2026 NYSAFLT Annual Conference

TICKETED PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION: Leah Grady, NYSAFLT Teacher of the Year and a 22-year classroom veteran, invites you to a lively, hands-on workshop built around one key question: What if we worked with today’s learners instead of against them?
We’ll explore Gen Alpha—who they are, how they learn, and what actually motivates them (hint: it’s not more worksheets). Then we’ll turn the research into practical, realistic strategies for building connection, increasing engagement, strengthening real-world communication, and bringing more joy into the language classroom.
This session is especially valuable for teachers exploring Comprehensible Input (CI), proficiency-based instruction, or simply looking to modernize their approach without starting from scratch. You’ll get concrete ideas for tweaking what you already have—your curriculum, lessons, activities, and rubrics—to better meet today’s learners.
Expect a fast-paced, interactive session with movement, collaboration, discussion, and plenty of ideas you can use right away.
Best for upper middle and high school world language teachers of all languages.

How do we maintain a 90%+ target language environment while ensuring students remain on task and engaged? Join a veteran educator and a NYSAFLT Novice Award winner for an intergenerational deep dive into classroom management tailored specifically for the World Language setting.

This session bridges the gap between tried and true routines and modern innovation. We will explore the foundational practices that keep a classroom running like clockwork, alongside high-engagement strategies fresh from recent training. Participants will leave with a practical toolkit designed to lower student anxiety, maximize immersion, and build a community where every student feels safe, supported, and heard.

Upper-level language classes should be dynamic, culturally rich, and proficiency-driven. This session explores practical, classroom-tested strategies to keep Checkpoint C students engaged through the use of authentic resources such as films, articles, podcasts, and social media. Participants will examine adaptable lesson frameworks that promote spontaneous communication, higher-order thinking, and cultural inquiry, and will leave with ready-to-implement strategies to support advanced learners, including those pursuing college credit or the NYS Seal of Biliteracy.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, Abroadia and West Street Elementary School (Geneva, NY) facilitated an exchange between students in Geneva and their counterparts in Havana, Cuba. Throughout the course of several months, Kaci Sciarabba guided her students in activities that helped them extend their friendship to Cuban students, while a teacher in Havana did the same. The lesson we hope everyone will take from this presentation is that it is never too early to introduce international pen pal programs to students.

This panel discussion will bring together four World Language teachers who have implemented standards-based or equitable grading approaches in their classrooms. Panelists will share their journeys, experiences, and some practical strategies. Whether you are just curious about grading systems or looking to refine your established equitable approach, this session will inspire ways to develop students’ growth mindset in your classroom. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable ideas to promote student confidence, motivation, and their language proficiency.

Connect with fellow educators from your region, learn about your regional organization, and discover ways to get involved and advocate for language education in your area.

So you have a Seal of Biliteracy program, but now you want to grow it in a manageable and sustainable way. How do you go about doing this? This workshop will share 10 easy steps to develop a streamlined program for maximal growth by leveraging existing resources and staff. Special attention will be paid to effective student recruitment and support, culminating project design and evaluation, and staff training. Following the presentation of various strategies, participants will work in small groups to develop their own plan to begin supercharging their Seal of Biliteracy program the very next week!

Why do students shut down during interpersonal tasks? Even after plenty of practice and review, students struggle to respond. This session explores the hidden role of cognitive load in spontaneous communication and how it disproportionately impacts intermediate learners. Through interactive examples and classroom-tested activities, participants will learn how to lower the processing demands of conversations without lowering expectations. Walk away with practical tools to help students stay present, respond more fluidly, and build conversational endurance across languages.