Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<h2>St. Augustine&nbsp;Superlatives</h2>

If you&#39;re ever looking for a real-world setting&nbsp;for teaching&nbsp;superlatives, head to St. Augustine where the <a href="https://www.aceofflorida.org/events/2026-ace-of-florida-summer-symposium-1" target="_blank">2026 ACE of Florida Summer Symposium</a> was held this past&nbsp; week!

This was my first time visiting this town, and I set off from Canada one day early, eager to explore what I had heard was &quot;the oldest town in Florida.&quot;&nbsp;

<img alt="oldest masonry fort in St. Augustine" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5552/content_oldest-fort.JPG" />

Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century fortress built by the Spanish

St. Augustine is formally referred to as&nbsp;the oldest&nbsp;continuously occupied European-founded settlement in the continental United States.&nbsp;Spanish explorer Pedro Men&eacute;ndez de Avil&eacute;s established the settlement on September 8, 1565.

<img alt="oldest school house st. augustine" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5544/content_oldest-school.jpeg" />

While touring around the historic district, I&nbsp;soon learned some of the town&#39;s&nbsp;claims&nbsp;needed fact-checking! However, I came up with my own St. Augustine list of superlatives. This&nbsp;could be a fun game to play with your students in any town, including where you teach.&nbsp; 
 
St. Augustine Superlatives:

<ul>
	<li>best chocolate peanut butter cups: Whetstone Chocolates</li>
	<li>most fun popsicle shop: Hyppo (<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/funner" target="_blank">Can we say funnest?</a>)</li>
	<li>tastiest tacos: A1A Burrito Works</li>
	<li>most delicious guacamole: Salt Life</li>
	<li>coolest beachwear shop: The Surf Stop&nbsp;</li>
	<li>nicest rooftop patio: River Fort Restaurant &amp; Rooftop.</li>
</ul>

At the rooftop patio, we also had the most scrumptious lobster&nbsp;flatbread served by&nbsp;the wittiest waitress who told us she had no need for&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/things-to-do/history/fountain-youth/" target="_blank">Fountain of Youth</a>&nbsp;herself,&nbsp;but directed us where to go to find Ponce de Leon&#39;s&nbsp;healing waters. She also&nbsp;shared tips on&nbsp;the best beach for shell collecting (Vilano Beach).&nbsp;

<img alt="Old Senator in St. Augustine" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5551/content_oldest-oak.JPG" />

Old Senator in St. Augustine, located at Villa 1565

<h2>Adult Ed in Florida</h2>

At the ACE symposium, vendors exhibit in the same room where all the sessions take place. This is the most effective&nbsp;way to set up a PD&nbsp;event in ELT! Like all attendees, vendors need to&nbsp;stay on top of important updates and I was pleased to be able to attend every session while also manning the Ellii booth.

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5547/content_ACE-2026.JPG" />

<h2>ACE Takeaways</h2>

Various speakers took the floor at the ACE of Florida Summer Symposium, including several representatives from the Florida Department of Education. The main purpose of these talks was to demonstrate the case for workforce education in adult ed. We learned about:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>unemployment rates and causes (job leaver 13%, job loser 40%, entering/reentering workforce 46%)</li>
	<li>changing labor demand by level of education in Florida&nbsp;</li>
	<li>top demand occupations in Florida (tractor trailer truck drivers, medical assistants, real estate agents, carpenters, mechanics...)</li>
	<li>the aging workforce (24% of the US workforce is 55+)</li>
	<li>skills expectations (by 2031, 72% of jobs will require some postsecondary education or training)</li>
	<li>untapped talent (1.8 million adults without a high school diploma in Florida)</li>
	<li>Title II Adult Ed MSG rate and success (needs improvement!)</li>
	<li>student retention challenges (transportation, childcare, motivation, work obligations) and strategies (constant communication, newsletters, rapport, bus passes, counseling, career exploration, flexible scheduling)&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
&quot;When we invest in adult learner upskilling to improve economic &amp; career mobility, everybody wins.&quot;

~2026 ACE of Florida Summer Symposium
</blockquote>

Interestingly, the day I returned back to my office, the savviest Product team (Ellii&#39;s!) released a new feature that is tied directly to data about student engagement: <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/class-announcements-feature-now-on-ellii" target="_blank">Class Announcements</a>. We hope this new feature is useful in your schools and programs!

<h2>Ellii + Ventures</h2>

At the ACE symposium, we exhibited next to our partner, Cambridge University Press &amp; Assessment. Regional Manager (CUPA) Jim Goldstone&nbsp;knows Florida well and was the wisest mentor and host! Jim introduced me to several&nbsp;directors and leaders in adult ed and I was grateful for his mentorship and industry knowledge.&nbsp;If you&#39;re interested in learning more about the most practical partnership in adult ed&nbsp;(<a href="https://ellii.com/ventures" target="_blank">Ellii + Ventures</a>), please reach out. We are all excited for the upcoming release of the Ventures 4th edition books and related Ellii collections.&nbsp;

<h2>The Embassy Suites &amp; Attendees</h2>

This year&#39;s ACE symposium took place at St. Augustine&#39;s Embassy Suites, a beautiful resort on a beach next to the Anastasia State Park that goes far beyond what you can see. The ocean water was 82&deg; and we could watch surfers catching waves during the built-in sunshine breaks. Like several&nbsp;attendees, I made a point of waking up a little&nbsp;early to catch the prettiest Florida sunrise.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5548/content_sunrise-st-augustine.JPG" />

Embassy Suites, St. Augustine

The breakfasts, lunches, and&nbsp;poolside chats were excellent opportunities to learn firsthand from attendees about what&#39;s new and challenging&nbsp;in their state and programs. While I attended the sessions, the world&#39;s most productive Publishing team&nbsp;(Ellii&#39;s!) was already working on an outline for a new course that a director at ACE mentioned was lacking at her school.

<img alt="Karla Galleguillos National Program Specialist and Pamela Jo Wilson Palm Beach County" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5553/content_karla-pamela.JPG" />

Karla Galleguillos, National Program Specialist, and Pamela Jo Wilson, Case Manager, Palm Beach County School District

The hotel had friendly, efficient service and even&nbsp;offered free use of&nbsp;cruiser bikes, which I made use of to ship our exhibit contents off to the conference Ellii is attending next week&mdash;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.casas.org/training-and-support/SI" target="_blank">CASAS Summer Institute</a> in Orange County, California!&nbsp;

<img alt="Tara Benwell VP of Publishing Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5550/content_bike-courier.JPG" />

Tara Benwell, VP of Publishing at Ellii

Ellii would like to wish a happy retirement to&nbsp;ACE Executive Director Julie Roberts&nbsp;and a warm welcome to Dave Barnes, incoming director. Thank you both for helping us feel so welcome at ACE!

We hope&nbsp;to see you in October at the <a href="https://www.aceofflorida.org/events/2026-southeast-regional-ace-conference-" target="_blank">2026 Southeast Regional ACE Conference</a> in Orlando! 
 
~ Tara 
 
PS. As a Canadian, I have to admit that the juiciest update I heard at the symposium&nbsp;was&nbsp;that the state of <a href="https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/free-orange-juice-florida-welcome-center-citrus-industry-challenges/71363715" target="_blank">Florida will continue to offer free orange juice</a> at the state border welcome centers. I think we may need a current events lesson on this!

The Oldest City, the Newest Updates: Reflections on ACE of Florida Summer Symposium 2026

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The Ellii team is back from another spring conference&mdash;<a href="https://www.coabe.org/coabe-2026" target="_blank">COABE 2026</a> in Indianapolis. This year, five of us made the trip, some racing in from other trips to&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/celebrating-60-years-of-tesol-in-salt-lake-city-utah" target="_blank">TESOL</a> and Japan! We gathered&nbsp;from various states and provinces:&nbsp;Columbus, Ohio (Teacher Trainer Christine), the San Francisco&nbsp;Bay Area (Teacher Trainer Kylie), Richmond, Virginia (Editor Ann), Windsor, Ontario (VP of Publishing Tara), and Winnipeg, Manitoba (CEO &amp; Founder Ben).

As a remote team, it was the first time some of us met in person. For me, finally connecting face-to-face with our new(ish) teacher trainers who joined us at COABE for the first time was the standout memory of the trip.

<img alt="The Ellii booth with Ann and Christine and some COABE attendees" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5385/content_image-1.jpg" />

At the Ellii booth with editor Ann and teacher trainer Christine and some COABE attendees

<img alt="Kylie and a former student" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5386/content_image-5.jpg" />

Teacher trainer&nbsp;Kylie with a former student

<h2>#ELT Trending Topics at COABE 2026</h2>

At Ellii, spring conference season is one of our busiest times of year.&nbsp;Whether large or small, conferences often have a standout theme or &ldquo;hot topic&rdquo;&mdash;the kind that fills sessions to standing room only.&nbsp;In recent years, we&rsquo;ve seen trends emerge around <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=45">civics and citizenship</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=44" target="_blank">family literacy</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/english-foundations/adult-literacy" target="_blank">SLIFE</a>, and, of course, AI.

This year, however, felt a little less focused&nbsp;on AI and what it can and can&#39;t do. In fact, as our editor Ann pointed out, COABE 2026 didn&rsquo;t seem to have one clear overarching theme at all, and I&rsquo;d agree. Beyond the expected focus on <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=6" target="_blank">workplace</a> in adult education, a range of topics surfaced across sessions.

Some of the most common themes included:

<ul>
	<li>Career pathways</li>
	<li>Digital literacy (Ellii&#39;s theme of the year for 2026)</li>
	<li>Soft skills&nbsp;(Ellii&#39;s theme of the year for 2025)</li>
	<li>Financial literacy</li>
	<li>Assessment</li>
	<li>Speaking</li>
	<li>Differentiation</li>
</ul>

<h2>Top Speakers &amp; Sessions</h2>

Ellii always sponsors, exhibits, and presents at conferences like COABE. This year, Christine did&nbsp;a&nbsp;demo of <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a> &amp; <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/announcing-ellii-dilemmas" target="_blank">Dilemmas</a>, and had some fun talks with attendees about <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/polls/tipping" target="_blank">tipping</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas/the-dinner-bill" target="_blank">splitting the bill</a>. Kylie talked about <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/english-foundations/adult-literacy" target="_blank">Adult Literacy</a> and showcased our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/first-five" target="_blank">First Five</a> section. In my role as head of publishing, my primary focus was attending sessions and learning from teachers, administrators, and fellow publishers to ensure we&rsquo;re on the right track. Our head editor Ann was busy doing important research too!&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii Booth COABE 2026" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5387/content_image-7.jpg" />

These conferences play a key role in helping the Publishing team plan and refine our offerings for the year ahead, and we rely heavily on the insights we gather at COABE. Writing an annual reflection also gives me something to revisit the following year. I like to highlight a few of my favorite sessions&mdash;both for those who couldn&rsquo;t attend and as a way to consider how these ideas can be applied to my work at Ellii.

Here are three sessions that stood out above the others at COABE 2026:

<h3>#1 &ndash; The Gift of the Gab: Empowering Adult ESL Students&nbsp;to Speak</h3>

Presenter: Claudette Session

Focus: low-anxiety activities to get ELLs talking and building oral proficiency

This was the first session I attended, and it set a fantastic tone for the conference. Claudette packed it with practical ideas, all centered on engaging speaking activities.

<h3>Core Speaking Skills</h3>

<ul>
	<li>requesting</li>
	<li>expressing</li>
	<li>explaining&nbsp;</li>
	<li>directing</li>
	<li>offering</li>
	<li>describing&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h3>Tips from Claudette</h3>

<ul>
	<li>ELLs are more engaged when talking about topics they enjoy.</li>
	<li>Familiar topics help build confidence and fluency.</li>
	<li>Teachers should provide lots of practice with third-person forms (e.g., reporting what someone said or did).</li>
	<li>Using visuals&mdash;especially candid photos&mdash;is an effective and safe conversation starter.</li>
	<li>Teachers should set clear speaking expectations early. Meet with students individually if possible, allowing shy learners extra time while still encouraging full participation.</li>
	<li>Teachers should try recasting errors instead of directly correcting students in a classroom setting.</li>
	<li>Tracking common errors during class allows teachers to&nbsp;address problems in short review lessons rather than singling out students.</li>
	<li>Establish simple visual cues (like Claudette&#39;s&nbsp;&ldquo;do&rdquo; stick) to remind&nbsp;students when they are making a common error (such as forgetting &quot;do&quot; in a sentence).</li>
</ul>

<h3>Speaking Activities</h3>

<ul>
	<li>Guess the Photo: students have to ask Yes/No or information questions until they can guess a picture that only a teacher (or one student) can see</li>
	<li>Fast Stories: students retell something&nbsp;three times, getting faster each time (can also be done for reading fluency)</li>
	<li>Story in a Bag: students receive&nbsp;five items (or photos of the items) and have to create the story</li>
	<li>Foodie Talk: students post pictures of something that has been in their fridge too long and describe it</li>
	<li>One-Minute Podcasts: students record how to do something, such as how to get rid of the hiccups</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Milk it! 
 
