Section 6       Professional Development and Support              10-15-02

Eastern Michigan University

French Major and Minor for Secondary Education

FA

The French faculty supports their graduates by writing them letters of recommendation, and providing them with ongoing help and guidance after they have obtained a position. Graduates of the program are invited to attend the annual portfolio presentation, thereby continuing the tradition of support initiated by the faculty.

All FLAN 411 students are encouraged to attend the Michigan Foreign Language  Association conference in the Fall. They receive assignment credit for this. They have to pick a theme or a topic to guide their choice of sessions, and attend these sessions. In the process, they learn how to review a program and the value of attending professional meetings.

A number of graduates choose to come back to Eastern to enroll in the Master’s of Foreign Language program. This allows both students and faculty to continue the partnership first developed at the undergraduate level. The French faculty emphasizes the importance of mentoring and the long-term impact it has on both students and professors.

The French faculty also participates actively in the Michigan Foreign Language Association, serving on the organizing committee, presenting workshops and sessions, and encouraging prospective teachers to attend the conference. From the faculty’s perspective, this conference is an opportunity to renew contacts, and nurture long term collaboration with former students; to keep up with the most recent developments in secondary education theories and practices; to engage new graduates in the dynamics of the organization.

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