On Friday, November 28th, YCDSB’s Continuing Education Department hosted the International Languages Educators Association’s (ILEA) Fall Forum 2014 at the Catholic Education Centre in Aurora.
Representatives of the International Languages Program from 14 Ontario school boards, both Catholic and public, attended the forum, which discussed the pedagogical aspects of international language education in Ontario. The forum also focused on professional development in elementary international languages with a particular accent on how to move towards an action-oriented approach in language teaching. All participants took an active role in several sharing activities, where they illustrated their school board’s current best practices, opportunity for improvement and any possibility of assistance from ILEA.
The forum also allowed ILEA executive members to finalize an upcoming survey that will be distributed across the province. The survey aims to summarize the status of International Languages in the province, and give suggestions for future action.
Members of ILEA include administrators and principals of International Languages, as well as language teachers and instructors from both elementary and secondary schools. In addition, ILEA works in close partnership with the Ministry of Education, Embassies or Consulates, OISE, universities, overseas cultural exchange organizations, and community agencies promoting language learning such as the Toronto Goethe Institute or Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana.
ILEA acts as a resource to the Ministry of Education and partner organizations concerning languages. Serving as a support network for language educators, ILEA promotes initiatives to enhance the International Languages programs in schools. It also works in partnership with other organizations involved in second language/continuing education.
To learn more, visit the ILEA web site at: www.ilea.ca.