Curriculum and Instruction, Associate Professor Diane Tedick gave a plenary presentation and participated in a plenary round table with other speakers at the Brazilian Immersion Conference, which was held May 1-2 in São Paulo, Brazil.
In the plenary, Tedick shared that research has illustrated that immersion programs that are well-designed and well-implemented are those that lead to the most positive student outcomes regarding language proficiency and academic achievement. Drawing on research-based recommendations developed in the U.S. and other countries, she focused on three key points, namely that immersion programs must:
- establish clear end goals and grade-level benchmarks for second language proficiency attainment,
- institute a program-wide assessment plan to measure students’ achievement of established proficiency goals, and
- plan for ongoing, immersion-specific professional development for teachers to learn and implement “high-yield” pedagogical practices that will ensure student success on program-level assessments.
The plenary round table engaged all conference speakers, including Drs. Roy Lyster (Canada), Myriam Met (U.S.), Else Hamayan (Argentina), and Tedick, in addressing current questions about the design and implementation of outstanding English immersion programs in Brazil.
To learn more about Tedick’s research, please see her faculty profile. To learn more about our Second Languages and Cultures Education programs, please visit the SLC program page.
