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Welcome to SWCOLT-AZLA 2025 at Gila River Resort & Casino - Wild Horse Pass. 
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Audience: Post-secondary clear filter
Friday, January 24
 

8:00am MST

Art for Language’s Sake - Integrating Art into World Language Programs
Friday January 24, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am MST
Palo Verde C
Feedback Survey
The presenter will focus on how to connect art with language study to convey aesthetic principles and cultural values of the target language and enhance learner motivation to meet their needs of social emotional learning. Through some practical examples of the course components of Culture through Chinese Calligraphy, attendees will walk away with a universal recipe for all languages in creative ways of integrating art and culture to spice up target language instruction as well as to enrich and strengthen a world language program.
Speakers
LL

Lin Li Hall

Program Director, University of Nevada, Reno
Friday January 24, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am MST
Palo Verde C
  15-minute presentation

8:00am MST

The Looming "Enrollment Cliff" and Language Learning
Friday January 24, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am MST
Ocotillo A
Feedback Survey
In higher education, one of the most recent threats has been labeled "the enrollment cliff". This demographic phenomenon will touch not only post-secondary institutions, but secondary ones as well. After reviewing the general data behind the trend, the presenter suggests challenges and potential opportunities for world-language instruction. Participants brainstorm to 1) assess their institutions' sensitivity and degree of planning for these changes; 2) discuss the implications of this looming threat to their disciplines and to their pedagogy; and 3) strategize what their unit can do to mitigate shrinking numbers (possibly and reduced staff) to reconfigure effectiveness in teaching world languages.
Speakers
GF

Glenn Fetzer

Department Head, New Mexico State University
I teach French at the undergraduate level.
Friday January 24, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am MST
Ocotillo A
  60-minute presentation

1:00pm MST

Silly and Spontaneous Conversation Starters
Friday January 24, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm MST
Palo Verde A
Feedback Survey
In this session participants will learn how to effectively use the daily oral language strategy of "Silly and Spontaneous Conversation Starters" in the Spanish classroom by actively participating in several different activities. The attendees will listen, speak, and present ideas by responding in Spanish to various written prompts. The presenter will demonstrate how to use follow up questions in order to get all students talking in the target language throughout the lesson. This lesson is designed to provide teachers and students with more interesting and humorous conversation prompts so that every student will find something they want to talk about in the target language.
Speakers
TL
Friday January 24, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm MST
Palo Verde A
  60-minute presentation

2:15pm MST

Where Language Skills Meet Student Leadership: Unlocking the Power of Language Clubs
Friday January 24, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm MST
Palo Verde C
Feedback Survey
Leadership development is a vital part of college life, offering students the chance to cultivate civic awareness and essential community engagement skills. However, obstacles like inexperience, time constraints, and misinformation can limit student involvement. Through a partnership with the Brazilian Club, third-year Portuguese students are introduced to student leadership by shadowing officers of a recognized student organization, assisting with major events, and managing smaller ones. This experience not only improves their language skills in real-world contexts but also fosters abilities like teamwork, intercultural communication, and budgeting. Many former participants have gone on to become club officers or take on leadership roles across campus, continuing their involvement throughout and beyond their college years.

Presenters: Anna Hodgson & Amanda Hoffman
Speakers
AO

Amanda Oliveira Hoffmann

University of Utah
Friday January 24, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm MST
Palo Verde C
  15-minute presentation

2:15pm MST

Promoting Higher Levels of Proficiency Using Current Event Panels - SESSION CANCELLED BY PRESENTER
Friday January 24, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm MST
Ocotillo A
Feedback Survey
This session outlines steps to promote Advanced and Superior levels of proficiency using weekly proficiency activities to prepare students to present a panel on current events, e.g., climate change. Each student presents one aspect of the topic, building their presentation around the three superior-level functions, namely in depth discussion, supporting an opinion, and hypothesising an outcome, and making use of transition and connector words to organise their prepared content. This project serves as a capstone activity for advanced level students to push their language skills to the next level. This presentation will guide educators through the preparation process and will introduce them to transition words which can facilitate organisation of student presentations and highlight where students can elaborate their individual presentations.
Speakers
avatar for Laura Catharine Smith

Laura Catharine Smith

Associate Professor, German Linguistics, Brigham Young University
I began my professional life earning licensure as a French and History/Social Sciences teacher in Ontario, Canada (at Queen's University at Kingston) before heading to graduate school to become a professor of Germanic Linguistics. My research is two-pronged reflecting my intertwined... Read More →
Friday January 24, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm MST
Ocotillo A
  60-minute presentation

