IN-PERSON CONVENTION

2026 Keynotes

Carl Hernandez - Opening Keynote

Tuesday, 24 March 2026 | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. MT

Belonging for One, Belonging for All: Language as Covenant

Fostering and maintaining a sense of belonging is at the heart of successful learning. Words matter. Language understanding promotes individual engagement in transitory matters such as making contracts. When viewed as covenantal in nature, language becomes an essential element of establishing and sustaining both individual and collective belonging in society.

Carl Hernandez, BYU Vice President for Belonging and law professor, was born into a migrant farmworker family in California’s Central Valley. He founded the BYU Community Legal Clinic and the No More a Stranger Foundation.

Enilda Romero-Hall

Wednesday, 25 March 2026 | 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. MT

The Interplay between Technology and Humanity: Shaping the Future of Education

This keynote explores the profound interplay between technology and humanity in education, spotlighting technological innovations such as networked learning, extended reality, and artificial intelligence. It critically examines pressing challenges like sustainability, ethics, and cultural sensitivity while envisioning speculative Afrofuturistic perspectives to inspire transformative, inclusive practices that redefine education for a sustainable and equitable future.

Enilda Romero-Hall's research focuses on faculty and learners’ digital literacy, networked learning, and critical digital pedagogy. She is the editor of Research Methods in Learning Design and Technology and co-editor of Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online.

Justin Shewell - Presidential Keynote

2025-2026 TESOL International Association President
Wednesday, 25 March 2026 | 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. MT

We Teach the World

TESOL educators do more than teach language. We shape understanding across cultures and generations. We nurture the voices of our learners and empower them to dream, to advocate, and to connect. When we view English teaching as global citizenship, we recognize our shared responsibility, and privilege, in building bridges that make communication, compassion, and peace possible.

Justin Shewell is a passionate educator and teacher trainer, designing online TESOL programs that reach teachers worldwide, advancing global English education through technology, research, and professional development.

Nayr Ibrahim

Thursday, 26 March 2026 | 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MT

The Power of Multilingualism: Voices and Choices in Inclusive Classrooms

This keynote examines how multilingualism empowers learners and transforms classrooms into inclusive, dynamic learning environments. By centering student voices and giving them linguistic choices, teachers can challenge monolingual norms, foster equity, and embrace plurilingual identities. Together, let’s reimagine language education as a site of possibility, belonging, and pedagogical justice.

Nayr Ibrahim is Associate Professor of English Subject Pedagogy at Nord University in Norway. Her research interests include early language learning, learning to learn, multilingualism, multiple literacies, language and identity, children’s literature, children’s language rights.

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