The 2023 Hindi and Urdu Teacher Training Institute is conducted online and it is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of school, community and college teachers of Hindi and Urdu. The program is the result of a partnership between and is funded by It is funded by the Hagop Kevorkian Center, New York University, South Asian Institute, the University of Texas at Austin, the Asian Studies Center, and Michigan State University. The program awards a completion certificate for 50 hours to all participants who successfully completed the coursework.
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This online teacher training summer institute for Hindi and Urdu teachers emphasizes classroom teaching strategies and basic principles that can be applied to a variety of classroom settings. The program plans to recruit a mix of teachers from K-12, heritage school or college. Preference is given to applicants with teaching experience and native or near-native language proficiency with limited formal training. The program offers about 50 hours of instruction over 5 weeks. We are planning for three phases of instruction: a program orientation that will consist of a combination of asynchronous and consultation labs; application and practice primarily through synchronous sessions with asynchronous and consultation labs; and post program feedback of recorded teaching and the final projects of participants.
The time schedule is as follows: Thursdays 4:00pm-7:00pm and Sundays 10:00am-2:00pm
- May 27-June 4: Orientation Week = 10 hrs
- Asynchronous: 7 hrs (self-introductions, surveys and overview materials, fonts/typing, zoom features, tech support, etc)
- Synchronous: 3 hrs (meet and greet, introduction to google classroom features)
- June 5-June 25: Weeks 1-3 = 30 hrs
- Asynchronous: 3 hrs per week = 9 hrs
- Synchronous: 7 hours per week (2 sessions: Thursdays 3 hrs and Sundays 4 hrs, including ed tech lab consultation 1 hr ) = 21 hrs
- June 26-July 1: Final Week (final project work) = 10 hrs
- Asynchronous: 5 hrs + 2 hour ed tech lab consultation = 7 hrs
- Synchronous: 3hrs (final presentations through multiple round-tables in breakout rooms)
Total = 50
Note: Extra (optional) hours in educational technology are offered on Saturdays 10am-12pm EST and the attendance certificates will reflect those hours for the participants who joined these sessions.
Objectives: After completing this training institute, teachers will be able to:
- identify effective instructional practices and provide evidence from sample lessons and/or classroom videos supported by checklists;
- explain and implement effective instructional principles related to backward lesson design, 21st century World Readiness Standards, students-centeredness, and performance tasks development based on real-life;
- in pairs/small groups develop 3+ lessons based on backward design, including a theme, 2+ World Readiness Standards, specific age and proficiency level, 2+ CanDo statements (NCSSFL-ACTFL document), appropriate vocabulary and structures for this plan;
- and adapt authentic materials appropriate for the proficiency levels in their instructional context;
- identify and adopt appropriate authentic materials for designing 3+ tasks at different proficiency levels;
- design engaging tasks in the three modes of communication
- explain why certain strategies are effective and/or ineffective when staying in the target language and providing comprehensible input after they observe or participate in a sample online lesson in Bulgarian;
- examine and rate the proficiency level of ‘can do’ statements in the interpersonal and presentational modes, and assess levels of learners from recorded OPI interviews;
- explain what inclusive course instruction, materials and classroom atmosphere is and provide examples on how to manage difficult dialogues in the classroom related to social justice and current affairs ;
- use and implement educational technology tools by their choice in their lessons for the three modes of communication;
- reflect on the effectiveness of current learning objectives, lessons, and assessments vis-a-vis heritage vs. foreign language learners.
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Previous Training: June 1-July 18, 2021
The details of hours are as follows:
- Orientation Week (self-introductions, surveys and introduction to google classroom features, ed-tech tools, fonts/typing, zoom features, tech support, etc.): asynchronous 4 hrs and 3 hrs consultation lab = 7 hrs
- Weeks 1-4: Asynchronous 8 hrs per week = 32 hrs; Synchronous 9 per week (Tuesdays 2 hrs + 1 hr consultation lab, Thursdays 2 hrs + consultation lab 1 hr and Sundays 2 + consultation lab 1 hrs ) = 36 hrs
- Weeks 5-6 (final project work): asynchronous 4 hrs + 1 hr consultation lab + 2 hrs
synchronous (final presentations through multiple round-tables in breakout rooms) = 12hrs
Total = 87
The synchronous sessions are as follow (all times are EST):
Week 1:
Tuesday, June 8 — 4:00-7:00pm
Thursday, June 10 — 4:00-7:00pm
Sunday, June 13 — 4:00-7:00pm
Week 2:
Tuesday, June 15 — 4:00-7:00pm
Thursday, June 17 — 4:00-7:00pm
Sunday, June 20 — 4:00-7:00pm
Week 3:
Tuesday, June 22 — 4:00-7:00pm
Thursday, June 24 — 4:00-7:00pm
Sunday, June 27 — 4:00-7:00pm
Week 4:
Tuesday, June 29 — 4:00-7:00pm
Thursday, July 1 — 4:00-7:00pm
Monday, July 5 — 4:00-7:00pm
Week 6:
Sunday, July 18 — 4:00-6:00pm
The program is offered as non-credit option, however, successful alumni can apply for a competitive graduate course stipend (minimum 3 available).
Objectives: After completing this training institute, teachers will be able to:
- explain and implement principles related to backward lesson design, 21st century World Readiness Standards and performance tasks development based on real-life;
- identify and adapt authentic materials appropriate for the proficiency levels in their instructional context;
- design engaging tasks in the three modes of communication
- reflect on the effectiveness of current learning objectives, lessons, and assessments vis-a-vis heritage vs. foreign language learners;
- apply principles related to backward design and literacy-based pedagogy to their own courses;
- create and teach online a part of a Novice level lesson conducted exclusively in the target language
No Fees
The program provides about 87 hours, equivalent to a one-semester course. The program aims to recruit and support instructors at small colleges and departments, community schools and organizations. It provides training and network information to members of the heritage community with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and superior or higher language skills considering a career in the language-teaching field.
It is also an opportunity for practicing school teachers with the target language skills who teach other disciplines to consider developing an additional skill in teaching their native language and eventually to pursue a foreign language teaching certificate.
SALTA 