Alabama-Mississippi
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
AMTESOL 2024 Time to Get All Shook Up
Friday, January 12th
9:00-11:15am
No extra cost! Time to Get All Shook Up workshops are included in the AMTESOL Conference fee.
Choose one of these informative and engaging workshops on Friday morning. When you register for AMTESOL 2024, you will be asked which Time to Get All Shook workshop you would like to attend.
Planning to arrive at AMTESOL 2024 a little late on Friday morning so you'll miss the Time to Get All Shook Up workshops? Consider attending the 10:30am TESOL International Association - Advocacy & Policy Update by Jeff Hutcheson. See the Conference Schedule.
A LOT MORE Conversation, A LOT MORE Action, Please
Multilingual learners bring a vibrant mix of cultures, languages, and backgrounds to our classrooms, and as educators, we must find innovative ways to engage and support our diverse learners. Drawing inspiration from the book 7 Steps to a Language Rich, Interactive Classroom, this workshop will explore strategies to help you create a classroom environment that promotes conversations, academic language, and supports students as they acquire language and learn new content with their peers at grade level in K-12 settings and beyond.
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Valentina Gonzalez
Valentina Gonzalez is an educational consultant and content creator who leads professional development and delivers keynote speeches at conferences both locally and nationally. She is a longtime educator serving multilingual learners and their families from around the globe. Her personal experience as an immigrant from Yugoslavia and a language learner fuel her desire to advocate for multilingual children and support teachers with the best research-based teaching methods. Her work's primary focus has been on literacy, culture, and language.
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In addition, she is the co-author of Reading & Writing with English Learners: A Framework for K-5, and the children's picture book, Krofne with Baba, which she wrote with her daughter. Her work has also been published in numerous journals and professional publications such as Edutopia, MiddleWeb, TEPSA, Ed Week, and School Library Journal.
Valentina has served various roles in her decades in education. She is a lifelong learner pursuing her doctoral degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.
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To read more about Valentina please see her website www.ValentinaESL.com.
Shakin' it Up: Infusing Movement & Well-being to Invigorate Inclusive Classrooms
While teaching has always taken time, practice, energy, motivation, and skill, the demands continue to increase, but at what cost? When educators consistently put others' needs before their own, burnout only takes a few years. There are ways to take care of ourselves while we create a welcoming classroom that honors diversity and promotes growth and learning. Wear comfortable clothes for this workshop, because we will use gentle movement to focus on our own well-being while we consider ways to strengthen inclusive classroom communities that are also whole-being focused. You'll leave with fresh ideas for your classroom and a refreshed sense of your own well-being.
Josephine Prado, Ph.D.
Josephine Prado is an Assistant Professor of English Learner Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she teaches graduate courses in second language acquisition, grammar and linguistics for ESL teachers, multicultural education, and MA-TESOL methods. Josephine has taught English learners in Ecuador and in the United States, in educational settings that range from Pre-K children in their first school experience through high school, university, and professional levels, to adults taking conversational English.
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After earning her MA-TESOL degree at the University of Alabama, she worked as an ESL Specialist in the P-12 setting for seven years, before obtaining her Ph.D. in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Educational Linguistics in 2013. Her research interests include exploring ESOL teacher advocacy and developing culturally sustaining curriculum. Josephine serves as AMTESOL's Co-Treasurer and Co-Registration Chair, and as Co-Chair Elect for the TESOL Intercultural Communications Interest Section.
Lori Edmonds, Ph.D.
Lori Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of English Learner Education in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She holds an undergraduate degree in Modern Languages and Linguistics, a master's degree in Instructional Systems Development/English for Speakers of Other Languages, and a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
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Lori's research focus, on Funds of Knowledge and biographical narratives in culturally diverse classrooms, explores the rich knowledge that students obtain in their homes and communities and how it is an asset in academic settings. She presents nationally and internationally on connecting students' out-of-school experiences with academic content, equitable learning environments, and diverse family engagement.
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Lori serves on the AMTESOL Board where she brings her experience from having served on both the Maryland TESOL and the Carolina TESOL boards, including serving as Carolina TESOL Executive Board President (2019-2020). Drawing from her ESL and teacher education experiences and leadership, Lori collaborates with other ESL leaders to provide professional learning that teachers can use to transform their communities.