Chair: "Tennessee Bob" Peckham, University of Tennessee at Martin, E-mail: bobp@utm.edu
Our newest convention will continue to develop tools for French teachers at all levels to use to advocate for French programs.
Take a look at the Advocacy Depot.
Consult the Advocacy Wiki.
Click here to read the Advocacy articles from the National Bulletin.
Last update: February 20, 2013