Laetitia Kokx

Workshop 1

Cultivating a Reflective Practice Asynchronous Workshop

         In this workshop, we discussed the importance of reflective practices as an essential part of personal and professional growth. One of the main ideas that emerged from the workshop was that reflective practice is not just a passive process, but rather a voluntarily elaborated practice that helps bring clarity from real-life experiences. Drawing on various models such as Gibbs' reflective cycle, Schön’s reflective practitioner model, and Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, the workshop provided a helpful framework for putting reflective practice into action.

We also discussed different modalities for reflection. Although I tend to default to digital note-taking, this workshop encouraged me to consider new (sometimes surprising) alternatives like walking, voice recording, or even drawing as ways to get new insights. Not everyone may find it suitable, but the workshop opened a new avenue for developing reflection, one that is not limited to ‘conventional’ notes. In that sense, reflection doesn’t always have to be written or formal… sometimes it can simply occur during daily conversations or in quiet moments. For my reflective practices, I plan to schedule regular short reflection sessions focusing on my teaching, in particular continuing to record myself in the classroom (as embarrassing as it may sometimes be) and using journaling as a means and tool for written reflection based on what emerges from the recordings. I hope this will help me improve my teaching and support some of my broader goals. 

Workshop 3

Promoting Student Classroom Engagement

This workshop made me think about how important it is to move away from the ‘old-school lecture style’ and get students more involved in their own learning. I liked the idea that students shouldn’t just ‘sit and listen’, but that they need to engage in activities like talking, writing, solving problems, and reflecting on what they’re learning. In other words, when students are active participants, they’re more likely to stay engaged and gain thus a better understanding of the material.

Another thing that emerged from this workshop was the importance of the relationship between teachers and students. Taking the time to get to know students, really listening to them, and letting them get to know me can create a more comfortable and motivating classroom environment, and therefore becomes as important as the content delivered. Working on this, a good thing to do may be to create ‘check-in’ moments where students have the opportunity to reflect on what they know, what they’re confused about, and how they’re feeling about their learning, possibly helping them to feel more in control of their progress.

Finally, we’ve explored some digital tools to use in the classroom. I use Padlet because it’s easy and visual, but it’s mostly for written-based work, which makes it not always easy to use in group activities. I don’t use Kahoot since it’s not free (or very limited), but I do use some other well-developed digital tools, like NearPod, that allow for a large scale of interactive activities. I use shared Google Docs to promote oral engagement based on written work in groups and Quizizz for easy and engaging/competition-based classroom activities. I’ll also work on exploring new digital tools to make my teaching more interactive and student-focused. Thus, participating in this workshop contributed to building a better understanding of what I will work on for my first deliverable (process of applying to a pedagogical conference and developing slides for the actual presentation on using digital tools to foster oral engagement in language classrooms).

Workshop 5

Digital Presence and Scholarly Profiles

Like Workshop 3, this workshop contributed to developing my vision for my second deliverable, which will involve improving the teaching page of my current website and writing a reflection on the changes I've made. Overall, the workshop emphasized the importance of building and maintaining a professional digital identity. Nowadays, having an online scholarly profile greatly contributes to showcasing academic work and accomplishments, while also opening up new opportunities for networking and collaboration. I had already thought about how I wanted to present myself professionally online while building my website. Still, this workshop helped me reflect on my current digital presence.

In fact, one of my takeaways is that my digital presence should align with my personal and professional values, as emphasized in the CPIL approach. It made me consider the importance of being ‘intentional’ in how I present myself online and reminded me of the necessity to build and keep my profiles up to date on websites and browsers where I can share my scholarly work (MSU Commons (Knowledge Common), LinkedIn, ORCID, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, etc.).

The workshop finally highlighted the necessity of creating a professional online profile that reflects who I am and what I aim to contribute to my field, and the importance of planning for long-term goals and how my digital presence can help achieve this.

Participation in pedagogically oriented conferences to share knowledge about the use of digital tools to foster students’ oral engagement

Application process

         Pedagogically oriented conferences are typically events that focus on the exchange of ideas, strategies, and research aimed at improving teaching practices and enhancing student learning. This year, I submit abstracts to the following pedagogically oriented conferences:

-   The Michigan World Language Association (MIWLA) 2025 conference (October 23-24, 2025)

TITLE: Scaffolding class-time activities to foster learners’ oral engagement

Abstract: Language learners may hesitate to speak in class. Scaffolding through icebreakers, oral comprehension, and written activities helps them better understand topics and grammar goals. This presentation offers tips on effectively scaffolding activities to foster learners to engage more confidently orally in small groups or with the whole class.

