CASLT Event 
Description
CASLT’s Virtual PL Days provide a platform for teachers to connect with colleagues, engage in interactive professional learning opportunities, and share best practices. Our experienced team of professional learning facilitators will explore research-informed teaching approaches and strategies to inspire, motivate, and challenge teachers to improve their practice. The sessions will be recorded and participants will also leave each workshop with a ready-to-use teacher tool.
Registration Options
Multiple registration options are available to accommodate scheduling and budgetary constraints:
| Option | Member Price | Non-Member Price* |
| Full day (10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET) | $90 + tax | $120 + tax |
| Half day AM (10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET) | $50 + tax | $80 + tax |
| Half day PM (12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET) | $50 + tax | $80 + tax |
*Includes a one-year CASLT membership.
Schedule
Each Virtual PL Day will include two streams (one in English and one in French) of four 60-minute workshops. Full day registration includes access to all four workshop blocks, and half day registration (either AM or PM) includes access to two workshop blocks.
| Start Time* | End Time* | Description | |
| 10:00 a.m. | 10:15 a.m. | Welcome and Introduction (Full day or Half day AM registrants) | |
| 10:15 a.m. | 11:15 a.m. | Sparking Joy in the Language Classroom: Boosting Student Engagement, Motivation, and Learning
Presenter: Jessica Irvine Language: English |
Less Stress, More Impact: Anti-Stress and Anti-Burnout Strategies for Language Teachers
Presenter: Michel Boiron Language: French |
| 11:15 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:30 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. | Tomorrow’s Tools Today: Using AI in the Additional Language Classroom
Presenter: Stephanie Jackson Language: English |
From Curriculum to the Heart: Adapting FSL Planning and Teaching for Every Learner
Presenter: Karen Devonish-Mazzotta Language: French |
| 12:30 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | Break (Full day registrants) | |
| 12:45 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | Welcome and Introduction (Half day PM registrants) | |
| 1:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | Wrangling the Wiggles: Classroom Management for K–12 Language Learning
Presenter: Stephanie Jackson Language: English |
Inuit Culturally Relevant Books: From Design to Classroom Practices
Presenter: Lise Deschênes Language: French |
| 2:00 p.m. | 2:15 p.m. | Break | |
| 2:15 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. | Reading is For All: Using a Structured Literacy Approach in the Language Classroom
Presenter: Kim Lockhart Language: English |
Crack the Code: AI and Escape Rooms in the Language Classroom
Presenters: Nairy Kazandjian and Marc-Albert Paquette Language: French |
* Eastern Standard Time
Session Descriptions
English Sessions
Sparking Joy in the Language Classroom: Boosting Student Engagement, Motivation, and Learning
Jessica Irvine
Keeping students engaged and motivated in additional language programs can be challenging, particularly when they struggle to see the relevance to their own lives. This interactive workshop will share tried‑and‑true strategies and resources that help learners make personal connections to the target language, build cultural awareness, and develop essential communication skills. Participants will discover routines, resources, and strategies that foster literacy development, intercultural connections, and confidence. Examples will be drawn from elementary Core French (Grades 1–8) but can be readily adapted to other languages, contexts, and learner levels.
Tomorrow’s Tools Today: Using AI in the Additional Language Classroom
Stephanie Jackson
Curious about how AI can help you save time and spark creativity in your language classroom? This hands-on workshop will explore practical ways teachers can use AI for lesson planning, creating resources, and supporting instruction, all while keeping the human touch front and centre. Participants will discover free AI tools that can generate lesson plans, sample texts, and visuals in the target language. Learn how to create attractive slideshows and resources in minutes, or how to provide customized feedback to students. Participants will also explore strategies for guiding students in the ethical use of AI, from checking their writing to practicing tricky grammar. Walk away with ready-to-use ideas, classroom-tested strategies, and at least one AI-assisted resource to bring straight to your next lesson.
Wrangling the Wiggles: Classroom Management for K–12 Language Learning
Stephanie Jackson
Teaching an additional language can sometimes feel a bit like herding kittens — lots of energy, many directions, and endless curiosity! This session will share practical classroom management strategies to harness students’ energy and keep them engaged while supporting language learning at every K-12 level. Together we’ll explore easy-to-implement routines to save time, build confidence, and create a positive environment for risk-taking in the target language. Participants will receive a ready-to-use toolkit of routines and strategies for smooth transitions, focused group work, and joyful participation. Come ready to share, laugh, and leave inspired with routines and strategies you can try out the very next day — no kitten-wrangling experience required!
