CT COLT Professional Learning Series - Extending IPAs to Connect with Community

CT COLT is excited to present a series of five webinars for the 2025–2026 school year, themed “From Proficiency to Purpose: Language as a Tool for Impact.”

We’re continue the series with our last session, “Extending IPAs to Connect with Community,” featuring Connie Xu and Michelle Nicklas. Connie and Michelle are dynamic world language educators at Hall High School in West Hartford. Connie, a Mandarin teacher since 2013, designs meaningful and culturally rich lessons that inspire students to connect language with real-life understanding. Michelle, an experienced Spanish teacher and CT COLT Membership Chair, is passionate about fostering proficiency, engagement, and professional growth within the language teaching community. Together, they bring creativity and purpose to student-centered language learning.

Session Abstract:

Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) are most powerful when they connect students to authentic audiences and real-life purposes. This session demonstrates how to design IPAs that extend beyond classroom simulations, using examples from Chinese and Spanish programs to show how learners can share cultural traditions, collaborate with peers abroad, and apply global solutions to local challenges. Participants will gain practical strategies for creating performance tasks that transform language into a genuine tool for cultural exchange and problem-solving.

Registration for this workshop is free for CT COLT members. Please direct any questions to the CT COLT PD Committee at professionaldevelopment@ctcolt.org.