Teachers Share Innovative Practices at National Conferences

Bronxville High School world language teachers Denise Flood and Toby Gillen showcased their teaching strategies at two prestigious national conferences this year. 

At the American Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and World Languages Expo, held in Philadelphia from Nov. 22-24, the two teachers captivated fellow educators by presenting their approach to project-based learning (PBL). By integrating creativity, connections and real-world challenges, their work creates memorable learning experiences for students. Flood and Gillen provided attendees with a step-by-step guide to reimagining traditional lesson plans into dynamic PBL units, where students take the lead in their learning.

“The projects are inquiry-based, steeped in research and help students to master the key concepts of the unit,” Flood said. “We provided examples of project-based units of study from our French and Latin classes, and detailed a step-by-step guide for constructing, implementing and assessing a PBL unit.” 

The ACTFL conference is the largest event dedicated to language educators in the United States. Each year, more than 7,000 language educators and administrators from elementary through graduate schools attend the conference. 

“It was an honor to be selected and to have the opportunity to share the work that we do in Bronxville and the level at which our students are performing,” Gillen said. “Every time we present, we come home full of appreciation for the support that we receive from the Bronxville community, as well as for the hard work that our students put in to learning another language.”

Flood and Gillen also shared their expertise on empowering students through service learning at the Advanced Placement Annual Conference in Las Vegas. The event brought together thousands of educators eager to enrich their teaching practices. Using “WeService” units as a model, Flood and Gillen demonstrated how they integrate service-learning projects into their AP curriculum.

“We work with students to design, implement and reflect upon a service project connected to the AP course curriculum,” Flood said. “This process provides students the opportunity to develop their skills of leadership, critical thinking and engaged citizenship and connect these skills to the AP course content.” 

Special thanks to the Bronxville School Foundation for generously funding the teachers’ participation at the conferences.