~ Claudette Session on getting the most out of an activity or task
</blockquote>

<h3>Ellii Takeaways about Speaking</h3>

This session gave me some great ideas for a new <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/photo-prompts" target="_blank">Photo Prompts</a> series featuring candid photos. I would also like to add some How-To prompts in our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/speaking-in-english">Speaking&nbsp;in English</a> section too. Claudette definitely has the gift of the gab and would be a great speaker to invite to our next ElliiCon!&nbsp;

<hr />
<h3>#2 The English Language Proficiency Standards: Cracking the Code</h3>

Presenters: Jenny Siegfried &amp; Catherine Porter

Focus: discovering key concepts and skills in the standards;&nbsp;enhancing ESOL lessons for ELPS alignment

In this session, the speakers helped crack the code behind the English Language Proficiency Standards, challenging attendees to come up with one word or phrase for each of the standards. This was a practical lesson for me&nbsp;since we&#39;ve been adding these standards to all of our content at the section level&nbsp;and tweaking them at the lesson level. Being able to associate each standard to one word or phrase is super helpful for tagging content.&nbsp;

<h3>Ellii Takeaways about the ELPS</h3>

It is time to add the&nbsp;English Language Proficiency Standards to Ellii&#39;s interactive activities (Ellii Polls &amp; Dilemmas). 
 
Here are the ELPS that apply to <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a> &amp; <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/dilemmas" target="_blank">Dilemmas</a>:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>ELP 2 (two-way communication)</li>
	<li>ELP 4 (claims &amp; evidence)</li>
	<li>ELP 6 (evaluate &amp; reasoning)</li>
	<li>ELP 7 (register / adapt language)</li>
	<li>ELP 8 (understanding vocabulary)</li>
	<li>ELP 9 (coherence)</li>
	<li>ELP 10 (grammatical conventions)</li>
</ul>

<img alt="ELPS Coabe" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5390/content_ELPS-coabe_2026.jpg" />

<hr />
<h3>#3 Skillful Living Now: Developing a Soft Skills Course for Adult Learners</h3>

Presenter: Ray Agliata

Focus: tools to help adult learners develop critical soft skills for today&#39;s workforce, including&nbsp;communication, adaptability, and leadership

Soft skills was Ellii&#39;s theme of the year for 2025, so I was eager to attend this session to find out how our <a href="https://ellii.com/packs/soft-skills-for-hospitality-workers" target="_blank">Soft Skills for Hospitality Workers</a>&nbsp;course measured up.

Ray Agliata, an author, shared a statistic that 89% of the reasons people don&rsquo;t succeed in the workplace are related to soft skills.

<h3>10 Soft Skills Hiring Managers Are Looking for in 2026</h3>

<ol>
	<li>Attitude</li>
	<li>Attendance</li>
	<li>Appearance</li>
	<li>Confidence</li>
	<li>Leadership</li>
	<li>Communication</li>
	<li>Work Ethic &amp; Self-Motivation</li>
	<li>Flexibility &amp; Adaptability</li>
	<li>Teamwork</li>
	<li>Problem-Solving</li>
</ol>

After sharing notes about these top skills, Ray&nbsp;walked attendees through how to build their own soft skills courses. His #1 design tip was to think like TikTok, creating small bits of information that can be consumed quickly.&nbsp;He also suggested using real, exceptional people that you know in your own life to be a source of inspiration for your materials. Ray talked about using Keri Mandell, his friend, in his course. She&nbsp;completed seven marathons in seven days in seven continents. That must have taken all 10 soft skills!

<blockquote>
&quot;Don&#39;t do it on your lunch hour. That&#39;s ridiculous!&quot;&nbsp; 
~ Ray Agliata on creating your own courses
</blockquote>

He reminded us that adult learners need learning to be relevant, achievable, and applicable. I&#39;d say this is also the case for conference session attendees! I found this session to be all of the above.&nbsp;

<h3>Ellii Takeaways about Soft Skills</h3>

In this session, there was a question about how to help students showcase their soft skills in an interview. I noted this as something that&nbsp;would make a great lesson on Ellii.&nbsp;I also learned about a baseball player that we should add to our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/easy-readers" target="_blank">Easy Reader</a> or <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/famous-people" target="_blank">Famous People</a> section.&nbsp;Mariano Rivera, a New York Yankee, used soft skills to progress&nbsp;from being an ESL learner to closer to Baseball Hall of Famer. I also hope to&nbsp;invite Ray Agliata to speak at our&nbsp;next ElliiCon! (Find his book listed at the end of the post.)

<blockquote>
&quot;I believe you are one choice away from a different life.&quot;&nbsp; 
~ Kyle&nbsp;Quilausing, pro golfer, turned Hawaii&#39;s most wanted, turned GED graduate,&nbsp;turned motivational&nbsp;speaker at&nbsp;COABE 2026
</blockquote>

<hr />
<h3>Recommended Resources at COABE 2026</h3>

Here are some more resources we learned about at COABE 2026 that you may want to check out:

<ul>
	<li>Marshall Adult Readers</li>
	<li>Skillblox</li>
	<li>Tabetest.com</li>
	<li>TABE Edge</li>
	<li>Notebook LM</li>
	<li>Vids (Google tool)</li>
	<li>Digital Inclusion Library</li>
	<li>Ready for Industry (workforce app)</li>
	<li>GED &amp; Me</li>
</ul>

<h3>Book Recommendations + a Final Note&nbsp;</h3>

There&rsquo;s always plenty of book talk when you&rsquo;re surrounded by language lovers. I finished the classic Man&rsquo;s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl on my short flight from Detroit to Indianapolis and picked up Theo of Golden&nbsp;by Allen Levi for the trip home.

Ann, Kylie, and I also discovered we&rsquo;d all recently read (and loved) The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, which turned into a mini book club at our final lunch. Ann challenged us&nbsp;to write and send a letter to someone by the end of May! Coincidentally, an email I scheduled five years ago to my father, who was in the hospital during the pandemic, got sent this week and it was a fun surprise and exercise to receive a letter back. Did you know you can schedule gmail up to 49 years ahead? This could be a fun time-capsule exercise to try with your students.

Here are a few books recommended by COABE attendees:

<ul>
	<li>The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt&nbsp;</li>
	<li>The Names by Florence Knapp (fiction)</li>
	<li>Skillful Living Now: Lead Human: Leadership in an AI World&nbsp;by Ray Agliata&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Lastly, some of the best advice&mdash;and always the best stories&mdash;the Ellii team takes away from conferences come from time spent with our founder and leader, Ben. This year, Ben shared a video he had once shown his daughter&mdash;and one I&rsquo;ll now be sharing with mine as she heads off to graduate school. Its message is simple but powerful: if you want to change the world,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBAqF00gBGk" target="_blank">start by making your bed</a>.&nbsp;

<img alt="43 celebrated Hoosiers, mural in Indianapolis" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5391/content_image-4.jpg" />

Indianapolis&rsquo;s bicentennial mural, 43 Hoosiers

See you next year in New Orleans! 
 
Tara &amp; Team Ellii&nbsp;

<img alt="Kylie, Christine, Ann, Tara " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5392/content_image-8.jpg" />

Kylie, Christine, Ann, and Tara closing out&nbsp;COABE 2026

On Track in Indianapolis: Key Takeaways from COABE 2026

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For me, the theme of TESOL this year was finding a balance between the old and new, incorporating both the familiar and the novel into our lessons and lives. Tucked in between and within sessions about AI and technology were many inspiring messages about human creativity and connection.

Ellii is an old hand at TESOL, attending it&nbsp;for over 20 years. But this year, we sent three completely new members, including myself. It was the first time we had&nbsp;met each other&nbsp;in person, and we hit it off. I couldn&rsquo;t ask for better teammates&nbsp;to spend TESOL with.&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii group picture" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5329/content_Team-picture.jpg" />

But not everything about this conference was completely new&mdash;I was born and grew up in Utah, so for me, it was coming home. Whether it was the sight of mountains peeking from behind the downtown&nbsp;buildings, the warm, dry air, or the &ldquo;dirty&nbsp;soda&quot;&nbsp;bar in the expo hall, I constantly felt a sense of familiarity at this conference.

As TESOL celebrated its 60th anniversary, the Wednesday night keynote by the president of TESOL highlighted many of the members who have made a difference in&nbsp;teaching over the years. It made me reflect on how the field of teaching always has to deal with this balance of building on tradition and embracing the new. I saw many examples of this balance in the sessions that I attended. I&rsquo;d like to highlight a few of these sessions.

<h2>Thinking about the future of learning</h2>

The Wednesday morning keynote,&nbsp;The Interplay between Technology and Humanity: Shaping the Future of Education,&nbsp;by Enilda Romero-Hall, prompted us to think about what education will&nbsp;look like in the future and where learners will go to find&nbsp;an education. She emphasized the importance of having conversations about accessibility and equity, and of&nbsp;developing communities for learners.&nbsp;

When the presenter gave us the prompt to think about one word we would use to describe the future of learning, the word that came to mind was &ldquo;flexibility.&rdquo; Learners come in all levels and with unique background experiences. As teachers, being flexible is how we can adapt to help our students succeed in a world where change is constant.

<h2>Creating spaces for learning</h2>

I also noticed a theme of creating learning environments at TESOL. As teachers, we want to make the environment of our classrooms conducive to learning, no matter what level our students are at. We want them to feel comfortable&nbsp;by incorporating things that are familiar to them along with the new language.

<img alt="Image of packed session" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5330/content_Nat-Geo-Full-Session.jpg" />

In the packed Thursday session&nbsp;Welcome Elementary Newcomers With Language, Literacy, and Content, Deborah Short from National Geographic Learning/Cengage gave us some key principles for teaching newcomers:

<ul>
	<li>Know your newcomers and the resources they bring into the classroom</li>
	<li>Create conditions for language learning</li>
	<li>Design high-quality language lessons</li>
</ul>

The learning environment not only includes the physical space where you teach, but also involves giving students ways to get help, express how they&nbsp;feel, and find comfort in routines. If you know your learners, you can utilize their background knowledge and skills to help them develop challenging new skills in English.

We also need to consider the learning space in conjunction with new technologies such as AI. In the session on&nbsp;The Future Academic English Textbook: AI Changes Everything&nbsp;by <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2022-dr-ken-beatty" target="_blank">Dr. Ken Beatty,</a> we explored the challenges of AI in the classroom and how to work with it. If we&nbsp;assign a task to students that isn&rsquo;t meaningful or useful to them, then they will be tempted to just use AI to complete it. Instead, we can encourage students to get different perspectives and learn about representation bias in AI-generated materials.

One suggestion he had for lesson planning&nbsp;is to create activities&nbsp;that are AI-proof by having students&nbsp;give opinions and personal examples from their own experiences. Have them show drafts of their work and focus on the process over the outcome.&nbsp;

These points reminded me of Ellii&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/discussion-starters" target="_blank">Discussion Starters</a>, which&nbsp;feature speaking activities that focus on opinions and personal experiences. They are my favorite lessons to share with my own&nbsp;students to get them both thinking and talking, and it looks like they can be effective for AI-proof teaching.

Along with all these great tips for creating materials, my main takeaway from this session is that <a href="https://ellii.com/ai" target="_blank">ethical use of AI</a> is a skill we should be teaching our students rather than avoiding AI. We must address new and pervasive technology with critical thinking.