The Michigan World Language Association (MIWLA) is an organization for all elementary, secondary, college, and university teachers, supervisors, students, and friends of world languages. MIWLA endorses and seeks to achieve the following goals: 1) Promote and strengthen world language study at all levels. 2)Promote public awareness of the importance and value of world language study. 3) Assist in providing professional development for teachers of world languages at all levels. (source: https: https://www.miwla.org/)

-       Symposium on Language Pedagogy in Higher Education (SOLPHE) 2025 online conference (October 3-4, 2025)

TITLE: Using Digital Tools to Foster Oral Engagement in Language Classrooms

Abstract: This presentation explores how digital tools can enhance oral engagement in language classrooms by fostering student confidence and motivation. It highlights how interactive strategies, such as gaming or collaborative online tools, can help students transition from written to spoken production, encouraging more active and confident participation in the target language.

SOLPHE is a free, online symposium of the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) of the University of Minnesota. It serves as a professional development forum tailored to the needs of post-secondary language educators with the aim of enhancing the quality of language programs and providing opportunities for inter-institutional collaboration. The symposium features plenary talks and research- and practice-oriented presentations about different aspects of language teaching and program administration in higher education settings. (source: https://carla.umn.edu/conferences/solphe2025)

-   Central States 2026 conference - Languages are FUNdamental (March 12-14, 2026)

TITLE: Digital supports to build language learners’ oral participation and grow oral skills

Abstract: Digital tools often promote motivation and a positive learning environment, but can also lead to students staying silent behind their screens. To enhance oral engagement in language classrooms, some digital supports can be a response to fostering student confidence when speaking. Through interactive strategies, such as gaming or collaborative online tools, students transition from written to spoken production, thus encouraging a more active and confident oral participation in the target language

The Central States Conference is a major regional conference dedicated to supporting language educators and promoting the teaching and learning of world languages. It brings together teachers, researchers, and language advocates from across the Central States region to share innovative ideas, effective teaching strategies, and the latest research in language education. The conference emphasizes professional development through workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities, with a strong focus on inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. Its mission is to empower educators, enhance language teaching practices, and foster connections among language professionals to build a global community. (source: https://www.csctfl.org/about/mission-vision-strategic-plan)

Reflection on COLA fellowship support

As part of the COLA fellowship, presenting at conferences has the goal of sharing teaching practices and ideas with other educators and language instructors, trying in this way to contribute to a broader conversation about student engagement. I believe that presenting at such conferences aligns with the fellowship's mission to support reflective and intentional teaching practices that aim to enhance student learning. In addition, presenting at conferences also seems meaningful in the context of the COLA path, as it contributes to my professional development in pedagogical practices and potentially leads to an improvement in my teaching.

The COLA program helped me to rethink how I use digital tools to foster students' oral engagement in language classrooms and supported my reflections on their use to achieve (hopefully) more efficient conference presentations. In particular, my participation in workshop n. 3 (Promoting Student Classroom Engagement) made me think about how important it is to move away from the ‘old-school lecture style’ and get students more involved in their own learning. The workshop provided valuable resources and practical tips on utilizing digital tools in the classroom to enhance student engagement. It contributed to developing a more critical view on which of them could actually be more relevant to my aim of using them to promote oral engagement. The follow-up discussion with my cohort also played an important role in this process, sharing additional resources and offering peer feedback. Thus, the COLA program supported my participation in pedagogically oriented conferences and strengthened my commitment to creating engaging, student-centered language classrooms that promote oral participation through the use of digital tools.

Initial presentation(s) slides

Below are the initial presentation slides for SOLPHE 2025 featuring the use of Nearpod to foster oral engagement in the language classroom. For the final presentation, this is intended to be completed by showcasing two additional tools for the same goal: Padlet and Google Slides.