4:00pm MST

Best of California: Effective Strategies and Activities for Interpersonal Communication
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Agave
Feedback Survey
Interpersonal communication affects the hearts, minds, and actions of individuals as they function in the everyday social world (Braithwaite, Schrodt 2015). This workshop focuses on interpersonal communication strategies and activities that enhance instructional practices. Participants will discover and practice applications and techniques that will increase their students' engagement in developing their interpersonal speaking skills.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Cecile Nedellec

Dr. Cecile Nedellec

Patrick Henry HS/CLTA
Google slides forced copy of the presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1s39UhWzkI2L0FC818eJSDuiKBGM2B83YD8Yr--SWaQQ/copy
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Agave
  60-minute presentation

4:00pm MST

Developing Global Citizenship through School Exchanges (Exhibitor Session)
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Ocotillo A
Feedback Survey
Learn how to develop a virtual or in-person exchange with a sister school abroad and empower your students to develop their language skills and cultural proficiency while transforming your school into a truly global campus. You will receive a step-by-step planning guide, identify best practices in establishing an exchange partnership, and walk away inspired to start a group exchange at your school.

Presenters: Patricia Roque & Zachary Richardson
Speakers
PR

Patricia Roque

Forum by Prometour
Exhibitors
avatar for Prometour USA Inc

Prometour USA Inc

FORUM BY PROMÉTOUR
Forum by Prométour offers immersive language and cultural experiences for students through customized study-abroad programs and language immersion trips. We combine language classes with cultural activities, allowing students to learn and experience new languages while connecting... Read More →
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Ocotillo A
  60-minute presentation

4:00pm MST

Enhancing Cultural Competence through Virtual Reality in Language Learning
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Willow
Feedback Survey
This session explores the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) in language learning, focusing on its impact on cultural competence and intercultural skills. Using the application Wander, students virtually explore cities in Spanish-speaking countries, identify cultural patterns, and engage in project-based learning tasks that promote deeper cultural understanding. The session will discuss practical implementation strategies, present case studies of student projects, and offer insights into the challenges and benefits of using VR in the classroom. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for incorporating immersive technology into their teaching practices to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
Speakers
avatar for Stefania Herrera Leon

Stefania Herrera Leon

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Northern Arizona University
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Willow
  60-minute presentation

4:00pm MST

Student Engagement across Tasks, Modes, and Time
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Palo Verde B
Feedback Survey
Student engagement, under siege from post-pandemic mental health issues, virtual distractions, and economic necessities, is of concern to administrators, teachers, and parents at all educational levels. To adress this concern, the interest session will suggest a framework for language teaching centered around student engagement by approaching instructional design based on three intersecting parameters: task, mode, and time. Attendees will become familiar with relevant theories, see the various parameters in action during instructional design, consider examples of tasks, instruments, and activities that represent those parameters, and explore the proposed approach as it applies to their own teaching context.
Speakers
CK

Claudia Kunschak

Professor, Ritsumeikan University
Claudia Kunschak is a Professor of English Education at College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. She has a PhD in Education from the University of Arizona and an MA in Interpreting from the University of Vienna. Her research interests include English... Read More →
Friday January 24, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Palo Verde B
  60-minute presentation

5:15pm MST

Cultural Competence in Spanish Classes
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Palo Verde C
Feedback Survey
In this session teachers will examine a wide range of cultural topics that offer rich cultural experiences, such as music, literature, films, and news. By identifying trends and conducting some research, students will take charge of the learning process, engaging in discussions, writing, reading, and listening activities in the target language. Various strategies will be provided to enhance these four core areas by incorporating current trends into the language classroom.
Speakers
avatar for Elizabeth Cisneros
Temas culturales en las clases de español pdf
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Palo Verde C
  15-minute presentation

5:15pm MST

Chatbot Activities in the Spanish Classroom: Possibilities and Challenges
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Willow
Feedback Survey
Chatbots are software programs powered by AI that are currently used in real-life contexts (eg., bank transactions, health advice, etc.). Recent studies have researched the affordances of chatbots to facilitate second language development. The findings look promising, because chatbot interactions seem to expose learners to authentic input and reduce their anxiety while increasing their motivation to language learning and willingness to communicate in the target language. This session addresses the benefits and challenges of using chatbots in the language classroom as tools that can simulate real-life interactions in the target language. The presenter will describe some chatbot activities implemented in Spanish classes at the college level and will present initial data of students and instructors’ perceived usefulness of this AI-powered language practice. Attendees will have the opportunity to try some of the Chatbot apps used in the activities andwill discuss their potential use in different instructional contexts.
Speakers
YA
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Willow
  60-minute presentation

