BC TEAL 2026 Annual Conference

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC), as well as most provincially funded programs, are rooted in the CLB. As AI tools become more accessible and relevant, they are increasingly shaping teaching and learning practices in these programs, particularly at a time of sector restructuring. Educators are therefore faced with urgent questions of alignment and pedagogical appropriateness of these tools. This convergence raises critical questions about how AI use interacts with the CLB and what we are learning from early adoption of this technology.      
 
This fireside chat brings together knowledge experts and practitioners in CLB, second language acquisition, and generative AI to discuss AI applications for the CLB, including benefits and limitations. Participants will learn about the different ways AI is currently being used with the CLB as well as about potential future applications. 
 
The objectives of the sessions are to:
(1) examine how AI is being used in CLB-based instructional and assessment contexts;
(2) critically explore benefits, risks, and limitations of AI for language instruction and assessment;
(3) support educators in making informed, pedagogically sound choices about AI integration rooted in the CLB.
 
Rather than individual presentations, the moderator will engage the 3-person panel in a 35-minute focused discussion, eliciting responses, reactions, and thoughtful interactions in a natural, yet structured exchange. There will be 10 minutes for questions from the audience at the end. 
 
Among the topics discussed will be principled uses of AI in CLB-aligned content generation, such as creating realia for real-word tasks, classroom materials, and lesson plans; how it can be used for automated scoring and qualitative feedback in evaluation for different skills; how AI tools can ease teacher workload and help them navigate resources and documents; and how AI can develop both teacher and learner’s skills in using AI. 

Given the increasing attention to and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, investigating its ethical use is timely. AI safety concerns are not limited to deep fakes. They also include the ethical application of AI in classrooms such as bias, fairness, transparency, and academic integrity. The studies which have investigated using AI in education tend to lack ethical recommendations for educators. To address this gap, this study, informed by the Seoul Declaration for safe, innovative, and inclusive AI, will aim to review the application of AI in education and offer recommendations for educators to ethically employ it. First, the historical background of AI and the current landscape of AI in K-12 and higher education in international contexts will be explained. Then, the application of AI in Education will be reviewed, and ethical concerns will be examined. Finally, best practices for K-12 and post-secondary educators to implement AI in class will be offered.

In their use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), EAL educators can both reinforce and challenge dominant language ideologies, reflected in how large language models tend to privilege standardized practices in English, Indigenous, and other named languages (Stap & Araabi, 2023; Lau, 2024). This presentation explores how developing and enacting a translanguaging stance—a belief system for leveraging learners’ full linguistic repertoires holistically (García et al., 2017)—can support the critical use of GenAI in EAL instruction, especially when the educator and their students do not share a similar linguistic and cultural background.
Drawing on his Design-Based Research (DBR) project, the presenter demonstrates how ChatGPT was used in translanguaging-informed ways to make instructional materials more linguistically and culturally responsive for teaching Japanese exchange students in a sociolinguistics course. This work involved the deliberate integration of: (1) translanguaging theory grounded in antiracist, decolonial, and poststructuralist perspectives (Li, 2018); (2) emerging knowledge of Japanese language and sociocultural norms; (3) complementary digital tools such as DeepL to support proofreading and cross-checking translingual outputs where appropriate; and (4) the linguistic and cultural expertise of students and colleagues, including a teaching assistant proficient in Japanese.
Through short practice-based vignettes, the presentation illustrates how such critical GenAI use strategies can potentially help identify, negotiate, and disrupt deficit-oriented language ideologies embedded in GenAI-generated output. The findings highlight both the pedagogical possibilities and ideological tensions of GenAI use, and offer practical implications for EAL educators seeking to design or revise teaching materials through a translanguaging-informed, socially just lens in Canada and beyond.

