I did go down there last night but just to hang out. Apparently though during the day there was almost no room to sit or squeeze in at Carol Gaab’s presentation, and I also heard that her table was busy with hoards of people seeking information about CI. Bryce got one of those bad slots, right after Mira Canion, who used some of his time, but he still had a big crowd. The Carlex and big book company tables weren’t too busy. The upshot of the conversation I got from the TPRSers down there was that there was a feeling that a lot of people were really looking for information on how to speak to the kids in class but couldn’t find much. But, Kelly you were right I wasn’t there (it was 65 degrees so the mountains called me and my bike up there instead). Kristy Placido presents in about 45 minutes so I don’t know if I’ll get down there but I will wonder down sometime this morning and report back here this evening. One thing is certain – you can tell the TPRSers – they are the ones who seem like kids at summer camp.
The Problem with CI
Jeffrey Sachs was asked what the difference between people in Norway and in the U.S. was. He responded that people in Norway are happy and
18 thoughts on “ACTFL”
Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the same response we felt at NYSAFLT…the tides are a’turning!!! I vote that we flood ACTFL (Philadelphia next year) with applications for presentations for next year!!
with love,
Laurie
My hometown. Bring ’em on!!!
Hi Laurie,
since you mentioned NYSAFLT, I was wondering if you were still willing to provide me with the contact information for the two people you mentioned to me regarding presentations on AP/TPRS (German) at the upcoming conference in Saratoga. Unfortunately, I do not know how to contact you directly, otherwise I would do so.
Thanks so much in advance.
Oh gosh Brigitte! Sorry! It’s been a crazy week here. I’ll do that. If you don’t hear from me, email at lclarcq@rochester.rr.com
with love,
Laurie
oh yes…and what is your email?!!!
with love,
Laurie
PS Hey Ben…we should have a contact info page here!!
Laurie, don’t be sorry – I know how crazy it can get sometimes (well, all the time). Here’s my e-mail: bkahn@msd.k12.ny.us
Obviously, no rush at all – whenever you get a chance. In the meantime, I hope you caught your breath again!
It was a bad slot because it was the last afternoon session and Mira ran over on his time. No further comment on that.
You are right. I’ll set it up. Anybody reading this please send me your email address. I can just make it into a category called “contact info”.
Curious…What was bad about Bryce’s slot? Is Mira Canion a tough act to follow?
Sounds like there are a lot of us at ACTFL.
My question… if they (the powers that be) are truly resistant to the input focus, or rather, all giddy about gimmicks of tech and output, then why would they have the conference in Denver?
DPS is in my mind the mecca of TCI… keep kicking ass over there!
Hey Jim! I don’t know where you are located, but while DPS is kicking ass, many other districts are kicking the asses of those of us that use CI. In Cherry Creek, which has a great reputation, there are very few TPRSers. Give a shout out if you teach in Cherry Creek and I’m wrong! I taught in a school that lost several teachers b/c they didn’t “get” and wouldn’t accept TPRS/CI methods.
And in the district I’m now in (Douglas County), we CIers are few and far between, and our coordinator who uses (at least used to use) now rarely mentions TPRS or CI in her emails or communications with us. I would bet there are less than 10 CI teachers in my district of 15+ middle and high schools. *Sigh* I only wish metropolitan Denver were moving and shaking like DPS!
nowhere to go but up!
dori
No Dori, I’m teaching in NE Iowa and SE Minnesota, on the other side of the plains. I have never been to a DPS school (and I’m kind of generalizing DPS to the greater Denver area… sorry for that), but just basing my opinions on all the great teachers that have come out of the area and Diana running things over there and all.
Nice to look at it that way… “nowhere to go but up”. And up we go!
I saw Mira present twice. Honestly, I wasn’t super impressed. She had lots of energy, but I felt like she lost focus of CI with lots of “irresistible activities”. She has presented at ACTFL for a number of years in a row and I think has a bit of a following.
On the other hand, I did get to see Kristy Placido. What a fantastic presenter. She talked about the use of authentic texts. I can’t wait to start incorporating more into my classes. This is the perfect way to bridge the “culture issue” while staying totally in the target language and providing great CI.
She has the whole presentation on her website kplacido.com.
Did she present on “reading strategies”? I will have to say I thought her session on how to read with students was excellent (Last year in Boston)
Okay, I actually have more I have to share about the conference. The whole weekend was worth it just to see Carol, Bryce and Kristy. Ben is right, Carol’s presentation was packed! I nearly ran there and got a great seat. She presented on 7 P’s – a lot of great basics of CI instruction. Her handout is on her tprstorytelling.com site. Bryce was fantastic. He actually demonstrated teaching a legend (La Llorona) during the session. Always so great to see a story presented so well. And Kristy shared a wealth of great resources on using authentic texts with our students.
I too felt encouraged. I sat next to a number of teachers who were at least familiar with TPRS and many who are using some form of CI regularly in their classrooms. Ben is totally right. There is something about the energy of a TPRS teacher – love it!
I’ve taught some legends this year and it’s great. What level was the La Llorona legend for?
Hi Kelly,
I couldn’t find her handout on TPRStorytelling.com. Could you tell us where it is on the site?
Thanks!
I modeled teaching La Llorona to level I’s with a wee bit of personalization and audience participation. Basically stealth TPRS.
I mentioned how to differentiate the teaching of the legend from levels 1-4 and gave examples of the story at different levels in the handout. The handout, PowerPoint, and student papers associated with this lesson are on my website: brycehedstrom.com. Look on the Free Stuff page under Workshop Downloads.