5:15pm MST

Innovative Vocabulary Acquisition through Project-Based Learning in Professional Language Courses
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Palo Verde B
Feedback Survey
Vocabulary is a crucial component of language acquisition and significantly influences learners' proficiency levels. In language courses for professional purposes, focusing on expanding technical vocabulary can help develop the linguistic skills necessary for professional success. This presentation explores how modern learning tools, such as AI applications and metacognitive strategies that involve learners reflecting on their learning processes and tracking their progress, can offer innovative approaches to enhancing vocabulary acquisition and overall language proficiency.
Speakers
avatar for Isabel Asensio

Isabel Asensio

Professor of Spanish and Translation, Weber State University
My research interests are translation and interpreting, literature and culture, and bilingual education and language policy.
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Palo Verde B
  60-minute presentation

5:15pm MST

Outfitting Your Tech Toolbox: OER, Avatars, and Music Videos in Today’s Classroom
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Cholla
Feedback Survey
Attendees will learn about Open Educational Resources (OER) and how to use them in planning and preparing engaging real-world, relevant, and meaningful pedagogical products for a wide array of student populations in second-language (L2) classrooms. The presentation will emphasize techniques for adapting and remixing OER to meet specific educational contexts and learner needs. In addition to offering participants a comprehensive definition of OER and an exploration of proven pragmatic advantages of these resources, the session will provide two distinct demonstrations of how and why OER have been used in instructional design for beginning and intermediate level language learners. The first of these demonstrations discusses using authentic popular culture products to develop lessons that enhance students' communicative language skills, with an emphasis on interpretive and presentational skills, whilst the second demonstrates how existing technologies can be used to create engaging and interactive grammar tutorials.


Speakers
SB

Sarah Butler

Midwestern State University
PA

Philip Allen

Florida SouthWestern State College
KL

Kyung Lee Gagum

Associate Professor of German, MSU Texas
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Cholla
  60-minute presentation

5:15pm MST

Unmasking Vienna: Language Learning through Crime Stories
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Ocotillo A
Feedback Survey
This session presents a unit plan for A2/B1 German learners, focusing on Vienna's criminal past through detective and murder mystery genres. Participants will learn how to engage students in interpreting literary texts using theater pedagogical methods, such as tableau, soundscapes, and atmospheric reading. The unit culminates in student-created radio plays or short films, offering a creative way to deepen language skills while exploring cultural contexts. This session is perfect for educators seeking to combine language learning with cultural immersion and creativity.
Speakers
avatar for Melanie Mello

Melanie Mello

German Educational Multiplier, German Educational Multiplier
Melanie Mello (M.A in Education) is an award-winning teacher and teacher-trainer, specializing in language acquisition and theater-pedagogy. In 2023, she was named Distinguished Alumna in Humanities and Fine Arts by her alma mater, California State University, Chico. She has taught... Read More →
Friday January 24, 2025 5:15pm - 6:15pm MST
Ocotillo A
  60-minute presentation
 
Saturday, January 25
 

9:00am MST

HyFlex Classes:  Say Goodbye to Low Enrollment and Scheduling Woes
Saturday January 25, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Ocotillo C
Feedback Survey
Struggling with low enrolled classes in foreign language?  Unsure what mix of in-person, online, and/or Zoom offerings to include in the schedule?  Online courses cannibalizing and replacing in-person courses (or vice versa)?  Disgusted with trying to guess how many sections to include and seeing too many sections unhealthily enrolled?  Attendees will learn about a simple new idea - HyFlex courses.  If an HyFlex scheduling paradigm were included or expanded in higher education, scheduling headaches and low-enrollment would become a problem of the past for foreign language instructors! Attendees will also learn about simple and inexpensive technology tools and techniques that could transform traditional classrooms into HyFlex-ready rooms on ANY budget.
Speakers
CK

Curtis Kleinman

Yavapai College
Saturday January 25, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Ocotillo C
  60-minute presentation

9:00am MST

Incorporating a Challenge Analysis Approach in World Languages
Saturday January 25, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Ocotillo A
Feedback Survey
Authentic real-world challenges in the target culture provide opportunities for integrating language objectives with problem-solving skills, in addition to promoting understanding of cultural perspectives and the ability to make cultural comparisons. Participants will be guided to develop ideas for effectively integrating challenges into their existing units aligned with level-appropriate language objectives.
Speakers
avatar for Andrew White

Andrew White

World Languages, Phoenix Union Bioscience High School
Incorporating a Challenge Analysis Approach in World Languages 1 pdf
Saturday January 25, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Ocotillo A
  60-minute presentation

9:00am MST

Teaching Viennese Culture Using the IMAGE Model
Saturday January 25, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Ocotillo B
Feedback Survey
This presentation explores the application of the IMAGE model in teaching German students about Viennese culture across all proficiency levels. The IMAGE model, an innovative pedagogical framework, integrates cultural immersion with language learning, making it particularly effective for students navigating the rich cultural landscape of Vienna. We provide practical strategies to help students connect linguistic knowledge with cultural understanding. Participants will gain insights into how to adapt the model to various proficiency levels, ensuring an engaging and comprehensive learning experience. This approach not only enhances students' cultural competence but also deepens their linguistic proficiency by embedding the language within the authentic context of Viennese life.