When carrying out written assignments, university and college students are on safe ground with journal articles. These have been peer-reviewed and are generally trustworthy. However, much of the information they uncover in the course of their research will be less reliable. This session addresses the other information students might come across, namely websites and non-academic articles. Attention is also given to visual input, specifically photographs.
The session provides guidance on how to approach this material critically and thereby develop media literacy. Specifically, delegates will be shown the kinds of questions they can encourage their students to ask about non-academic materials. A systematic approach to these materials will equip students to evaluate this input effectively, and to determine whether or not it can be used as a source for written tasks in academic courses.
There are over 1.5 billion websites in the world, and while some are reliable, many are not. The CRAAP test (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose) enables consumers of web material to approach it critically and determine its usefulness. Non-academic articles, such as magazine stories and personal blogs, often rely on anecdotes to make a point. It is helpful to examine the use of language in these stories and to consider how language may be used to manipulate the reader’s thoughts. Questions about photographs will explore how an image might be used to evoke a specific reaction. 
In all cases, examples will be provided, and suggestions for class activities will be shared. Delegates should come away from this session with ideas for activities they can adapt for their own classes to encourage critical thinking and media literacy, and to help their EAP students to become better consumers of the information they may encounter. Examples are from the second edition of Critical Reading (TC Media ELT, 2026).  

This workshop presents an innovative English Language Support program designed for internationally trained skilled-trade professionals seeking Canadian certification or prior learning recognition. Operating at the intersection of English language development, occupational context, and assessment literacy, the program demonstrates how deeply contextualized instruction can lead to rapid and lifechanging outcomes.

Participants will examine an Integrated Dual-Expert Model that pairs a certified EAL instructor with a Red Seal Certified trades instructor. The session illustrates how language decoding, trade-specific content, and exam deconstruction are intentionally aligned to support learners navigating high-stakes certification examinations. Attendees will analyze how this model accelerates English development while improving test performance and workplace confidence.
 
The program is grounded in four learning theories: English for Specific Purposes, Situated Learning Theory, the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model, and Scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development. Language instruction occurs exclusively within authentic trade tasks, while exam literacy is explicitly taught through deconstruction of mock certification exam questions and assessment structures. Learning is scaffolded using Moodle-based trade-specific courses, one-to-one coaching, as well as some small-cohort instruction.
 
Participants will leave inspired by success stories and a practical instructional framework for integrating language, occupational expertise, and exam preparation. They will gain strategies for designing authentic EAL tasks, supporting learners who are facing high-stakes testing environments, and collaborating effectively with subject-matter experts. The session offers a replicable model for EAL programs seeking relevance and measurable impact in a changing workforce.

This is a fun, active, and participatory workshop that requires an open space large enough for approximately 20 participants to stand in a circle. Attendees are invited to join and/or observe the modeling of several group improvisation games designed to create memorable opportunities for students to practice speaking in the language classroom.


Two types of improv games will be explored. First, large-circle rhythm and repetition games will be introduced. These are used to reinforce useful speaking patterns and high-frequency phrases (e.g., go to the store, on the weekend, need to + verb). Second, participants will experience contextual “on-stage” speaking games in which students practice spontaneous communication within familiar roles and relationships (for example: parent and child, teacher and student, employer and employee, or classmates). In these games, some students speak, and other students enjoy the short show. Then a new group of students is rotated in.


These activities, adapted specifically for English language learners and classroom use, are drawn from the practices of professional improvisers and improv training environments. The games have been tested successfully over three years with learners at all proficiency levels (A2–C2) at the University of Victoria’s English Language Centre.


A brief overview, practical guidance, and take-home handouts will be provided. The objective of the workshop is both to model accessible improv-based speaking activities and to inspire participants to incorporate these flexible, low-prep games into their own English language teaching contexts. Participants will leave with a set of adaptable, low-prep improv speaking games ready for immediate classroom use. The games can be easily adjusted to align with a wide range of course content and communicative goals.

