Category Archives: Processional Development

Cultivating Connections: A Reflection on Project-Based Language Learning

Certificates, Processional Development

In June 2025, I had the pleasure of participating in a truly insightful professional development program focused on equipping language educators with the tools and strategies to implement effective project-based learning within language acquisition contexts. This summer institute, hosted at Yale University and run by the National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC), was an invaluable … Continue reading Cultivating Connections: A Reflection on Project-Based Language Learning →

Instructional Innovation Workshop 2025

Developing a Community-Based Learning Project for Heritage Arabic Courses.

Yale Center for Language Study, May 2025.

This project outlines efforts that focus on developing a comprehensive community-based learning project for the Elementary and Intermediate Heritage Arabic course. The “Connecting and Engaging” project will empower students to become advocates for the program, developing strategies to build a vibrant community around the course and encourage ongoing participation among fellow university students, particularly heritage speakers. This project leverages Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) principles to create compelling messaging highlighting the unique experience of heritage language learners and fostering a sense of belonging among heritage speakers on campus. The five-day Instructional Innovation Workshop (IIW) was dedicated to the initial design and planning of this project, preparing it for implementation in the 2025-26 academic year.

HERITAGE LANGUAGE EDUCATOR WORKSHOP SUMMER 2024

Certificates, Processional Development, Publications

To enhance my knowledge of effective Heritage Language teaching practices, I enrolled in the National Heritage Resource Center’s online summer course. The four-week course focused on key concepts and pedagogical approaches in Heritage Language teaching, understanding and meeting the language needs of Heritage Language learners, and differentiated instruction – responding to the needs of individual … Continue reading HERITAGE LANGUAGE EDUCATOR WORKSHOP SUMMER 2024 →

Generative AI: Professional Development

Processional Development

Generative AI is playing an increasing role in language education. Therefore, It was important for me to seek professional development opportunities that help improve my knowledge in this field before I can use AI effectively in my classroom. All professional development opportunities below were successfully completed in the Academic year 23-24. 1. Generative AI in … Continue reading Generative AI: Professional Development →

Program Evaluation: Arabic Language Program at Yale University

Program Evaluation: Arabic Language Program at Yale University

This presentation will discuss an in-progress evaluation of the new pilot program that was adopted in the Elementary level of the Arabic Language Program at Yale University.

The evaluation focuses on the question, How does students’ performance after the change (i.e. the pilot program) compare to that before it?? We gathered information via weekly formative assessments, and surveys, and are currently analyzing it. Ultimately, the university plans to use the results to reach the decision of whether or not the pilot program becomes a permanent feature. This presentation will share preliminary results from
the data analysis and the discussion will focus on the next steps in the evaluation process.

Excellent Language Program Evaluation: Summer Online Course

Processional Development

The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and STARTALK collaborate to offer this summer online course designed to learn more about the program evaluation process, including how to determine what types of information you need to gather for your evaluation, how to collect and analyze evaluation data, and how to use evaluation findings to create meaningful … Continue reading Excellent Language Program Evaluation: Summer Online Course →

Let’s Talk Language : Teaching Dialect in the Arabic Language Classroom

Processional Development

I had the pleasure to participate in a valuable conversation about teaching Dialect in the Arabic Language Classroom taking into consideration challenges such as selecting dialect, Learner’s age and motivation, instructor qualification, and many others. One Thing is for sure, it is impossible to keep dialect out of the Arabic Language CLassroom and the challenges … Continue reading Let’s Talk Language : Teaching Dialect in the Arabic Language Classroom →

Planning for Project-Based Language Learning

Processional Development

Certificate of Completion from this year’s Summer Institute. This indicates fulfilling requirements equivalent to two graduate-level semester credits, encompassing the following activities: developed and outlined a contextualized project-based language learning task; fostered language proficiency development through the design of appropriate communicative events embedded in project-based language learning experiences; employed effective scaffolding strategies for language, content, interactions, … Continue reading Planning for Project-Based Language Learning →

Professional Development Leave / Spring 2019

Processional Development

Excited to be awarded Professional Development Leave for Spring 2019. This leave will enable me to work on creating and designing the first Yale online Language acquisition course ; Levantine Arabic. The main objective of this online course is to develop and enhance speaking and listening skills of Arabic using the Levantine dialect.   More … Continue reading Professional Development Leave / Spring 2019 →