Reading is For All: Using a Structured Literacy Approach in the Language Classroom
Kim Lockhart
Unlock the secrets behind how students learn to read with the latest insights from the Science of Reading. This interactive workshop introduces the principles of structured literacy, an explicit, systematic approach proven to build strong reading and writing skills. Participants will explore evidence-based strategies to understand the what, why, and how of structured literacy in the language classroom. Discover practical strategies for strengthening oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, listening, reading comprehension, printing, and spelling. Examples presented will be drawn from an elementary FSL context, but the techniques can be adapted to other languages and levels. Participants will leave ready to inspire confidence and ignite a lifelong love of reading in every student!
French Sessions
Less Stress, More Impact: Anti-Stress and Anti-Burnout Strategies for Language Teachers
Michel Boiron
Recharge, inspire, and empower yourself to support both your students’ success and your own balance. Teaching is exciting, but it can also sometimes become stressful and exhausting. This interactive workshop focuses on language teachers as people involved in a professional life. It will help you pause to think about professional and personal well-being as well as explore practical tips and simple strategies for avoiding stress and burnout. Participants will also leave with a selection of activities that are ready for use in the intermediate French as a second language classroom, but that can easily be adapted to other languages or learning levels.
From Curriculum to the Heart: Adapting FSL Planning and Teaching for Every Learner
Karen Devonish-Mazzotta
Dive into an interactive exploration where the curriculum becomes a true springboard to authentic, personalized learning experiences. Participants will learn concrete strategies for getting to know their students beyond grades, taking into account their interests, challenges, and cultural and linguistic strengths. This interactive workshop will present strategies for designing lessons that celebrate the diversity of pathways and make every student an actor in their success. You’ll leave with planning tools and practical examples to make the curriculum a bridge to success for each learner, regardless of their starting point.
Inuit Culturally Relevant Books: From Design to Classroom Practices
Lise Deschênes
Learning French in Nunavik presents many challenges, particularly because of the lack of culturally relevant materials for students. This dynamic workshop features an innovative initiative, the creation of five books inspired by the experiences of Inuit students and illustrated with their participation. Accompanied by hands-on learning activities, including pre-, during, and post-reading exercises as well as video, audio, and written resources, these works are designed to motivate young readers and foster their success. Session participants will learn about the project’s approach, from selecting vocabulary to setting up accompanying activities. They will leave with concrete ideas to design a similar project in their own contexts.
Crack the Code: AI and Escape Rooms in the Language Classroom
Nairy Kazandjian and Marc-Albert Paquette
Turn your classroom into an immersive challenge that blends creativity, critical thinking, and cutting‑edge technology! In this interactive workshop framed within a fun escape room scenario, participants will discover how a project‑based approach can introduce students to the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). Using structured learning and evaluation and ready-to-use resources, session participants will learn how to guide students towards responsible use of AI while designing their own escape rooms using materials available in the classroom. This approach engages all three competencies while fostering authentic, hands‑on learning. Participants will leave inspired and ready to unleash their students’ curiosity, teamwork, and confidence through the power of AI!
Time & Date
November 21, 2025
10:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. EST
Location
Zoom
Presenters
Independent Educational Consultant and Former Executive Director of CAVILAM - Alliance française
Michel Boiron
Michel Boiron is a renowned expert in teaching French as a foreign language (FLE). His career spans several decades, culminating in his role as Executive Director of CAVILAM – Alliance française de Vichy between 1997 and 2022. Michel is known for his expertise in designing innovative training programs and creating educational materials. He helped design and carry out numerous educational projects with organizations such as TV5MONDE, the French Institute and the International Organization of La Francophonie. His areas of expertise include motivational strategies for learning, the use of cultural materials in the classroom, and the integration of new technologies into teaching. In recognition of his contributions, Boiron was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2010 and a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2019. Since 2023, he has continued his work as an independent educational consultant.
Author and Teacher
Lise Deschênes
Author Lise Deschênes holds a bachelor’s degree in French as a second language education and a master’s degree in distance learning. She has taught at several school boards and even served as a corporate consultant. She was a teacher at Kativik Ilisarniliriniq for nine years, where she worked on developing educational resources adapted to the culture and reality of Nunavik. Committed to valuing Indigenous languages and cultures, Lise contributes to innovative projects that support the academic success of Inuit students while equipping teachers to meet the challenges of a northern and multicultural context.
