Schedule

SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 – Arrival

11:00 AM – 6:00 PM Open Registration – Upon your arrival, meet the coordinators on the second floor of the hotel to register and receive your special FLTA bag filled with useful paraphernalia including a binder of information you will need during the Orientation. 

1:30 PM (optional) Shakespeare in the Park – Take a short walk to beautiful Thorden Park for a spectacular theatre performance of “The Tempest.”  You will be sitting in a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre on blankets.  Please be in the lobby before 1:30 as we will depart at 1:30 to be at the show on time.

4:00 PM (optional) Guided walking tour of the campus – Join some of the staff and enjoy a guided walking tour around the Syracuse University campus. Bring comfortable shoes and your camera to the hotel lobby at 4:00 to meet your guide.

07:00-09:00 PM (optional) Welcome Reception at the Sheraton – We are eager to meet you!  Please consider attending a welcome reception in the hotel lobby where light refreshments will be served. This is a great opportunity for you to meet each other and some of the staff members.

MONDAY, AUGUST 12 – Day 1

07:00-08:45 AM   Breakfast at the Sheraton – Enjoy a hot breakfast buffet at the hotel’s restaurant, Rachel’s, on the first floor.  Breakfast options include scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, fresh fruit, cereal and an assortment of breads and danishes.  Sign-in with the hostess before entering. 

08:00-08:45 AM   Registration and Travel Stipend Distribution – If you did not have an opportunity to register on Sunday, the registration table will be open for one hour on the second floor of the hotel.  You can also receive your travel stipend from the Institute of International Education representative at this time.

09:15–09:30 AM   Opening Remarks – The sessions will take place In the Whitman School of Management building directly next to the hotel. 

09:30-10:30 AM   Introduction to American Campus, Culture and Diversity – Immediately following the welcome address, this session will provide an overview of US academic expectations, difficulties of adapting to a new culture and solutions to deal with culture shock including on-campus facilities and resources and benefits of participating in community service;

10:30-11:00 AM   Coffee Break – Coffee, tea, and snacks will be available in the Whitman School of Management atrium. This location also has restroom facilities and a lounge area, and is near the exit for those who would like to take a break outside.

11:00-12:00 PM   Transitional Survival Skills – This large-group session will be presented by the 5 mentors, who will perform skits that identify various situations that can occur when establishing their everyday needs in your institution. These points include strategies for dealing with time management, banking and money management, navigating affordable travel arrangements, finding housing, selecting a nutritious meal plan, understanding health care, and other survival skills. You will be given a detailed handout of information regarding this topic that you can review at your leisure.

12:30-01:30 PM   Welcome Lunch and Meet Your Mentor – Enjoy a typical American lunch with cold sandwiches, salads and hot soup followed by a satisfying selection of decadent desserts.  During the lunch, you will be able to sit with the members of your small-group and meet your teaching mentor.  Look for your small group number on the table. (Vegetarian options will be available.)

01:30-03:00 PM   FLTA Program Policies – Immediately following lunch, a representative from the Institute of International Education will present the Fulbright goals and traditions and Fulbright FLTA policies regarding living, working and traveling within the United States as an FLTA.

03:30-06:30 PM   Visit to Golub Farm – Bring your sneakers and cameras! Our first cultural event will be held at a local farm where you will be able to see how a farm operates on the power generated by solar energy.  You will also be able to taste products made from rhubarb, eat freshly-picked corn, ride on a farm wagon, and walk through a corn maze. We will also have a traditional barbeque dinner (vegetarian and hallal options available) in their beautiful barn and enjoy some country line dancing!  Be sure to wear comfortable clothes and shoes!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13 – Day 2

07:00-08:45 AM   Breakfast at the Sheraton – Charge your batteries at breakfast!  We’ll have a busy day! Breakfast will be served at Rachel’s restaurant again on the main floor of the hotel.  Sign-in with the hostess before entering. 

09:00-10:15 AM   Pedagogical Practices: Curriculum Development, Creation of Objectives, Syllabi, and Lessons, & Assessment and Evaluation in the U.S. Education System – This workshop will guide students in basic steps for the preparation of a foreign language course. Participants will receive an overview of the creation of learning objective design, syllabi structuring and communication of course and classroom expectations.

10:15-11:00 AM Inclusion and Accessibility – This session will give an overview of inclusion of all students in the classroom and accessibility of materials for all students. The presenter will discuss the needs of individual students and the importance of scaffolding and transparent teaching.   

11:00-11:30 AM   Coffee Break – Recharge with some coffee, tea, snacks or some fresh air available in the Whitman School of Management atrium.

11:30-12:30 PM Universal Design and Accessibility – American universities recognize the value of diversity and seek to promote equal access to educational opportunities for all students; this session will focus on coursework design including creating accessible documents, PDFs, PowerPoint and STEM issues.

