2025 CLTA Conference San Diego

The transition away from teaching language courses based on a traditional grammar syllabus requires a shift in thinking as well as a shift in instruction. In this workshop, attendees will consider both the theoretical basis for Acquisition Driven, Comprehension Based™ teaching and its practical application. Attendees will explore these concepts through interactive demonstrations.
Session handouts will be made available during the session!

Presenters

Elicia Cárdenas

Director of Training, The Comprehensible Classroom

Driven by the core belief that all students are capable of acquiring language, The Comprehensible Classroom has been at the forefront of the movement toward teaching for acquisition since 2010. TCC publishes curriculum and instructional tools grounded in a solid understanding of language... Read More →

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST
Courtyard 2

Major Focus Communication Standards
Appropriate Level All Levels
Language Focus All languages
Session conducted in: English

8:00am PST

D02 Corridos as Cultural Narratives (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST

Shutters East 2

This session explores corridos as cultural and literary narratives, offering Spanish teachers tools to analyze themes, historical contexts, and literary devices. Participants will discover strategies to engage students with these songs, fostering global connectedness through music, language, and culture, while challenging the view that corridos are solely a negative part of society.

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST
Shutters East 2

Major Focus Global Competence
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12) & College/University
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: Target Language

8:00am PST

D03 Let's Celebrate! Mark your calendars for a year of holiday activities. (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST

Brickstones

Through the lens of celebrations, guide students to recognize the diversity and commonalities of the world cultures they are studying. This is a hands-on workshop with activities in all three modes to use at various holidays. Included will be letters, greeting cards, decorations, poetry, partner and group activities, and suggestions on how to adapt them to various proficiency levels and languages.

Presenters

Sally Mearns

Team Leader, Stanford World Language Project

I am a retired French and Spanish teacher and have retired for the second time form my posiition as the Site Director of the Stanford World Language Project.

Hélène Chan

Retired-SWLP

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST
Brickstones

Major Focus Cultures Standards, Connections Standards
Appropriate Level All Levels
Language Focus All languages
Session conducted in: English

8:00am PST

D04 Building Classroom Communities: Empowering Teachers with Strategies for Culturally Cohesive and Connected Learning (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST

Courtyard 1

This workshop is designed to help world language teachers develop essential skills to foster strong classroom communities centered on culture. Participants will explore practical strategies for creating positive, culturally responsive learning environments, using high-leverage instructional methods, and integrating technology to engage students in meaningful cultural connections.

Presenters

Vivanie Barrios

Ana Mendoza

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST
Courtyard 1

Major Focus Global Competence, Communication Standards
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12)
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: Target Language

8:00am PST

D05 Integrating Project-Based Learning: Language, Content, and Technology in Multilingual Classrooms (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST

Shutters West 2

This workshop explores how Project-Based Learning (PBL) can be used to integrate language instruction with social studies, science, and other content areas, fostering both content knowledge and language proficiency in multilingual classrooms. Participants will learn how to design interdisciplinary PBL units that promote comprehensible input and output through authentic, inquiry-based tasks.

Presenters

Yiyuan (Tiffany) Zhang

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 11:00am PST
Shutters West 2

Major Focus Framework
Appropriate Level All Levels
Language Focus Mandarin
Session conducted in: English

8:00am PST

D06 (6-hr) Generation AI (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 3:45pm PST

Shutters West 1

How is AI changing education? In this hands-on workshop, teachers will explore how generative AI can impact workload, lesson creation, and student outcomes. Dive into AI's privacy concerns and discuss its current limitations while discovering tools and prompts that can support vocabulary, stories and comprehension. We’ll also review student-friendly AI resources for future classroom integration.

Presenters

Bethany Thompson

Digital Learning Coordinator, Vanguard Preparatory

Technology, French, eSports, Turkey Farms

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 3:45pm PST
Shutters West 1

Workshop, 6-hour

Major Focus Virtual Learning, Global Competence, Communication Standards, Cultures Standards, Artificial Intelligence
Appropriate Level All Levels
Language Focus All languages
Session conducted in: English

8:00am PST

D07 (6-hr) Curriculum Ideas for the Spanish for Heritage Learners Classroom (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 3:45pm PST

Shutters East 1

See a sample scope and sequence with units for a Spanish as a Heritage Language course, including: Growth Mindset; Value of Bilingualism; History & Cultural Identity; Power of Language, Literature & Arts. We’ll also explore strategies for a Spanish-only class, process-writing, a course-wide rubric menu and more. Participants will be given digital access to course materials, and the workshop will include built-in time for participants to adapt concepts into their own course, as well as share ideas with each other.

Presenters

Michael Silva

Hillsdale High School

Michael Silva is a teacher of Spanish at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, California where he has served as department chair and WL coordinator for the district. He previously taught the WL teaching methods course at the Stanford Teacher Education Program for nearly 10 years, served... Read More →

Friday March 7, 2025 8:00am - 3:45pm PST
Shutters East 1

Workshop, 6-hour

Major Focus Framework, Connections Standards
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12) & College/University
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: Target Language

11:00am PST

Lunch Break on Your Own

Friday March 7, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PST

On your own

Lunch Break on Your Own

Friday March 7, 2025 11:00am - 12:30pm PST
On your own

Lunch Break, on your own

11:00am PST

Exhibits Open

Friday March 7, 2025 11:00am - 5:00pm PST

Great Room Ballroom

Visit the Exhibits, Talk to the Exhibitors

Friday March 7, 2025 11:00am - 5:00pm PST
Great Room Ballroom

Exhibits

12:45pm PST

E02 Let's PLAY! 讓我們玩 ¡VAMOS A JUGAR! هيّا بنا لنلعب JOUONS! בואו נשחק GIOCHIAMO! 遊ぼう LASS UNS SPIELEN! (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST

Brickstones

Games can provide context for purposeful target-language communication in the classroom & promote SLA, literacy & interculturality. As we play we build community, an essential ingredient of the ACTFL Core Practices & CA WL Framework. We will play each game & take turns setting it up in groups. Slide decks, templates and instructions will be provided & are adaptable to any language & level.