We can conceptualize language in different ways, and these conceptualizations shape how languages are taught, learned, and valued in society. For example, Ruíz (1984) proposed a framework of language as problem, right, and resource. He wanted us to reflect on “what is thinkable about language in society” so we can imagine new possibilities (p. 16). Among these orientations, the language-as-resource orientation has been widely embraced as a progressive counter to deficit perspectives (Hult & Hornberger, 2016). However, in contemporary conditions of neoliberal globalization, language-as-resource has increasingly been mobilized within market logics that treat language as a form of capital or commodity. The global expansion of English language teaching and high-stakes proficiency testing illustrates how language abilities are packaged, marketed, and consumed (Cameron, 2012).
This presentation argues that, while language-as-resource has opened important possibilities, it is insufficient for resisting the commodification of languages. I therefore propose a complementary fourth orientation: language-as-gift. Drawing on Robin Kimmerer’s (2013) work on gift economy, I conceptualize language as a relational offering sustained by gratitude, reciprocity, and responsibility. From this perspective, language practices are not merely transactions for individual gain but contributions to shared meaning-making and community wellbeing.
I ground this theorization in examples from my recent study of argumentative writing in English for academic purposes. Analysis of interview data and student writing samples suggests that the genre of argumentative writing can position language as a personal resource for displaying competence and winning arguments. In contrast, a language-as-gift orientation reframes argumentation as dialogue oriented toward understanding, relationship-building, and the co-construction of knowledge. The presentation concludes with pedagogical implications for EAL educators, including ways to design tasks, assessment, and feedback practices that foreground reciprocity, ethical communication, and relationality in a rapidly changing world. Attendees will leave with practical strategies and reflective questions for their own teaching contexts.

The objectives of this session are to support educators in applying trauma-informed practices as collective, justice-oriented classroom strategies. By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify trauma-informed responses to common classroom challenges such as silence, disengagement, emotional regulation, and conflict, and apply concrete strategies that foster safety, belonging, and student agency across different language classroom contexts. Participants will also design level appropriate student inquiry or action activity that positions community care as a form of resistance and aligns with principles of equity and human rights.
This session is grounded in trauma-informed educational frameworks that emphasize safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and skill building (Harris & Fallot, 2001; Minahan, 2019). Trauma is understood as shaped by both individual experience and structural conditions, with significant impacts on attention, memory, emotional regulation, and learning (SAMHSA, 2014; Perry, 2006). Drawing on research in trauma-informed education and language learning, the session adopts a critical orientation that resists deficit perspectives and reframes trauma-informed practice as ethical, relational, and collective pedagogical work rather than therapeutic intervention (Carello & Butler, 2014; Boylan, 2021). Classroom strategies emphasize multimodal learning, predictability, and non-disclosure-based participation to avoid retraumatization while supporting engagement and agency
This highly interactive session engages participants in hands-on trauma-informed activities used in real classrooms, including short regulation and grounding practices, selective attention listening tasks, and multimodal expression activities. Participants analyze real classroom scenarios, practice trauma-informed teacher language, and collaboratively redesign a familiar lesson to include choice, flexibility, and community-building structures. The session concludes with participants co-creating a simple, developmentally appropriate student inquiry or action project connected to equity and justice.
Participants will leave with practical classroom activities, adaptable lesson structures, sample trauma-informed language, and a clear framework for supporting student engagement and collective action without requiring personal disclosure.
References:
Boylan, M. (2021). Trauma informed practices in education and social justice: towards a critical orientation. International Journal of School Social Work, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.4148/2161-4148.1071
Carello, J., & Butler, L. D. (2014). Potentially Perilous Pedagogies: Teaching Trauma Is Not the Same as Trauma-Informed Teaching. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 15(2), 153–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2014.867571
Harris, M., & Fallot, R. D. (2001). Envisioning a trauma-informed service system: A vital paradigm shift. New Directions for Mental Health Services, 2001(89), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.23320018903


Minahan, J. (2019). Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies. Educational Leadership, 77

We've all heard countless talks about using AI to create academic material. This session instead explores practical ways language educators can adapt existing paper-based materials using AI tools. By digitizing and adapting familiar worksheets, teachers can create level-appropriate, interactive versions that better meet students’ diverse needs without starting from scratch.


We’ll walk through examples of how large language models can simplify, extend, or differentiate worksheet content, and discuss what this means for curriculum design, accessibility, and teacher autonomy. 


In this session, I will demonstrate how teachers can use AI to:

• Scan or upload an existing worksheet
• Deconstruct the worksheet into its functional components
• Render the content into an editable format
• Revise and differentiate the worksheet through a combination of prompting and manual editing

The emphasis is on adapting existing materials rather than generating new ones from scratch, with workflows that teachers can implement independently.