12:30-02:00 PM   Lunch on your own –  A total of $24 has been added to the credit card distributed by IIE to be able to use at a location of you choice.  There are many choices to accommodate all dietary needs on Marshal Street, located directly across from the session sites. A list of restaurant options can be found in your Orientation binder, and the teaching mentors will be available to help and answer questions.

02:00-03:00 PM Foreign Language Teaching Methodology – This will be your first smaller group session.  You have been grouped with FLTAs who share the same or similar language and meet with a Syracuse University language instructor.  The instructor will discuss lesson planning with appropriate content and pacing; material creation and integration to support learning objectives, proper error correction techniques and classroom management skills, and student learning assessment using various evaluation techniques (e.g., classroom assessment techniques, tests, papers, office hours).

03:00-04:00 PM   Student Centered Language Learning – Get ready to have some fun! This workshop will demonstrate activities that focus on communicative methods in a task-based context for the second language classroom, constructive teacher-student interactions; and a student-centered learning environment in the classroom.

04:45-08:00 PM   Trip to Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center – After a full day of work, it’s time for a relaxing museum tour! We will head to a museum across from the Onondaga Lake Park by bus.  Here we will go on a guided tour around the Native American Museum learning about the history of the Haudenosaunee tribes.  There will also be a lacrosse demonstration! 

08:00 PM   Dinner at the Varsity  – We will visit one of Syracuse’s iconic restaurants that has been on campus since 1926.  This restaurant services the best pizza in town.  Enjoy a typical pizza dinner complete with antipasto salad and chicken wings. (Vegetarian options available.)

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14 – Day 3

07:00-08:45 AM   Breakfast at the Sheraton – Get some energy again at breakfast!  Head to Rachel’s restaurant again on the main floor of the hotel and sign-in with the hostess before entering. 

09:00-10:00 AM   Building a Respectful Place: A Harassment-Free Environment – This is a mandatory session for all FLTAs.  All FLTAs must attend.  A representative from the Human Resources Department at Syracuse University will explain the definition, policies, laws, responsibilities, liability, and behaviors associated with all forms of harassment.  Equal importance will be placed on both being a perpetrator and victim. Concepts of sexual harassment, laws surrounding student rights (including HIPAA and FERPA); and university policies to address concerns will be discussed.

10:15–11:15 AM    Maintaining Professional Relationships – This is a small group session with your small group led by your teaching mentor.  During this workshop, you will discuss appropriate Social Media usage, handling confrontation and conflict, and handling micro aggressions.

11:15-11:45 AM   Coffee Break – It’s recharge time!  Join us in the Atrium for a break.

11:45 AM-12:45 PM   Using Technology in Language Teaching – This workshop will introduce you to Blackboard (an online learning platform) and other online resources for language teaching.  The Blackboard site will be created for you to use throughout the year and will be available to you prior to arriving to Syracuse, NY. Before arriving, you will be asked to explore and practice using the Blackboard page by creating and uploading a video that introduces something interesting about you.  During this session, you can troubleshoot any issues you had uploading this assignment and brainstorm how you can use this assignment in your classrooms. In addition, staff from our technical department will present other online resources for language teaching.  You will all be provided a laptop for the session to practice what is being demonstrated by the presenters.

12:45-01:45 PM   Lunch on your own – Use your credit card again to eat at a location of your choice on Marshal Street.   

01:45–02:15 PM   The Real Story: Life as an FLTA Skype Session – It’s time to hear the real story. You will have an opportunity to ask questions to a former FLTA participant in a live session. Get your questions ready! 

02:15-2:45pm ASPE Presentation – An ECA officer will discuss details about the insurance program you will be using throughout the year in the United States.

03:00-05:00 PM   Microteaching with Critiques – This will be an opportunity for you to practice teaching a 5-10 minute lesson that you should prepare before arrival.  The presentation will be digitally recorded and then peer-critiqued in a constructive and supportive environment. This session will include the structure and layout of a typical US college classroom, teaching methods that work and proper critiquing.

04:30-06:00 PM   Free time to prepare for Cultural Program – Sit back and relax!  You did it!  Be sure to sign up for shuttle transportation in the hotel main lobby to go to the airport or bus station on Thursday.

06:00-09:00 PM   Farewell Cultural Program and Dinner – It’s party time!  All participants and staff are invited to attend a cultural program and dinner at the Syracuse Sheraton University Hotel.  You are encouraged to showcase singing, dancing, or a cultural demonstration from your country. You can work in groups or act solo.  Have fun with this!  We can’t wait to see your talent!  Delicious dinner and dessert will be served during the performances prepared by the expert kitchen staff at the hotel.  (Vegetarian options will be available).

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15– Departure

07:30-10:30 AM   Breakfast at the Sheraton – It’s your last time to recharge before you head to your host institution.  Rachel’s restaurant on the main floor of the hotel.  Be sure to sign in.

Noon Checkout Departure – Be sure to sign up for shuttle transportation in the hotel main lobby to go to the airport or bus station.  It’s best to do this in advance.