Erin Coleman, M. Ed. | The Engaged Spanish Classroom
Hexagonal Grouping in World Language Classrooms: Enhance student confidence and critical thinking!

My session will outline how you can incorporate Hexagonal Grouping into your world language classroom! Hexagonal grouping is a hands-on activity that gives your students the opportunity to THRIVE. My content is Spanish-focused, but these strategies are applicable across languages.

About Erin: 

Erin has ten years of experience teaching high school Spanish in MA. She loves to incorporate games, digital activities, and culture into her classroom and lessons. Erin is a big fan of proficiency based grading and planning, and she loves sharing as she learns!

Kia D. London | Trailblaze Into Language Learning (she/hers)
Celebrating the Middle: Middle School Activities to Maintain Joy

This session takes you through a number of activities for middle school students that center around celebrating the middle and how we can continue to engage our students in ways that excite them and us!

About Kia:

Kia is a passionate educator, writer, and advocate for equity by way of reading, representation, and interculturality in the world language curriculum. She earned a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in Linguistics, specializing in language and identity. She carries eighteen years of experience in the classroom, and has taught Spanish to multilingual learners for all grade levels K-12. She currently teaches Spanish to 5th and 6th grade students.

Through Trailblaze Into Language Learning, Kia provides workshops, webinars, and a curriculum coaching membership program focused on student representation, second language acquisition, belonging, and intercultural competence. She has presented at local, state, and regional conferences, as well as the ACTFL conference. As a writer of comprehensible short stories and articles, she successfully designs a rich curriculum that keeps her students engaged! 

Devon Gunning | La Libre Language Learning (host)
That's so Mid. (Novice Mid!) Demystify Proficiency Levels & Craft Curriculum Like a Boss

After spending a year in the wild wild country of curriculum consulting and development, one thing is crystal clear about ADI programs: too many teachers are asked to create/revise curriculum from thin air. In this session, I'll give you the MOST ESSENTIAL tool for these two powerful outcomes: 1. celebrate your students by UNDERSTANDING them and where they're at! 2. never wonder again what belongs in your curriculum to hit your proficiency targets.  We'll use the new 2024 ACTFL Performance Indicators as well as CEFR A1-B2 to switch our mindset from constantly searching for gaps and deficits to instead CELEBRATE the amazing things our students can do with language at each level!

About Devon: 

Welcome to Practical and Comprehensible 2024: CELEBRATE!

My mission is to help world language teachers discover a practical, teacher-friendly approach to best practice and true community in your classroom: through the power of CI and meaningful social justice resources & PD.

I work with teachers & districts in curriculum work, self care planners, French & Spanish resources, and the Practical Proficiency Network - a PD membership and community to connect you with like-minded, health-conscious and CI focused teachers.  

Jocelynn Hubbard | Custom Teaching Solutions (she/her)
Communication Redefined: The Key Role of Equity

Equity is not an initiative. Let's chat about what it actually means to prioritize equity in your classroom to increase student success. Dive into the why, the what, and the how.

About Jocelynn:

Jocelynn Hubbard helps teachers spark joy during the learning experience by creating an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment for ALL their students. She is the founder and managing director of Custom Teaching Solutions, LLC and host of The Culture-Centered Classroom podcast. She has 16+ years of experience in education as an educator, speaker, professional development creator and facilitator. Driven by a passion to see the diverse people of our world feel welcomed, affirmed, and celebrated, she provides training on becoming and remaining culturally competent. As a wife and mother of five, her goals include squeezing in time for exercise, finding moments of joy each day, and parenting each of her children as unique individuals.

Jocelynn received a B.S. in Education from Miami University (OH) and an MA in Education from The University of North Carolina – Pembroke. She also has a graduate certificate in Gifted & Talented instruction from The University of North Carolina – Charlotte.

Grace V. Sotomayor Mantri
How I Turned a Generational Insecurity Into a CI Story that Celebrates Both My Students And Me

We can take our life experiences, the stories we hear over time from those we know, and celebrate diversity in our community by creating stories that fit our curricula as well as reflect our student demographics. Join me and find out how.

About Grace:

Grace V. Sotomayor Mantri is an educator with 10+ years teaching the Spanish language to all levels and ages, specializing in the age group of elementary and middle-grade students. Born in Puerto Rico, and raised Stateside, Grace’s experiences of in-betweenness and multi-faceted diversity within her own family have shaped not only her identity, but also her pedagogy, as she gives a window to her students of a world often different from their own. She is a TEDx Creative Coast 2019 speaker, a curriculum designer and Cultural Competence & Empathy director of her school community. Apart from being a heritage speaker, Grace went on to study and acquire French at university as well as Polish while living abroad in Łódź (pronounced “Wooj”), Poland. Grace’s next challenge is to learn Bengali, the native language of her favorite human, also known as her husband DJ, of Indian nationality. She values family, community, her faith, and humanity. Grace is passionate about equipping each teacher she meets with the confidence to teach using Acquisition Driven Instruction.

Jenniffer Whyte 
Celebrating Afro-Descendants from Panama

Step into the rhythm of Afro-Panamanian culture and experience a celebration like no other! Join us as we uncover the vibrant traditions, captivating stories, and rich heritage that await in our journey through Panama's Afro-descendant community.

About Jenniffer: 

Jenniffer Whyte, an acclaimed Spanish educator from the Dominican Republic, is renowned for her expertise in teaching Spanish at The Donoho School across various levels, from Intro to Spanish to advanced courses. Additionally, she imparts her knowledge to Pre-K and Kindergarten students, fostering language skills from an early age. Beyond the classroom, Jenniffer's insights on Afro-Latino culture and navigating discussions on race relations are sought after, making her keynotes and conference sessions indispensable for language instructors worldwide. Passionate about supporting fellow educators, she is dedicated to addressing crucial yet challenging topics surrounding culture and race.

Courtney Nygaard | Heritage Spanish
Celebrating Identity and Dialects in Heritage Spanish Class

Do you teach a class for heritage Spanish speakers? In this session we will unpack why identity work is important and how we can honor the language and dialects students speak at home.

About Courtney:

Courtney Nygaard taught high school Spanish in Minnesota for ten years where she resides with her husband and two children. She especially loves teaching heritage speakers! Courtney is the founder of the Ascendencia curriculum for high school heritage Spanish and the Linaje curriculum for middle school heritage Spanish. Courtney’s primary focus is on engaging students in learning through content-based instruction. She believes in empowering her students to become their best selves and that the best learning takes place when students are hooked on a topic that directly relates to their life experiences.

Claudia Elliott | Growing With Proficiency
Starting Strong: Embracing an Asset-Based Approach from Day One

Begin the school year by understanding and implementing an asset-based approach in your classroom. This session will introduce the core concepts of an asset-based approach in education and how we can incorporate them into our language classes. Discover three practical strategies that can help support this approach since day one in our classes, emphasizing a classroom culture that is all about celebrations!

About Claudia: 

Claudia Elliott is a Spanish teacher in Jacksonville, Florida. She has been teaching Spanish since 2005 and has experience with all levels, including AP and IB. In recent years, Claudia has implemented dramatic changes in her teaching practices to make her classes more comprehensible, communicative, and community-driven. She has shared her ideas and experiences with world language educators in various forums and conferences.

Claudia is the 2021-2022 FFLA Teacher of the Year (TOY) and the 2022 SCOLT TOY. She is the host of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast and the founder of Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy, where she helps World Language teachers build comprehensible and communicative-driven classes.