FFLA Region 16 - Miami-Dade & Monroe Counties

Today, Florida Foreign Language Association President, Dr. Elle Anthony, and Region 16 Director, Charlene Chang, attended the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS) conference in Miami. If you are interested in gaining some incredible professional development at the South Florida Summer Institute at Saint Andrews School in Boca Raton on May 29th, don’t wait to register! It is FREE for FFLA members, and only $30 for non-members, which includes membership for 2024!

FFLA Summer Institute - Boca Raton (Sponsored by Vista Higher Learning) Ramp up classroom instruction and boost student engagement with a variety of sessions on best practices in the world language classroom.

Coming to Kissimmee?? Don’t miss out. Book now!!

Welcome to FL Foreign Language Book your hotel room for the event at special rates, available here on an exclusive basis.

There is only one week remaining to apply for this amazing opportunity!!

Please share the following FREE opportunity with every secondary world language teacher you know:

We want to help you become a leader within your department, district, and state! Spend the day with nationally recognized experts to gain more knowledge on proficiency-based teaching and the skills, materials, and confidence to share what you have learned in a workshop that you present to others in your area. (The link to apply to attend this FREE event is listed below but hurry! The application deadline is August 20th!!)

This workshop, sponsored by Wayside Publishing, will be presented in two parts on Thursday, September 29, 2022. In the morning, we will focus on topics within the realm of proficiency-based teaching. In the afternoon, we will spend our time developing presentation skills to present the same topic to another audience and develop an action
plan for that presentation.

Morning session: The focus is on using communicative language tasks in our classrooms.
We will walk you through a sample task and then break it down, looking at how a task is different from an exercise, how to adapt tasks for different proficiency levels, using tasks in different modes of communication and using backward design to plan for your use of tasks within your curriculum. The morning will end by creating tasks that can be used in any classroom.

Afternoon session: During this time, we will focus on helping you gain the skills needed to successfully present to adults and the resources to do so, along with time to put those skills into practice. We will end our time together by coming up with an action plan for your future presentation.
https://assets.waysidepublishing.com/Pardot/Files/FFLA_Lead_the_Way_to_Proficiency_in_Florida_workshop_FLYER.pdf

Please take time this week to submit a proposal. While the deadline is May 31st, we need submissions as soon a possible! If you are interested in presenting a three-hour or six-hour pre-conference session, please reach out via [email protected] ASAP!!

FFLA 2022 Hybrid Conference Proposal Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Make plans to join us!

Save the Dates: Sept. 29 - Oct. 1. We’re thrilled to back in Kissimmee at the site of our 2016 conference.

Thanks to Experience Kissimmee, Florida for the beautiful photo and to Studio A.12 for the graphic design!

Join us tomorrow night!

Cocktails and Conversations: Engaging in Challenging Times
What: Cocktails and conversations is an informal networking and learning event for world language educators. Didn't make it to Coffee and Conversation? Not a morning person? Need more collaboration? Grab a beverage and come and meet other language professionals to brainstorm and problem solve challenges that you are facing. **This event will not be recorded due to its collaborative nature.

When: Feb 17, 2022 06:00-7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pf-ygpjMvHdbqa575rK7b0H9Fkd-mMPgV

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

This Saturday! Invite your colleagues and join us—it’s FREE!!

Coffee and Conversations: Engaging in Challenging Times

What: Coffee and conversations is an informal networking and learning event for world language educators. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and come and meet other language professionals to brainstorm and problem solve challenges that you are facing. **This event will not be recorded due to its collaborative nature.

When: Feb 12, 2022 09:00-10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArc-2tpzotHdDrjHixWLhe85ZX-KDI01bP

Is Jacksonville too far?? No problem! Attend sessions via Zoom!

We’re excited to announce our first-ever hybrid conference! For our pre-conference on Thursday October 21st, we have a full day of comprehensible input (CI) with Claudia Elliott and Bertha Delgadillo for $30. Our general conference of seven sessions and keynote address from Dr. LJ Randolph, is $50.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-ffla-conference-registration-151345014011

Check out my list on Amazon

Please consider joining us in Jacksonville next month. Regular registration runs through October 7th.

Join us in Jacksonville!!

FFLA 2021 Conference: Equity in the World Language Classroom Schedule Check out the schedule for FFLA 2021 Conference: Equity in the World Language Classroom

We have a former SCOLT president (and SCOLT Teacher of the Year) coming to our conference! We have an amazing $100 (below actual cost!) early bird rate! This price ends July 31st! Don’t miss out!!

We are excited Carmen Scoggins can join us in October. Stay tuned to find out the special role she will fill at our upcoming conference, “Equity in the World Language Classroom!”

Carmen teaches Spanish at Watauga High School in beautiful Boone, North Carolina where she is also an adjunct Spanish and Foreign Language Methodology instructor at Appalachian State University. She earned a BS and MA in Spanish Education from Appalachian State and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Carmen is an active member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT), and the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC). She is a past president of FLANC and SCOLT. In 2007 Carmen was FLANC’s Teacher of the Year and in 2008 she received the SCOLT Teacher of the Year honor. In 2015 Carmen received the ACTFL Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Instruction Using Technology with IALLT (K-12). In November 2020 Carmen was awarded the ACTFL Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education K-12.

