Hi my name is Jessica Charlton and I am in my fourth semester of courses in the MAFLT program here at MSU, with only a few semesters left prior to graduation next school year. This fall, I had the opportunity to present for the first time at the FLAVA (Foreign Language Association of Virginia) state conference in Norfolk, Virginia. My session focused on using digital tools, specifically Peardeck.com, to enhance students’ interpretive reading and listening receptive skills, working towards building productive skills in language acquisition. You can find my presentation slides below. Despite being scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday—the last day of the conference—over 20 attendees came, which was encouraging as people were checking out to head home that morning. I was nervous initially, but the session went smoothly and had great turnout and engagement. The teachers who came to my session were supportive, asked insightful questions, and shared positive feedback.
I’m grateful to Fred and Amanda for encouraging me to pursue professional development through conferences. The MAFLT program has played a huge role in building my confidence and expertise, allowing me to present with assurance. Inspired by this experience, I’ve already applied to present at another state conference in the spring semester. I plan to expand on what I did in this presentation using some of what I learned from FLT 881. I’m thankful for the continued support from Amanda, Fred, and the MAFLT program and highly encourage anyone in the program to consider presenting at your local or state conference to plug in and network as well as learn from your surrounding leaders in the field. At a minimum, it is an opportunity to show leadership within your content area and learn from others. I remember telling Fred last year, “Why would I present- I’ve only been teaching three years”, but what I have now learned is that there is no threshold of experience that you need to hit in order for your experiences and knowledge to be valuable to share with others. Your insight and words hold value and the MAFLT program is so beneficial and impactful in shaping our experience and pathway as educators. Sharing what I have learned and gained from my own career the last five years, and from the courses at MSU has been a wonderful way to give back to the community of language teachers in our field who have given me so much, and I look forward to continuing to do so in future years. Go green!
Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1U2T0FZlW9Ik6yA8LAYP8YLtvg8nYDa5IqlJILkhmCj0/edit?usp=sharing