Generative AI (GenAI) tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT are becoming increasingly capable of offering detailed, pedagogically useful feedback on student writing, particularly in areas such as grammar, diction, clarity, organization, and academic style (Alnemrat et al., 2025; Gjorevski et al., 2025; Hyland, 2025; Ofgan, 2024; Yin, 2025). This Ed Tech Jam session demonstrates how Copilot can serve as a practical support tool for teachers working with EAL learners in EAP contexts. 
During the session, the presenters will use a sample student essay and showcase Copilot’s capabilities by prompting the AI tool to: 1) Distinguish whether the student text appears human‑ or AI‑generated. 2) Apply two rubrics, one teacher‑provided and one AI‑generated, to assess the sample student essay and justify the scoring. 3) Provide targeted feedback on grammar, diction, and clarity. 4) Comment on content development and organizational effectiveness. 5) Check APA citations and reference formatting. 
The presenters will also discuss pedagogical strategies for integrating Copilot into feedback workflows, including using AI for formative feedback, preliminary assessment, or initial comments that are reviewed and refined by the teacher in a complementary hybrid fashion.
Participants will have hands‑on opportunities to try Copilot for the five tasks above and explore additional prompts of their choosing. They will also share questions and insights related to AI feedback reliability and responsible classroom integration.
This hybrid human‑AI approach especially supports large‑class essay marking, accelerates formative feedback, and assists less‑experienced teachers. Participants will leave with a set of adaptable prompts and a clearer understanding of Copilot’s strengths, limitations, and potential for enhancing feedback practices in EAP writing classes. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As generative AI (GenAI) tools become commonplace in higher education, many instructional responses continue to focus on restriction, detection, or punitive approaches to academic integrity. This practice-based presentation offers an alternative: a postplagiarism-informed teaching strategy that makes GenAI use visible, intentional, and ethically grounded within a creative problem-solving task. Postplagiarism emphasizes that while learners may outsource aspects of their work to GenAI tools, human responsibility and accountability for the final output remain central (Eaton, 2023). Drawing on classroom practice in undergraduate management education, this session introduces a short, structured activity in which students are explicitly encouraged to use GenAI tools while documenting and reflecting on both human and GenAI contributions across stages of creative problem solving, including problem framing, idea generation, solution development, and evaluation. By designing the activity to surface rather than conceal GenAI use, students engage in ethical decision-making, develop judgment about when and how GenAI is appropriate, and take ownership of their learning. For instructors, this approach supports academic integrity without reliance on surveillance technologies, while fostering trust, transparency, and student engagement. We will briefly outline the postplagiarism framework, describe the classroom activity, and share key instructional insights gained from its implementation. Although situated in management education, the approach is adaptable across disciplines and learning contexts. 

This research session presents findings from a systematic review examining factors associated with postsecondary international students’ academic success beyond language proficiency, with a particular focus on implications for building effective support systems for EAL learners in postsecondary contexts. The study responds to growing evidence that language proficiency scores alone are insufficient indicators of students’ ability to succeed academically and socially in English-medium institutions.
The review addressed the research question: What factors, beyond language proficiency test scores, are associated with international students’ academic success in postsecondary education? Using established systematic review procedures, the authors conducted a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2023. Studies were included if they examined predictors of academic outcomes (e.g., GPA, program completion) among international students. Following screening and eligibility checks, 54 empirical studies were retained. Data were extracted on study design, participant characteristics, outcome measures, and identified success factors, and findings were synthesized thematically.
Results show that while language proficiency is a meaningful contributor to academic performance, success is shaped by a broader constellation of factors. These include prior educational experiences, self-regulation and study strategies, social and academic integration, sense of belonging, and access to institutional support structures. Across studies, students’ ability to navigate academic expectations and engage with support networks emerged as critical mediators of success, often interacting with language proficiency.
The session will discuss how these findings can inform the design of responsive support systems for EAL students. Implications include the need for coordinated academic, linguistic, and psychosocial support; clearer pathways connecting language development with disciplinary study; and institutional practices that view language assessment data as one input among many. At a policy level, the findings support more holistic approaches to admissions, placement, and student support as well as the importance of EAP programs for scaffolding international student success.

