Last updated on Nov. 12th, 2023.
I remember my first conference. I went alone during my first year as a teacher. It was nerve wracking because I did not know what to expect and I did not know anybody.
I am just grateful to my student teaching mentor, Roman Czerwinski, who told me WL teacher conferences were a must to the profession.
The only thing that was clear to me during that first state conference was my mission. It was a simple mission: Gather ideas for engaging activities to bring back to my classroom. It was not difficult to achieve such mission as EVERYTHING was new to me as a first year teacher, even KAHOOT!!!
During my first two years of conferences, I attended everything alone. I often stayed in my hotel room alone and often ate lunch by myself because I knew no one. Looking back, I only really wish I’d had someone to debrief, exchange notes, share an experience, and enjoy cocktails, coffee, and/or dancing.
Few years later in 2016, I was given the blessing to enter a very supportive school when it came to PD as well as to work next to my best friend who was also teacher at this school, Maribel Gomez.
From year three on, I rarely ever attended a conference alone, and this made a world of a difference to me.
Why? Because Maribel and I could bounce off ideas and because we could divide and conquer in order to gather more content and strategies to bring back to our classes.
I am so grateful for Maribel you all!!! Just throwing that out there.
Today, with the biggest WL teacher conference in the nation upon us, ACTFL 2023 in Chicago, I want to share a couple of simple tips on how to make it the best experience possible for yourself. The advice found on this blog post also applies to regional and state conferences.
***Just to be clear, this blog post is not sponsored by ACTFL or anything of that sort.
In this post, I only want to offer suggestions based on my experiences and the experiences of my gracious friends who also contributed.
Take what works for you.
Before the Conference
I will be the first to admit that I am a last minute person for the win!!! Not really proud of that, but it is what it is.
But…one thing I can’t afford to leave to the very last minute, and by last minute I mean the day of the event, is to not set some professional goals for myself (and personal goals too while you are at it).
You all, these conferences are a major investment if you’ve decided to pay out of pocket due to your school’s lack of support. Heck! Even if the school paid for it, we want to get our money’s worth every step of the way.
For this reason, it is imperative that you don’t just ride it out.
Goal setting is a form of self-care. Why? Because at state, regional, and national conferences, there are often hundreds of sessions. This can create a lot of frustration if you aren’t clear about your goals.
With clear goals, you can eliminate a lot of the possible cognitive overload by laser focusing your energy on attending the sessions that you really need.
Of course there are exceptions because maybe you have been wanting to see a specific speaker and that is 100% fine. You can allow yourself to go to specific sessions outside of your professional goals.
For example, if I know feedback is something I really want to get better at, then I am going to explore those sessions and select some to attend because that is part of my goal.
If your goal is staying in the target language as much as possible, then make your search on the app or in the program narrowing down those sessions.
You can also brainstorm different topics of interest, and go with variety instead. The point is that you have a plan. I consider myself a free spirit, but most of the times I’ve gone with the flow at large conferences, I found myself not making the most out of the experience.
Before I forget, when I attend a national conference, the first thing that I do is glance at the BEST OF SESSIONS first, and I select the ones that I can’t absolutely allow myself to miss.
If nothing else, before the conference, I have to make sure that two things are done:
- My best form of rest has been as complete as much as possible that entire week because much energy will be required.
- I have already preselected the sessions I am planning on attending.
Our Session at #ACTFL2023
Also, if you have wondered how you can become a National Board Certified Teacher as a language educator, then Rocio Jacoby and I want to invite you to our ACTFL session this year!
Note: While everyone is invited to attend this #ACTFL23 session, please know National Board certification is currently available to Spanish & French teachers teaching students ages 11-18+. For this reason, the information might not be applicable to all languages.Here are the details:
During the Conference
There are things that are very simple, yet we often forget. What am I referring to? Water, bring a reusable bottle because 1) Bottled drinks at conferences are usually expensive and 2) Hydration is a must for all the walking and thinking you in which you will be engaged. Set a timer if you must to remind yourself that you have to drink plenty of water.
Remember those sessions you already preselected to attend? If you really want to attend some specific ones, be there on time! ACTFL is one conference where some sessions might get packed to capacity pretty early.
Be strategic about your note-taking
Remember, you or your school invested a ton of money in this conference, because it is a huge expense for any educator. For this reason, you want to optimize your learning experience. How can we do that? Find your way of taking notes. For me, it is a reflective note catcher! For you it could be something else.
The Learning Forward Journal account recently shared in-depth tools on maximizing your learning while at conferences, you can access these free by visiting their post, reading, and scrolling all the way to where it says “Download pdf here.”
