Valerie Y. Sun, Ed.D.

Hello, I’m Valerie! I am a multilingual, multicultural educational consultant in dual-immersion programs and educational technology integration.

I look forward to working with you and your team!

Brief Biography

In my heart of hearts, I am a teacher. I have been an educator since 2005 in the private sector in California and abroad and started teaching in California public schools in 2011. I have taught across the spectrum from pre-kindergarten classes to doctoral-level courses. In 2020, I was the interim director at the Alliance Française de Pasadena where I led the non-profit language and cultural center through online instruction and events due to COVID-19. Currently, I am the Coordinator of Instructional Technology in Glendale Unified School District where I have the opportunity to bring innovation across the district through The Techy Trailblazing Teachers (T3) Fellowship, an elementary Mobile Makerspace Initiative, and solve instructional technology issues that arise daily. I am a part-time lecturer at California State University, East Bay in the Department of Teacher Education and a teacher trainer with the California World Languages Project at Occidental College.

I enjoy creating and writing student-centered Common Core Math, English, and culture-led dual-language curricula and assessments that ensure vertical and horizontal alignment for school districts in addition to training teachers on new materials. I have also co-written robotics curriculum with Barnabas Robotics that focuses on the four basic types of engineering.

Résumé & Teaching Credentials

• Résumé

• Multiple-Subjects Teaching Credential

• BCLAD: French

• Single Subject Teaching Credential: Foundational Level Mathematics

• Single Subject Teaching Credential: Foundational Level Science

• Single Subject Teaching Credential: French

Teaching Philosophy

Be positive * Be innovative * Listen * Share the enthusiasm

Certifications

• ACTFL AAPPL French Rater Certificate, 2020

• Apple Teacher, 2017

• DELF/DALF Certified Examiner and Corrector, 2018

• Discovery Education Network Star, 2015

• Google Certified Educator, Level 1 & Level 2, 2019

• Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019

• Nearpod Certified Educator, 2017

• PiTop Certified Learning Designer, 2019

• Raspberry Pi Certified Educator, 2016

• TCF Certified Examiner, 2019

Grants and Awards

• Outstanding Masonic Employee Recognition, Glendale Masonic Lodge, 2022

• Chevalier, Ordre des Palmes académiques, 2020

• French-American Cultural Exchange (FACE) Foundation Grant Recipient, 2019

• BELC Grant Recipient, 2018

• Outstanding Youth Achievement, CCBA and Southern California Chinese Community, 2016

• Outstanding Teacher Recognition, Glendale Masonic Lodge, 2015

Professional Affiliations

• American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

  • Member, 2016 - Present

• American Educational Research Association (AERA)

  • Member, 2014 - Present

• California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)

  • Member, 2018 - Present

• California Language Teachers Association (CLTA)

  • Member, 2018 - Present

• Computer Using Educators (CUE)

  • Member, 2014 - Present

    • Affiliate: San Gabriel Valley CUE (SGVCUE)

    • Board Member, 2017 - Present

  • Lead Learner, 2017 - Present

  • BOLD Faculty, 2018 - 2020

  • Rockstar Faculty, 2018 - 2020

• France Alumni USA

  • Ambassador, 2018 - Present

• Girls on the Run Los Angeles (GOTRLA)

  • Coach, 2015 - 2017

  • Solemate, 2015 - 2019

• National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE)

  • Member, 2016 - Present

More than a Teacher

2018 - 2019

In the fall, I took on the challenge of starting a STEM Project-Based Learning electives course at a middle school in Covina-Valley Unified School district. I also teach one section of French as an exploratory wheel. Going back to the middle school has been an interesting experience. It has also helped me realize that I have an unrequited love for language teaching and learning. I continue to be a proud board member of San Gabriel Valley CUE. I have become a contributor to CUE’s Higher Education Learning Network.

Most importantly, EmpowerED Consulting, the company I started at the beginning of 2018 has now become a non-profit organization. I have the privilege to work with a team of French immersion teachers across southern California to develop a curriculum map for current and future French immersion programs.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the time to coach for Girls on the Run - Los Angeles. Nevertheless, I still consistently run and will be participating in the LA Marathon 2019 as a SoleMate, raising funds for GOTRLA.

2016 - 2018

In the past year, I shifted from teaching at the elementary level to the collegiate level. As a lecturer at CSU, Fullerton and CSU, Los Angeles, I have the opportunity to work with a wide range of students. For Fall 2017, I teach undeclared Freshmen study skills to have successful university life and also to become life-long learners. I also continue to teach students who wish to apply to the multiple-subjects credentialing program and supervise teacher candidates who are in the credentialing program. Lastly, I teach a doctoral educational technology leadership course where students explore edtech theory as practitioners and users of prominent edtech tools.