This session examines the emergence of credit‑bearing EAP courses in BC, tracing their roots in the EAP‑for‑Credit movement and exploring the challenges and implications of crossing the developmental divide. It highlights new possibilities for multilingual students and the potential for the future positioning of EAP in the changing post‑secondary world.

Avenue transitioned to Moodle 4.5. As a result, instructors and administrators have access to a cleaner interface, improved navigation and new tools designed to support more efficient course design and delivery. This practical demonstration focuses on tips and tricks that help educators quickly adapt to Moodle 4.5 while making the most of Avenue’s teaching and learning environment.


Session participants will explore key interface changes, smarter ways to organize courses, content and efficiencies that will improve the Avenue learning experience for both instructors and learners. The session also includes navigation shortcuts, activity setup efficiencies and accessibility enhancing design choices. These can make Avenue courses easier to manage for educators and more intuitive for students.


Designed for educators with varying levels of Moodle experience, this session emphasizes what’s new, what’s different and what’s useful right now. Participants will leave with practical knowledge and strategies they can immediately apply in their Avenue courses to enhance usability, learner engagement and instructional efficiency.

This research report examines how intensive English as a foreign language (EFL) learning may relate to student burnout and learning quality in undergraduate programs in a non-Anglophone context. The session aligns with the BC TEAL 2026 theme, “Rooted and Relevant,” by offering context-sensitive, practical options that EAL educators can adapt to local constraints.
Two lenses guide the study. Cognitive load theory suggests that high task demands, rapid pacing, and limited automatized vocabulary may overload working memory and weaken learning quality (Sweller, 2011). Burnout theory frames exhaustion, cynicism, disengagement, and academic efficacy as connected indicators of student well-being and academic functioning (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).
The study uses a mixed-methods design. Survey data (n = 213) were analyzed using a validated 17-item burnout scale that measures exhaustion, cynicism, disengagement, and academic efficacy. Open-ended responses were coded using a structured approach aligned with these dimensions. Results suggest high exhaustion and elevated disengagement. Exhaustion shows strong positive links with cynicism and disengagement. Academic efficacy shows negative links with the other burnout dimensions. Qualitative findings suggest three mechanisms that may intensify burnout in intensive EFL settings: linguistic overload during dense reading, writing, and assessment cycles; translation-driven and test-driven routines that may limit deep processing; and identity threat when capable students underperform and lose confidence in using English for academic work.
The session presents key findings and then translates them into feasible actions. These include entry diagnostics with targeted support, glossed and leveled materials, explicit teaching of academic vocabulary and discourse moves, assessment designs that reduce construct-irrelevant language load, and brief well-being check-ins to support timely referral when needed. Participants leave with ideas that can be implemented in courses, tutoring units, and program planning.

Ethical and Inclusive AI-Infused Business Communication Micro-Credential
Golsa Saadi

The presenter showcases a micro-credential demonstrating ethical, inclusive integration of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) in workplace communication. Infographics and workflows illustrate how Universal Design for Learning and privacy principles underpin the program. Attendees discover strategies to harness AI tools for professional communication with integrity.
This poster presents the design and outcomes of an AI-infused business communication micro-credential focused on the ethical, inclusive use of generative AI in workplace communication. The short non-credit course teaches learners to integrate AI (e.g., ChatGPT) into professional communication tasks in an ethical, accessible manner. Aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, it incorporates multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression (CAST, 2018) to support diverse learners.
The curriculum addresses concerns such as bias, privacy, and authenticity by fostering AI literacy and ethical awareness (Almufarreh et al., 2025). Participants practice real workplace tasks (e.g., emails, reports, presentations) with AI “in the loop” and reflect on the process, rather than using AI uncritically. This approach builds communication skills while instilling critical evaluation of AI outputs, ensuring learners leverage AI responsibly.
Poster Features: The poster includes an infographic of key AI ethics guidelines (fairness, transparency, privacy) and a chart of the micro-credential’s module structure (from AI basics and limitations to applied projects). Sample workflow diagrams illustrate course activities – for instance, a guided email writing task with ChatGPT under set guidelines, followed by human revision and fact-checking. These visuals demonstrate how UDL and accessibility are embedded in each task to ensure inclusion and alignment with professional standards.
Engagement: Attendees gain insight into designing UDL-aligned, AI-enhanced learning experiences that uphold academic and workplace integrity. The micro-credential model offers a flexible approach to upskilling, opening doors for diverse learners (Galindo et al., 2024). For interactivity, the poster poses questions inviting viewers to spot biases in an AI-generated sample and prompts discussion on strategies for integrating AI into language education ethically and effectively. Viewers will leave with practical ideas to implement similar innovations in their own teaching or training contexts.


