A group of University of Arkansas graduate students, visiting scholars and professor attended the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association annual conference "From Performance to Proficiency!" at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs with two of the students making presentations.

Four students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program, two doctoral students in curriculum and instruction, and two visiting scholars accompanied Freddie Bowles, secondary education coordinator and foreign language specialist, to the conference in October.

Doctoral students Qian Zhang and William Davis had proposals accepted for presentations: "Using Art in Foreign Language Instruction" presented by Zhang and "United We Speak: World Language Advocacy in Arkansas" presented by Davis and Courtney Cochran, a U of A graduate who was named Arkansas Teacher of the Year last month. Cochran teaches at Van Buren High School. 

Visiting scholars, Victoria Mascaliuc from Moldova and Xiaoling Peng from China, and M.A.T. secondary education students Marisa Buller, Alvaro Salaverry, Cristhina Torres and Kimberly Wood received six hours of professional development in the teaching of foreign languages.

Thanks to the support of Michael Daugherty, head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Lindsey Swagerty, director of the Education Renewal Zone, the group enjoyed several cultural experiences including a trip to the Arkansas Capitol building and the Central High School National Museum.