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Tuesday, July 8
 

9:00am PDT

[In-Person Workshop] AI Supported Materials Development in ELT: Aligning Innovation with Pedagogical Principles LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, free artificial intelligence tools allow teachers to instantly create an unlimited quantity of exercises and texts at the push of a button, giving the impression that we are witnessing the emergence of a new paradigm in education; one that will allow teachers to become less reliant on textbooks and other traditional sources of learning materials and empower them with more professional autonomy. However, these new opportunities also call into question fundamental aspects of teacher identity and professionalism.
  • Will AI tools reduce teachers’ workload and support their practice or undermine their professional judgement and agency?
  • Will AI generated materials enhance the student learning process or simply perpetuate ineffective instructional practices?
Questions like these highlight the importance of teachers developing a critical perspective regarding AI and adopting effective guiding principles for using these tools to produce materials in alignment with what we know supports language acquisition and other pedagogical best practices. Participants in this workshop will explore a series of frameworks and principles from the field of materials development and experience how they can be used to generate high-quality, engaging language learning materials for a variety of classroom contexts.
Speakers
avatar for Mark Cormier

Mark Cormier

Head of Training and Professional Development, Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano
Mark Cormier is an English teacher and teacher educator who is passionate about materials development, reflective practice, and professional development in ELT. He earned a master of arts in TESOL from Marlboro College and bachelor’s degrees in English teaching and Latin American... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 6 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

9:00am PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Centering the teacher in English language educ-AI-tion: A workshop on teacher well-being and human-centered innovation LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
As AI and digital tools become increasingly embedded in English language teaching, it is essential to ensure that educators—our most human and vital resource in education—remain at the heart of the innovation process. This interactive workshop makes a compelling case for centering teacher well-being in discussions around AI integration in ELT. Grounded in social-emotional learning (SEL), we will explore practical, human-centered approaches to using AI in ways that support both teacher and student growth. Participants will engage in reflective dialogue, explore classroom-ready activities, and experience hands-on strategies designed to foster emotional resilience, creativity, and digital literacy in multilingual learners.
Speakers
avatar for Luis Javier Pentón

Luis Javier Pentón

Akademia Ekonomiczno-Humanistyczna w Warszawie, Professor
Luis Javier Pentón Herrera, Ph.D., is an award-winning Spanish and English educator and a best-selling author. In 2024, he was selected as the 2024 TESOL Teacher of the Year, awarded by the TESOL International Association and National Geographic Learning. He is a Professor (Profesor... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 4 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

9:00am PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Shifting Roles: Relational Agility and the Learning Journey in the Age of AI LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
As artificial intelligence reshapes education, the role of educators is clearly shifting from delivering content to facilitating dynamic, learner-centered experiences. Relational agility—the ability to make strategic, intentional decisions about how to respond to oneself and others in any given moment—has never been more critical. This life-long learning process empowers educators and learners alike to navigate complex classroom dynamics, foster autonomy, and build meaningful, interconnected learning communities. By balancing AI-driven tools with human connection and integrating mindfulness, self-carefulness, compassionate communication, holding space, empowerment, and inquiry dialogues, we can create classrooms that are as future-ready as possible and deeply rooted in empathy, collaboration, and sustainable learning.
Speakers
avatar for Mary Scholl

Mary Scholl

Director & Founder, Institute for Collaborative Learning
Mary Scholl deeply values presence, learning, empathy, creativity, and curiosity. She founded the Institute for Collaborative Learning in Costa Rica in 2003, has been teaching language for 30 years, designing and implementing educational projects for over 18 years and has served as... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 5 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

9:00am PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Optimizing Language Learning Through Structured Sketchpads LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Looking for a powerful way to turn classroom talk into meaningful language development?
In this interactive, hands-on workshop, you'll discover how sketchpads—collaborative role-based templates—can become one of your most effective tools to improve both conversational fluency and grammatical accuracy in ESL/EFL settings. Participants will learn how to design and implement sketchpads that balance structure and spontaneity, enabling authentic communication while supporting targeted grammar and vocabulary goals.
We’ll draw on insights from leading scholars like Haugh (2012), Penny Ur (1996), and The Academy for the Science of Instruction (n.d.) to explore:
  • How to scaffold vocabulary and grammar for real-time use
  • Ways to assign purposeful roles and rotate them to increase learner agency
  • Techniques for integrating reflective practice to solidify learning
  • Strategies for adapting sketchpads across proficiency levels
Whether you’re teaching beginners or advanced learners, sketchpads offer a flexible, evidence-based method to engage students in real communication—while keeping accuracy in focus.
Please bring your device (laptop or tablet)—you’ll be actively designing, testing, and adapting sketchpads during the session!
Leave with ready-to-use templates, adaptable strategies, and fresh ideas to get your students talking—and learning—more effectively.
Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Acuña