GenAI FASTER conversations
John Allen, Jen Arten

The GenAI FASTER conversations was a series of six webinar conversations intended to provide LINC and ESL teaching professionals a means to consider and potentially contribute their experiences, questions and thoughts on emerging generative AI technologies in their work spaces.  This undertaking was inspired as we identified gaps of GenAI discussion opportunities for some instructors in our sector. The GenAI webinar sharing sessions offered Canadian instructors and administrators in our sector an opportunity to get together and share. These webinar discussions will be hosted on the Tutela.ca network in the first four months of 2026.  This poster will provide key issues revealed during these sessions and links to the workshop materials to offer the potential for others to replicate these event in their own centres or professional learning events.

In this panel discussion, various EAP assessments will be introduced and described in detail. 
Photovoice is a practice of image-making and storytelling inviting presence in EAP classrooms, where international students often navigate displacement, transition, and cultural dissonance. The photovoice illustrates how image-making opens space for self-connection, sense of place, and reflective meaning within cross-cultural journeys. The aesthetic assessment enables educators to see students more fully, attune to what matters to them, and respond with care while supporting both learning outcomes and students’ emerging identities.
The reading and vocabulary course engages students with readers for extensive reading and internet/book articles for analysing.  While reading projects allow students to choose a book and share meaningful moments, reading portfolios consist of differentiated articles offering both choice and level. Multimodal Assessments include video, drawing, ppt, reflection journal, concept map, and digital poster. 
The writing and grammar course uses a scaffolded assessment design to support multilingual students’ academic writing development. Assessments such as reflective journal writing promote language awareness, fluency, and metacognitive engagement. Genre-based writing portfolios require students to apply academic conventions across disciplines and contexts. Assessment criteria is positioned as both a learning tool and a bridge between students’ lived experiences and university-level academic discourse.
Students complete a cumulative capstone project in the form of a poster that brings together learning from all sections of the EAP course. Students choose one learning outcome from each of the sections of the EAP course and explain how each outcome connects to their future academic growth and personal lives. The capstone emphasizes reflection and synthesis with students often incorporating visuals, drawings, symbols, and personal narratives into their posters. Criteria covers major aspects of the EAP course.
Participants will leave with a toolkit of EAP assessments of language skills to use in their classrooms.

In this session, participants will be provided with a summary of Let’s Talk About GenAI, FASTER conversations.  These were a series of webinars, hosted on tutela.ca, that provided the opportunity for adult language and settlement instructors across Canada to explore implications of generative GenAI tools through the lens of the Government of Canada’s ethical framework FASTER Principles. These involve considering Fair, Accountable, Secure, Transparent, Educated and Relevant principle., Each webinar session offered a safe and shared space to move beyond hype-driven fears toward thoughtful, practical understanding of how GenAI intersects with everyday instructional duties.
Each FASTER workshop began with a short overview of the FASTER Principles and what each concept means in the context of language instruction. A relevant GenAI technical issue was clarified to enrich each conversation. These included how hallucinations happen, GenAI creates content, security can be enhanced with good practices. Participants then engaged in guided small group conversations, where they shared their current experiences, questions and concerns about using GenAI tools in lesson planning, assessment and materials creation. Through peer discussion exchanges, teachers considered issues including security, bias, accountability, safety, ethics and more. 
The focus of the workshops was to build a shared understanding of the responsibilities of educators including ethical, pedagogical and professional considerations.  The facilitators of this session will share reflections and FASTER resources for the participants consideration with the possibility of the materials being repurposed and facilitated in Canadian LINC and ESL centres.   

