Fall 2024 FLEx Conference
Individual Sessions
Leslie Alfred
Target Language Spanish and French
Hola y bonjour! Leslie has been teaching both Spanish and French for 11 years, most recently at Norwalk Middle School in Norwalk, Iowa. Before and after receiving her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa, Leslie studied abroad in Oviedo, Spain, Québec, Canada, and Besançon, France. In her free time, Leslie loves spending time with her husband and 10-month old daughter.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
How to accommodate for learner differences in the FL classroom
Amy Scott
Target Language Spanish
Amy is a high school Spanish teacher in Hartland, Michigan. She earned her bachelors in Spanish from MSU in 2007, with minors in history and math and a focus in Secondary Education. After taking a few years off from teaching to be home with her three young kids, Amy is very excited to be back in the classroom and pursing a Masters in Teaching Languages! In her spare time, Amy enjoys spending time with her family, exercising and reading.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
Building Proficiency in World Language Classrooms through Mainstream Music
Itzel Gomez-Avalos
Target Language Spanish
Itzel was born in Mexico and moved to the United States when she was 9 years old. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education French and Spanish. She has been teaching Spanish at the high school level for the past 10 years. She loves teaching, learning, and spending time with her loved ones.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
Innovating Your Curriculum: Strategies for Effective Design and Revision
Shannon Lemons
Target Language English (ESL/EFL) or Japanese
Shannon completed her bachelor’s degree at MSU but now lives in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, where she teaches English as an additional language to children and adults at the Japan Center for Michigan Universities and studies Japanese. Previously enrolled in the distance-based version of the MA TESOL program, she is now a MAFLT student and plans to teach English and/or Japanese in the next phase of her career.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
Teaching for the Test: Preparation for Speaking Proficiency Exams
Jessica Charlton
Target Language Spanish
Jessica teaches Spanish at the high school level in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She developed a love for travel and interacting with diverse cultures and persons from growing up in a military household, her life now as a military spouse, and her time spent abroad in Ecuador, South America, where she spent summers serving as the liaison between the local community in Ascazubi, Ecuador, and a team of medical doctors. She believes that world language learning is vital and necessary in education because it provides a means to understand and connect with citizens of the world, not just those we see around us.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
Interactive Tech for Unlocking Interpretive Reading and Listening Skills
Haley Rooney
Target Language Spanish
Haley teaches Spanish and English as an Additional Language in Williamston Community Schools. She has been teaching in Williamston, Michigan, since 2018. Haley has degrees in Spanish and Elementary Education from Michigan State University. She currently lives in Williamston with her two cats, Beans and Petunia, and spends her free time reading, working in her gardens, and listening to music.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
How to Use Interchangeable Blocks & Routines to Streamline Planning
Myriam Stanwood
Target Language Spanish
Myriam was born and raised in Lima, Peru, but she currently lives in Okinawa, Japan. She was the Spanish Lead Instructor in a U.S. military training program for ten years, where she helped instructors to teach in an online setting and select and develop materials for their classes. She also has experience in a very different context of teaching, as an instructor for sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and small craft safety. She now works as an independent curriculum designer.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
From Screen to Speech: Engaging Intermediate Learners with Authentic Texts
Neely Tipton
Target Language French
Neely is a high school French teacher in Brookfield, Wisconsin. She was born and raised in Holland, Michigan before she attended Carthage College for her Bachelors in French and Secondary Education. Neely is in her fifth year of teaching, having taught for four years in Madison, Wisconsin and starting a new adventure this year in Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee. In her free time, Neely loves to read and is learning to golf from her golf-instructor husband.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
It’s all Greek to Me: Novice Literacy Strategies for Confident Readers
Yue Yang
Target Language English (ESL/EFL) or Chinese
Yue is an artistic and creative person that enjoys her free time going to the gym, reading, crafting, and gaming. She was born in Wuhan, China, and immigrated to the States in the early 2000s. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California. Yue is a fluent speaker of both English and Mandarin Chinese, which is also her goal in language teaching in the future. Yue is currently the only full-time student in the MAFLT and works as the graduate assistant to the National LCTL Resource Center at MSU.
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
Plenary Session
Dr. Frederick Poole
Teacher Educator | MAFLT Core Faculty
Michigan State University
maflt.cal.msu.edu/frederick-poole
FLEx Conference Fall 2024 – Go to Session:
Practical Applications for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Language Learning