Conferences
Spring 2012 Conference
TFLA (Texas Foreign Language Association) will not host a two-day 2012 spring conference as in past years, but will offer members the opportunity to attend one-day mini conferences, which will be held in various regions of the state. 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.
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:
Exploring the Third Space– Helping students adapt without fear to the cultural life of their target language
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)
Additionally, 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)
Greta Lundgaard can be contacted at greta.lundgaard@pisd.edu.
Registration for the one-day mini sessions will be available by mid-January on the TFLA website for each site, as well as hotel accommodations for Friday evening, if required. 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
Future Conferences
Fall 2012 Austin (Confirmed)
Fall 2013 Dallas (Projected)
Fall 2014 with ACTFL in San Antonio (Confirmed)
Exhibitor Information
Please come and join the Texas Foreign Language Association (TFLA) at the Conference. All interested exhibitors should contact:
MayDell Jenks (email)
6301 South Stadium Lane
Katy, Texas 77494
281-396-2619
Download Exhibitor Registration Packet for Fall 2012
Past Conference Programs
Fall 2011
Houston, October 13-15
Spring 2011
w/ SWCOLT
Ft. Worth, April 7-9
Fall 2010
San Antonio, October 7-9
Spring 2010
Arlington, March 25-27
Fall 2009
Austin, October 29-31
Spring 2009
Waco, March 27-28
Fall 2008
Houston, October 16-19
Spring 2008
Corpus Christy, March 27-30
Fall 2007 with ACTFL
San Antonio, November 16-18