<h2>Improving conversations outside of the classroom</h2>

Two of the&nbsp;most enjoyable sessions&nbsp;were interactive workshops focusing on discussions and soft skills.&nbsp;

Rewarding Small-Group Speaking with Semisynchronous Discussion Circles, led by Mark Makino of Southern Utah University, introduced the idea of creating discussion circles where students can hold discussions in class or meet up and record themselves outside of the classroom.&nbsp;

In the spirit of presenting on discussion circles, the presenter put us in groups of 4 or 5, gave us each a role, and had us hold our own discussion on&nbsp;teaching strategies. Our&nbsp;roles included the leader, the stubborn one, the generous one, the shy one, and the attentive one. It was fun to experience the activity from the students&#39; point of view and also reflect on our roles at the end.

Eamon McGowan and Haley Boone led a delightful session on&nbsp;Soft Skills in Action: Practical Strategies for EL Classrooms.&nbsp;This session focused on teaching the students not only how to use <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/academic-subjects/social-emotional-learning">soft skills</a>, but also how to talk about soft skills outside of class, such as in a job interview, and apply them to their own experiences. The steps in this teaching process include&hellip;

<ul>
	<li>Teach specific&nbsp;soft skills&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Practice the skills in a low-stakes activity with roles assigned to each student</li>
	<li>Practice in a higher-stakes activity that demonstrates skills beyond the classroom</li>
	<li>Describe the soft skills and how to respond to questions about them</li>
</ul>

Both of these sessions taught me ways to incorporate routines and familiarity alongside learning&nbsp;new skills, and I&rsquo;m excited to apply them in my own lessons and in creating materials at Ellii.&nbsp;

<h2>Embracing both the old and new at Ellii</h2>

<img alt="Image of Ellii session" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5331/content_Ellii-session.jpg" />

The pre-keynote speech and our own Ellii sessions led by Christine and Kylie highlighted Ellii&rsquo;s newer gamified features,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii&nbsp;Polls</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/announcing-ellii-dilemmas" target="_blank">Dilemmas</a>, our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/first-five" target="_blank">First Five</a> section for adult literacy, and how to organize materials and share them with students using Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/try-class-prepping-with-elliis-lesson-planner" target="_blank">Lesson Planner</a>. 
 
<img alt="Ellii booth at TESOL 2026" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5332/content_Booth-picture.jpg" />

As a member of the publishing team at Ellii, I enjoyed asking teachers who stopped by our booth what resources they use at Ellii. Our new <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=45" target="_blank">civics</a> materials are a big hit, along with the many <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1&amp;level=&amp;material=&amp;category=6" target="_blank">workplace courses</a> we&rsquo;ve put out in the past few months. Teachers also enjoy our classic <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/holidays-events" target="_blank">holiday</a> lessons and <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">pronunciation videos</a>. And of course, they love to visit our booth at conferences&nbsp;and get some pens, chocolates, and T-shirts! Being able to share Ellii with teachers who had never used our lessons before was also a great experience. 
 
<img alt="image of chocolate and pens" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5333/content_pens-and-chocolate.jpg" />

At Ellii, we want to continue offering teachers flexible options for teaching, whether they need print materials and flashcards or are incorporating digital lessons and videos into their classrooms. We continue to embrace the future of language education and the ever-changing needs of our teachers and students. 
 
Thank you, Salt Lake City! We look forward to the next meet-up&nbsp;at TESOL 2027 in&nbsp;Houston, Texas. 
&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

Celebrating 60 Years of TESOL in Salt Lake City, Utah

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Fall conference season is officially underway, and the Ellii team is buzzing—attending eight conferences this month alone, including BRAZ-TESOL, TESL Ontario, MITESOL, VATESOL, and more. Throughout the season, different members of our team step away from their desks to share Ellii’s newest content and features and to chat with teachers and administrators about whether <a href="https://ellii.com/" target="_blank">Ellii</a> might be a good fit for their English language programs.

Conferences also offer something just as valuable: the chance to learn. Hearing from speakers, teachers, and publishers helps us better understand the evolving needs of today’s English language learners and inspires new ideas for improving the Ellii experience for classrooms around the world.

<h2>MITESOL 2025 – Elevate, Motivate, Unite</h2>

The 2025 MITESOL conference took place on November 8, 2025, in the Student Center at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). The venue inspired this year's clever theme: Elevate, Motivate, Unite. The date itself was also significant! Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmar, officially declared November 8 as <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/proclamations/2025/11/08/november-8-2025-english-language-educators-recognition-day" target="_blank">English Language Educators Recognition Day</a> to honor the dedication of teachers who support English language learners and to acknowledge the value that these learners bring to Michigan.  

Though I live in Windsor, Ontario, Michigan is my closest neighbor, so I was excited to attend, exhibit, and present at MITESOL on this monumental day!

<img alt="Anne Damiecka, Alexandra Covell, Tara Benwell at the Cambridge Ventures + Ellii booth at MITESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5000/content_MITESOL-2025.jpg" style="height: 526px; width: 500px;">

Anne Damiecka (ESOL Specialist and Territory Manager, Cambridge University Press &amp; Assessment), Alexandra Covell (MITESOL President &amp; 2025 Conference Chair), Tara Benwell (VP of Publishing at Ellii) at MITESOL 2025

<h2>Morning Keynote </h2>

I knew it was going to be a worthwhile keynote when Dr. Raichle (Rai) Farrelly, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, began the first session by talking about how she likes to "bookend" her classes with stories.

In her keynote titled Mapping Knowledge and Language for a Change Agent Mindset, Dr. Rai used personal experiences, videos, and pictures to highlight why stories matter in our classrooms. Key takeaways were:

<ul>
	<li>stories drive connection</li>
	<li>stories are advocacy tools</li>
	<li>stories tell our history</li>
	<li>stories convey world views</li>
</ul>

Dr. Rai also shared strategies to foster curiosity, build knowledge, and inspire meaningful action to transform English classrooms into "spaces for equity, connection, and global impact."

She illustrated the power of student agency by sharing a compelling story about young learners who launched a campaign to help school cleaners regain respect and dignity in their workplace. The young students developed an entire campaign to help change how cleaners were treated. They used this Design for Change model:

<ul>
	<li>
Feel: What bothers you about the world?</li>
	<li>
Imagine: Imagine ways to make the situation better.</li>
	<li>
Do: Go out and put your ideas into action.</li>
	<li>
Share: Inspire others with your act of change.</li>
</ul>

Dr. Rai also taught us about the <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-54677-8_4" target="_blank">Care-Know-Do</a> pedagogical framework:

<ol>
	<li>Social Emotional Learning</li>
	<li>Meaningful Learning</li>
	<li>Mastery Learning</li>
	<li>Critical Socioconstructivism</li>
	<li>Inquiry-Based Learning</li>
	<li>Experiential Learning</li>
</ol>

Dr. Rai left us with these inspiring parting words from the late <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3531-jane-goodall" target="_blank">Jane Goodall</a>. 

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lfLKHY52ERc?si=hRdMrXzexjZaIzLo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>Ellii Presentation</h2>

After spending some time chatting with teachers at the Ellii booth—where we were exhibiting next to our new publishing partner, Cambridge (Ventures)—I took a few steps down the hall to the Kiva Room, a cozy space with tiered bench seating. I was delighted to spend the hour with several teachers who were not yet familiar with Ellii (along with a few who were) during my session, Develop Oral Communication Skills in ESL Classrooms by Implementing Ellii’s Game-Based Tools.

As a content creator, the workshop was an excellent opportunity to showcase <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a> and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/dilemmas" target="_blank">Ellii Dilemmas</a> and get a feel for how engaged participants were in the activities. In her keynote, Dr. Rai emphasized three essential components to any student advocacy project. I was able to demonstrate how students can develop and build these very skills with Ellii’s interactive activities:

<ul>
	<li>critical thinking</li>
	<li>meaningful communication</li>
	<li>academic language</li>
</ul>

<a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/polls/names" target="_blank"><img alt="Ellii Poll Names" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5005/content_ellii-polls-names.png" style="width: 500px; height: 299px;"></a>

After students submit answers to a poll or dilemma, the class is prompted to look up at the teacher's screen to review and discuss the results, vocabulary, and questions in pairs or as a group. The activities are carefully scaffolded and useful language and sentence stems are provided. In addition to participating in the activity, attendees shared lots of ways that they would use these activities in their own classrooms.

<a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/polls/names" target="_blank"><img alt="Tara Benwell, VP of Publishing at Ellii, demonstrates Ellii Polls in the Kiva Room at Eastern Michigan University, MITESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4999/content_MITESL-2025-Ellii-Polls.jpg" style="height: 453px; width: 500px;"></a>

This is the first time I have seen this result. 100% of participants polled said they liked their <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/polls/names" target="_blank">names</a>!

If you missed this session at any recent conferences and want to learn more about Ellii's FREE interactive, game-based activities, check out these posts and videos: 

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Introducing Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/announcing-ellii-dilemmas" target="_blank">Announcing Ellii Dilemmas</a></li>
</ul>

<a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/dilemmas/the-crooked-coworker" target="_blank"><img alt="Ellii Dilemmas" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5007/content_ellii-dilemma-crooked-coworker.png" style="width: 500px; height: 299px;"></a>

If you missed the session, watch an interview with <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/1a443540/e77-ellii-dilemmas-sparking-real-dialogue-in-the-elt-classroom-with-ben-buckwold-and-tara-benwell" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud</a> podcast that just came out this week, featuring the story behind the development of this "tech-enabled" tool that encourages students to look up, listen, and speak.

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JNk03oadJgI?si=ZvyC5Tga2YG8Gkgs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

After a lively morning of sessions and conversations, it was time to break for lunch—and another inspiring keynote.

<h2>Lunch Keynote </h2>

The exhibit hall was closed during the luncheon, giving exhibitors a chance to mingle with attendees and enjoy a delicious meal (falafel, chicken, and cookies!) along with a wonderful keynote.  
 
Dr. Katie Welch—who has presented twice at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA53ad4GloU" target="_blank">#ElliiCon</a>—spoke about social-emotional health for teachers in her talk, From Fatigue to Flourishing: Supporting Teacher Well-Being in Tough Times. She shared a range of practical ideas for educators, including an “extension request form” designed to help teachers reclaim their time. Katie also recommended the <a href="https://truthforteachers.com/podcast/" target="_blank">Truth for Teachers</a> podcast.

One of my favorite moments of the conference was a story Katie told about teachers advocating for fair pay in their small Texas community. She described how one teacher refused to take no for an answer and rallied others to use their voices and advocate for themselves.

Back at the booth, Katie and I spoke with an MA student who admitted it’s a challenging time to be preparing for a teaching career amid so much negativity surrounding the profession. She thanked Katie for offering hope. 

<h2>
Ventures 4e (+ Ellii) </h2>

Another bonus of attending the MITESOL conference was learning all about <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/ca/cambridgeenglish/catalog/adult-courses/ventures-4th-edition" target="_blank">Ventures 4th Edition</a>, set to launch in summer 2026. Now that Ellii can be bundled with Ventures, you’ll often find us side by side in exhibit halls. It was a pleasure getting to know CUPA district manager Anne Damiecka and discussing Adult Literacy needs in Michigan.

I also attended Anne and Katie's session and learned about the exciting updates coming to Ventures 4e—especially the new Lesson G, which will focus on workplace themes.

<img alt="Anne Damiecka sharing Ventures 4th edition at MITESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4998/content_MITESOL-2025-Ventures.jpg" style="height: 438px; width: 500px;">

Anne Damiecka speaking during the Meeting the Needs of Adult Learners in Michigan session, presented with Dr. Katie Welch 

Ellii will be developing new Ventures collections to go with the 4th edition before the updated coursebook series is released next summer.

<a href="https://ellii.com/ventures" target="_blank"><img alt="Ellii + Ventures" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/5009/content_ellii-ventures.png" style="width: 500px; height: 305px;"></a>

<h2>Gratitude</h2>

MITESOL 2025 was a day filled with inspiration, community, and meaningful conversations. I returned to Canada feeling grateful for the educators who continue to elevate, motivate, and unite English language learners wherever their classrooms may be.

As we head into a season of gratitude, I want to extend a special thank-you to Alexandra and the entire MITESOL team for organizing such a productive conference and for helping Ellii feel right at home. And to Ashley, Ellii’s conference coordinator extraordinaire—thank you for planning every detail and keeping us perfectly on track during each and every busy conference season!