I am a proud board member of San Gabriel Valley CUE. We put on great local events in the area as a PLC for educators interested in edtech integration in the classroom. I continue to be an assistant coach for Girls on the Run, where I am a role model for 3rd-5th grade girls. 

2012 - 2016

I am a teacher and a firm believer of dual-immersion and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) for students. I have various roles at my school to ensure the students receive a well-rounded education both in- and outside the classroom. 

• Annual Science Fair, Coordinator - Each year, we have over 130 participants from Kindergarten to 6th grade, with their projects judged by graduate students at CalTech.

• Robotics Club, Coordinator - Using LEGO Mindstorm and EV3 robots, 4th-6th grade students integrate problem solving skills with coding to resolve challenges given at each session. Student learning culminates at the district-wide elementary robotics competition.

• Girls on the Run, Coach - Girls are empowered through social-emotional learning, breaking barriers and stereotypes, through the avenue of running.

• Computer Science Club, Co-Teacher - Google's CS-First is the driving force behind this coding club for 4th-6th grade students interested in computer science.

For the district, I write and create curriculum for Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and French Language Arts (FLA). I also serve on the Elementary Level Think Tank and the Curriculum Review Committee.

• Curriculum Writer - Select teachers meet over the summer and throughout the school year to create and organize curriculum/lesson plans for teachers.

• Learning Leader - Support classroom teachers at the school site and train them to use available sources.

• Technology Leader - Explore new and available technology, piloting them in my classroom, then providing other teachers with training and coaching for implementation.

• Elementary Think Tank - Review academic data for the elementary level with a team of elementary school teachers, district professional learning team, and the assistant superintendent, while bringing in the dual-immersion and educational technology perspective.

• Curriculum Review Committee - Dedicated to providing the best, updated curricula for the students with the district professional learning team

Examples of written curricula

FRENCH

I wrote the entire French kindergarten curriculum, using Common Core State Standards as its skeleton, for the first public French dual-immersion program in Los Angeles county and have implemented it since 2012.

MATH

As our school district looked to Open Source for Common Core Mathematics, I created materials and district-wide assessments for the kindergarten classroom with the assistance and feedback from my colleagues.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 

Part of a team of kindergarten teachers, we created district-wide assessments and norming packets that aligned with Common Core ELA Standards.

Publications

Ly-Hoang, K., Sun, V., Ulanoff, S. (2022). Using TPACK and T3 Lenses to Promote and Support Science Online Learning Experiences in Early Childhood. Teaching and Learning Online. Information Age Publishing.

Sun, V. (2022). Navigating Dual Immersion: A Teacher's Companion for the School Year and Beyond. TBR Books.

Sun, V. (2017). Dueling complexities: Experiences of dual-lang immersion teachers

(Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. (Accession number: 10607555)

Research Interests

My research focus is dual-immersion, particularly the support provided to the teachers. My dissertation was a narrative inquiry that focused on the lived experiences of dual-immersion teachers. I follow several key researchers who are dedicated to dual-immersion education and aspire to be as inspirational and impactful in academia throughout my own career.

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me about keynoting, presenting, or training teachers by completing the following form.

Scroll down further to see various topics and trainings I have provided.

Conferences & Presentations

This is an exhaustive list of conferences and workshops where I have attended and/or presented to stay updated in the teaching, bilingual education, and educational technology community.

2020

Oct. 22-26: Fall CUE

Presenter: Failing into Success & EduProtocols Smackdown

Jul. 9: American Association of Teachers of French

Presenter: Renforcer la proficiency à partir de l’inter-culturalité dans le curriculum

Jun. 1-10 and 17-26: California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) & Small Schools District (SSDA)

Presenter: Let Them Speak!, Project-Based Learning Digitally, Publishing Works and Digital Portfolios, Optimize Asynchronous Learning, and Research Writing Across the Subjects