Presenters

Jason Fritze

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Brickstones

Major Focus Framework, Communication Standards
Appropriate Level All Levels
Language Focus All languages
Session conducted in: English

12:45pm PST

E03 Effective Strategies and Activities for Interpersonal Communication (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST

Shutters East 2

Interpersonal communication shapes individuals' hearts, minds, and actions in daily social interactions (Braithwaite, Schrodt 2015). This workshop focuses on strategies and activities to enhance instructional practices. Participants will explore and practice techniques that boost student engagement and develop their interpersonal speaking skills.

Presenters

Cecile Nedellec

Coordinator, SAILN

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Shutters East 2

Major Focus Framework, Communication Standards
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12) & College/University
Language Focus All languages
Session conducted in: English

12:45pm PST

E04 Learning Can and Should be Fun- Projects for Proficiency to Step up Your Game (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST

Courtyard 1

Are you struggling to design or implement a project that will showcase your students’ abilities and grasp of the material? It is time to look at how project-based learning can revitalize teaching and learning!

Presenters

Yvonne Talavera

Daniela Labrador

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Courtyard 1

Major Focus Communication Standards, SEL
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12)
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: Target Language

12:45pm PST

E05 Puentes entre Culturas y Comunidades a través de las 3 C's - Bridging Cultures and Communities: Through the 3 C's (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST

Shutters West 2

This workshop explores how language teaching can foster global connectedness through the 3 C’s—Communication, Cultures, and Connections. Participants will engage in interactive activities and strategies that build culturally responsive classrooms, empowering students to communicate across borders and deepen their global awareness.

Presenters

Vivanie Barrios

Ana Mendoza

Friday March 7, 2025 12:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Shutters West 2

Major Focus Global Competence, Communication Standards
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12)
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: Target Language

3:45pm PST

Grand Opening of the Exhibits

Friday March 7, 2025 3:45pm - 5:00pm PST

Great Room Ballroom

Gala Exhibits Opening with appetizers & raffle (No Host Bar, Hors d'oeuvres & Finger Foods)

Friday March 7, 2025 3:45pm - 5:00pm PST
Great Room Ballroom

Exhibits

5:00pm PST

F03 (2-hr) La cultura en el aula de español:el deporte (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST

Courtyard 1

How do sports create a reality to hispanic culture in the Spanish classroom? Explore the origins of the Olympic games, the role of women in sports and celebrate hispanic champions and sports heroes. This session includes interactive activities that enrich cultural competence via sports.

Presenters

Ines Garcia Sal

Education advisor, Spanish Embassy Education Office

I work for the Spanish Embassy education office in Los Angeles. We promote and support the teaching and learning of Spanish through different programs such asSummer courses in Spain 2022: deadline April 1st 2022 North American Language & Culture Assistants (NALCAP) Application pe... Read More →

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Courtyard 1

Major Focus Cultures Standards, Connections Standards
Appropriate Level All Levels
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: Target Language

5:00pm PST

F04 (2-hr) AI-Powered Differentiation for Enhanced Global Connectedness in Language Education (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST

Shutters West 2

This presentation explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creating personalized, adaptive learning experiences in World Language classrooms. By leveraging AI technologies, educators can break down barriers to language acquisition, fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment that truly embodies the spirit of global connectedness.

Presenters

Nicole Bradford

Teacher, Taft Charter High School

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Shutters West 2

Major Focus Artificial Intelligence
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12)
Language Focus All languages
Session conducted in: English

5:00pm PST

F05 (2-hr) Nuestra Lotería: Uplifting Student Voices (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST

Courtyard 2

In collaboration with the SMJUHSD, Corazón del Pueblo worked with Ethnic & Gender Studies teachers and local artists to develop and implement a rigorous artism project. Students examined and reconstructed the traditional lotería game. They collectively created a new and uniquely youth-centered version of the lotería game anchored on the notions of student voices and empowerment.

Presenters

Patricia Villalobos

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Courtyard 2

Major Focus Communication Standards, Social Justice
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12)
Language Focus Spanish
Session conducted in: English

5:00pm PST

F06 (2-hr) Exploring Global Connections Through Technology: Enhancing Language Learning with Social Reading and Conversational Platforms (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST

Shutters West 1

This workshop explores how digital platforms enhance language learning through student collaboration and real-world connections. Tools like Perusall, Hypothesis, and TalkAbroad enable students to collaborate on authentic texts and engage with native speakers. The session will demonstrate how to integrate these platforms into curricula to enrich classroom learning and foster deeper engagement.

Presenters

Elyse Petit

French Faculty & Program Language Coordinator, Santa Rosa Junior College

I teach French and coordinate the French Language Program at Santa Rosa Junior College, CA. My research interests focus on implementing innovative pedagogical frameworks that reinforce students' 21st-century skills, foster new literacies, including media productions and digital narratives... Read More →

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Shutters West 1

Major Focus Virtual Learning, Global Competence
Appropriate Level Secondary (9-12) & College/University
Language Focus French
Session conducted in: English

5:00pm PST

F07 (2-hr) Planning Hacks (ticket required)

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST

Shutters East 1

Stop spending long evenings and weekends planning. Learn a series of high impact activities for language acquisition to structure or complement any lesson. Familiar activities with new content allow your students to focus on the language by becoming experts at the task.

Presenters

Jenee Fawson

Westmont

Friday March 7, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Shutters East 1