East Central Education Service Center 2106 S. 14th St. New Castle, Indiana 47362 United States
Valentina Gonzalez, founder of Rooted Linguistics will be in East Central Indiana on February 26, 2025 from 9:00am-3:00pm to offer this engaging workshop. In today's diverse educational landscape, educators need to equip themselves with the knowledge and tools to support multilingual learners effectively. This session guides participants through culturally inclusive instruction, differentiated pedagogy, language acquisition, assessment and progress monitoring, and building a supportive community. This interactive and engaging professional development session leaves participants with a comprehensive toolkit of strategies and resources to design success for multilingual learners in their classrooms. Participants will receive two of Gonzalez's books, "Designing Success for Multilingual Learners: A Handbook o Instructional Methods That Work" and "Welcome to Teaching Multilinguals".
Offered By: Rooted Linguistics
Valentina Gonzalez brings over 25 years of dedicated service to the field of education. Her journey encompasses diverse roles, from being a classroom teacher to a district facilitator for English learners, and from a professional development specialist for multilingual learners (MLs) to an independent educational consultant. Throughout her career, Valentina has remained steadfast in her commitment to promoting literacy, celebrating culture, and nurturing language development.
Valentina’s expertise shines through her delivery of professional development sessions and coaching sessions for teachers of MLs, empowering them to excel in language and literacy instruction. As a co-author of “Reading & Writing with English Learners: A Framework for K-5”, the delightful picture book “Krofne with Baba,” and the
upcoming book “Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners”, she continues to make a significant impact on
educational resources and pedagogy.
Valentina’s work is featured in prestigious journals and professional publications including Edutopia, MiddleWeb, TEPSA, Ed Week, and School Library Journal. Her insights are sought after by educators worldwide, and she continues to inspire and support others through her website and active presence on social media.
Valentina Gonzalez’s dedication to learning extends beyond her extensive professional experience. She is a lifelong learner, pursuing her doctoral degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. This commitment to furthering her education reflects her belief in the importance of continuous growth and development in the field of education.
Short Bio Summary:
Valentina Gonzalez is an educator with over 25 years of experience spanning various roles including classroom
teacher, district facilitator, professional development specialist, and consultant. Her childhood experience as an immigrant and language learner fuels her desire to advocate for multilingual students and support teachers with the best research-based teaching methods. Valentina is dedicated to promoting literacy, celebrating culture, and nurturing language development and spends her time traveling across the nation working alongside educators to do so.
Redesigning Assessments with a Future-Focused Emphasis
Provide an update on all state assessments impacted by Future-Focused Standards
Review assessment, reporting, accommodations, and accessibility tools and features
Review timelines and educator involvement and pilot opportunities
Review current and upcoming resources
Supporting Specific Student Populations at the Early and Elementary Levels
Characteristics of a Belonging Classroom (safe environments, equitable expectations, autonomous experiences)
Flipping the pyramid and paradigm of Tier One in self contained classrooms
Elementary MTSS best practices w/reflection tool
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or Hybrid Session Preview
Mathematics Instructional Strategies: Transforming the Student Experience
Brain research on how we learn how to think mathematically
Consequences of missing number sense – urgency in need to shift instructionally
Tasks that students should be doing every day in math class
Instructional moves that teachers should be implementing every day in math class
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Meeting Students Where They Are: Data and Next Steps
Innovative examples of using assessment data to
Inform instruction
Communicate progress
Determine intervention needs
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Unpacking the Early Learning Standards: Using Instructional Supports to Create Developmentally Appropriate Educational Experiences
Key ideas about teaching and assessing in developmental appropriate ways including:
emphasizing play
assessing through observation
contextual relevance of concrete and abstract experiences,
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview.
Change Management and Helping Teachers Translate Standards into Practice
Activities to help leaders establish a vision for Future Focused Learning
Reflection opportunities to determine possible barriers and solutions
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Supporting Specific Student Populations at the Secondary Levels
Characteristics of a Belonging Classroom (safe environments, equitable expectations, autonomous experiences)
Flipping the pyramid and paradigm of Tier One in content focused classrooms
Secondary MTSS best practices w/reflection tool
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or Hybrid Session Preview
Future-Focused STEM Education: Implementing Integrated STEM Standard at the Elementary Levels
An overview of the Integrated STEM Standards for K-5 grade levels
Specific examples of integrated STEM at elementary levels highlighting
Inquiry-based learning
3-D learning
Practical next steps for implementing powerful STEM practices
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Family Engagement and Communication of the 2023 IAS
Messaging examples that connect IAS to College and Career Readiness
Leveraging GPS as a tool of family and community engagement
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Integrating Computer Science as the “T” in STEM
Strategies that leverage Computer Science as a vehicle for STEM integration
Specific examples of what this looks like
Elementary examples
Secondary examples
Practical next steps for integration of STEM and Computer Science
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or Hybrid Session Preview
Science of Reading Implementation: Indiana’s Priorities for Early Literacy
IDOE’s Literacy Center staff will share details regarding Indiana’s Priorities of Early Literacy and recent legislation to help educators, school leaders, and literacy advocates further inform their implementation of science of reading and evidence-based practices.
Introduction to Future-Focused Standards
Overview of changes/content shifts
Meaning of “essential” designation
Considerations for instructional planning (e.g., updating curriculum maps)
Leveraging available resources (e.g., new frameworks)
Next steps for implementation
Leadership, Coaching and Effective Teaming to Support the 2023 IAS
Establishing norms that foster productive teams
Determining the types of educator support based on need and time of year (Coaching for Educator Wellness or another resource of IDOE choosing)
Uniting a school around a common challenge
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Leveraging WIDA Standards and IAS Connections to Support English Learners
Examination of alignment between the two sets of standards
Hidden benefits of WIDA for all students
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or School Year Summit Preview
Future-Focused STEM Education: Implementing Integrated STEM Standards at the Secondary Levels
An overview of the Integrated STEM Standards for 6-12 grade levels
Strategies for integrating in the secondary space
Specific examples of integrated STEM at secondary levels highlighting
Inquiry-based learning
3-D learning
Practical next steps for implementing powerful STEM practices
Resources applicable to topic (Future Focused Learning Toolkit)
Module and/or Hybrid Session Preview
An Introduction to Future-Focused Early Learning Standards
The process for developing the standards
Why a formalized standards adoption is important
Building a Foundation: Update on Standards and Assessments (Plenary)
Overview of legislation
Streamlining process
What’s meant by “future-focused” and how to frame it within the summit sessions that follow
Assessment implications and next steps
Other related legislative updates (e.g., curriculum adoption)
