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It is with regret that we are announcing the cancelation of the 2008 Annual Rosario Caminero In-Service Conference on the Teaching of Foreign languages.

Please stay tuned for the fall 2009 when PSMLA and MU will join forces again for a joint conference in Gettysburg!

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2007 MU In-Service Conference
"Language Acquisition, Inclusion and Assessment"

On Saturday, November 3, 2007, the department of Foreign Languages welcomed Mr. John De Mado for its 42nd Annual In-Service Conference which was renamed after Professor Emerita Dr. Rosario Caminero.

John De Mado has been a vocal advocate for language acquisition in the United States for many years. Beginning his foreign language studies in high school, Mr. De Mado went on to Montclair State College in Upper Montclair, NJ . While attending Montclair State, John was selected to participate in an immersion experience in Grenoble, France sponsored by Princeton University. He began his language teaching career in the state of New Jersey, simultaneously completing his MA degree in French language and literature at Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT.

Since 1993, Mr. De Mado has directed John De Mado Language Seminars, Inc., a full-service consulting firm dealing exclusively with language acquisition issues. A member of several national, regional and state language organizations (ACTFL, Central States Conference, Northeast Conference, NADSFL, Connecticut COLT, TFLA, MaFLA, etc.), John is best known for his motivational keynotes, provocative conference sessions and insightful professional and staff development workshops.

The long-standing goal of language educators in the United States has been to deliver a generation of students who, at some level, function in more than one language. Despite out best efforts, this goal has remained largely elusive, with the vast majority of our students eventually fleeing our ranks.

With the national mandate to include all types of learners in our classrooms, many questions arise. Could it be that language acquisition is primarily a learning task? If so, is it time for us to reinvent ourselves as language teachers? Are we able to shatter the mythologies that have historically impeded most students from acquiring a second language? What do we actually believe? How do our beliefs align with our practices? How do we actually expand candidacy in the language classroom? Can assessment be inclusive?

Through discussion, handouts, humor, passion and debate, this workshop addressed these and other questions, thus helping teachers to clarify their organizing principals and to seek more inclusionary strategies.

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2006 MU In-Service Conference
"Re-Discovering World Languages:
Creating New World Citizens"

On Saturday, November 4, 2006 the Department of Foreign Languages at Millersville University welcomed Dr. Janice Mitchell, Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Gallaudet University. Her keynote address demonstrated how to develop an inclusive world language classroom by using technology and collaborative efforts between secondary and post-secondary teachers. Afternoon sessions addressed the needs of specific populations (e.g. African-Americans, Latinos, students with special needs) and worked on curricular models that incorporate technology and build on local, national and global cultural connections.

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Combined 2005 MU/PSMLA Conference
A Success in "Amish Country"

On Friday and Saturday, October 28 and 29, 2005, the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center in Lancaster , PA was the site of the 2005 PSMLA/40th Annual Millersville University In-Service Conference. Over 150 attendees chose from 24 sessions over the two-day period. Friday also featured a special half hour session on Standards and Assessment hosted by PSMLA during which teachers were given a free copy of PSMLA Standards and Guide to Assessment "What to Teach and How to Test It." Take a look at our slide show to find out more about this event!

In Service Conference 2005 (PDF)