English Language Educators Recognition Day Announced at MITESOL 2025

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<h1>The Happiest Conference</h1>

You may have seen that Disneyland was celebrating its 70th year, but did you know that CASAS was busy marking&nbsp;its own milestone just a few blocks away? 
 
<a href="https://www.casas.org/" target="_blank">CASAS</a> (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems) is used to measure the basic skills of adult learners in the US.&nbsp;CASAS assessments help adult educators identify skill gaps, place students into appropriate programs, and monitor progress of employment-related competencies.

The annual CASAS Summer Institute conference was held in Garden Grove last week. Over 1,000&nbsp;attendees gathered to learn, network,&nbsp;and celebrate its 45th year. Ellii was excited to take part!

<img alt="Yacht Rocks" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4728/content_boat.jpeg" />

Not a boat! Ellii team (Tara, Marta, and Wendy) and friends at the CASAS networking social, Yacht Rock!, in the driveway&nbsp;at Hyatt Regency.

Despite&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5548-trump-deploys-troops-to-la-immigration-protests" target="_blank">tension in LA</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;hazy skies that locals described as&nbsp;June Gloom,&nbsp;our week in Garden Grove was filled with&nbsp;energy, hope, and camaraderie.

Here are some highlights and takeaways.

<h2>Learning</h2>

Ellii sponsored, presented at, and attended the CASAS Summer Institute (SI) this year, and it was fun to be a first-timer!&nbsp;&nbsp;As head of Ellii&#39;s content team, I&nbsp;spent my time soaking up information at the sessions, focusing on&nbsp;research about the following hot topics in US adult ed:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/el-civics" target="_blank">EL Civics (COAAPS)</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/us-civics" target="_blank">Citizenship Preparation</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/packs/?category=6&amp;page=1" target="_blank">IET Programs</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-multi-modal-multi-sensory-multi-cultural-power-of-multi-literacy-learning" target="_blank">Multiple Literacies</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">CASAS STEPS</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>Best practices road trip</h2>

It was refreshing to attend an education conference&nbsp;where there were several sessions that barely touched on AI. Every session I attended at CASAS SI was informative and useful for the Ellii team;&nbsp;however, the one I enjoyed the most was a&nbsp;CASAS session titled&nbsp;Best Practices Road Trip by Laura Fetter and Astrid Robitaille. Throughout the session, educational specialists were invited&nbsp;up to speak about special programs and initiatives that teachers and administrators had implemented in&nbsp;their state.

Educators touched on a variety of topics from assessment to orientation. One popular tip everyone appreciated was the idea of&nbsp;waiting until Day 2 to assign the CASAS test, which agencies found resulted&nbsp;in fewer students dropping out before they even get started.&nbsp;

After the mini-presentations, Laura and Astrid&nbsp;summarized the highlights by reading out postcards, sometimes even attempting to mimic the state&#39;s English accents! The session had all of the essentials of <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-top-tips-for-successful-presentations" target="_blank">a successful ELT presentation</a>.

<img alt="CASAS best practice road trip session and postcard from CASAS" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4740/content_postcard-road-trip.jpg" />

<h2>Resources</h2>

Ellii received several shout-outs at the sessions, and it was great to hear this enthusiasm in California.&nbsp;Here are some other resources that were shared in the sessions:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CASASAssessment">CASAS YouTube Channel</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://elcivics.otan.us/" target="_blank">EL Civics Exchange</a> (Contact elcivicsATcasas.org to get on the email list)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship" target="_blank">USCIS Resource Center</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@uscis" target="_blank">USCIS YouTube Channel</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://usahello.org/" target="_blank">USA Hello</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.usalearns.org/" target="_blank">USA Learns</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/us/esl/venturesadulted/venturesarcade/" target="_blank">Ventures Arcade</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.crowded.worlded.org/skillblox" target="_blank">SkillBlox</a></li>
</ul>

We are now prioritizing a long list of actionables related to content and features, rewriting our own road map&nbsp;to ensure we are providing just what adult educators need. This includes finding out which civics objectives&nbsp;our subscribers are focusing on next year, adding more high-beginner civics content, amping up our Citizenship Prep content,&nbsp;and continuing to build new exploratory&nbsp;IET courses that are in high demand.&nbsp;

<h2>Presenting</h2>

Wendy Klatt, our education specialist, delivered two&nbsp;presentations at the conference&nbsp;and also managed the booth and poster area where attendees could stop in anytime for live demos, Q&amp;As, and merch! 
 
In the first presentation, Wendy walked teachers and administrators through Supporting CASAS STEPS Success with Ellii, sharing our <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/casas-competencies">CASAS collections</a> and NEW <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">CASAS Test&nbsp;Preparation</a> section, which has a digital/printable practice test for every level of the Reading STEPS and Listening STEPS tests.&nbsp; 
 
Ellii was honored to have Ventures author Donna Price join&nbsp;Wendy for a session on Connecting Engaging Lessons and Games to the English Language Proficiency Standards.&nbsp;

<img alt="Wendy Klatt and Donna Price, enthusiastic attendees at Ellii session at CASAS SI 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4741/content_wendy-donna-audience-ellii.jpg" />

<h2>Networking</h2>

What was different about the CASAS conference from other recent conferences I&#39;ve attended? The CASAS team set the vibe! Even though it was a large conference and it was my first time attending, it had a small, close-knit feeling. People chatted over breakfast, in the elevators, and on the nice breaks between sessions. You saw speakers and attendees more than once. There were scheduled social events, including morning fitness opportunities.

Perhaps most importantly, this conference did not feel rushed. It helped being able to pop up into our rooms whenever we needed to reflect or refresh.

<img alt="Kevin and Deb" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4729/content_Kevin-debra.jpeg" />

At breakfast, we met Kevin and Deb (above) from Dinuba Adult School. They manage a small adult school outside of Fresno and spoke so highly of their ESL instructor (who they likened to Mary Poppins) whose students come to class even on prep days and feel lost without her when school is not in session.&nbsp;We all felt&nbsp;a renewed sense of gratitude for being in this industry where we can experience a strong sense of purpose at work every day.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<img alt="Marta Solodun (Ellii COO) and Donna Price (Ventures author)" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4743/content_donna-marta.jpeg" />

Marta Solodun (Ellii COO) and Donna Price (Ventures author and VIP guest) at the CASAS luncheon

At the booth, I met Lauren, an Ellii super user who has been using our new <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">CASAS Practice Tests,</a> which she described as &quot;more rigorous&quot; than our competitors.&nbsp;We took in the keynote together and chatted about multiple literacies, including financial literacy, AI literacy, and even driver&#39;s literacy. Lauren shared an interesting life-skills&nbsp;learning opportunity that happend&nbsp;in her class when two students bumped into each other in their cars. She brought the class out to the parking lot as they exchanged information and took photos of the scene. The entire class learned language and practical tips to use at the&nbsp;scene of an accident.

<h2>Food &amp; fun</h2>

We did not go hungry at this conference, unlike many others I have attended over the years.&nbsp;

A full breakfast was served each day, and&nbsp;coffee&nbsp;and water were widely available. CASAS and its sponsors also provided a luncheon and an outdoor dinner party with food and dancing. In the evenings, friends of Ellii joined us at some&nbsp;local eateries:&nbsp;Nova Kitchen &amp; Bar for sushi and mochi and&nbsp;Puesto Anaheim for tacos and cocktails. I also enjoyed a 5K run&nbsp;to Downtown Disneyland, where I indulged in a kid&#39;s meal at Ballast Point Brewing. We even caught the Disney fireworks from our hotel parking lot!

<img alt="sushi restaurant Garden Grove" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4731/content_sushi.jpeg" />

Nova Kitchen &amp; Bar with Tara Benwell (Ellii VP of Publishing), Marta Solodun (Ellii COO), Donna Price (Ventures author), Wendy Klatt (Ellii Education Specialist), and Alisa Takeushi (OTAN)

<h2>Adult ed acronyms</h2>

As Canadians who are often traveling to the US for adult ed conferences, we are constantly learning new acronyms. Here are some that came up often at the CASAS conference last week and might be useful for anyone who is new to this industry or market.

<blockquote>
ABE: Adult Basic Education

AEFLA: Adult Education and Family Literacy Act

CAEP:&nbsp;Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (a nonprofit organization that accredits educator preparation programs)

CASAS:&nbsp;Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (assessments that measure the basic skills of adult learners in the US)

CCR: College and Career Readiness Standards

COAAPS:&nbsp;Civic Objectives and Additional Assessment Plans (pre-approved objectives and assessment plans designed to help adult learners develop civic knowledge and skills in California)

ELA: English Language Acquisition

ELP: English Language Proficiency standards

IELCE:&nbsp;Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (education services provided to the English language learners who are adults&nbsp;to help them achieve competency in English language and acquire skills needed to function effectively as parents, workers, and citizens in the US)

IET:&nbsp;Integrated Education and Training (blends adult ed/ESL with workforce training and preparation)

N-400: application for naturalization in the US

NRS: National Report System for adult education (the accountability system for federally funded adult ed&nbsp;programs in the US)

OTAN:&nbsp;Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (provides support for instructional technology and distance learning to literacy and adult educators&nbsp;in California)

STEPS: CASAS&#39;s Student Test of English Progress and Success&nbsp;

USCIS:&nbsp;United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (government agency that processes immigration applications in the US)

WIOA:&nbsp;Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services)
</blockquote>

Thank you to CASAS organizers and friends Jane, Jennifer, and Karla for making us feel welcome and putting on an outstanding conference. We hope to see you next year for CASAS Summer Institute 2026!&nbsp;

PS. If you haven&#39;t tried Ellii&#39;s NEW&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">CASAS Practice Tests</a>, we hope you&#39;ll check them out and send us some feedback.

&nbsp;

CASAS Summer Institute 2025: Reflections & Takeaways

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Find quick links to each episode of the Teacher Think-Aloud podcast, hosted by Shélynn Riel and Anna Ciriani-Dean and sponsored by Ellii.  

Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast

<section>
In the latest episode of <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>, hosts Anna and Shé dive deep into the heart of the 2025 TESOL International Convention. Through interviews with conference attendees, including with Ellii's CEO and founder Ben Buckwold, they capture the vibrant energy and diverse perspectives of educators from around the globe, and harness the main themes of the convention: connection, community, and support for teachers. 

The <a href="https://youtu.be/8CxCEIBPWyA?si=N_ak7frW02bD2CcE" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">2025 TESOL Special</a> isn't just a recap; it's an immersive experience. Listeners will feel like they're walking the convention hallways and hearing firsthand about the latest trends and challenges in the field. From discussions on AI in the classroom to reflections on the emotional labor of teachers and advocacy for students, the episode covers a wide range of topics with depth and sensitivity.

<blockquote>
"Teaching can be really isolating and teaching can be difficult. And so when we can step away from our classrooms and join together and encourage one another and support one another, and keep building these professional and personal relationships, we come back stronger and better for our own students as well."  — Janine Darragh, University of Idaho
</blockquote>

Whether you attended TESOL 2025 or not, this episode offers valuable insights and a sense of belonging. The guests interviewed reveal the convention's true essence: a gathering place for kindred spirits, a space for growth and renewal, and a reminder of the power of educators to make a difference. Tune in to hear stories of resilience, innovation, and the unwavering dedication of teachers worldwide, and perhaps find your own sense of connection and inspiration.
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Finding Connection & Community at the 2025 TESOL International Convention

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<h2>Let&#39;s start with an intention</h2>

At the beginning of my <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1990-yoga" target="_blank">yoga</a> class every Tuesday, my favorite teacher, Leanne, invites us to start with an intention. I am always amazed what a difference this can make to my practice.&nbsp;

Heading to Long Beach, California, from Windsor, Ontario,&nbsp;for TESOL this year, I felt like I needed to set myself up for success in an intentional way.&nbsp; 
 
The first thing I did was buy a book at the Detroit airport.&nbsp;Inciting Joy by Ross Gay jumped out as if to say &quot;pick me,&quot; so I did. The bookseller smiled and said, &quot;Great choice. The world needs more of this right now.&quot; Yes, I thought to myself, my TESOL 2025 intention is joy.

