American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Term Paper Example

Introduction

It is important for a Foreign Language Teacher (FLT) to join professional organizations because they have the opportunity to network, learn, and communicate with other Foreign Language peers. The professional organizations have a diverse group of participants that have a wealth of knowledge that can be applied in the classroom. The teachers can build their own network of life-long peers while attending sponsored events that allow the members to meet in person. The Foreign Language Teacher can benefit from membership that provides professional education from the best keynote speakers in your industry.  The teacher will gain valuable experience, and training while learning the best practices in the Foreign Language Teacher industry. The FLT professional organization can help the Foreign Language Teacher stay informed on industry changes, best practices, different teaching techniques, and updates on new critical Foreign Language educational legislation.

The professional organizations offer important exclusive online resources free as member that would otherwise cost thousands to access this information. The online resources have listserv that will send you up to date changes, access to several databases and notification by email concerning any new events in your field of expertise. The networking opportunities allow the teacher to build relationships locally and nationally while learning leadership roles from established Foreign Language professionals. In the field of education, it requires a commitment to update their knowledge level to be more marketable during their careers. The professional development membership can provide members with the opportunity to update their knowledge level while acquiring new skills through mentoring sessions, collaborative workshops, and online courses.

The Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey(FLENJ) is an excellent professional organization because they provides a platform to keep teachers informed about industry changes and information on any state and federal legal changes. This organization has a reputation advocating Foreign Language professional agendas while staying informed about any national trends that may influence the world of language education. The are many different benefits that the FLENJ can provide such as industry workshops, mentoring programs, networking at conferences and providing mini-grants to members(Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey,2014). This professional organization provides the member with access career coaching and valuable mentoring relationships with seasoned Foreign Language veterans. The more experienced Foreign Language Educators can help provide personal career guidance and informative industry insights. The FLENJ has reputation for being one the most influential organizations in the political arena. They keep track of local and national organizations to keep abreast of federal and state legislative developments. In order to be successful in the Foreign Language industry teachers need to be updated on paradigm shifts.  Many companies today encourage employees to be involved in some type of volunteer events to give back to the community. The FLENJ sponsors charitable events that allow the member to participate and interact and development relationships with FLENJ members.

One the most impressive benefits of joining FLENJ are the scholarship programs for students, members and the community. The first program is the high-school scholarships for students that want continue language studies. The students that may apply for entrance to college can obtain awards such as outstanding achievements in the language field. FLENJ also provides mini-grants to membership for professional growth activities. The FLENJ has solid channel of language resources that help Foreign Language Teachers broaden their career aspirations.

The American Council on the Teacher of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is an excellent resource for Foreign Language Teachers. The ACTFL provides provide innovative publications that address best practices for classroom learning, new technology, and latest research in the industry. THE ACTFL has a massive membership that reaches over 600 language and educational professional in the Foreign Language industry nationwide (American Council on the Teacher of Foreign Languages (2014). One the most impressive programs are the ACTFL Mentoring program, which helps teachers early in their careers learning how to improve their delivery of Language learning to students. These professionals can give insight to the necessary skills to succeed as a Foreign Language Teachers. In addition, for busy professionals that might not be able to get away from the school, can utilize the ACTFL Webinars for Professionals. The webinars are constructed to support leadership, to motivate, and inspire teachers seeking proven teaching techniques.

The Foreign Language Teacher members receive real-time news and information concerning critical changes in the industry and a daily e-newsletter. The networking program is one the industry best because have access to special interest groups and online communities that discuss complex Foreign Language topics. As a bonus benefit, ACTFL members receive a free student information kits and copies of the annual Language Educator subscriptions. The ACTFL has excellent library of books and eBooks that help teachers with career assessments and award winning leadership speakers (American Council on the Teacher of Foreign Languages (2014). The ability to network with industry peers is a strength of the ACTFL because they have one the most successful Foreign Language Expositions in the industry. They focus on quality programs and a variety of workshops. The members have a change to learn new technology along with learning the best industry practices from mentors, members, and ACTFL professionals.

The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) is fantastic support organization for Foreign Language Teachers. American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The benefits for joining the AATSP are excellent for professional that want be inform about their industry changes. AATSP has annual conference that covers over 200 different sessions, exhibitions, and cultural events. The Foreign Spanish Language Teachers have access to a great resource magazine called the Hispania Journal. The Hispania Journal provides current articles on pedagogy, assortment of relevant literature, and computer technology aided language training (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, 2014). The primary reason for joining a professional organization is to collaborate with industry peers. AATSP has a charter member section that lists all the previous members that are advocating foreign language education in the United States. There are many respectable Foreign Language professional organizations. Nonetheless, the ACTFL has a reputation as being the only United States national organization that promotes the foreign language industry (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, 2014).  The ACTFL helps its members by meeting the needs of Foreign Language professionals, along with connecting teachers with peer Foreign Language professionals nationwide.

The Northeast Conference of the Teaching Foreign Languages (NECTFL) is an active association that supports the foreign language industry. The primary benefit of NECTFL is a supportive association for teachers positions may be ending or being phased out. The association has been in existence for over 60 years along with solid reputation in the Foreign Languages industry (Northeast Conference of the Teaching Foreign Languages NECTFL, 2014). ACTFL is great organization for a Foreign Languages Teacher to join because they have access to over 12,000 language educators and administrators. The exposure and access to educators can be invaluable for the teacher because they can share professional experiences and advice. The industry has acknowledge ACTFL as an innovative association that addresses the needs of the foreign language educators around the world. The ACTFL has researched and developed a set of professional of proficiency guidelines to standardize the delivery of foreign language diverse curriculums.

References

American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. (2014).Member benefits. Retrieved January 30, 2015 from http://www.aatsp.org/?page=MemberBenefits

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2014). About the American council on the teaching of foreign languages. Retrieved January 30, 2015 from http://www.actfl.org/about-the-american-council-the-teaching-foreign-languages

Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey. (2014). Membership benefits. Retrieved January 30, 2015 from http://flenj.org/membership/benefits.shtml

Northeast Conference of the Teaching Foreign Languages (NECTFL). (2014). About the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Retrieved January 30, 2015 from http://www.actfl.org/about-the-american-council-the-teaching-foreign-languages