Plagiarism has become a serious concern globally, especially with the rise of GenAI tools enabling AI-generated plagiarism, called AIgiarism (Tang, 2024). Indeed, plagiarism has been redefined as presenting the words or ideas of another person, or those generated by artificial intelligence, without reference to the source, for an advantage in an evaluation context (Peters, 2023). L2 students often resort to GenAI tools to compensate for their underdeveloped language proficiency. While universities have developed academic integrity guidelines, instructors seek practical strategies to prevent, not just respond to, plagiarism (Liu, 2025). Yet, research on preventing plagiarism remains limited (Eaton, 2020; Gustilo et al., 2024; Scurr, 2025; Sopcak & Hood, 2022). Thus, this presentation reports on an original study exploring university instructors' strategies to prevent student plagiarism.
To pool the wisdom of university instructors on their perceptions of plagiarism prevention, the study draws on individual semi-structured qualitative interviews with 59 instructors in North America and Europe, collected through an international research partnership in 2023-2024 and analyzed using NVivo 15. By employing a grounded theory approach to gain a data-driven perspective (Corbin & Strauss, 2008), the researchers adopted an inductive method to select relevant excerpts, code them into themes, and categorize the themes into structured groups. Based on the analysis, the report shares 30 selected plagiarism prevention strategies aligned with different stages of the student writing process. Examples include positive instruction first, “deplagiarization” demonstrations, multi-layered assignments, progress checks via Google Docs, interactive conferences, and “share chat” links. Session participants leave with actionable takeaways. 

This CCLB Professional Learning Session supports LINC instructors to use AI ethically, confidently, and effectively in PBLA‑aligned classrooms. Grounded in current Canadian guidance on the responsible use of generative AI, the session highlights key considerations such as privacy, transparency, and accountability when using AI tools with learners. Through discussion and problem‑solving activities, instructors will examine common challenges such as bias, over‑reliance on AI, and use of professional judgement to name a few, and leave with concrete strategies and questions to guide ethical decision‑making in their own LINC classrooms.


Learning outcomes:  
 
▪ Learn about the Canadian government standards for the use of AI  
▪ Explore appropriate uses of AI in a PBLA-aligned language learning class 
 ▪ Practice identifying problems and solutions with using AI in LINC 

This workshop focuses on learning strategies in EAL contexts and explores why they are often overlooked or assumed rather than explicitly taught. While research consistently shows that learning strategies play a key role in learner autonomy and academic success, many EAL learners are expected to “figure them out” on their own while also managing new language, academic expectations, and unfamiliar learning environments.
The session begins with a brief overview of learning strategies, including cognitive, metacognitive, and affective strategies, and how they relate to self-regulated learning. This framework is then connected to everyday EAL teaching practices in listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Rather than treating strategies as an extra component, the workshop demonstrates how they can be naturally integrated into skills-based lessons before, during, and after classroom tasks.
Participants will take part in short interactive activities that encourage reflection on their own teaching practices, particularly moments where expectations around planning, monitoring, or evaluating learning may be implicit. Practical classroom examples and adaptable activities will be shared to show how strategy instruction can be made more explicit, accessible, and supportive for diverse EAL learners.
By the end of the session, participants will have a clearer understanding of why learning strategies are frequently neglected in EAL instruction, along with concrete ideas for embedding strategy instruction into their lessons. The goal is for participants to leave with practical, realistic approaches that support learner independence and help students become more confident and effective language learners in a changing educational landscape.

This study examines how emotional and material entanglements shape the identities of six immigrant women teachers living across Canada. Drawing on qualitative interviews and visual narratives and analyzed through a material-discursive framework (Barad, 2007; Deleuze & Guattari, 1978/2020), the research explores how objects—such as jewelry, coins, and handwritten notes—act as emotional anchors that mediate belonging, literacy practices, and professional identity. Through these affective-material encounters, participants narrate how their emotional connections to objects sustain their resilience, foster multilingual literacy practices, and bridge transnational ties between home and host countries. The findings reveal that literacy development among immigrant educators extends beyond textual practices to include embodied, affective, and material dimensions of meaning-making. By highlighting the agency of emotions and objects in shaping self-perception and pedagogical engagement, this research contributes to new materialist perspectives in applied linguistics and immigrant teacher education. It advances understandings of literacy as a relational practice embedded in emotional and material life, challenging skills-based paradigms and offering implications for inclusive literacy policies and practices that honour teachers’ transnational experiences.