<blockquote>
&quot;My hunch is that joy is an ember for or precursor to wild and predictable and transgressive and unboundaried solidarity. And that solidarity might incite further joy...and...noticing what we love in common, and studying that, might help us survive.&quot; 
 
~ Ross Gay, Inciting Joy
</blockquote>

<img alt="inciting joy Detroit airport" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4466/content_TESOL-giraffe-chandelier-book-inciting-joy.png" />

I had been thinking about The Joy of TESOL after a&nbsp;sneak peek of the presidential keynote via <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/episodes/episode/20e6a4a0/e65-the-world-comes-to-tesol-with-dr-debra-suarez" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>. In Episode 65, Debra Suarez reflects on&nbsp;walking into TESOL for the very first time&mdash;a&nbsp;sea of&nbsp;flags from all over the world taking her breath away&mdash;and how she felt she had finally found her place in the world. A place where like-minded people share a passion for teaching and language learning.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, back in Canada, Ellii&#39;s CEO, Ben Buckwold, seemed to be tuning in to the same sentiment.&nbsp;Before leaving Winnipeg, Ben picked up a box of US-Canada pins to share with any TESOL attendees who wanted to express solidarity.&nbsp;

Below are 10+ joyful highlights from my 15th year at TESOL.

<h2>Delightful sessions</h2>

Regrettably, I missed Tuesday&#39;s opening keynote about&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1467-hip-hop-rap" target="_blank">Hip-Hop</a>, so Missy Testerman&#39;s keynote on Wednesday morning was the true start of TESOL 2025 for me.&nbsp;

Missy, from Tennessee, was the&nbsp;2024 National Teacher of the Year.&nbsp;Her sunshiny voice lit up the room and her stories about her young ELs and their families were touching and uplifting, setting conference attendees&nbsp;up for an inspiring day. She talked about little Adrian (11 going on 37), who is eager to get married after learning about&nbsp;tax codes, and of her teacher&#39;s pet, Anna, who loves school so much she dreams of stealing the&nbsp;flip chart. Missy reminded us&nbsp;that English teachers often&nbsp;spark a language learning journey for&nbsp;an entire&nbsp;family, especially the moms working in the&nbsp;home.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;Teaching is the only career that guarantees every other profession.&quot;

~&nbsp;Missy Testerman, TESOL 2025
</blockquote>

It is always a joy when you attend a session full of useful tips and ideas that relate to your own work in ELT.&nbsp;This year we attended sessions on:

<ul>
	<li>CASAS eWorks</li>
	<li>teaching literacy (Google the&nbsp;&quot;flyswatter&nbsp;vocabulary&nbsp;game&quot; for some fun)</li>
	<li>inquiry-based learning&nbsp;</li>
	<li>service learning</li>
	<li>job skills of the future</li>
	<li>AI for personalized learning</li>
</ul>

One noteable session was&nbsp;a talk on Positive Education by George Kokolas. The speaker shared simple, yet powerful reminders about the impact of positivity in the classroom. If&nbsp;we don&#39;t feel positive ourselves, we can&#39;t expect our students to arrive ready and eager to learn. He focused on the importance of developing&nbsp;character strengths and suggested creating &quot;inner-strength&quot; groups to help students develop their strongest skills.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;Decide to be a positive educator and embody it. Positive education is not taught, it&#39;s caught.&quot;

&ndash; George Kokolas
</blockquote>

Another excellent session was Techniques and Materials to Teach Basic Literacy Level ESL Learners by Gretchen Bitterlin. This session was full of useful tips for using the Early Production Technique and gave us some inspiration&nbsp;for growing our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/english-basics" target="_blank">English Basics</a> section.

We learned three words in Mandarin and got a&nbsp;feel for how much repetition is needed to own a new word (an average of 20&nbsp;passes&nbsp;for recognition and 60&nbsp;for production). She recommended following this formula when introducing new vocabulary:

<ol>
	<li>nonverbal statements (Show me the pencil.)</li>
	<li>yes/no questions (Is this a pencil?)</li>
	<li>or questions (Is this a pencil or a ruler?)</li>
	<li>wh- questions (What is this?)</li>
</ol>

Gretchen also recommended focusing&nbsp;on listening, pointing to research&nbsp;suggesting that listening without oral repetition in the earliest language learning stage actually improves an EL&#39;s pronunciation over time.&nbsp;

At a session called&nbsp;AI in Materials Development, Brent Warner shared the publishing statistic that&nbsp;it takes about 6&ndash;8 years to publish a course book. He walked us through a fun way&nbsp;of using AI to generate personalized stories that started with surveying ELs about their favorite celebrities and activities.&nbsp; 
 
In an NGL session titled Future-Ready Skills for the Global Workplace, Caitlin Thomas, a dynamic speaker,&nbsp;talked about AI fluency being the new digital literacy. During the talk, I jumped over to Basecamp to share&nbsp;this thought-provoking quote with Ellii&#39;s creative Publishing team.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&quot;AI won&#39;t replace humans, but humans who use AI will replace those who don&#39;t.&quot; 
 
~ Caitlin Thomas, National Geographic Learning 
&nbsp;
</blockquote>

Ellii&#39;s CEO, Ben Buckwold, also gave three presentations that were well attended, including a session on&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a>, our FREE interactive feature. We enjoyed hearing fun stories about <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/names" target="_blank">names</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/parenting-styles" target="_blank">parenting styles</a>, and <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls/tipping" target="_blank">tipping</a>,&nbsp;and were thrilled to see how our interactive feature could inspire&nbsp;so much conversation with just a few questions.

<h2> 
Our happy place (the Ellii booth)</h2>

Back at the booth, the Ellii team was impressing teachers with&nbsp;ready-made, breaking-news, multilevel lessons about the NASA astronauts that had been stuck in space for nine months.&nbsp;

It was impossible not to to feel happy as our team&nbsp;handed out chocolate and T-shirts, especially to anyone who popped in to see what&#39;s new or&nbsp;who said the magic words (I Love Ellii). Ellii sponsored TESOL&#39;s Day 1 coffee hour in the Expo Hall, delivering some liquid life&nbsp;to a long line of thirsty TESOLers!&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii coffee cart TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4460/content_Ellii-tesol-coffee-cart-tshirts.png" />

As they gathered up stickers, pens, and more&nbsp;fun swag, Ellii subscribers shared what they are excited about this year,&nbsp;including:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation" target="_blank">our NEW CASAS practice tests</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">our Pronunciation videos</a>&nbsp;(Lise was there in person and felt like a celebrity!)</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLIzmA29Xw&amp;t=3s">AI feedback tools</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls">Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li>Ellii&#39;s upcoming partnership with Cambridge University Press &mdash;Ventures (more info coming soon)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Lovely Long Beach&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

It was my first time in Long Beach, and even though it was slightly warmer at&nbsp;home&nbsp;in Canada,&nbsp;the sun was shining most of the week! Getting a chance to run on the beach at the crack of dawn&nbsp;with a new colleague was a joyful way to start each day.

Our team had a lovely stay at the Hyatt and enjoyed local sushi, Greek, and Thai food. Besides the orange cranberry muffins that tasted like creamsicles, the&nbsp;food that brought me the most happiness was a loaf of olive bread on the patio at Sevilla!&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<img alt="Team Ellii at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4461/content_Ellii-team-TESOL-2025.png" />

Wendy, Ann, Lise, Ashley, and Tara from Ellii at TESOL 2025 in Long Beach, California

<h2>Exciting announcements</h2>

Just like every year, our team arrived at TESOL with some exciting announcements. 
 
On Thursday, we celebrated the release of <a href="https://www.englishapp.com/" target="_blank">English App by Ellii</a>, our new language learning app for students available in the App Store and on Google Play! After months of building, curating, and designing in preparation for this exciting launch, it was almost hard to be away from Ellii HQ that day!&nbsp; 
 
<img alt="English App released" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4462/content_Ellii-englishapp-cambridge-ventures.png" />

On Friday, Ben, Wendy, and I shared more exciting news at&nbsp;a TESOL session focused on an upcoming partnership&nbsp;between Ellii and&nbsp;Cambridge University Press.&nbsp;Over the years, we have learned that many Ellii subscribers use Ventures as their core text, and we&#39;re excited to offer some supplementary support for this popular CUP series.&nbsp;More on this development coming soon!

<h2>Real-time requests</h2>

You know what else brings me joy as the head of an agile publishing team? Requests from teachers! Last year at TESOL, attendees asked for many items that we have since checked off! Here are a few:

<ul>
	<li>an additional <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/5227-how-to-cite-a-source-apa" target="_blank">How to Cite a Source</a>&nbsp;in English&nbsp;lesson that focuses on&nbsp;APA&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>higher-level <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/grammar" target="_blank">grammar</a> lessons&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>more lower-level <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me" target="_blank">That&#39;s News to Me</a> lessons&nbsp;&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>the ability for administrators to create their own <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1" target="_blank">Study Packs</a>&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li>more accented voices in our audio and video&nbsp;✓</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/casas-test-preparation">test prep content</a>&nbsp;✓</li>
</ul>

This year we had a few new requests that I hope we can tackle before Salt Lake City:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/pronunciation" target="_blank">pronunciation lessons</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">videos</a> that go beyond the vowel and consant sounds (suprasegmentals)</li>
	<li>more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/phonics-stories" target="_blank">Phonics Stories</a></li>
	<li>the ability to create your own <a href="https://app.ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a></li>
	<li>lower-level, shorter Ellii Polls that can be done faster</li>
	<li>other fun activities like Ellii Polls</li>
	<li>work-related videos with real people in real-life scenarios</li>
	<li>more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading">Real-World Readings</a></li>
	<li>even more <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/grammar-stories" target="_blank">Grammar Stories</a></li>
</ul>

Wherever we go these days, we always get a lot of love and requests for our videos! As one&nbsp;speaker&nbsp;mentioned, students light up when you put a video on, especially when they are in a class with a no-cellphone rule and seem to be starving for screen time.&nbsp;

<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos" target="_blank"><img alt="Ellii Videos" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4456/content_cute-kitty-video-TESOL-2025.jpg" /></a>

I&#39;m more of a giraffe chandelier gal than a cat person,&nbsp;but still, whenever this video came on at the Ellii booth, it brought me so much joy.

<h2>Friends of Ellii</h2>

Last year at TESOL, we got to meet Shey and Anna from our favorite ELT podcast,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>. This year we got to hang with&nbsp;them again and also celebrate being their podcast sponsor! We can&#39;t wait for their TESOL 2025 recap.

<img alt="Anna and Shé from the Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast with Tara Benwell and Ben Buckwold from Ellii at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4463/content_friends-of-Ellii-TESOL2025.png" />

Speaking of sponsorship, you&nbsp;may remember Diego from coffee talks with TESOL experts&nbsp;or from our very own Ellii Con coffee talk about AI (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPg8qkpwBWk&amp;t=149s" target="_blank">How Fast Is IT Moving?</a>). Ellii sponsored Diego&#39;s time at TESOL this year, and, at the booth, Diego and I did a deep dive into Ellii&#39;s new AI feedback settings. We looked at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLIzmA29Xw&amp;t=3s" target="_blank">Ellii&#39;s new Grade Feed</a> and how Ellii Bot&nbsp;was leaving feedback for&nbsp;his students. I helped Diego switch his settings to the recommended middle ground so that he could review and adjust the AI ratings and feedback before submitting it to his students. An interested teacher passed by to listen to our conversation and instantly wanted to learn more about why teachers love Ellii. There&#39;s nothing better than live&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/tour/testimonials" target="_blank">testimonials</a> and demos by real Ellii users at the booth. Thank you, Diego!

<blockquote>
Did you attend TESOL 2025 or a recent conference or webinar? What brought you joy?
</blockquote>

Next week, we will be off to Dallas, Texas, for COABE 2025. We hope to see some of you there for a little more joy! 
 
~ Tara &amp;&nbsp;Team Ellii

<img alt="Tara Benwell in a fuzzy egg chair at TESOL 2025" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/4464/content_Tara-egg-chair-tesol.png" />

Fuzzy egg chair to relax in before a presentation? Pure joy!