Jonathan Acuña

Head of Curriculum Development / ELT Professor, Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano & Universidad Latina de Costa Rica
Jonathan Acuña Solano is an experienced language educator and curriculum specialist with over 30 years in English Language Teaching. He currently serves as Head of Curriculum Design at the Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano and is a senior ELT professor at Universidad Latina... Read More →
avatar for Pablo Torres Marín

Pablo Torres Marín

Curriculum Developer, Centro Cultural Costarricense-Norteamericano
Pablo Torres is an English language educator and curriculum developer with over 15 years of experience in academic and corporate settings. He currently works as a Curriculum Developer and English Instructor at the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano (CCCN), and as a Business... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 3 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

9:00am PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Creating and Sustaining Optimal Learning Environments: Finding Your True “Teacher Self” LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Creating and Sustaining Optimal Learning Environments: Finding Your True “Teacher Self”

What makes a learning environment optimal? Is it the lesson plan, the materials, or is it your “teacher self?” In this workshop, you will explore components that affect classroom atmosphere and learner engagement. These components include: teacher language, transitions, instructions, feedback, questioning strategies, and teacher presence. You’ll also explore how drawing on and affirming learners’ assets positively impacts learning. Through demonstrations, video observation, and hands-on practice, you’ll discover your true teacher-self that leads to an optimal learning environment. This workshop is suitable for teachers in any English language teaching context.

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
1) observe for and evaluate the effects that teacher language, teacher-learner interactions, teacher presence, and classroom environment have on learning.
2) reflect on your strengths and areas for growth.
3) discover your true teacher self that leads to the most optimal environment for all learners.
Speakers
avatar for Betsy Parrish

Betsy Parrish

TESOL Program Professor, Hamline University
Betsy Parrish is a professor in the TESOL Program, teaching in the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), Adult ESL Certificate, the ABE Licensure program, and the MATESOL. She has worked as an ESL/EFL teacher, teacher educator, writer and consultant for over 35 years. After... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 1 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

9:00am PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Implementing Reflective Practice For Language Teachers LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
This hands-on workshop introduces the principles and practices associated with reflective practice for language teachers. Reflective practice generally means that language teachers subject their assumptions, beliefs and teaching practices to a critical analysis so that they can become more aware of their practice. Gaining teaching experience as a language teacher is not enough to provide automatic professional development, for we do not learn much from experience as much as we learn from reflecting on that experience; thus, experience combined with systematic reflection can lead to professional growth so that we can become more effective language teachers. In this workshop we will use the Framework for Reflecting on Practice to holistically explore five different stages/levels of reflection: philosophy; principles; theory; practice; and beyond practice (Farrell, 2022).
Speakers
avatar for Thomas S.C. Farrell

Thomas S.C. Farrell

Professor of Applied Linguistics, Brock University, Canada
Thomas S.C. Farrell is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Brock University, Canada. Professor Farrell’s professional interests include Reflective Practice, and Language Teacher Education & Development. Professor Farrell has published widely in academic journals and has presented... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 9:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 2 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

2:00pm PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Communicative Strategies for Creative and Critical Thinking in Low-Resource Environments LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
This workshop introduces communicative strategies that engage students through creativity and meaningful interaction. Drawing on the idea of critical creativity, the use of artistic expression to demonstrate critical thinking and content understanding (Burvall & Ryder, 2017), this sociocultural approach helps English language learners build language skills and confidence. Participants will explore low-resource activities that encourage self-expression and support English language development. By the end of this workshop, educators will gain adaptable techniques to make English learning more interactive and student-centered.
Speakers
avatar for Pearlie Lubin

Pearlie Lubin

English Language Fellow, US Department of State
Dr. Pearlie Lubin is an English language educator with over 16 years of experience. She has taught English language learners in Florida, Texas, and virtually in Costa Rica during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Dr. Lubin has taught English to adult learners at colleges, a parent academy... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 3 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

2:00pm PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Generative AI in ESL/EFL: Practical, Ethical, and Pedagogical Integration for 21st-Century Classrooms LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Are you ready to bring the power of generative AI into your ESL/EFL classroom—without losing sight of what makes great teaching truly human?
In this engaging, hands-on workshop, Oscar Víquez will guide you through how AI tools like ChatGPT can enhance language learning without replacing the teacher’s vital role. You’ll explore concrete classroom applications, from building interactive prompts and conversation practice to designing tasks that boost output, feedback, and learner autonomy. But more than tools, you'll gain a principled decision-making framework to evaluate and implement AI in ways that align with your pedagogical values.
Rooted in communicative language teaching, second language acquisition research, the TPACK framework, and humanistic approaches, this workshop emphasizes AI as a partner, not a replacement. You’ll also address critical issues like ethics, cultural responsiveness, student creativity, and digital literacy—ensuring AI serves your learners, not the other way around.
Whether you’re curious, cautious, or already experimenting with AI in your teaching, this session will equip you with:
  • Practical lesson ideas ready to try
  • A clear understanding of AI’s strengths and limitations
  • Insights from global research and real classroom use
  • Strategies for empowering students to use AI responsibly
Speakers
avatar for Oscar Víquez