Presenters: Kathy Barnard & Eli Remund
Speakers
ER

Elli Remund

Utah State University
avatar for Kathy Barnard

Kathy Barnard

West High School
Saturday January 25, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am MST
Ocotillo B
  60-minute presentation

10:45am MST

Bruh, It’s Not the Same
Saturday January 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am MST
Yucca
Feedback Survey
If you struggle to see (or explain) the difference between the interpretive mode and comprehension, come explore the exciting world of the Interpretive Mode with us: how to maximize it, how it provides opportunities for Gen Z to be critical thinkers and consumers of information, plus examples and tools to take with you, of course. We will also discuss how it all holds up under AI. In this session we will discover how basic comprehension gets a major glow up with the interpretive mode; it just hits different, fam.
Speakers
avatar for Ashli Sambaluk

Ashli Sambaluk

World Language Coordinator, LISD
I especially love supporting new LOTE teachers in thriving in their roles as well as helping them to successfully pass the state LOTE exam!
Bruh, It's Not The Same SWCOLT '25 pdf
Saturday January 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am MST
Yucca
  60-minute presentation

10:45am MST

But How Do I Test This? Efficiently Assessing for Proficiency (Exhibitor Session)
Saturday January 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am MST
Ocotillo C
Feedback Survey
How can we assess efficiently when we teach for proficiency? We often struggle with how to assess students’ proficiency outcomes—without taking too much time to grade. Strategies such as project-based learning and integrated skills will be provided to help you teach and assess for proficiency even with the constraints that you may have, such as getting students ready for standardized tests. Lesson Magic by Teaching Solved will be demonstrated to help support you in this in Spanish, French, or English, but the strategies are also applicable more broadly.
Speakers
avatar for Hope Anderson - Founder & CEO - Teaching Solved LLC

Hope Anderson - Founder & CEO - Teaching Solved LLC

Founder & CEO, Teaching Solved LLC
Helping teachers help students learn languages. Come see our supplemental print and digital materials for Spanish and French classes, including a huge resource site and ready-made lessons for your classes, as well as teacher t-shirts and other swag! We want to make it easier for you... Read More →
Saturday January 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am MST
Ocotillo C
  60-minute presentation

10:45am MST

Milking Your Authentic resource for All Its Worth
Saturday January 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am MST
Palo Verde A
Feedback Survey
Like many of you, I have spent countless hours curating authentic resources for lessons and units of study. Figuring out how to exploit an authentic resource to its fullest meaningful capacity changes how we view them and use them in class. This session will focus on not just scaffolding an authentic resource to be used over multiple levels, but also applying it across the 3 modes of communication and the ACTFL C’s, to maximize use across several lessons. When we intentionally leverage an authentic resource, we expand the resource into a meaningful, and mindful, language and culture tool to meet our academic standards, and promote proficiency at any level.
Speakers
avatar for Whitney Stafford-Najibi

Whitney Stafford-Najibi

OFLTA Executive Secretary/French Teacher Westmoore H.S., Westmoore High School
Bonjour!I am Whitney Najibi, a French teacher from OKC. I have been teaching French for 25 years and have also taught ELs and 8th-grade English. I am also a doctoral student at the University of Oklahoma. Along with teaching, I also serve as the Executive Secretary for the Oklahoma... Read More →
Milking your authentic resources Whitney Najibi pdf
Saturday January 25, 2025 10:45am - 11:45am MST
Palo Verde A
  60-minute presentation

4:00pm MST

Enrich Teaching and Learning with D I E - Based Writing Activities
Saturday January 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Cholla
Feedback Survey
This session explores the transformative power of writing in language learning, introducing the Describe, Interpret, Evaluate (D I E) method for intercultural communication. D I E-based writing activities immerse learners in cultural contexts, fostering critical thinking and deeper cultural understanding. Participants will gain practical tools and ideas to enhance students' writing skills and cultural awareness. Through hands-on activities, real-world examples, and collaborative discussions, attendees will leave with ready-to-use strategies to promote active engagement and reflection in their teaching.
Speakers
AR
Saturday January 25, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm MST
Cholla
  60-minute presentation
 
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