Inciting Joy at TESOL 2025 in Long Beach, California

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In 2005, my husband and I embarked on our first adventure in Latin America. We started with a monthlong stay at a friend&rsquo;s in Ilhabela, Brazil. Our next stop was Montevideo. Needless to say, this city will always hold a special place in my heart.&nbsp;

If you&rsquo;d told me then that I would return 20 years later to speak at a conference, I probably wouldn&rsquo;t have believed you! But this year I returned and delivered a workshop on making learning accessible in the mixed-ability classroom.&nbsp;

The content of my session was in some ways a sneak peek at the pre-recorded input I created for Rachel Oner&rsquo;s Learning Differences and Inclusion course for Nile ELT.&nbsp;I discussed barriers to learning and made suggestions of simple ways to make lessons accessible for diverse abilities and learning needs.&nbsp;

<h2>Montevideo</h2>

Montevideo in winter reminded me of Scotland. Walking along the seafront, I felt like I was in a Scottish coastal town. Even the architecture was reminiscent of Glasgow!&nbsp;

I didn&rsquo;t have a huge amount of time for sightseeing, but I knew that I wanted to eat chorip&aacute;n at the Mercado del Puerto. On our first visit 20 years ago, this was my first introduction to a chorizo roll. I have dreamed about it ever since.&nbsp;

<h2>The sessions</h2>

<h3>Ben Goldstein</h3>

Ben Goldstein&rsquo;s opening plenary asked &quot;Where do I fit in now?&quot; He explored post-pandemic teacher roles and how teachers fit in the age of AI. It focused on how teachers can offer their empathy, understanding, and human touch to connect with learners. The session was engaging, thought-provoking, and reassuring.&nbsp;

<h3>Emily Bryson</h3>

I got lucky and had the second slot. My workshop gave teachers the opportunity to explore simple ways they could make learning accessible. I was delighted that many teachers enthusiastically approached me at the end to say how helpful and inspiring it had been. Even Jeremy Harmer said it was &quot;absolutely brilliant.&quot; You can&rsquo;t beat a review like that from an ELT great!

<h3>Susan Hillyard &amp; Claudia Rey</h3>

Next up were Susan Hillyard and Claudia Rey, who share 90 years of collective teaching experience. They took us on an entertaining journey from the era of tapes and developmental psychology to the current era of social-emotional learning, inclusive practices, and AI. They also shared their top tips for how to stay enthusiastic, inspired, and resilient.&nbsp;

<h3>Juan Maria Segura</h3>

Juan Maria Segura then presented in Spanish. &quot;Que hacemos con el aula?&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;What can we do with the classroom?&quot; This pushed my Spanish to the limit, but I think I got the gist: We need to embrace technology to reach learners, especially from younger generations. The session was provocative and ensued in much animated discussion.&nbsp;

<h3>Ines Stefani</h3>

Ines Stefani&rsquo;s workshop on reading made some important points. The crucial takeaway was that reading comprehension activities can kill the creativity of reading books in class. She offered various alternatives to inspire learners and maintain the simple pleasures of reading in class.&nbsp;

<h3>Lorena Estefanell</h3>

The penultimate session was Lorena Estefanell on &quot;45 habitos mentales para bienestar&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;45 mental habits for well-being.&quot; The session was in Spanish again and I admit that I snuck out! I&rsquo;m not sure my brain cells had the energy for a session in English, let alone rapid Rioplatense. I took the opportunity to seek out coffee and cake, then felt the FOMO when everyone came out raving about how amazing it was!&nbsp;

<h3>Jeremy Harmer</h3>

The closing plenary was given by the legendary Jeremy Harmer. It was every bit as memorable as you&rsquo;d expect. He talked about the benefits of singing in class and as a means of developing social connections. To this end, he got us to all sing a wonderful song he&rsquo;d written. The song was a welcome to people resettling into a new community. It really resonated with me as the majority of my learners have been from refugee backgrounds.&nbsp;

<h2>Sketchnotes</h2>

As usual, I created some sketchnotes of the sessions. These help me to focus during the session, and they serve as a visual reminder of the key takeaways.&nbsp;

You can view my <a href="https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/sketchnotes-from-congreso-anglo-2024/ " target="_blank">sketchnotes</a> here. 
&nbsp;

<h2>How to get involved&nbsp;</h2>

If you&rsquo;d like to attend next year, you can find more information at:&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.anglo.edu.uy/" target="_blank">www.anglo.edu.uy</a>&nbsp;or follow them on socials @InstitutoAnglo. I certainly hope to be back!

You may like these conference-themed posts:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/perutesol-2024-reflections-and-take-aways" target="_self">Peru TESOL 2024:&nbsp; Reflections &amp; Takeaways</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-elt-conference" target="_self">How to Get the Most Out of an ELT conference</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-demystifying-the-application-process" target="_self">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Demystifying the Application Process</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-demystifying-the-application-process" target="_self">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Top Tips for Successful Presentations</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes" target="_self">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-practical-ways-teachers-can-excel-with-ai" target="_self">10&nbsp;Practical Ways Teachers Can&nbsp;Excel with AI</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai" target="_self">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Have you been to the Anglo Congress before? What were your experiences?
</blockquote>

Anglo Congress 2024: Reflections & Takeaways

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I feel absolutely honored to have had the chance to attend the 2024 Peru TESOL conference. I am traveling around South America while working remotely at the moment. One of my online contacts noticed that I had arrived in Arequipa and mentioned that the conference was on. It sounded like a great opportunity, so I extended my stay and attended.&nbsp;

This year was the first face-to-face conference Peru TESOL has held since before the pandemic, so everyone was very excited to see each other. It was lovely watching so many ELT professionals re-connect and inspire each other after so long.&nbsp;

The importance of human connection was a theme that ran strongly throughout the event. Online conferences are brilliant, but you can&rsquo;t beat a warm hug and smile from a long lost friend or a new best pal!

<h2>Arequipa</h2>

Arequipa is now firmly one of my favorite cities. At 2,335 meters above sea level, the altitude can take a bit of getting used to, but it is absolutely worth it. Nicknamed the &quot;White City&quot;&nbsp;because many of its buildings are made of sillar (a white volcanic rock), it&rsquo;s lovely just wandering around the center and surrounding neighborhoods. The city has numerous miradors (viewpoints) where you can enjoy the scenery of three surrounding volcanoes:&nbsp;Chachani, Misti, and Pichu Pichu. Even the conference venue, Instituto del Sur, had this stunning vista from its fire escape (which we didn&rsquo;t have to use)!

<h2><img alt="Peru TESOL conference 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3880/content_Peru.jpg" /> 
Sessions</h2>

Over three days, the conference covered an eclectic range of topics. Every plenary was engaging and it was tricky to choose which workshop to attend.&nbsp;

Sandra Story, the director of the Regional English Language Office (RELO) at the US&nbsp;embassy&nbsp;in Lima, opened the conference with a super interactive plenary on the past, present, and future of ELT. Her delivery was truly exemplary. She had us all moving around, using actions, chatting, thinking, and laughing.&nbsp;

One key takeaway from her session was that &quot;English and English teachers change lives.&quot;&nbsp;I couldn&rsquo;t agree more.&nbsp;

<img alt="build strong communities sketch" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3881/content_change-lives.png" />

As with many corners of English language teaching at the moment, artificial intelligence was a popular theme. It was a topic that came up in almost every session, even if the session&nbsp;wasn&rsquo;t specifically about AI.&nbsp;

Another exemplary session for me was Laura Holland&rsquo;s closing plenary on maintaining human connection in the age of AI. If anyone was born to be a teacher and teacher trainer, it was Laura. She has an extremely&nbsp;welcoming persona that just makes you want to smile and get involved. Her session was super interactive and full of innovative ideas.&nbsp;

I especially loved her recommendation to monitor students&rsquo; discussions by pretending not to listen. It&rsquo;s a simple technique to prevent students&rsquo; getting distracted by the teacher poking their head into their conversation!

Here&rsquo;s a sketchnote I created of her session. I hope you enjoy the image of the giant stealth ear!&nbsp;

<img alt="build strong communities sketchnote" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3882/content_build-strong.jpg" />

<h2>Sketchnotes</h2>

The last few conferences I&rsquo;ve attended, I&rsquo;ve been commissioned to create digital sketchnotes. It was a delight to be able to get my pens out and sketchnote the analogue way, just for me! Of course, due to popular demand, I shared them on my socials and Whatsapp-ed them to my new Peru TESOL contacts.&nbsp;

You can view <a href="https://www.emilybrysonelt.com/sketchnotes-from-perutesol24/ " target="_blank">sketchnotes from the other sessions</a>&nbsp;here.

<h2>Networking</h2>

One of the best things about attending conferences is the human connection! It was wonderful making new contacts from the world of ELT.

On the first day, Peru TESOL arranged a dinner for participants. The food was delicious: corn and cheese salad, chicken with spicy chili sauce, and cheesecake for dessert. All washed down with the most delicious chicha (a corn-based soft drink) and a pisco sour (a cocktail with pisco, lime juice, sugar, and egg white). &nbsp;

This was the perfect chance to get to know everyone on a more personal level. We chatted about our experiences, Spanish learning, and pesky squirrels causing havoc at home!

Over the three days of the event, there were many opportunities to network. I looked forward to lunch and dinner, not only for the delicious Peruvian treats, but also for the chance to meet so many interesting and inspiring ELTers.&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s a photo from the closing ceremony. Can you spot me?&nbsp;

<img alt="Peru TESOL 2024 group picture" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3883/content_peru-ts.jpg" />

<h2>How to get involved&nbsp;</h2>

If you&rsquo;d like to speak at or attend Peru TESOL next year, you can find more information at:&nbsp; 
<a href="http://www.perutesol.org" target="_blank">www.perutesol.org</a> or follow the organization&nbsp;on socials:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/perutesoler/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/perutesoler/</a>

You may like these conference-themed posts:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-an-elt-conference">How to Get the Most Out of&nbsp;an ELT Conference</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-demystifying-the-application-process">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Demystifying the Application Process</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/speaking-at-an-elt-conference-top-tips-for-successful-presentations">Speaking at an ELT Conference: Top Tips for Successful Presentations</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/sketchnoting-101-supercharged-professional-development-with-visual-notes">Sketchnoting 101: Supercharge Professional Development with Visual Notes</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-practical-ways-teachers-can-excel-with-ai">10 Practical Ways Teachers Can Excel with AI</a> 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
Have you attended Peru TESOL before? What were your experiences? Do you agree that &quot;English and English teachers change lives&quot;?&nbsp;Have they changed yours or your students&#39;?
</blockquote>

Peru TESOL 2024: Reflections & Takeaways

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<h2>Music City Vs. The Big Guava</h2>

Every year, spring conferences bring us to new cities for professional development, team building, and a chance to showcase everything we've been creating and releasing, including <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/new-content" target="_blank">new content</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/feature-releases-platform-updates-2023" target="_blank">courseware</a>.

This spring, Ellii hit two cities in one week, with COABE in Nashville taking place right before TESOL in Tampa! It was a whirlwind of a week, and I thought it would be fun to compare the two conventions in one reflective post. (Scroll to the bottom for the video highlight!)

<blockquote>
"The period following a conference is essential for translating the enthusiasm and ideas from the event into actionable steps." 
 
~ Ixchell Reyes, <a href="http://Beyond%20the%20Buzz:%205%20Ways%20to%20Cultivate%20Convention%20Connections" target="_blank">Beyond the Buzz: 5 Ways to Cultivate Convention Connections</a>
</blockquote>

<img alt="Ellii TESOL booth 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3654/content_tesol-booth-2024.png">

<h2>COABE – the Coalition on Adult Basic Education</h2>

Together in Harmony

It was Ellii's first time attending the COABE National Conference (and my first time in Nashville). While the venue was intimidating, I knew it was going to be a successful conference when the first visitor to the Ellii booth, an ESOL instructor from Owens Community College, arrived with a sunny smile and some live <a href="https://ellii.com/tour/testimonials" target="_blank">#Love4Ellii</a>. 

<blockquote>
"I love Ellii! I don't even bother looking anywhere else!" 
~ Duaa Mustafa Ali
</blockquote>

<img alt="Ellii subscribers with T-shirts at COABE" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3668/content_COABE-Ellii-Tshirt-subscriber-dua.jpg">

We loved handing out I love Ellii T-shirts to all of the subscribers who visited our booth, and we often spotted people wearing them throughout the week.

