Fall 2026 CoTESOL Convention: Full Schedule

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

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

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

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

Yanina Seheda

ESL instructor

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

Adult Education (AE)

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Teaching Tip (20 min.)

10:45am MDT

Building the Literacy Trinity: A Daily Routine for Strengthening Knowledge, Vocabulary and Writing

Saturday May 9, 2026 10:45am - 11:05am MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Session One
This classroom-tested, slide-based routine builds students' automaticity for recalling tier 2 and tier 3 academic vocabulary through daily 10-minute practice. By developing automaticity in academic word recall, students transfer knowledge into long-term memory more effectively. The flexible format incorporates TPR, CLT, technology integration, formative assessment, collaborative student talk, and writing activities across all settings. Participants will strategize vocabulary selections and practice implementation using provided templates.

CDE CLDE Credit: 5.11 Quality Standard III Standard A

Audience: Elementary Education (EE); Secondary Education (SE)

Speakers

Sara Sharer

ELD/Reading Intervention Instructor, Cedaredge Elementary School English Language Learner Program

How to build the Literacy Trinity for multilinguel learners. Vocabulary, knowledge building, and writing in one short daily routine. Best practices for teaching MLL's reading.

Saturday May 9, 2026 10:45am - 11:05am MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Elementary Education (EE)

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Teaching Tip (20 min.)
CDE CLDE Credit CDE CLDE Credit

11:10am MDT

Mastering Academic Vocabulary and Content: Practical Routines for Secondary ELLs

Saturday May 9, 2026 11:10am - 11:30am MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

This presentation provides a research-driven, no-preparation classroom routine designed to aid secondary ELLs in their effort to learn, use, understand, and remember academic vocabulary. This easy-to-implement routine also provides ELLs of all proficiency levels with a deeper understanding of the content taught in their core classes.

CDE CLDE Credit: 5.11(2) ELEMENT B

Audience: Secondary Education (SE); Content Area (CA)

Speakers

Mishelle Kehoe-Seamons

Researcher, Brigham Young University

Saturday May 9, 2026 11:10am - 11:30am MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Secondary Education (SE)

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Teaching Tip (20 min.)
CDE CLDE Credit CDE CLDE Credit

1:00pm MDT

Unlocking More Resources with Intercambio

Saturday May 9, 2026 1:00pm - 1:45pm MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

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

Marcella Weaver

Customer Success Manager, Intercambio Uniting Communities

Meghan Wright

Product Operations and Growth Manager, Intercambio

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"

Adult Education (AE)

Speaker Type Exhibitor
Session Type Presentation (45 min.)

2:00pm MDT

Enhancing Refugee ELLs’ Digital Literacy with Trauma-Informed SLA

Saturday May 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:20pm MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

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

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"

Adult Education (AE)

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Teaching Tip (20 min.)

3:00pm MDT

AI Prompt Engineering for Enhanced Lesson Planning: Hyper-focused Success for CLD

Saturday May 9, 2026 3:00pm - 3:20pm MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Discover how to leverage AI to super-charge UDL lesson planning with targeted strategies and scaffolds for emergent bilingual and multilingual learners. This 20-minute session equips educators and instructional coaches with practical, AI-enhanced tools to better support diverse MLL needs in inclusive, multilingual classrooms.

CDE CLDE Credit: 5.11. (2) Standard B

Audience: Secondary Education (SE); Elementary Education (EE); Content Area (CA)

Speakers

Emily Gonzalez

CLD Teacher Leader/Secondary English ELD Teacher, Sierra High School - Harrison School District 2

Emily is a dedicated teacher-leader with experience in K–12 schools across the U.S. and overseas. She is known for creating engaging, culturally responsive learning experiences and designing meaningful professional development that supports educator growth. A confident communicator... Read More →

Saturday May 9, 2026 3:00pm - 3:20pm MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Educational Technology

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Teaching Tip (20 min.)
CDE CLDE Credit CDE CLDE Credit

3:25pm MDT

"Proud to Be Bilingual" Project

Saturday May 9, 2026 3:25pm - 3:45pm MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

ACCESS testing season is a high-intensity, high-stress time for multilingual students. To offer some balance, this session highlights a "Proud to Be Bilingual" project as a way for students to celebrate their cultural and linguistic strengths and interests in a middle school classroom.

CDE CLDE Credit: 5.09(1) ELEMENT A; Option 1: 5.09 Quality Standard I

Audience: Secondary Education (SE)

Speakers

Lauren Plomer

English Language Development Teacher, Overland Trail Middle School, 27J

Saturday May 9, 2026 3:25pm - 3:45pm MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Secondary Education (SE)

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Teaching Tip (20 min.)
CDE CLDE Credit CDE CLDE Credit

9:50am MDT

Putting Your Oxygen Mask on First: How We as Teachers of English Language Learners Can Support Ourselves and Our Peers During This Time of Sociopolitical Uncertainty

Sunday May 10, 2026 9:50am - 10:35am MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Teaching ELLs in the U.S. is challenging today. Let’s discuss current issues, share tips for maintaining our well-being to better support students, and build communities of practice to create support systems across contexts and regions.

Audience: Educational Technology (TECH); Socio-Political; Intensive English Program/Higher Education (IEP/HE); Adult Education (AE); Content Area (CA); Secondary Education (SE); Elementary Education (EE); Teacher Education/Action Research (TE/AR)

Speakers

Michelle Duvall

Lecturer, International English Center, CU Boulder

Michelle is a Lecturer at the International English Center at CU Boulder, as well as a Virtual Educator for the US Dept of State English Language Programs. She has taught English in a variety of settings since 1999, including programs at the US Agency for International Development... Read More →

Sunday May 10, 2026 9:50am - 10:35am MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Teacher Education/Action Research (TE/AR)

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Dialogue (45 min.)

10:45am MDT

Advocacy in Times of Strife: Cutting through the Disquiet to Help Instigate Meaningful Change

Sunday May 10, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am MDT

Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Despite this year’s national policy shifts, accessible and effective advocacy resources remain at our disposal. Through sharing her experience representing Colorado at TESOL’s 2025 Advocacy Action Days in Washington, D.C., the presenter will encourage further discussion/reflection on how CoTESOL professionals can best advocate for their local communities.

CDE CLDE Credit: 5.09 Quality Standard I; 5.09(1) ELEMENT A

Audience: Socio-Political

Speakers

Olivia Walt

Adjunct English Lecturer, ESL Academy - University of Colorado Denver

Sunday May 10, 2026 10:45am - 11:30am MDT
Executive Board Room "Teaching Tips Theatre"

Socio Political

Speaker Type Academic
Session Type Presentation (45 min.)
CDE CLDE Credit CDE CLDE Credit

9:50am MDT

10:45am MDT

11:10am MDT

1:00pm MDT

2:00pm MDT

3:00pm MDT

3:25pm MDT

9:50am MDT

10:45am MDT

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