Spring 2012 Conference

Posted by webmaster - February 2nd, 2012

TFLA (Texas Foreign Language Association) will host one-day mini conferences, which will be held in two cities, Plano and Temple. The fall conferences are held in the larger cities, which include Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston and Austin.  In the past, the primary purpose for providing the spring conferences in smaller regions was to afford teachers, who could not attend the fall conferences, the opportunity to receive professional development and to network with other members.  Additionally, with budget challenges in education across the state, the one-day mini conference will be more cost effective as teachers will not lose a day of instruction, thus eliminating costs for substitutes and hotel expenses. What a wonderful opportunity to attend LOTE professional development at a minimal cost!

The mini one-day conferences will be held this spring 2012, on Saturday, March 31st.  The theme at the two confirmed sites is: Creating an Environment for Language Learning.  The one-day conferences will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m.  As part of the $35 registration fee for the day, refreshments and lunch will be included. Membership is not included in the $35 registration fee, and all participants must be current members to attend. The online registration period has ended. Please register onsite. The onsite registration fee is $40.00. You must be a member of TFLA to attend this conference. If you are not a member, you can join us anytime online.

Temple High School – Temple, TX
Nella Spurlin, German teacher at Temple High School, will host the mini conference in Temple, Texas.  Nella is recruiting presenters who annually present quality presentations at TFLA.  If you have questions or would like to provide input, please contact Nella Spurlin at nspurlin@hot.rr.com, or by phone at school (254) 215-7179, before 9:20 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m.

Scheduled sessions in Temple include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Building Artificial Realities –learning grammar by simulating the cultural setting
  • Building Lesson Plans Around Bloom’s Taxonomy
  • Art for Language’s Sake — integrating art across languages and levels
  • Creating a High Energy Classroom — using Rassias techniques to engage student learning
  • Little Games for the Language Classroom — presentation of a variety of simple-to-make games
  • Learning with Stories — a brief introduction to TPRS  (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling)

Schedule (Download List of Presenters and Sessions)
8:00-8:30–Registration
8:30-10:15–DVD with discussion
10:15-10:30–Break
10:30-11:55–1st break-out session
11:55–12:30–Lunch on site (cost of box lunch included in registration)
12:30-1:55–2nd break-out session
1:55-2:05–break
2:05–3:30–3rd break-out session

Temple High School, 415 North 31st Street, Temple, TX.
Driving directions:  If you are coming along IH-35:  take the Nugent exit (#302).  From the north, turn left over the overpass and wind around; from the south, turn right at the stop sign by the over pass and wind around.  This will put you on 31st Street, and you will see Temple High School ahead on your left.  Enter the main parking lot by the stadium and enter the building through the large glass doors of the student center.
From Houston:  take Highway 290 west to Brenham, then 36 to Temple.  36 will turn into the H.K. Dodgen Loop (it’s also 190).  Take the 31st Street exit.  At the traffic light, turn right onto 31st Street and drive 4-5 miles.  When you cross Adams Street, you will see Temple High School ahead of you on your right.

Plano West Senior High – Plano, TX
Greta Lundgaard, Coordinator for Languages Other than English in Plano ISD, will host a second site at Plano West Senior High School, 5601 W. Parker Road, Plano, Texas 75093. Sessions will be offered that focus on three strands:

  • 21st  Century Environment (technology applications, creativity/innovation, global connections)
  • Learning Environment (classroom management, target language teaching; feedback & formative assessment)
  • Instructional Environment (High yield instructional strategies; performance assessment; student-centered instruction & AP strategies for the new AP exams in French and German)

Schedule

 

Greta Lundgaard can be contacted at greta.lundgaard@pisd.edu.

Registration for the one-day mini sessions is available on this page. Information for the hotel accommodations for Friday evening is also online.  The number of attendees at each site is limited, and therefore, early online registration is highly recommended.

Please contact any Board member below for additional information:
Pauline Sayers:  paulinetsayers@katyisd.org
Sharon Deering: sadeering@sbcglobal.net
MayDell Jenks: maydelljenks@katyisd.org

Posted in Conferences

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