COABE attendees loved Ellii for several reasons, including our: 

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/casas-competencies" target="_blank">alignment to CASAS competencies</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/pronunciation" target="_blank">pronunciation videos</a></li>
	<li>
<a href="https://ellii.com/collections/grammar" target="_blank">foundational content</a> </li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/214-how-to-sign-up-as-a-student-using-a-class-code" target="_blank">ease of student onboarding</a></li>
</ul>

Unlike at TESOL, not all of the attendees at COABE were focused on English language teaching. However there was no shortage of attendees looking for a solution like Ellii. These topics were of outmost interest to ELT attendees:

<ol>
	<li>CASAS STEPS assessments that have replaced the Life and Work series</li>
	<li>English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) </li>
	<li>Integrated English Training Courses (IET)</li>
</ol>

Ellii has new initiatives coming soon related to all of the above thanks in part to the feedback and requests we received at COABE! It is going to be an exciting year of new releases for Ellii.

<h3>COABE sessions</h3>

The sessions I found most useful at COABE were about the updated CASAS tests. We've been following the updates closely and are excited to be in close connection with CASAS as we continue to develop content that is useful for skill-building and skill-using in preparation for these assessments. 

<h3>Nashville &amp; the Opryland Resort  </h3>

<a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bnago-gaylord-opryland-resort-and-convention-center/photos/" target="_blank">The Gaylord Opryland Resort</a> was enormous and not easy to navigate! Even after three days at the resort, finding our way around was difficult and we missed a few sessions due to getting lost in the labyrinth. We were grateful for the complimentary snacks that were often placed right in front of the Ellii booth. 
 
As for Nashville itself, the Ellii team spent some time with locals rather than venturing into the tourist areas. We loved <a href="https://www.urbancowboy.com/nashville/" target="_blank">Urban Cowboy</a> for its cozy atmosphere, live music, and delicious hot cider, and <a href="https://www.lockelandtable.com/" target="_blank">Lockeland Table</a> for it's great pizza and cool vibe. The highlight was American Legion <a href="https://www.post82.org/" target="_blank">Post 82</a>, where we got a real flavor of Nashville for Honky Tonk Tuesday. The hospitality (including friendly Uber drivers) in Nashville was possibly the best I've experienced in all of my years of attending conferences in the US. I look forward to returning for a holiday in the summer!

<img alt="Ellii enjoying Nashville Urban Cowboy" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3669/content_Ellii-COABE-2024-Cider-Urban-cowboy-Nashville.jpg"> 
 

<h2>TESOL Convention 2024</h2>

Tampa Bay, Florida 

As a TESOL sponsor it was fun to arrive at the Marriot to find Ellii represented on the hotel key cards! 

<img alt="Ellii key card at TESOL 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3662/content_key-card-2024.png"> 
 

<blockquote>
"Go meet someone who will change your life."  
 
~ Shelley Taylor, TESOL President
</blockquote>

The TESOL setup was a long day for Lise and Ashley with the rest of our team finishing up at COABE, but like every convention season, it's <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/all-hands-on-deck-all-the-time" target="_blank">all hands on deck</a> at Ellii! (And smiles all around.)

<img alt="Lise and Ashley from Ellii set up the booth for TESOL 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3658/content_lise-ash-set-up-2024.jpg">

TESOL always offers sessions on a wide range of topics, and we were curious if Emily's <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elt-trends-to-watch-in-2024" target="_blank">ELT Trends</a> post was on target for 2024. Here are some topics that seemed to be getting a lot of interest at TESOL this year:  

<ul>
	<li>Integrating AI </li>
	<li>Building community</li>
	<li>Storytelling</li>
	<li>Academic vocabulary</li>
	<li>Visual literacy</li>
</ul>

We attended sessions on all of the above and more! Here are some useful sources that were shared that we want to learn more about:

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/" target="_blank">The Manchester Academic Phrase Bank</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://press.umich.edu/Books/G/Grammar-Choices-for-Graduate-and-Professional-Writers-Second-Edition2" target="_blank">Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/engage-your-audience-microsoft-teams-speaker-coach-/">Microsoft Speaker Coach </a></li>
	<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0VkDf9LyEk" target="_blank">Jungle Chase</a> (Brain Break)</li>
	<li><a href="https://textinspector.com/help/corpus-of-contemporary-american-english-coca/" target="_blank">Text Inspector from COCA</a></li>
</ul>

Ellii's CEO Ben Buckwold gave several presentations that were well-attended, including a session on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls</a>, our new FREE interactive feature. 
 
Some requests we received in our own sessions and at the booth included: 

<ul>
	<li>a need for high-intermediate <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading" target="_blank">Real-World Reading</a> lessons</li>
	<li>a higher-level lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3867-reading-for-detail" target="_blank">Supporting Details</a>
</li>
	<li>an additional <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2230-how-to-cite-a-source" target="_blank">How to Cite a Source</a> in English lesson that focuses on APA instead of MLA</li>
	<li>higher-level <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/grammar" target="_blank">grammar</a> lessons</li>
	<li>more<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/mini-debates" target="_blank"> Mini-Debates</a>
</li>
	<li>more lower-level <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me" target="_blank">That's News to Me</a> lessons </li>
	<li>the ability for teachers to edit Ellii Polls</li>
	<li>sentence frames in the Stop &amp; Discuss area of <a href="https://ellii.com/gather/ellii-polls" target="_blank">Ellii Polls </a>
</li>
	<li>the ability for administrators to create their own <a href="https://ellii.com/packs?page=1" target="_blank">Study Packs</a>
</li>
	<li>more accented voices in our audio and video</li>
	<li>standardized test prep content</li>
</ul>

<h3>Tampa &amp; the Convention Center</h3>

TCC was a great venue for TESOL! It was located right on the gorgeous <a href="https://thetampariverwalk.com/">Tampa Riverwalk</a> (ideal for someone like me who is training for a marathon). I even saw a dolphin during a boardwalk coffee break!

<img alt="Tampa Riverwalk" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3667/content_tampa-riverwalk.jpg"> 
 
The lovely Marriot hotel, where some of the sessions were located, was just a few minutes-walk to the convention center, with good restaurants within steps of our room, including the delicious Mexican restaurant, <a href="https://www.lonatampa.com/" target="_blank">Lona</a>. We also enjoyed the Cuban bread at <a href="https://tampabayhistorycenter.org/columbia-cafe/#menu" target="_blank">Columbia Cafe</a> and a windy dinner on the hotel patio with our new Canadian friend Johnny, founder of <a href="https://www.roshi.ai/" target="_blank">Roshi</a>!  
 
The TESOL Expo Hall felt a little too big for the number of exhbitors this year, but we were happy to meet so many teachers and administrators like we do every year!  
 

<img alt="Ellii CEO Ben Buckwold with TESOL 2024 attendees" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3656/content_ben-attendees-tesol-2024.jpg">

In addition to meeting subscribers and those who want to learn about Ellii, it is always lovely to chat with friends who we network with throughout the year! This year we got to meet Shey and Anna from our favorite ELT podcast, the <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast.</a> 

 

<img alt="Anna and Shey of Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast with Ellii's VP of Publishing Tara Benwell at TESOL 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3670/content_Ellii_Anna-Shey-Tara-TESOL-2024.jpg">

To celebrate a successful week, we attended a stand-up comedy show at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thegimmickcomedy/?hl=en" target="_blank">The Gimmick Comedy Club</a> and walked through the lively downtown streets following a vibrant <a href="https://tampapride.org/parade-2/" target="_blank">PRIDE parade</a>. The ride back on the free <a href="http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/" target="_blank">TECO streetcar</a> with new friends from a UK publishing team was a fun way to end a great week!

<img alt="Ellii team (Lise, Ashley, Tara, Ann) at TESOL 2024" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3671/content_Booth-Team-TESOL2024.jpg">

<h3>Ending with a Full Circle Moment </h3>

While COABE was a great new experience and felt like the right place for Ellii to be, the highlight of the week for me was in the last few moments of TESOL, listening to our CEO, Ben, deliver the speech before the closing plenary. Ben had us in stitches and then almost in tears as he described the full circle moment of being in Tampa for TESOL as a top sponsor, the same city where our TESOL story began back in 2006. Here's the video recording. Thank you to everyone who reached out to say they loved this moment too!

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8vhmgjB8UM0?si=hq8Bz-NS1buZArQA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

 
We hope to see you next year in Dallas, Texas, for COABE 2025 and Long Beach, California, for TESOL 2025!  
 
~ Tara &amp; Team Ellii 
 

PS. A special thank you to the TESOL attendee who delivered my purse safely to the information booth when I got a little too excited at an active storytelling session and left it behind. Though I may never get to thank you properly, this simple act of kindness left me full of gratitude (and gave me a story of hope to share with my Uber driver on the way home to Canada).

Reflecting on Spring Conferences 2024: COABE & TESOL

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

At <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ" target="_blank">ElliiCon2023</a>, Jamie Keddie, the ELT King of Storytelling, shared some wonderful stories. He had the whole audience captivated. As teachers, this is exactly how we want our students to feel about their English lessons. Stories are therefore perfect for the ELT classroom.&nbsp;

<h2>Why use stories in language classes?</h2>

Not only are stories captivating, but they also offer students a chance to practice all four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), develop their vocabulary, and get creative.&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s a sketchnote I did of Jamie&rsquo;s session, which summarizes some of the benefits of using stories in class:&nbsp;

<img alt="Emily Bryson's sketchnote of Jamie Keddie's ElliiCon 2023 session on storytelling" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3477/content_Jamie_Keddie.jpg" />

If you&rsquo;d like to try using storytelling in class, Ellii&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/story-prompts" target="_blank">Story Prompts</a> are a great way to get started. These fun, minimal preparation, digital lessons are suitable for all ages and can be adapted for any level of learner.&nbsp;

One of the many benefits of Story Prompts is that they can be used in many ways. As Jamie pointed out during his session, one story can be many different stories. It depends on who is telling it, how much detail is included, and what perspective is chosen.&nbsp;

In this post, I&rsquo;ll look more closely at how to use Story Prompts to inspire your learners.&nbsp;

<h2>What topics are found in&nbsp;Story Prompts?&nbsp;</h2>

Ellii&#39;s Story Prompts have topics that kids love. Here are some examples:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Space</li>
	<li>Playgrounds</li>
	<li>Fairy Tales</li>
	<li>Superheroes</li>
	<li>Oceans</li>
	<li>Farms&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Christmas</li>
</ul>

As Jamie pointed out, stories are a great way to introduce a topic. So if you&rsquo;re planning on exploring ocean plastics, outer space, or getting festive, why not start with a Story Prompt activity?

<h2>How can I use&nbsp;Story Prompts?&nbsp;</h2>

Each of Ellii&#39;s Story Prompt lessons are available online and the activities are graded for beginner, low-intermediate, and intermediate learners. The art is made in-house by Ellii&#39;s own talented illustrators!

At every level, students explore key vocabulary and are supported to create a story using a picture scene.&nbsp;

For example:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Beginner: Use the flashcards to pre-teach vocabulary.</li>
	<li>Low Intermediate: Match the vocabulary to the images.</li>
	<li>Intermediate: Look at the picture story and list what you can see.</li>
</ul>

Students then use the picture story to create their own stories. Here&rsquo;s the picture scene for the <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3649-ocean-story" target="_blank">Ocean Story</a>.&nbsp;

<img alt="Ellii's Ocean Story Story Prompt picture" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3478/content_Ocean-Prompts_watermark-1.png" />

Depending on the level, there are a variety of tasks students can do to prepare them for telling their stories:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Describe the picture</li>
	<li>Describe the characters</li>
	<li>Describe the background and the setting</li>
	<li>Write captions for each person in the picture</li>
	<li>Write a dialogue between the characters</li>
	<li>Think of a problem one of the characters has (and solve it)</li>
	<li>Think of a beginning, middle, and end to the story</li>
	<li>Think what happened before or after the picture</li>
</ul>

Once students are ready, give them time to write their stories and practice telling them in pairs or small groups. They may then wish to tell their stories to the whole class.&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s always interesting to see how different every story is!&nbsp;

You can access Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/story-prompts" target="_blank">Story Prompts</a> lessons here. There are also helpful <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4294-teachers-notes " target="_blank">Teachers&#39; Notes</a>, where you can find more teaching ideas and example stories.