Carmen has presented at the state, regional, national, and international levels on integrating technology into the world language classroom, personalizing the language-learning experience, and building student relationships. She is passionate about getting future world language teachers involved in the profession. Carmen is in her 28th year of education.

Join us in Jacksonville!! The conference cost is only $100 through July 31st. On August 1st the price increases to $150, which is still a great value for the multiple world-renowned speakers coming to present! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-ffla-conference-registration-151345014011

We are thrilled to announce our featured presenter, Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D. She is a renowned speaker, and we cannot be more excited to have her be a part of our upcoming conference, “Equity in the World Language Classroom!”

Dr. Shankar-Brown is a Professor and the Jessie Ball duPont Endowed Chair of Social Justice Education at Stetson University, as well as the recipient of Stetson’s most prestigious awards -- the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement. She is the Vice-President and serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the National Coalition for the Homeless and is the Co-Chair of Equity and Justice for the International Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education. She is also the Founder and Director for the Poverty and Homelessness Conference, HU Scholars, and the Acts of Kindness and Justice Movement, as well as the Faculty Advisor for the Student Homeless Coalition. She began her career as a public-school teacher and has worked in a variety of cultural and linguistic equity leadership roles with communities, organizations, government agencies, corporations, and schools in urban, rural, and suburban areas across the United States and around the world. She specializes in diversity and inclusion, human rights, educational equity, and healing centered engagement.

As a civically engaged educational leader who is deeply committed to advancing intersectional equity, Dr. Shankar-Brown actively works to confront systemic oppression, build inclusive learning spaces, and advance educational excellence for diverse communities. She has presented and facilitated professional learning workshops around the globe, as well as published in leading peer-reviewed journals and books. Her current series with Information Age Publishing includes two edited books, Bending the Arc Towards Justice: Equity-Focused Practices for Educational Leaders and Re-Envisioning Education: Affirming Diversity and Advancing Social Justice. In addition, her recently published collection of poetry Tuluminous (2020) has been praised as “a marvelous and meaningful testimony of the power of language to heal and transform” by the Presidential Inaugural Poet, Richard Blanco, and she is described as the “Poet Laureate of the just society” by NYU’s Moral Courage Project Founder and Oprah’s Chutzpah Award recipient, Irshad Manji.

Dr. Shankar-Brown has received international, national, state, and local recognition for her scholarly and creative activities and transformative leadership including being selected as a Faculty-Scholar-in-Residence by the National Humanities Center, the Florida PDK International Educator of the Year, and a recipient of the Engaged Scholarship Faculty Award by the Florida Campus Compact. In addition to being a passionate educator-scholar, Dr. Shankar-Brown is a devoted mother, artist, and human rights activist.

Dr. Shankar-Brown will present a special pre-conference session, entitled “Replenish: Preventing Compassion Fatigue as We Affirm Diversity and Advance Equity.”

We are especially excited to announce our next pre-conference presenter, Rachel Lucas. With close to 15,000 followers in the Facebook group she started and moderates, she is in high demand, and we are incredibly lucky to have her take the time to present our conference!

Rachel is a passionate innovative Spanish teacher with over 16 years of teaching experience both in the traditional classroom environment and virtual setting. Rachel is the founder of the Tech for World Language Teachers community as well as, the World Language Teacher Tech Academy. Rachel specializes in helping world language teachers learn how to use technology to save time, increase student engagement, and improve language proficiency.

Rachel conducts LIVE online professional development sessions tailored specifically for world language teachers. Her mission is to help teachers save time and better engage their students while avoiding stress and becoming overwhelmed.

In the spirit of teacher appreciation week, take a few minutes this weekend to recognize a colleague for the contributions they have made to second-language education over the past year. Whether it be mentoring a new teacher, sharing best practices in a webinar, or tutoring students remotely, educators deserve to have their work acknowledged by their peers, especially when they go the extra mile.

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Our next pre-conference presenter...

Grace Kellermeier, Ed.D.
World Language Curriculum Specialist for
Volusia County Schools

Grace graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in French, Stetson University with an MA in Education Leadership and UCF with an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in language acquisition.
She taught French and Spanish at New Smyrna Beach High School for 18 years and was Volusia County’s Teacher of the Year in 2015. She has been serving as the Curriculum Specialist for World Languages for VCS for 6 years. In addition to supporting 70 WL teachers, she is the Coordinator for Electives and Special Programs, which includes Visual and Performing Arts, Health and Physical, Drivers’ Education and Athletics. She is the FFLA state coordinator for Region 7 and a member of FFLAME, the WL supervisor’s organization.

Born and raised in Scotland, Grace lived in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. for 4 years, before emigrating to the USA. She is a global citizen who enjoys traveling with students, with friends and family. She believes in our human diversity and is an advocate for inclusion of all communities.

Our “Meet the Pre-Conference Presenters” series continues...