The presenter showcases an experiential, TESOL Canada–accredited micro-credential for Business English course design. Participants discover how real workplace tasks and AI trends inform curriculum development through Kolb’s experiential cycle and UDL principles. Attendees leave with interactive strategies to align Business English teaching with current workplace communication demands.
This practice-oriented workshop introduces the Teaching Business English Certificate (TBEC), an experiential micro-credential program that equips English instructors to design business English courses aligned with authentic workplace communication tasks and emerging AI influences. Grounded in Kolb’s experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984) and Universal Design for Learning, TBEC emphasizes learning by doing. Instructors engage in the full cycle of concrete experience, reflection, conceptualization, and experimentation, ensuring that classroom activities mirror real job tasks like business emails, presentations, and meetings. By aligning training with labour-market needs, the program ensures relevant, job-ready skills; unlike traditional degrees, micro-credentials focus on specific, industry-demanded competencies that translate directly to improved workplace performance (Zukowski, 2025).
The workshop clearly models TBEC’s approach. The presenter guides participants through adapting a workplace scenario into a lesson plan: attendees experience a sample business communication task and collaboratively reflect on the language and soft skills involved. Using UDL principles, the session demonstrates how to design inclusive course materials that are “accessible, inclusive and challenging for every learner” (CAST, 2024). For example, participants see how multiple means of engagement and expression can support diverse learners in a business-English context. The session also addresses current AI trends in workplace communication (e.g. AI writing assistants) and discusses how these can be incorporated ethically into course design, so instructors stay ahead of technological shifts. Throughout the workshop, interactivity and reflection are emphasized: participants brainstorm course ideas, evaluate alignment with learning outcomes, and exchange feedback.
By the end, attendees will have gained a framework and practical techniques for designing Business English curriculum that is experiential, inclusive, and tightly connected to the evolving communication needs of today’s workplaces.
 
References 
CAST. (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines 3.0. CAST.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Zukowski, S. (2025, April 3). Microcredentials: Empowering modern learners & employers. The EvoLLLution.

This session presents a strength‑based approach to fostering flourishing in adult ESL classrooms. It draws on theoretical insights and related scholarship on personality‑driven motivation and interpersonal strengths (Maccoby, 2018; Porter, 1976; Scudder, 2021) combined with insights from Cultural Intelligence scholarship (Livermore, 2024), to help educators understand how differing motivational tendencies, in both learners and teachers, can come to bear on classroom interaction, engagement, and the experience of safety.
The objectives of the session are to: (1) increase educators’ awareness of the diverse personality‑based strengths adult ESL learners bring; (2) explore how a teacher’s own motivational patterns and preferred strengths influence classroom dynamics, expectations, and interpretations of learner behaviour; (3) demonstrate how instructional choices can create flourishing conditions across personality types; and (4) equip participants with strategies for recognizing and responding when normal, healthy strengths may unintentionally trigger discomfort or conflict in others.
A brief theoretical synopsis highlights how individuals tend to act from core motivational patterns, including tendencies to be people‑focused, task‑focused, process‑focused, or flexibility‑focused, and how these tendencies come to bear on communication preferences, decision-making, and stress responses. In adult ESL classrooms, this awareness supports asset‑oriented pedagogy by reducing misinterpretation, enhancing relational understanding, and strengthening psychological safety to support flourishing of both learners and teachers.
Workshop activities include analyzing classroom vignettes to identify motivational value patterns and strengths being expressed, and role‑playing teacher responses that promote well-being or de‑escalate emerging tension. Participants will reflect not only on learner strengths, but also on their own natural tendencies, exploring how their “default strengths” influence pacing, feedback style, tolerance for ambiguity, and conflict response. This offers an opportunity to view their own role in the interactional system of the classroom from a strengths-informed perspective and to recognize opportunities for intentional pedagogical choices aligned with a strengths-informed perspective of learner needs.