May 18-23: CUE BOLD

Presenter: Get Excited About Writing, Let Them Speak!, Nearpod Got You Covered

May 1-4: CVCUE - A New Hope

Presenter: Creative Distance Writing

Apr. 2-5: SWCOLT - Canceled

Mar. 20-28: Virtual Spring CUE

Co-Presenter: Creativity-Powered Learning, CUE HELN

Mar. 7: 2020 Spring Immersion Programs PD

Organizer and Presenter with French Cultural Services

Feb. 25-28: NABE Annual Conference

Feb. 21-22: CUE Learning Network Meeting

Feb. 1: OCCUE Tech Fest

2019

Dec. 16: Alliance Française de Las Vegas

Presenter: TICE et Pédagogie de projets

Nov. 19: SDSU French Language Conference and Job Fair

Presenter: Teach French: Inspire the Next Generation of Francophones

Nov. 9: IV Jornadas Educativas

Nov. 4: Miami Dade School District Training

Presenter: Les stratégies pour échafauder la langue

Oct. 26: Alliance Française de Denver

Presenter: Enseigner et Apprendre avec TV5MONDE

Oct. 19-20: Fall CUE

Presenter: Creativity-Powered Learning and Failing into Success

Oct. 15: CUE Black Label - San Jacinto

Presenter: PBL Through Design Thinking and Rockin’ Student Research and Writing

Oct. 12: SGVCUE Innovation Celebration - Organizer

Sep. 28: Alliance Française de San Diego

Presenter: Enseigner et Apprendre avec TV5MONDE

Sep. 21: 2019 CLTA Fall Jamboree

Sep. 14: 2019 Fall Immersion Programs PD

Organizer and Presenter with French Cultural Services

Sep. 4: Makey Makey Invention Literacy Workshop for Educators

Aug. 7: Cucamonga School District

Keynote Speaker: A Journey of Failure

Jul. 26-27: CUE Leadership Development Institute

Jul. 12: CUE Hootenany

Jul 8-11: French DLI Professional Development Institute

Presenter: California K-6 Curriculum Map, Interculturalité dans les salles de classe, TV5MONDE pour tous!

Jun 22-23: pi-top Certification Training

Jun 17-18: CUE Rockstar Big Bear

Presenter: Rockin’ Student Research and Writing and The Sandwich-Making Accountability

Jun 15: CA Curriculum Map

May 4-5: CUE BOLD

Presenter: Classroom Redesign - The Racetrack Classroom and The Experience

Apr. 11: pi-top Learn by Making

Mar. 14-16: Spring CUE

Presenter: CUE BOLD Mini Workshop

Mar 2-3: California Language Teachers’ Association

Presenter: Leveraging Student-Centered Technology in Language Classrooms

Jan 18: CUE Black Label

Presenter: Build Essential Research Report Skills

Jan 7: CUE Craft

Presenter: Let EduProtocols Rock Your Class

2018

Dec. 1: CUE Rockstar ELA Edition

Oct. 26-27: FallCUE

Oct. 13: SGVCUE Innovation Celebration

Sep. 29: 2018 Fall Immersion PD

Organizer and Presenter with French Cultural Services

Jun 19-21: LAUSD World Language Summer Institute

Presenter: Vertical and Horizontal Alignement for French Dual Immersion

May 5-6: CUE BOLD

Presenter: Flipping Instruction with Nearpod

Apr. 26: AV EdTech Summit

Presenter: Rubric: The Guide on the Side

Apr. 13-14: Lead 3 Symposium

Presenter: Visible Thinking and EdTech Strategies and Supporting Dual-Immersion Teachers

Apr. 7: 2018 Program Discussions PD

Organizer and Presenter with French Cultural Services

Mar. 15-17: Spring CUE

Co-Presenter: What can Pi Do For You?

Mar. 1-3: NABE

Presenter: Technology Integration for Teaching Writing to Emergent Bilinguals

2017

Nov. 17-19: ACTFL 2017, Nashville, TN

Presenter: EdTech Integration to Increase Language Production

Nov. 11-12: Immersion Weekend PD @ USC

Organizer and Presenter with French Cultural Services

Oct. 27-28: FallCUE, American Canyon, CA

Presenter: Writing: Brainstorming to Publishing

Co-Presenter: #TechToolsSmackdown

Co-Presenter: Tech Out that Open House!

Oct. 14: SGVUE Innovation Celebration

Presenter: Give me some pi, Raspberry Pi!

Sep. 23: PlaydateLA, Los Angeles, CA

Jul. 24-28: Picademy, Ann Arbor, MI

Facilitator: SenseHAT and Sonic Pi

Jul. 21-22: CUE Leadership Development Institute, Monterey

Mar. 25: Week-end Bilinguisme, USC, Los Angeles

Presenter: Various Models of Bilingual Education

Mar. 4: SCTA Teaching Tomorrow's Teachers, Fullerton

Co-Presenter: #TechToolsSmackdown

Feb. 23 - 25: National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), Dallas

Feb. 18: California State University, Los Angeles CCOE Ed.D. Symposium

Presenter: Dueling Complexities: Lived Experiences of Dual-Lang Immersion Teachers

Feb. 7: Rick Morris, Fullerton

Oct. 15: SGVCUE TechFair, Covina

Co-Presenter: #TechToolsSmackdown

Co-Presenter: We Scream for GreenScreen

Sep. 17: PlaydateLA, Los Angeles

Apr. 8-10: American Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.

Jan. 30: SGVCUE Coffee Break, San Gabriel

2015

Nov. 16-17: 2015 CSDC Conference, Burlingame

Presenter: Free iPad Apps to Use for Any Classroom

Presenter: Mini Session: Teach me Code!

Oct. 23-24: FallCUE, Napa

Co-Presenter: Got Chrome? Use it Tomorrow!

Oct 17: SGVCUE, Covina

Presenter: MinecraftEDU in the classroom

Sep. 26: DENapalooza, Anaheim

Sep. 19: PlaydateLA, Los Angeles

Jul. 8-9: Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer Academy, Irvine

Jun. 8-12: Glendale USD Teacher Summer Academy, Glendale

Co-Presenter: Chromebooks in the Classroom

Co-Presenter: Google Apps for Education

Apr. 25: GLAMC Mini Conference #4, CSU Northridge

Apr. 21: Discovery Education Math Academy, Glendale

Apr. 16 - 19: Amerian Education Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL

Apr. 11: SGVCUE: Coffeebreak

Presenter: Implementing MinecraftEDU & How to teach students to code

Mar. 28: Representative Royce's Women's Conference, Fullerton

Mar. 19 - 21: Annual CUE, Palm Springs

Co-Presenter: iPad apps for language development & Coding with Scratch

Mar. 19: Minecraft in the classroom, Los Angeles

2014

Oct. 24 - 25: FallCUE, American Canyon, CA

Co-Presenter: 10 Free iPad apps for language development

Oct. 18: SGVCUE, West Covina

Co-Presenter: Classroom web tools 2.0 & iPad apps for language development

Sep. 13: DENapalooza, Anaheim

Co-Presenter: Classroom web tools 2.0 & iPad apps for language development

Jun. 23 - 26: Association of Two-Way and Dual Language Education, Sacramento

Co-Presenter: 10 Free iPad apps for language development

May 31: Southern California CSU EdD Research Symposium

Mar. 20 - 22: Annual CUE, Palm Springs

Feb. 10: BER: Best iPads Apps & Strategies to Increase Student Learning, Buena Park

2013

Oct. 12: Kagan: Cooperative Learning, Luther Burbank Middle School

Aug. 7: Common Core Writing, Glendale Unified School District

Apr. 5: Kagan: Win-Win Discipline, Franklin Magnet School

Mar. 25: 12th Annual Dual-Language Institute, San Diego County Office of Education

Mar. 15: Anti-bias training, Glendale Unified School District

Feb. 26 - Mar. 1: Guided Language Acquisition and Design (GLAD), Glendale Unified School District

2012

Nov. 8-9: Guided Language Acquisition and Design (GLAD), Glendale Unified School District

Oct. 16: Technology in the classroom training, Glendale Unified School District

Feb. 23: Chemistry! with Bill Robertson, California State University, Fullerton

Feb. 22: Force and Motion with Bill Robertson, California State University, Fullerton

Feb. 7: Teaching for Learning that Sticks, Twin Rivers Unified School District

2011

Oct. 26: Science Made Easy!, RAFT and Twin Rivers Unified School District

Oct. 4: Botvin LifeSkills Training, Twin Rivers Unified School District

Sep. 20: Motivating Students Who Don't Care, Twin Rivers Unified School District

May 14: Art & Architecture at the Getty Center, J. Paul Getty Museum

May 7: 21st Century Teaching and Learning Workshops, California State University, Fullerton - Digital Storytelling with iMovie

Apr. 16: 21st Century Teaching and Learning Workshops, California State University, Fullerton - Visual Art Media - experimenting with oil and chalk pastels, acrylics, colored pencils, and markers

Mar. 15: SCTA Speaking in Tongues - Dual Immersion Classrooms, California State University, Fullerton

Mar. 5: 21st Century Teaching and Learning Workshops, California State University, Fullerton - Creating Flipcharts for the Promethean Board

Feb. 12: SCTA Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers Conference, California State University, Fullerton

Feb. 5: 21st Century Teaching and Learning Workshops, California State University, Fullerton - Creative Drama and the World of Harry Potter!

Feb. 1: Rick Morris’ Classroom Management Seminar, California State University, Fullerton

Jan. 29: 21st Century Teaching and Learning Workshops, California State University, Fullerton - Multicultural Art Worlds Through Print Making and Book Making

2010

Oct. 23: OC Reading Association Conference, California State University, Fullerton

Oct. 9: A Morning of Math, California State University, Fullerton