March 14, 2010
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Chad Reuter, Instructional Programs Developer, Wisconsin Educational Communications Board
CHAD REUTER has worked at the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board since 2005, where he began as co-project director for the award-winning instructional television series democracy it is!* Chad earned his bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Technology Management from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and his master’s degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University. Before joining ECB, he worked for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as an Audio-Visual Production Specialist-Senior; as an Associate Lecturer in the broadcasting department at UW-Platteville; and as Chapter Director for Sigma Pi Fraternity International on the UW-Madison campus. His most recent ECB project is World Language Assessment: Get in the Mode!, the first on-demand Internet series from ECB, free to all Wisconsin teachers. World Language Assessment is a professional development series that seeks “to support and empower all world language educators as they develop and implement effective assessment practices for learning.” In addition to his duties at ECB, Chad works part-time at WISC-TV in the operations department working on various video projects, including the evening news. Technos spoke with Chad about the World Language Assessment series the day after its official rollout on September 1, 2008.
*ECB’s democracy it is! has been honored with these awards:
CINE Golden Eagle Award (2008)
Aurora Award Winner (2008)
Parents’ Choice Award (2008)
AVA Award, Platinum Award Winner (2007)
NETA Award Winner, Best Instructional Television Series (2007)
Aurora Award Winner (2007)
Telly Award Winner, Educational Television Series (2007)
T: The World Language Assessment professional development project looks like it must have been a massive undertaking, even by ECB’s standards. How many people worked on it, and how long did it take to develop it?
C.R.: The idea for this series originated with Paul Sandrock, who was serving at the time as World Language Consultant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). After working at the national level on other language learning initiatives, Paul recognized a need for resources specific to assessment. He approached ECB with a project concept, which we whole-heartedly embraced. We began by forming a Teacher Advisory Committee made up of 14 experienced world language professionals and library media specialists. Our first development meeting was in August 2007, and one year and fourteen shoots later, we rolled out World Language Assessment: Get In The Mode!
What did the team members do as the project proceeded?
I can’t say enough about them! We met once a month to work on the series from concept to delivery. The time commitment for the members was actually fairly small, but their dedication to the project was amazing. We spent some time formalizing our mission and vision statements. Then, using the National Standards for Foreign Language Education from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages for guidance, we were able to quickly identify the seven areas on which the series would focus: Assessing Communication, Assessments for Learning, Types of Assessment, Assessment Tools, Technology in Assessment, Assessing Cultural Competence, and Using Feedback in Assessment. My goal as the director of this project was to create a collaborative environment that would lead to the creation of a very relevant resource. I knew that with the help of my team, this would be something they and other teachers would find useful. The advisors allowed us into their classrooms so we could film them in their regular work settings modeling instructional and assessment-based best practices. The advisors also served as a focus group and gave feedback on the rough programs so we’d have an idea how they would be received by the teachers in the field. Needless to say, their feedback was essential to the project development.
Having teachers involved in the development of this professional development series seems like a good idea, both for deriving content and for marketing purposes.
ECB strives to create programs and services that help both students and teachers achieve their educational goals. Teacher involvement in the creation of multimedia resources is crucial. We begin all of our projects by asking the question: “What is the specific educational need?” Teachers involved in ECB projects become invested in these resources. Their word-of-mouth advocacy with their colleagues is our best marketing strategy! It is of equal importance to note here that these advisory committee meetings are also a professional development journey for the participating educators. Imagine what happens when you put a group of the most masterful educators in the state in one room for days of thoughtful discussion! Everyone involved leaves the project as a better practitioner. Once a series has been completed, ECB actively promotes it through educator conferences and professional development workshops across Wisconsin. I’ll be at the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers Conference, in Appleton, November 6–8, 2008. One of the great aspects of this project is that it is available on our Web site to all teachers, at no charge and requires no login. A DVD set is available for the sake of convenience, particularly in areas where Internet bandwidth is limited.
How was this project funded?
The Educational Communications Board is an agency of the State of Wisconsin. We work with our state Department of Public Instruction to identify ways we can use media to enhance teacher professional development or classroom instruction, and funds are dedicated to those projects. We also partner with other agencies that share interest in specific curricular areas. In this case, additional funding for the project was provided by the Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers.
What are the various components of the World Language Assessment series?
Video on Demand is one of the most exciting components — in fact, this series is the first series we’ve made available through the Internet, which allows teachers to watch the videos any time, any place. The programs are also broadcast on Wisconsin Public Television, and we’ve made the series available directly to schools through datacasting technology. We’re also sponsoring a social network hosted by NING for this series, where teachers can connect with the program advisors and with each other as they try these techniques in their own classrooms. Print resources are also available at the series Web site, including planning templates, rubrics, and much more.
Was your goal in this professional development series to make the distinction between “foreign language speakers” and “language learners”?
Actually, by implementing the instructional strategies and assessment practices in the three modes of communication, students will view themselves as foreign language speakers at the same time they are learning new languages. This is very empowering!
What was the most enjoyable aspect of developing this series for you?
I really enjoyed working with the teachers, who had such a passion for their work, their languages, and their students’ learning. It was great fun to watch the kids in the classes and to see them just soak up the languages! It was quite impressive to hear elementary school students speaking Japanese.
What was your greatest challenge during the development of this PD series?
I’d say just getting the right team together to make a resource teachers would want to use. But with Paul Sandrock’s and Pam Delfosse’s help, the group came together quite nicely. The first couple of meetings included lots of negotiation about the direction we were headed, but Paul, Pam, and I were able to sort out what the committee wanted and the teachers needed.
What prepared you for the work you do at ECB?
I earned my bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting Technology Management from UW-Platteville and have 15 years of experience in broadcasting and video editing. But at heart, I’m a Project Director. I completed a master’s degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University. I see my personal strength is in assembling teams and working with a group to develop good, useful products.
Any closing thoughts you’d like to share with our readers?
I’d like to say that I’m proud of how the series came together on a pretty short timeline. It was very gratifying to work with such a great team of teachers, who made sure that relevant content resulted in a very valuable resource for teachers. We’re all pleased with the final product. I find it very satisfying to know that we’ve produced something that people will put to good use to help kids with their learning of world languages. That’s important to me.
Chad Reuter’s next assignment for ECB is in the works. In the meantime, World Language Assessment: Get In The Mode! has been nominated for a prestigious CINE Award. You can email him at: Chad1.Reuter@ecb.org.