<h2>Related</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-one-image-can-develop-visual-literacy-and-critical-thinking" target="_blank">How to Use One Image to Tell a Story</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-use-silent-video-clips" target="_blank">How to Use Silent Video Clips</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/create-your-own-adventure-teaching-english-the-wordless-way" target="_blank">How to Use Wordless Stories</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-pictures-as-grammar-prompts" target="_blank">How to Use Pictures as Grammar Prompts</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-stories-we-tell" target="_blank">The Stories We Tell</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/wordless-lessons-project" target="_blank">Ellii&#39;s Genius Hour Projects</a></li>
</ul>

Watch Jamie&rsquo;s full webinar from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ" target="_blank">ElliiCon2023</a> and be sure to join us next year!

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Clp3PioRXHQ?si=HuKknt0HjtSY4Wwi" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

Simply Storytelling: Inspiring English Learners with Story Prompts 

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Did you attend ElliiCon2023 this&nbsp;September? If you did, I hope you&#39;re bursting with inspiration and ideas like we are here at Ellii!&nbsp; 
 
More than 2,200 English language educators&nbsp;signed up for our third annual virtual conference, and we had a record-high live attendance on both&nbsp;days.&nbsp;Even more impressive than the numbers&nbsp;was the engagement!&nbsp;In all of the virtual webinars and conferences I&#39;ve attended over the years, I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever seen&nbsp;a chat as active as I did at this year&#39;s ElliiCon.&nbsp;Keeping up with the Q&amp;A and comments was nearly impossible, even with our signature conference style of&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/all-hands-on-deck-all-the-time" target="_blank">all Ellii hands on deck</a>. 
 
After any major <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/categories/conferences" target="_blank">conference</a>, virtual or in person, I always take at least a day to reflect on the learning and experience, often focusing on the takeaways in relation to the&nbsp;theme.&nbsp;While some <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-choosing-the-theme-for-elliicon2023" target="_blank">conference themes</a> feel like a stretch or an afterthought, I think&nbsp;we got ours just right this year.&nbsp;

<blockquote>
Humanity &amp; Technology in ELT: Striking a Balance in the Age of AI.&nbsp;
</blockquote>

If you participated&nbsp;in ElliiCon2023, I hope you agree&nbsp;that together, the organizers, speakers, and attendees tipped the scales in the right direction. While we explored many impressive uses of AI, in the end we&nbsp;all agreed on one thing: teachers will not be replaced by technology anytime soon.&nbsp; 
 
Humanity for the win!&nbsp; 
 
For this year&#39;s ElliiCon reflection, I&#39;ll highlight&nbsp;five reasons why humans shine brighter than our new&nbsp;friend ChatGPT&nbsp;in the field of ELT.

<h2>1. Humans tell better stories</h2>

When people ask why I&#39;ve worked&nbsp;at Ellii (formerly ESL Library) for 17 years, I often point to&nbsp;my love of stories. Our CEO, Ben, who many of us consider to be both a colleague and a friend, is the best storyteller I know. Every team meeting, business trip, and meal Ben hosts always starts with&nbsp;a good story or two.&nbsp;

We knew Jamie Keddie, a master of ELT storytelling, would be a great addition to this conference. Jamie captivated attendees with stories, even when sharing a&nbsp;boring one written by ChatGPT! In under an hour, Jamie showed us how being able to tell a personal story in the classroom is a superpower teachers should try to hone.&nbsp;

<img alt="Jamie Keddie trashes ChatGPT for its storytelling abilities" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3380/content_trash-keddie.png" />

After trashing ChatGPTs storytelling abilities, Jamie&nbsp;went on to demonstrate (through story) how to tell a good one, painting the perfect picture of&nbsp;how stories can be used in a myriad of&nbsp;ways for language learning. Just as I predicted, Jamie&#39;s session,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clp3PioRXHQ" target="_blank">Stories from the Teacher</a>, was the highlight of ElliiCon2023 for me. It seems our CLB materials writer, Jen, was also inspired. Check out Jen&#39;s&nbsp;latest Ellii post,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/the-stories-we-tell" target="_blank">The Stories We Tell</a>.

<img alt="storytelling bullets Jamie Keddie" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3392/content_story-bullets_keddie.png" />

Why stories? Here&#39;s a summary of the benefits of story that Jamie outlined in his ElliiCon session, which played out like a story itself. Don&#39;t take my word for it&mdash;watch the recording! (Then look up.)

<h2>2. Humans aren&#39;t just &quot;adaptive,&quot; they&nbsp;adapt&nbsp;</h2>

If you&#39;ve never seen this error message below, you are probably like many&nbsp;ElliiCon attendees who surprised us by admitting they&nbsp;knew little to nothing about&nbsp;Open AI&#39;s generative AI tool, ChatGPT.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="ChatGPT error message" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3382/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-18_at_2.06.25_PM.png" />

After&nbsp;our first <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD67hbuy27k&amp;t=2s" target="_blank">Coffee Talk</a> featuring first impressions (and confessions) of AI&nbsp;from the Publishing team, our CEO realized&nbsp;much of our audience was newer to this technology than we&#39;d anticipated. Ben quickly adapted his welcome speech to clarify that our conference would highlight some features at Ellii, but also explore generative AI, a technology Ellii is playing with,&nbsp;that according to the head of education at Pearson,&nbsp;is &quot;moving faster than real life.&quot;

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD67hbuy27k&amp;t=2s" target="_blank"><img alt="Coffee Talk with Ellii's Publishing team" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3388/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-21_at_10.46.25_AM.png" /></a>

Despite the speed at which this technology snuck into the field of language learning, the&nbsp;reality is that many teachers are still printing PDFs and dealing with student onboarding and Wi-Fi issues. Ellii&#39;s Product team heard these sentiments loud and clear and are already pivoting to include some new features to address these more pressing issues.&nbsp;

<h2>3. Humans are human</h2>

Russell Stannard, ELT&#39;s EdTech guru, had to make some adaptations of his own on the fly when his AI-recorded audio wouldn&#39;t play in a window and he had to read it out loud. There was also a missing cat (typed &quot;at&quot;) in his AI-generated image, which Ellii&#39;s eagle-eyed editors would never have missed (and our talented illustrators&nbsp;might have drawn <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards/idioms-phrasal-verbs/halloween-idioms?flashcard=5217" target="_blank">like this</a>).&nbsp;

Russell&nbsp;shared some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcn8oCl53ic" target="_blank">fun AI-powered activities</a>, but admitted that&nbsp;90% of the EdTech tools he reviews aren&#39;t even worth sharing. Have you ever heard a statistic that bad when it comes to English language teachers?&nbsp;Also, do you know any teachers who would turn down a real-life teaching assistant in exchange for a paid version of&nbsp;ChatGPT?

This is not to say that AI can&#39;t be taught humanistic behavior! One attendee mentioned that ChatGPT offered condolences after being prompted to help write a eulogy. That&#39;s a story that might hit the movies soon if real writers continue to strike.&nbsp; 
 
A related topic&nbsp;that came up in the ElliiCon chat (and internally at Ellii) was on the importance of using&nbsp;polite and friendly language when interacting with ChatGPT. This seems like a no-brainer since we&#39;re training AI to do what we want. As we learned from our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPg8qkpwBWk&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=9" target="_blank">Day 2 Coffee Talk</a> facilitator, Diego, failure to engage with AI could have dangerous consequences.&nbsp;

<img alt="tone AI" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3390/content_content_tone-chat-gpt.png" />

Do you know what else teachers were interested in? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7ZVMn1dx5s&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=13" target="_blank">Life skills!</a> Jen walked teachers through all of the content and collections that focus on this target, including our NEW&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos/vocabulary" target="_blank">Vocabulary video</a> series and our&nbsp;dialogue-focused <a href="https://ellii.com/packs" target="_blank">Study Packs</a>, which were a huge hit.

<h2>4. Humans are the machines</h2>

One thing I love about ElliiCon is that it gives&nbsp;team members outside of the Publishing and Customer Support teams a chance to interact with teachers. At ElliiCon, our Product team&#39;s developers and designers were available in the chat and at the virtual tables talking directly with attendees about AI, tech, AND the humans behind our new features.&nbsp;

At Thursday&#39;s Lunch &amp; Learn:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFGCJis6RZQ&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=10" target="_blank">How Ellii Blends AI with Human-Powered Teaching Tools</a>, Ellii&#39;s CTO Eduardo took attendees behind the scenes to share all sorts of ways his team is exploring AI for features including autograding and&nbsp;feedback, content&nbsp;recommendations, and class insights (pictured below&nbsp;and coming soon).&nbsp;

<a href="https://youtu.be/QFGCJis6RZQ?si=Max7LxTJEjcxW10X" target="_blank"><img alt="AI generated Class Insights coming soon to Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3387/content_class-insights-elliicon.png" /></a>

Do these features build themselves? Absolutely not. They are designed, tweaked, and implemented by a human team with people such as Decio,&nbsp;Jessica, and Nicholas, who you got to Meet &amp; Mingle with if you joined us at ElliiCon. Like Ellii&#39;s lessons, our features are reviewed and tested by humans and updated based on user&nbsp;needs. Similiary, Dr. Charles Browne described the human side of developing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66ppRWXrkF4">New General Service List</a>&nbsp;and helped teachers better understand just how many words students really need to know.&nbsp;

Our invited speaker Dr. Amin Davoodi emphasized this very point throughout his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_cwm_Hyc-8&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=12" target="_blank">session</a> while making a case for AI being a tool teachers should embrace. If you didn&#39;t get a chance to see his session&nbsp;and you are skeptical about the use of AI in English language teaching, please treat yourself! You might also be tempted to buy an <a href="https://shop.ellii.com/" target="_blank">Ellii T-shirt</a>.

Amin&#39;s main argument:&nbsp;

<blockquote>
Technology (such as&nbsp;AI) doesn&#39;t make you a better teacher or a worse teacher. It only magnifies who you are as a teacher. If you are a good teacher, it will definitely make you a better teacher. If you are a bad teacher, it will probably make you a worse teacher. Always, always pedagogy comes first. Technology is just a tool...with ChatGPT you get what you ask for.

Dr. Amin Davoodi
</blockquote>

<h2>5. Humans have meaningful conversations</h2>

Nik Peachey&#39;s demonstration of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zReNEm4s60&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=4" target="_blank">using ChatGPT for simulated role-plays</a>&nbsp;on Day 1 got teachers excited about how to start coming up with creative prompts for personalized learning. The goal, however, is not for learners to be able to have stimulating conversations with a robot! As&nbsp;Angela Tribus Ramos emphasized in the final ElliiCon session, the goal (and Ellii&#39;s mission) is for everyone to have more meaningful conversations in real life.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3386/content_Angela-7-takeaways.png" />

As we went off into breakout rooms, Angela challenged us to think about elements of humanity that we cherished. I shared my strong connection to real human voices and we talked about how&nbsp;terrifying (and exciting)&nbsp;it is that we can now clone our voices with AI.&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3385/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-18_at_3.41.15_PM.png" />

Angela&#39;s tips in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvZ_yg5bzk&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=14" target="_blank">Seven Strategies for Meaningful Conversations</a>&nbsp;were&nbsp;so empowering&nbsp;that I noticed Gustavo, an active&nbsp;attendee, utilizing some techniques at our final mixer. Gustavo made&nbsp;a graceful exit using signposting (and even followed up with a kind&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7109523789662609408/" target="_blank">LinkedIn message</a>). Likewise, ElliiCon&#39;s host, Lise, thanked Angela graciously for wrapping things up so perfectly that we barely even had to offer our own closing. My heart was full in this moment!&nbsp;

<h2>ElliiCon2023 YouTube Videos</h2>

While you can&#39;t&nbsp;get the full human experience of a conference like ElliiCon without attending live (emojis, chat comments, Q&amp;A, Table talk), you can catch up on some recorded sessions you missed. All of the sessions are now available to view in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ" target="_blank">ElliiCon2023 playlist</a> on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ElliiTeachers" target="_blank">Ellii for Teachers</a> YouTube channel. If you attended ElliiCon, we&#39;d love to hear about your own highlights and takeaways in the comments below.

See you next year at ElliiCon2024! 
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD67hbuy27k&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;index=2" target="_blank"><img alt="ElliiCon2023 Recordings" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3391/content_ScreenShot_2023-09-21_at_11.35.58_AM.png" /></a>

Reflecting on ElliiCon2023: 5 Reasons Why Humans Are Better than Machines in ELT

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