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Fall 2026 CoTESOL Convention
Welcome to the 48th Annual CoTESOL Fall Convention!
Dates: November 14-15, 2025
Location: The Conference Center, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, 1500 E. 128th Ave., Thornton, CO 80241
Type: Adult Education (AE) clear filter
Saturday, May 9
 

9:50am MDT

Making Language Stick: Practical Strategies for Combining Scaffolding, the Lexical Approach, and Vocabulary Recycling
Saturday May 9, 2026 9:50am - 10:10am MDT
Learn how to make vocabulary stick by integrating scaffolding, the Lexical Approach, and lexis recirculation in one cohesive ESL lesson. This session offers practical, classroom-tested strategies to deepen lexical retention, promote fluency, and support learners across levels through meaningful, repeated exposure to language in context.

Audience: Adult Education (AE); Intensive English Program/Higher Education (IEP/HE); Teacher Education/Action Research (TE/AR)
Speakers
avatar for Yanina Seheda

Yanina Seheda

ESL instructor
Saturday May 9, 2026 9:50am - 10:10am MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

9:50am MDT

Empowered and Engaged: Reimagining Adult EFL Online with Purposeful Participation
Saturday May 9, 2026 9:50am - 10:35am MDT
How can we move beyond screen fatigue and turn virtual classrooms into dynamic, student-centered communities? This interactive presentation offers tools, techniques, and mindsets that empower educators to lead inspiring, interactive, and equitable learning experiences online.Participants will explore how to:
  • Design online lessons that promote learner autonomy, voice, and collaboration.

  • Use virtual tools designed for the virtual learning environment  to facilitate meaningful reading, writing, speaking, and listening practice.

  • Differentiate for multilevel learners in online settings using visual supports, breakout rooms, sentence stems, and choice boards.

  • Foster a strong sense of classroom community with routines that prioritize identity, culture, and connection.

Through a combination of demonstration, collaborative planning, and reflection, attendees will leave with adaptable lesson templates and tech-integrated strategies that engage adult multilingual learners — even through a screen.Whether you're teaching synchronously, asynchronously, or in hybrid formats, this workshop will show you how to energize your online classroom with confidence, creativity, and purpose.

Audience: Adult Education (AE); Intensive English Program/Higher Education (IEP/HE); Educational Technology (TECH)
Speakers
SB

Sarah Burgess

EFL Teacher, Comunity Development and Wellness Center - Aurora Mental Health and Recovery
SH

Shereen Hill

EFL Instructor, Community Development and Wellness Center - Aurora Mental Health and Recovery
Saturday May 9, 2026 9:50am - 10:35am MDT
Dogwood

9:50am MDT

Teaching That Sticks: Comprehensible Input for Inspired Language Learning
Saturday May 9, 2026 9:50am - 11:20am MDT
Comprehensible Input (CI) makes learning feel natural—and fun. This energizing session offers strategies that help educators reduce learner stress, increase participation, and spark long-term language retention through visuals, gestures, and meaningful context. Comprehensible Input (CI) makes learning feel natural—and fun. This energizing session offers strategies that help educators reduce learner stress, increase participation, and spark long-term language retention through visuals, gestures, and meaningful context.

Audience: Adult Education (AE)
Speakers
avatar for Karin Bates

Karin Bates

Karin Bates is the TESOL Specialist for Intercambio Uniting Communities in Boulder, Colorado. Karin has her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has over 35 years of experience teaching ESOL in multiple levels and settings. Before joining Intercambio, she worked with adult immigrants and refugees for five years at the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado. At IRCNOCO, she helped to develop programming with the cooperation of the High Plains Library District. At Intercambio, she now specializes in curriculum writing and volunteer teacher training, and regularly presents at regional and national adult education and TESOL conferences., Intercambio Uniting Communities

Saturday May 9, 2026 9:50am - 11:20am MDT
Snowmass

1:00pm MDT

Enhancing Vocabulary Development for English Learners in Adult Literacy Education
Saturday May 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm MDT
The goal will be to equip adult literacy educators with effective strategies to strengthen vocabulary instruction, fostering better learning outcomes. This professional development session focuses on the essential role vocabulary plays in adult literacy and its impact on reading comprehension and communication. Participants will:

  1. Understand how vocabulary development supports literacy growth.
  2. Explore research-based strategies tailored to adult learners.
  3. Discuss the importance of comprehensible input and its role in vocabulary acquisition.
  4. Implement practical tools and instructional approaches designed to build learner confidence and vocabulary skills.
By the end of the session, educators will walk away with actionable methods and adaptable resources to enhance vocabulary learning in diverse adult education settings.

Audience: Adult Education (AE)​​​​
Speakers
avatar for Marion E Martin

Marion E Martin

Board Member, Literacy Coalition of Colorado
My career has been dedicated to multilingual education, spanning roles as a public-school ESL teacher, adjunct professor, ELD consultant, and adult-literacy program coordinator. Working with multilingual learners of all ages has strengthened my belief that strong literacy skills are... Read More →
Saturday May 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm MDT
Piñon Pine

1:00pm MDT

Unlocking More Resources with Intercambio
Saturday May 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm MDT
Join us to explore our Confidence and Connections relationship-based (and volunteer taught!) curriculum and learn about the many resources available through the Intercambio Network, too! From live webinars and networking calls to program tools and our extensive online teacher training, the Network offers everything you need to make your English-language learning program even more successful. Whether you’re already an Intercambio partner or one of our Network Members OR you'd like to explore our innovative and effective curriculum, this session is for you!