Fatima A. Raafat, formerly a zoologist, became interested in second language acquisition after teaching Arabic as a foreign language. She has over 15 years of teaching Arabic as a foreign language in the United States. Successively, she earned an M.Ed. in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning from the University of South Florida and is currently enrolled in the doctoral program in Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition (TESLA) at the University of South Florida. She is interested in incorporating technology in teaching second/foreign languages.

Pre-conference presenter, Bertha Delgadillo, is a high school Spanish teacher to intermediate students in Savannah, Georgia. Originally from Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico & a National Board Certified teacher, Bertha currently shares best practices & professional development for World Language teachers through her blog, Instagram account, & active Facebook Communities Transformation Through Acquisition Driven Instruction & Jamboard for World Language Teachers.

Bertha facilitates training & observations for new teachers at her school district. She has also presented & facilitated workshops for SCOLT, WL GADoe, Conference in the Cloud, World Language Teacher Summit and numerous districts across the nation.

She enjoys empowering teachers to continue to stay connected to their passion for world language teaching through sharing practical & powerful engagement & student agency strategies all while placing students at the center of the learning experience.

Our next pre-conference presenter: Claudia Elliott is a Spanish teacher in Jacksonville, Florida. She has been teaching Spanish since 2005, and is currently teaching Spanish 1, Spanish 3 IB, and AP Spanish Language and Culture. In recent years she has implemented dramatic changes to her teaching practices to make her class more comprehensible, communicative, and community-driven. Claudia has been sharing her ideas and experiences with world language educators in different forums and conferences. Claudia is very passionate to implement CI-driven strategies in her class while building a strong community with her students.

Website: https://growingwithproficiency.com/
FB Community Growing With CI: https://www.facebook.com/groups/878066909239263/

Next up in our “Meet the Pre-Conference Presenters” series...

Meredith White is a fourth-generation teacher in Gwinnett County, GA. Her focus on novice learners works to ingrain proficiency, authentic resources, real-world tasks, student-guided lessons, and making language learning both achievable and enjoyable for her Spanish I and II students. (Website: http://bit.ly/MeredithWhite)

We would like to thank Mark Krancer at Kram Kran Photo for allowing us to use his beautiful picture of Downtown Jacksonville taken from the Southbank Riverwalk, not far from our conference hotel. We love how the diverse colors reflected on the St. Johns River could serve as a metaphor of the diverse member base reflected in our organization! We would also like to thank Bradley Akers at Studio A.12 for the graphic design of of our conference flyer and Facebook banner.

Meet the Pre-Conference Presenters: As an experienced world language teacher for over 30 years, Lei Cohen started her mindfulness journey about seven years ago. She received her Advanced Yoga Teacher’s certificate, finished the meditation teacher and yoga anatomy teacher training, and started introducing mindfulness and yoga to her school six years ago. In 2020, Ms. Cohen presented at ACTFL with the title, “Peace and Happiness Through Mindfulness Meditation," and it was well received. In her own words, she is passionate about mindfulness, "because in these recent years, it has tremendously changed me: I am happier, healthier, more peaceful, calm, and energized, and I see things more clearly. I have seen the change in my students as well. They concentrate better, they are happier, they are more passionate, and they are more respectful. Mindful and happy teachers do bring out mindful and happy students. Being a teacher of mindfulness and happiness, I have changed many students to possess the same characteristics I strive to have."

The call for presentations is still open! Join us October 21-23 for a face-to-face conference, “Equity in the World Language Classroom!”

This is the first in a series of posts to “Meet the Pre-Conference Presenters.” (Session details will come later.)

Zeina Salame is a theatre director, actor, and scholar with a PhD in Theatre Arts from the University of Oregon. Her dissertation, "Carried In One Woman—Reflections on Arab American Female Solo Performance'' centers on themes of "home" and the creative value of embodied generational knowledge, heritage, and intersectionality in performance aesthetics. Some of her recent writing on theatre has been published on Howlround Theatre Commons, Etudes, Al Jadid, and in the Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures. She has been an instructor of a variety of theatre and acting topics at Artists Repertory Theatre, The Actors Conservatory at Artists Rep, The University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, and Daytona State College. A few of her recent creative collaborations include work with Artists Repertory Theatre's Mercury Company, the Guthrie Theater's Level Nine with New Arab American Theater Works, the National Institute for Directing and Ensemble Creation with Pangea World Theater and Art2Action, and Commonwealth Theatre Center. Zeina is also a co-founder and artistic team member of Jacksonville, FL based theatre company, The 5 & Dime.

We are thrilled to announce Dr. L.J. Randolph as the keynote speaker for our face-to-face conference in Jacksonville October 21-23. Dr. Randolph is a professor of Spanish & Education at UNC, Wilmington and his research, publications, and professional engagement have focused on a variety of critical issues in language education, including the teaching and incorporation of social justice-oriented pedagogies in the language classroom. Currently, he sits on the ACTFL Board of Directors and was the inaugural vice-chair of their special interest group for Critical and Social Justice approaches. Dr. Randolph’s background makes him the perfect keynote speaker for us, as the theme is “Equity in the World Language Classroom.”

If you would like to learn more or submit a presentation proposal, visit http://ffla.us/2021-Conference