Exploring Language, Culture, and Community in Historic Bethlehem

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (we’ll meet at the hotel)
Includes: Guided Walking Tour • Lunch at the Luckenbach Mill • Language Proficiency Workshop by Language Testing International

Join us for a unique and enriching pre-conference experience that blends local history, cultural immersion, and professional learning. This full-day workshop invites participants to step into the storied past of Historic Bethlehem, a National Historic Landmark District rich with colonial charm and Moravian heritage.

We’ll begin the day with a guided walking tour through the heart of Bethlehem, where cobblestone streets, 18th-century buildings, and centuries-old stories come to life. Led by local experts, this tour will highlight key historic sites while exploring the connections between place, language, and identity.

Next, participants will enjoy a locally catered lunch at the scenic Luckenbach Mill, a beautifully restored 1860s building nestled along the Monocacy Creek. This peaceful setting offers the perfect backdrop to reflect on the morning’s discoveries and engage with colleagues.

In the afternoon, shift gears from exploring Bethlehem’s rich cultural landscape to designing transformative learning experiences in your own classroom. This interactive, hands-on workshop introduces participants to the ADDIE model of instructional design—Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate—as a powerful framework for enhancing language proficiency and driving programmatic growth.

With a focus on “Backward Design to Build Proficiency and Improve Program Outcomes,” participants will:

  • Explore the ADDIE model and its relevance in a variety of instructional contexts
  • Practice applying ADDIE to real-world language learning scenarios
  • Pause for reflection and discussion during a mid-afternoon break
  • Zoom in on evaluation and assessment, clarifying the distinction and learning to approach both more systematically
  • Discover how to tell a compelling story with data, draw insights from evaluation results, and make informed changes to instruction and curriculum
  • Apply insights by revising or creating learning outcomes based on sample or real program score reports
  • Revisit the ADDIE process in light of evaluation findings, theorizing and adjusting plans with data-driven intent
  • Engage in case-based practice, applying each step of ADDIE to specific instructional or programmatic challenges

This session provides concrete tools and guided practice to help participants translate theory into action, improve student outcomes, and align curriculum design with meaningful, measurable proficiency goals. Whether you’re a curriculum leader, language educator, or program coordinator, you’ll leave with a refreshed understanding of how to design, evaluate, and adapt with purpose.

Whatever your level of expertise, this workshop promises an inspiring blend of professional development and cultural enrichment in one of Pennsylvania’s most picturesque and historically significant towns.

Five ACT 48 Credits will be available for members who participate in the full pre-conference workshop.