Audience: Adult Education (AE)
Exhibitors
MW

Marcella Weaver

Customer Success Manager, Intercambio Uniting Communities
MW

Meghan Wright

Product Operations and Growth Manager, Intercambio
avatar for Rachel Fuchs

Rachel Fuchs

Intercambio Uniting Communities
Tiffany Curtin has managed the Literacy and Outreach programs for Douglas County Libraries since 2012. She also is an adjunct instructor at the iSChool for SJSU teaching a seminar in Adult Literacy for aspiring librarians. Rachel Fuchs works at Intercambio Uniting Communities which... Read More →
Saturday May 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

2:00pm MDT

Enhancing Refugee ELLs’ Digital Literacy with Trauma-Informed SLA
Saturday May 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:20pm MDT
This session presents a trauma-informed SLA-based approach to building refugee adult ELLs' digital literacy. Participants will explore four real-world, integrated lessons, practical scaffolding strategies and adaptable resources to reduce anxiety, boost motivation and support language growth in a safe, inclusive and empowering classroom environment.

Audience: Adult Education (AE)​​​​
Speakers
CD

Christine Doe

Graduate Student and Graduate Teaching Assistant, Colorado State University
Saturday May 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:20pm MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

2:00pm MDT

Sound It Out: Supporting Learners through Practical Pronunciation Strategies
Saturday May 9, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm MDT
Help learners find their voice—literally. This workshop delivers fun, practical pronunciation tools that improve clarity, reduce stress, and boost learner confidence. Attendees will walk away with games, visuals, and methods to make sound instruction part of any lesson. Help learners find their voice—literally. This workshop delivers fun, practical pronunciation tools that improve clarity, reduce stress, and boost learner confidence. Attendees will walk away with games, visuals, and methods to make sound instruction part of any lesson.

Audience: Adult Education (AE)
Speakers
avatar for Karin Bates

Karin Bates

Karin Bates is the TESOL Specialist for Intercambio Uniting Communities in Boulder, Colorado. Karin has her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has over 35 years of experience teaching ESOL in multiple levels and settings. Before joining Intercambio, she worked with adult immigrants and refugees for five years at the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado. At IRCNOCO, she helped to develop programming with the cooperation of the High Plains Library District. At Intercambio, she now specializes in curriculum writing and volunteer teacher training, and regularly presents at regional and national adult education and TESOL conferences., Intercambio Uniting Communities

Saturday May 9, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm MDT
Dogwood

3:00pm MDT

Digital Literacy Skills in Support of Adult English Language Learners
Saturday May 9, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
We will explore the role of digital literacy in adult education and becoming multilingual. Topics will include the history of information technology, the digital divide, the rise of A.I. and the coming singularity.

Audience: Adult Education (AE)
Speakers
EG

Elias G. Flores

Bilingual Digital Literacy Specialist, Aims Community College
Saturday May 9, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Piñon Pine
 
Sunday, May 10
 

9:50am MDT

Education in the Age of AI: Power of Slow Education for International Students’ Success
Sunday May 10, 2026 9:50am - 11:20am MDT
Drawing on students’ practice of slow looking in freshman writing courses, this presentation demonstrates the power of “slow looking” as a tool for mindfulness and discovery, helping students develop insights and knowledge that are valuable both in educational settings and in their personal lives.

Audience: Adult Education (AE); Teacher Education/Action Research (TE/AR); Content Area (CA); Secondary Education (SE)
Speakers
YK

Young Kyung Min

Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
Sunday May 10, 2026 9:50am - 11:20am MDT
Silverton

9:50am MDT

Reading with Purpose: Real-Life Literacy that Inspires and Equips
Sunday May 10, 2026 9:50am - 11:20am MDT
Reading connects learners to the world—and to each other. This session equips teachers with strategies to use real-life texts that inspire confidence and conversation, from workplace signage to community flyers to digital messages. Reading connects learners to the world—and to each other. This session equips teachers with strategies to use real-life texts that inspire confidence and conversation, from workplace signage to community flyers to digital messages.

Audience: Adult Education (AE)
Speakers
avatar for Karin Bates

Karin Bates

Karin Bates is the TESOL Specialist for Intercambio Uniting Communities in Boulder, Colorado. Karin has her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has over 35 years of experience teaching ESOL in multiple levels and settings. Before joining Intercambio, she worked with adult immigrants and refugees for five years at the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado. At IRCNOCO, she helped to develop programming with the cooperation of the High Plains Library District. At Intercambio, she now specializes in curriculum writing and volunteer teacher training, and regularly presents at regional and national adult education and TESOL conferences., Intercambio Uniting Communities

Sunday May 10, 2026 9:50am - 11:20am MDT
Crestone Peak

10:45am MDT

AE SIG FEATURED SPEAKER: Pronunciation Instruction in a Hybrid Flexible ESL Classroom
Sunday May 10, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am MDT
This presentation will examine possibilities when teaching adult ESL learners the perception and production of segmental features of English pronunciation in a hybrid flexible classroom where some students attended in person, and others attended online. Deliberate implementation of pronunciation instruction and practice in a hybrid flexible class can(?) increase students’ equitable access to educational resources If learning outcomes associated with the format are comparable to other formats (i.e. traditional face to face and online synchronous), programs could consider employing it in their hybrid classes. Specific attention will be paid to some of the pronunciation activities used in an adult hybrid ESOL class in Longmont, as well as some of the results of a Master's thesis on this research.

CDE CLDE Credit: 5.10(1) ELEMENT A

Audience: Adult Education
Speakers
KH

Kale Hubert

Front Range Community College
Sunday May 10, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am MDT
Aspen
 
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