Thank you for your patience as we update our website to reflect a broadening focus and meet the needs of the comprehensible-input-based teaching and writing community.
The Altamira Team
The Altamira Language Learning team grew out of TriState TCI, a regional network of acquisition-guided language teachers who are implementing a variety of comprehensible-input-focused strategies in their classrooms. While we do not currently do live trainings as a team, these individual trainers are available to help with your professional development needs. Our individual classroom experiences, especially with the expansion of our teaching to remote and hybrid learning, combines with a shared vision of effective comprehension-based teacher training.
LORI BELINSKY
Trainer, Coach, Co-Founder TriState TCI
Lori Belinsky is a middle school French teacher with additional experience in high school levels 1 and 2.
A founding member of the TriState TCI peer learning network for comprehension-focused language teachers, Lori is passionate about making success obtainable for all students in the world language classroom.
She has a M.S. in Transformative Education and Social Change from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, along with a B.A. in French and Psychology with minors in Spanish and Women's Studies.
Lori has done training, coaching, and workshops for local school districts as well as national conferences. She is constantly challenging herself to find more ways to meet students where they are on their language acquisition journeys and she is excited to share these ideas with you.
Follow her on Twitter @loribelinsky and join the TriState TCI group on Facebook.
Workshop Topics:
-
Intro to teaching with Comprehensible Input with demonstration in French
-
Teaching with comprehensible input while using a textbook
-
Transitioning from the textbook to a comprehensible-input-based curriculum
-
From oral input to reading: Emerging literacy in the World Language Classroom
-
Embedded Reading: How to create and implement
-
Brain Breaks
-
Student Engagement and Classroom Management
-
Customized training to meet your group's needs
CAROL HILL
Trainer, Coach, Co-Founder TriState TCI
Carol Hill is also a co-founder of the TriState TCI peer learning network peer learning network for comprehension-focused language teachers.
Having retired from teaching high school French in the classroom at Bishop Eustace Prep, in NJ, she now teaches French online to groups of various ages all over the country.
Carol came to language teaching as a second career, starting out with a textbook-based curriculum but soon realizing something was lacking for her students, for her program, and for herself as a teacher: joy.
She discovered TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) in 2006, and turned her school's French program around, increasing retention of students through upper levels and building a compelling, comprehensible classroom practice that engages students and brings her joy.
Carol is a respected voice of calm wisdom on FaceBook, blogs, and other social media where teachers gather to share ideas and ask advice about teaching with comprehensible input. She is trained as coach and trainer for acquisition-focused teachers. She coaches, presents at conferences, and does teacher trainings locally, nationally, and internationally.
Contact Carol for online coaching and training.
LA SRIPANAWONGSA
Trainer, Coach, Co-Founder TriState TCI
Piyanut “La” Sripanawongsa taught middle and high school Chinese in Wisconsin before coming to Philadelphia in 2013 to teach middle and high school Chinese, first at William Penn Charter School, and now at Friends Select.
An active and engaging teacher who employs a variety of techniques and activities to draw students in, La teaches with Comprehensible Input and uses strategies from Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS).
La believes that language learning is important and should be fun, which is clearly reflected in her curriculum design. She brings a lot of energy into the classroom that is fully matched by the energy of her students.
A co-founder of TriState TCI, La is trained as a coach and teacher trainer for teaching with comprehensible input; she trains, coaches, and presents at local and national teacher trainings and conferences, sharing specific comprehension-based strategies for mastering tones and achieving literacy in Chinese.