Using Digital Tools to Foster Oral Engagement in Language Classrooms

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WG2CvPxnzxz3kbDIc6AH_MgYQlk1JFqv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113556102669076713924&rtpof=true&sd=true

Refining the teaching page of my professional website to enhance my digital presence in connection with my teaching

Reflection and statement on changes I’ve made and the role of the COLA fellowship

Refining the teaching page of my professional website to enhance my digital presence in relation to my teaching has been an insightful process, aligning with my goal of becoming a language professor and my dedicated scholarly career focused on education and pedagogy.

The digital presence workshop was especially helpful because it highlighted the importance of intentionally building and maintaining a professional online identity. It made me reflect on how my digital presence should genuinely reflect both my personal and professional values, encouraging and reminding me of the importance of regularly updating and managing profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, ORCID, and Google Scholar to showcase my academic work and expand my professional networking.

The previous version of the teaching page on my professional website was quite basic and lacked descriptive elements, which made it less attractive and of lower quality. While revising the page, I incorporated changes to create a more accurate, polished, and engaging version. Feedback from my cohort and insights gained during our weekly discussions helped me focus on key aspects of the improvements, all while maintaining a manageable workload appropriate for the goals of this deliverable.

To successfully meet these goals, I made 5 main changes to my website page.

-   I have added a link to my teaching philosophy statement, which expresses my educational beliefs and commitment as a language instructor.

-   I revised the section title from “Teaching activity” to “Teaching experience” to better encompass the full range of my previous work.

-   To provide a clearer picture of this teaching experience, I included detailed course descriptions that illustrate the content and objectives of each class I taught, either in a formal or informal context.

-   I included a few videos that I originally posted on my social media. My original main goal was to record myself to improve my teaching, and I picked some short clips from those recordings to share. I wanted to convey the positive vibe and energy I always strive to maintain in my classes. These videos also offer a more dynamic insight into my teaching approach.

-   I linked my teaching page to my profile on Knowledge Commons. The profile still needs to be updated and completed, but in the meantime, I refreshed it with the current cover and profile pictures.

I hope that this deliverable helped me connect my online identity with my academic and teaching goals, aiming for a broader and long-term positive impact.

Link to the teaching page of my professional website

https://sites.google.com/view/laetitia-kokx/teaching

Overall, the COLA fellowship was a very positive experience for me. I really appreciated how well organized it was, and the structure of the weekly meetings made it easy to stay engaged and on track with due dates, etc. I also liked the flexibility in the format for these meetings (in our cohort case via Zoom), so it ensured that everyone’s schedule was accommodated and allowed for actual meetings. I also enjoyed the fact that each meeting was purposeful, and our mentor did great in facilitating them, keeping discussions focused but also giving us space for productive dialogues. Finally, I appreciated how engaged everyone was, and I liked having a space where I could share my progress and get helpful feedback, but also try to give mine to my cohort mates, and loved seeing the progress they made in their own work as well.

Some of the workshops I participated in also helped me in shaping my deliverables. The Cultivating a Reflective Practice workshop helped me view reflection as an active, process, something I apply by recording and reviewing my teaching to try to improve my ‘teacher voice’. The Promoting Student Classroom Engagement workshop reinforced the importance of moving beyond lectures to more interactive and student-centered approaches and introduced digital tools I’m integrating into my classes and that is the topic of my deliverable 1. Finally, the Digital Presence and Scholarly Profiles workshop prompted me to evaluate and refine my online scholarly identity, supporting my long-term goals as an aspiring professor.

One of the things I appreciated most about this fellowship was that the work I produced did not feel limited to the COLA program’s requirements. Instead, I was able to use the fellowship as a springboard for larger ongoing projects, in my case, preparing a pedagogical conference presentation and improving my website. Developing these resources was directly relevant to my teaching practice, and I believe it also helped strengthen my teaching profile for the job market, aligning with what I truly want to do, hopefully becoming a French professor.

In addition, the amount of work expected was fair and aligned with what was communicated at the start. Overall, I’m really glad I took part in the COLA fellowship because it motivated me to make real progress over the summer toward those goals, progress I might have otherwise put off or delayed. Hearing about my cohort’s projects was another highlight: I’m happy I’ve learned new concepts, discovered creative approaches of my cohort mates, and I truly found their ideas inspiring! As a final note, I want to thank our mentor Matt, who played a key role in making this experience so positive. He was always kind, well prepared, and flexible, providing valuable resources and guidance to help our cohort move forward.

👩🏻‍🏫 Read my statement of educational philosophy