Cortney Norrris: “O kamasoma e Toki Pona! Constructed Language and practicing communicative flexibility” - This workshop aimed to teach participants Toki Pona, a constructed language invented in 2001 by Canadian linguist Sonja Lang with the goal of simplifying language as much as possible. With only 120 words – derived from English, Esperanto, Finnish, Croatian, Georgian, Dutch, Chinese – and a grammar that can be summed up in a single page, Toki Pona can theoretically be fully learned with only a few days’ practice. Novice language learner participants in this session utilized context clues, practiced flexibility, and accepted ambiguity!

Nivia Marrero: “Gotitas del Saber Podcast: Celebrating Latinx Culture and Language Learning” - The Gotitas del Saber Podcast is a dynamic weekly podcast that promotes language learning and cultural appreciation in education. What makes this initiative unique is its ability to seamlessly integrate Spanish vocabulary while inviting students and the entire school community to join in the celebration of Latinx communities. Nivia showcased carefully selected podcast episodes that exemplify engaging content. She also shared her approach to content creation, emphasizing how she crafts an educational experience that resonates with the audience. Most importantly, she shared the profound impact that Gotitas del Saber has had on the school community, offering practical insights for fellow educators, administrators, and content creators who are interested in harnessing the power of podcasting for cultural enrichment and language learning.

Lori Langer de Ramirez: “A Sympathy Protest: Simulations and Role Play as a Vehicle for Language, Culture and Content in the Language Classroom” - Simulations and role-plays can be used to great effect in the World Language classroom. Students can take on the roles of characters in a historical event, a work of literature, or any story and, by taking on new identities, they can delve more deeply into diverse cultural perspectives. Accompanied by real-world tasks and critical thinking activities, simulations can be engaging, pedagogically sound, and fun! In this session, participants explored several classroom simulations and resources for designing and developing a simulation or role-play in their own classes.