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Oregon Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages


Virtual Spring Institute Recap

Thank you so much for attending the 2021 ORTESOL Virtual Spring Institute! It was a great success because of you and all of our wonderful presenters! Below you can find links to resources from the event.

Jennifer Lebedev Plenary Presentation

We heard from Jennifer Lebedev, our morning plenary speaker. She shared stories of her journey to becoming the online English speaker who we know and love. You must be an ORTESOL Member to log in and view the video.

View the Presentation

Padlet Poster Session

We had an amazing variety of Padlet posters from around the world. These are still available for you to go back and peruse at your leisure. Congratulations to Daniel Yuhas, whose Padlet, "Lessons that Actually Work Better Over Zoom”, was the People's Choice Award winner! Congratulations to Reiko Fisher for her Padlet, "Classroom Activities for Promotion of Autonomous Language Learning”, which was chosen as the winner by random wheel spin! Each of these participants won a cash prize of $25. 

Padlet Poster Session List of Poster Presenters

Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings

Below you can find the available presentation slides and information.

Award of Excellence in Teaching in the Changing Classroom

Two wonderful teachers were recognized by their peers for their outstanding work over the past year. They each received an Award of Excellence in Teaching in the Changing Classroom: Nancy Hinshaw (Adult Education) and Linda Bonder (Community Education). These awards included a cash prize of $25 plus a free ORTESOL membership OR free registration at the Fall Conference. Read more about Nancy and Linda on the ORTESOL website. Thank you for contributing to our field and serving our students, Nancy and Linda!

Nancy got interested in second language acquisition when studying German at UC Irvine, which included a year in Göttingen and two summers on a pig farm. After working in international student exchange programs and in law offices, she returned to school for an ESL teaching certificate from UC Berkeley and a masters in counseling. For several years, she taught ESL at Bakersfield Adult School and at CSU Bakersfield before escaping with her family to Oregon. She embarked on her teaching career at PCC eleven years ago. Throughout this COVID year, she’s received invaluable support and inspiration from her PCC colleagues and friends.

Linda quickly overhauled BLC's offerings in the wake of the pandemic, taking them online with little to no interruption for our community of students. She's also worked hard to teach fellow teachers and volunteers best practices for Zoom and other platforms, operating within a non-profit, rather than with the resources of a community college or university. She has helped open classes to ELLs throughout the Portland metro and beyond during the pandemic.

Linda Bonder started teaching English in 2014 after 20 years in marketing, communications, and administration. She is currently a teacher and the board president for Beaverton Literacy Council, a community-based ESOL program. Her teaching is informed by years of language learning with French, Spanish, Portuguese, and now Russian. Linda has an MA TESOL from Portland State University.

Learn more about the Plenary Speakers

Thank you to the 2 plenary speakers, Jennifer Lebedev and Ayanna Cooper.  Learn more about them and their work.

Jennifer Lebedev - Morning Plenary Speaker

Presentation Title: Topic: Learning to Teach Outside My Comfort Zone: How I Transitioned to Online Teaching and Why I Chose to Stay There

Teaching has been an important part of my life for over twenty years. I have taught English as a foreign and second language since 1996. I began teaching English in Russia, and I presently live the U.S. I have been working online as an instructor and content creator since 2007. I also like to create materials to share with other teachers. My Pearson-sponsored blog won the 2010 EDDIE Award in the category of ESL Website Blog. Students likely know me best as JenniferESL on YouTube. I am tremendously happy to have over half a million subscribers worldwide. In 2011, my channel was recognized in YouTube's "On the Rise" contest. 

Learn More



Dr Ayanna Cooper EdD - Afternoon Plenary Speaker

Presentation Title: Assuring Civil Rights for ELs; Reflect and Reset

Dr. Ayanna Cooper, EdD, is a consultant, author, keynote speaker, and advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. As owner of ACooper Consulting, she provides technical assistance to state departments of education and other clients with the goal of improving outcomes for students. She emphasizes the importance of building capacity to develop and sustain English language programs, use English language proficiency data, and improve instructional practices. She is the author of And Justice for ELs; A Leader's Guide to Creating and Sustaining Equitable Schools and Language Magazine's Pass the Mic series editor. She is currently serving on the TESOL Board of Directors.

Learn More




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