Teacher-Librarian & Course Director/Practicum Facilitator
Karen Devonish-Mazzotta
Karen Devonish-Mazzotta has been teaching FSL for almost 30 years with the Toronto District School Board. She has an M.A. in Second Language Learning from the University of Toronto. As a reviewer for the Ontario Ministry of Education, Karen has conducted Equity and Bias checks for several curriculum documents in both English and French. In addition, Karen has an active schedule as an Additional Qualifications instructor for various providers in Ontario. Presently Karen is a Teacher-Librarian with the Toronto District School Board and serves as a Course Director/Practicum Facilitator with York University’s Faculty of Education FSL Teacher Candidate cohort.
Core French Teacher, Regina Public Schools
Jessica Irvine
Jessica Irvine has been teaching Core French with Regina Public Schools for over 16 years. She has mentored Core French teachers and facilitated professional development for the past 14 years. A former president of the Saskatchewan Association of Teachers of French, she holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Her master’s thesis, an analysis of the Saskatchewan Core French curriculum, received the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies’ Cynthia Chambers Thesis Award. Passionate about language learning, Jessica believes in Core French programs’ ability to help students build meaningful connections with other cultures, both locally and globally.
Program Coordinator, Edmonton Public Schools
Stephanie Jackson
Stephanie Jackson began her career as a junior high teacher of French as an Additional Language at Edmonton Public Schools (EPSB) and transitioned to central leadership as a consultant and program coordinator. In these roles, Stephanie worked to support local, provincial, national, and international educators and administrators in additional language and immersion programs. With a passion for educational technology and language learning, Stephanie helps teachers to see the potential for enriching their classrooms through technology integration and inclusive teaching practices. She is often asked to present on the topics of effective language teaching and assessment, technology integration, and leadership development. She has been a contributor, author, and/or project coordinator for many teacher and student resources through her work with EPSB and her volunteer role as Vice President of the Additional Languages and Intercultural Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
ESL Special Education Teacher, Vanguard School
Nairy Kazandjian
Nairy Kazandjian is an English as a second language (ESL) Special Education Teacher at Vanguard School in Montreal. With degrees in English literature and education (TESL) and a master’s in educational psychology, she has a strong foundation in pedagogy and learner support. Now pursuing a PhD in Psychoeducation at the Université de Montréal, Nairy focuses on practical and applicable education practices and youth wellbeing. She regularly shares her expertise on EdTech tools, pedagogy, and differentiation at conferences and online. She is also a member of the Société pour le perfectionnement de l’enseignement de l’anglais, langue seconde (SPEAQ) IncluSIG committee. Along with Sophie Giroux, Nairy won the Prix Étincelle: Reconnaissance en lecture award from Quebec’s Ministry of Education in 2023. In 2024, she won the Prix Étoile from the Association québécoise des utilisateurs d’outils technologiques à des fins pédagogiques et sociales (AQUOPS) in collaboration with the Leading English Education and Resource Network (LEARN).
French Immersion & Student Literacy Support Teacher
Kim Lockhart
Kim Lockhart has been an elementary French Immersion classroom educator and Special Education teacher in Kingston, Ontario for over 20 years. She holds a Master of Education degree from Queen’s University, specializing in evidence-based practices that support students with learning difficulties in French as a second language programs across Ontario. In 2019, Kim completed her Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator training and was later certified as a Structured Literacy Classroom Teacher by the Centre for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI). For two years, Kim worked as a Structured Literacy Coach for the International Dyslexia Association of Ontario. In 2022, she was hired by the Ontario Ministry of Education as a Content Contributor to revise the province’s new Grade 1-9 science-based Language Curriculum. While balancing her work as a part-time French immersion classroom teacher and part-time Special Education teacher, Kim has also been working as a part-time course instructor at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Faculty of Education in the Language, Literacy and Learning Graduate Diploma program for the last two years. Through presentations, webinars, and podcasts, Kim aspires to share reading research with both current and future classroom educators to prepare and empower them to meet all children’s right to read in public education.
Executive Director (AQEFLS), Provincial Pedagogical Consultant and Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Consultant (LEARN)
Marc-Albert Paquette
Currently the provincial French as a second language pedagogical consultant and strategic initiatives and partnerships consultant for the Leading English Education and Resource Network (LEARN) as well as Executive Director of the Association québécoise pour l’enseignement du français langue seconde (AQEFLS), Marc-Albert Paquette has been actively involved in education for more than 20 years. He has served as president of the Canadian Association of Immersion Professionals (ACPI) and the North American Commission of the Fédération internationale des professeurs de français (FIPF). He is particularly interested in pedagogical approaches that promote the development of linguistic security, especially in relation to assessment for learning, oral interaction, and multilingual and pluricultural competence.
Share this Event
Have any questions regarding this event?
Contact our Projects and Professional Learning Coordinator:
