MAFLA Core Practices Institute 2026

Join us to refresh and build upon ACTFL's Guiding Principles!

Friday, March 27, and Saturday March 28, 2026, 8:00AM - 4:15PM
Location:  Worcester State University, 486 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA 01602

Choose ONE of the Two Featured Workshops each day. You can attend either or both days.

POs will be accepted for this event.

A detailed PO must be submitted here.  The PO must include; name of individual(s), specific workshop(s) desired for each, and day(s) attending. Remember that all included on the PO must be members.  If someone is not a member, they will need to join before they can be registered for the event.   

Schedule (both days)

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Registration
8:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Presentation (Part 1)
10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Mid-Morning Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Presentation (Part 2)
12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch (Included with registration)
1:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. - Facilitated Break-Out Session
3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. - Closing and Next Steps

FRIDAY:

Session A: Teaching Grammar for Proficiency: Laying the Groundwork with Catherine Ritz

Shifting to proficiency-based grammar instruction begins with rethinking the role of grammar altogether. Instead of treating grammar as a set of rules to master before communication can happen, we anchor it in meaning, input, and purposeful use. In this introductory workshop, we will explore the research that underpins effective grammar instruction and examine essential practices for teaching grammar in context. Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model and other discovery models of learning, participants will learn how to guide students from noticing grammatical patterns in input, to processing them through meaningful tasks, and finally to confident, communicative use. This session is designed as a first step for educators ready to shift their mindset and begin aligning grammar instruction with a proficiency-based approach. You will leave with practical strategies, sample lesson structures, and a clearer understanding of how to integrate grammar seamlessly into real communication.

Session B:  Leveling Up Your Grammar Instruction! with Mike Travers

 After getting past the initial shock of the idea of teaching grammar in context we can begin thinking about how this looks on a day-to-day basis. In this workshop, we will be taking a deep dive into specific practices we can implement in our classes. We will spend time planning lessons to present grammar in context as well as follow up lessons and activities to help students process the grammar as input before producing it in tasks as output. You will leave this workshop with a toolbox of new activities and strategies that you can use to boost your proficiency-based grammar teaching.

 

SATURDAY:

Session A: Developing World Language Literacy: Strategies for Reading and Writing with Catherine Ritz

Reading and writing are essential components of world language literacy, and in today’s proficiency-based classrooms they work hand in hand with speaking to support real communication. In this workshop, we’ll look at simple, practical ways to build literacy by teaching reading and writing in ways that lead naturally to meaningful interaction in the target language. We’ll explore models that help students read with purpose, talk about what they’ve learned, and write for real-world reasons—whether they’re drafting, revising, or collaborating with peers. We’ll also discuss easy strategies for differentiating instruction through tiered tasks and scaffolds so all learners can succeed. Participants will leave with ideas and materials they can use right away in their own classes.

Session B:  But We Have to Give them a Grade! with Mike Travers

As teachers, we know that giving assessments and providing feedback are essential parts of our role in the classroom. However designing performance assessments and giving quality feedback can be challenging given the demands of our already busy job. In this workshop, we will unpack some of the best practices in designing real-world performance tasks for learners at all proficiency and grade levels. From there, we will examine some ways to complete the feedback loop with tips and strategies to improve the feedback you give students and also empower them to give each other peer feedback. You will leave this workshop with a framework for designing assessments and a variety of ideas for how to give proficiency-oriented feedback.

 

OUR PRESENTERS:

MIKE TRAVERS

Mike Travers is a teacher at Wellesley High School in Massachusetts and has taught Spanish and French at the novice and intermediate levels. He is an active presenter at MAFLA, NECTFL, ACTFL, and currently serves as MAFLA’s President. He is the co-author of the recently published book Proficiency Based Instruction: Teaching Grammar for Proficiency. Mike has a true passion for working with districts and teachers as they make the shift to a student-centered, proficiency-based approach in their world language programs.

CATHERINE RITZ

Catherine Ritz is a Clinical Associate Professor and the program director for World Language Education and Curriculum & Teaching at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. A longtime French and Spanish teacher at the secondary level and a National Board–certified teacher of French, she brings extensive classroom experience to her work with teachers on classroom practice, curriculum, and assessment design. She is the author of Leading Your World Language Program: Strategies for Design & Supervision, Even If You Don’t Speak the Language! (Routledge, 2021) and co-author of the Proficiency-Based Instruction series: Input & Interaction in World Language Education (ACTFL, 2022) and Teaching Grammar for Proficiency (ACTFL, 2024).

PRICING (INCLUDES LUNCH):

*Those interested in graduate credits must attend both days

IMPORTANT!
Cancellations: Any registrant who needs to cancel their registration while registration is still open is able to do so with a 15% fee. Once registration for the event has closed, the amount of the refund, if any, is at the discretion of the Program Director.

Please Note Registration Fees are Non-refundable After 3/15/2026

Register Early to Get the Best Pricing!

Contact the Event Coordinator Evan Greenwald with Questions