Oscar Víquez

General Director of English Programs, Universidad Latina de Costa RIca
Oscar Víquez is first a family man and an English language educator, translator, and interpreter with over two decades of experience spanning the full educational spectrum—from early childhood through higher education. He has served as a mentor teacher at CCCC and has led diverse... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 1 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

2:00pm PDT

[In-Person Workshop] How can we sign “louder” than words? Influential sign language signing in the English classroom for hearing teachers with Deaf students in mainstream courses. LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Did you know that there is a trend in school systems around the world that promote inclusion by not integrating Deaf students in schools for the Deaf but rather, having them be included in the school´s mainstream courses?
Costa Rica, despite having a few schools for the Deaf, is implementing what is being called “The Road to Inclusion”, where its main objective is to position Deaf students in regular schools or motivating families to integrate these students in private schools as the legal background defining accessibility for all, provides them the right to be allowed to enroll.
Gone are the days where special education was the only dependent school system for the Deaf students and with that vision being implemented as to the year 2024, most Deaf students are migrating to mainstream schools. This change does not come with a planned curricular background check and set up a few challenges ahead for English teachers.
Among these, most Deaf students lack English based content from age 5 to 15 years old, as it is not a recognized course in their pre and elementary school years as oppose to the majority of hearing students in the country. And, there is a huge concern from teachers as they do not have the skills and competences to teach Deaf students because of their little to non-existent Sign Language knowledge to teach them.
In this workshop, participants will learn about the most important Sign Language they must integrate in their classroom and how using these signs can impact in a positive way the lives of the many Deaf students they will come in contact with and their peers as well.
As an added value, participants will be shown how these strategies can also support their teaching techniques for hearing students.
Speakers
avatar for Fabián Corrales Gutiérrez

Fabián Corrales Gutiérrez

Programme Director of Programa Oi2 Cualitek, Executive Director CILESCO-Oi2, Oi2-Cualitek
Deaf since birth, Fabián Corrales is a living example of how empowerment and teaching can transform our capacities and help us recognize the diverse strengths of learning languages. A graduate with interdisciplinary studies from five different universities in the United States and... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 5 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

2:00pm PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Lesson Planning for Effective Teaching: A Structured Approach LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Effective lesson planning is the foundation of successful teaching. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the WIPPEA model (Warm-up, Introduction, Presentation, Practice, Evaluation, and Application) and experience a real-time lesson demonstration while acting as EFL students. The session will highlight critical thinking, cooperative learning, and communication development, ensuring engaging and outcome-driven lessons. By walking through each stage of lesson planning, educators will gain practical strategies to create structured, student-centered instruction. Attendees will leave with the confidence and tools to plan purposeful lessons—moving beyond improvisation to maximize student learning and classroom success.
Speakers
avatar for Rob Jenkins

Rob Jenkins

National Geographic Learning
Rob Jenkins is a retired Professor of English as a Second Language in the United States. During his 27-year tenure, he received various awards including the Best Practice of Model Program Award in 2013 from the Association of Community and Continuing Education in California (ACCE... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 2 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

2:00pm PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Workshop Title LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 6 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca

2:00pm PDT

[In-Person Workshop] Creative Approaches to Supervision and Feedback for the EFL Classroom LIMITED
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
This session explores innovative strategies for observing, supervising, and providing feedback in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, emphasizing supervision as a shared, learning-oriented process for both teachers and supervisors. Moving beyond traditional evaluation models, the presentation highlights creative, teacher-centered approaches that promote reflection, dialogue, and mutual growth—without shying away from critical feedback. Through tools such as video analysis, peer coaching, and collaborative reflection protocols, participants will gain practical, adaptable techniques that support continuous development and instructional improvement in diverse EFL settings.
Speakers
avatar for Laura Baecher

Laura Baecher

Associate Provost for Faculty Development, Kean University
Dr. Laura Baecher is Associate Provost for Faculty Development at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. Previous to that she worked as Professor of TESOL at the Hunter College School of Education, City University of New York where she also served as a faculty fellow in the Academic... Read More →
Tuesday July 8, 2025 2:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Room 4 Los Yoses, Montes de Oca
 
NCTE 2025
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