Thoughts on socializing and networking
If you are at this conference on your own and you wish to socialize and connect with others, prepare yourself to step out of your comfort zone. I consider myself an ambivert and even then stepping out of my comfort zone to talk to strangers is asking a lot from myself. I have managed to get better over time but sometimes I still flop.
Suggestions to socialize if you are riding solo:
- If you are on social media, make dinner or lunch plans that way through Twitter #langchat or a Facebook group says Maris Hawkins.
- If on X (formerly known as Twitter), search to see if any activities are going on using the #langchat #actfl23 (or whatever conference hashtag). Don’t be afraid to use “I have chatted with you via X/Twitter about…” as a conversation starter.
- Maris also suggests to strike up a conversation with people around you before or after a session and ask if they have any suggestions for sessions. Remember, you already did your homework, but suggestions are always welcome.
- Sarah Breckley recommends to talk to the people in the hall and to ask if they have been to any amazing sessions. If someone isn’t so chatty, it is probably because they are feeling overwhelmed, in which case, you will definitely not want to take it personal and you will want to give them space.
- Sarah also advises to attend the preplanned events that facilitate conversation like the first time attendee session, ACTFL side bars, late night chats, and round table discussions.
If the thought of any of these things makes you super nervous, remember the words by my friend Lisa McHargue…
You must also guard your energy during the conference.
I don’t say this because there is bad energy out there, not at all. The reason I mention this is because if we aren’t careful, we will be tired beyond measure before dinner time.
Some examples of guarding your energy include:
- Taking time to be by yourself away from a crowd and/or to visit the sun.
- Respectfully leaving a session that doesn’t apply to you at this time.
- Walking away from a conversation that doesn’t serve you.
- Allowing yourself to go back to your room to take a nap.
Whatever it may be. Attending a conference should be a joyous experience with the potential to reignite or put your teaching joy in overdrive mode.
If you are attending ACTFL this year, ACTFL SideBars are a really relaxed way to strike organic conversations and connect with like minded educators on many topics, to find all sidebars offered, simply go to your convention app and search the word SIDEBAR via the magnifying class 🔍 icon on the bottom right corner.
An example of a side bar is the one my friend and paisano Abelardo Almazán-Vásquez is facilitating on ChatGPT, see the details below:
There are many other SIDEBAR conversations that I encourage you to attend.
Avoid skipping out on networking!
My first conferences, I dreaded the thought of networking. Again, ambivert here.
You want to network for many reasons:
- The most important one is that you will meet your teacher besties who will become your lifetime friends by networking. I am beyond grateful for my talented, empathetic, and hilarious friends, you know who you are. Some aspects of our jobs are getting more challenging each year, and we can’t do nor carry the load alone.
- You never known when you will need a job where even if you don’t plan on moving right this second.
- Another important reason to network is because people will see talents in you that you won’t see in yourself at the beginning. Oh, I have stories about how I almost let many of my ideas die due to lack of confidence, but I won’t go there today. I am just so grateful to my district specialist, Dr. Linsky, for alway encouraging and believing in me.
Give yourself permission to network.
Visit the exhibits and tour them because there are so many wonderful opportunities there to report back to your administration and students.
In 2016, I won a scholarship to study in Peru for two weeks. I had learned about the opportunity at a conference the year prior.
You just never know what opportunities will knock at your door by allowing yourself to explore and interact with other like minded educators and companies that support teachers.
I could go on and on with tips, but NETWORKING as an educator alone deserves its own blog post.
After the Conference
Here are some things I tend to prioritize after the conference:
Take Action!!!
Take action on the new gained knowledge and strategies right away. Try to take action on as much as you possibly can the first week, knowing that you don’t have to take action on everything because some concepts and ideas take longer to develop further, and that is completely okay. Prioritize your insights by categories like these: DO NOW / RESEARCH MORE / IN THE FUTURE. There are other ways in which you can prioritize but these are simply some ideas.
Organize it all in one place
During the conference, I like to make a folder titled the name of the conference plus the year and I place all my notes and a document with all links there. After the conference, I clean up that folder and fill in any missing links. That way, I can find everything easily for reference later.
Keep the connection going
If you connected with anyone new, definitely send that person a message via social media, email, etc. and thank them for their time, conversation, session, or whatever it might be. I guarantee you it will brighten their day.
The Conversation Doesn't Have to Be Over
Jimmy Trembly started a thread on Twitter that also includes many golden pieces of advice. Please visit this wonderful thread.
If you want to learn more about How to Navigate Teacher Conferences, then, you must listen tot he following podcast episode with Michelle Olah & Maris Hawkins
My friend La Maestra Loca also has a wonderful post with a plan of action when attending conferences and observing teachers. It is a must listen!!!
What about you? What is the best advice you would give to a first year conference attendee? Let me know in the comments below.
Also, let me know if you would like to see a post exclusive to how to network at conferences.
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