Welcome to a new year of growth, innovation, and well-being with the IE/LA STARS community at Loyola Marymount University! Our 2026–2027 professional learning programs are crafted specifically for World and Heritage Language teachers, Dual Language Immersion educators, ELD specialists, and school leaders. This year, we’re thrilled to introduce expanded programming highlighting Leadership development, personalized coaching, and mindfulness practices to support sustainable teaching. Combined with our new pathways in AP World Languages and AP Literature, you'll find actionable strategies, hands-on resources, and rich opportunities for collaborative growth. Elevate your leadership, nourish your practice, and inspire your multilingual learners. Register today!
01- Más Allá de las Cuatro Paredes: Building Communication Through the Language Modalities
A hands-on professional learning course designed for teachers of Spanish and Spanish for Heritage Speakers who want to build meaningful instruction around interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication. Participants will explore practical strategies for integrating listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and writing into cohesive lessons rather than teaching skills in isolation. Through authentic texts, music, media, conversations, and culturally relevant resources, teachers will design learning experiences that move students from understanding Spanish to confidently using it.
Dates: October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2026
Instructors: Vivanie Barrios, NBCT and Ana Mendoza, NBCT Units: 4 CEUs (40 hours)
02- Coaching Tools, Mindfulness Practices, Human Organizational and Community Development and Leadership
Participants will learn an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Model for professional coaching: (1) Meeting Ethical Guidelines, (2) Establishing the Coaching Agreement, (3) Creating Trust and Intimacy, (4) Coaching Presence, (5) Active Listening, (6) Powerful Questioning, (7) Direct Communication, (8) Evoking Awareness, (9) Designing Actions, (10) Planning and Goal Setting, and (11) Managing Progress and Accountability. A Guided, Focused Mindfulness Strand (GFM) will bring about relaxation to enhance participant wellbeing, specifically reducing stress and negative thinking and envisioning and bringing about positive outcomes. A strand focusing on Human and Organizational Development and Leadership will focus on actualizing positive change in individuals, groups, teams, organizations and communities.
Dates: October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, November 7, 14, 21, December 5
Instructor: Dr. Brandon Zalow PCC, C.Ht Units: 6 CEUs (60 hours)
03- Instructional Strategies for Advanced Spanish Language and Culture
Enhance your classroom practice with innovative strategies designed to drive student engagement across all three modes of communication aligned with World Language Standards. This workshop equips educators with ready-to-use units, flexible project-based learning models, and technology-driven tools. With a strong focus on targeted AP Exam alignment, teachers will explore captivating, non-traditional topics tied directly to AP test themes, using authentic current-event resources including art, music, videos, and infographics to build advanced interpretive and communicative skills. Through comprehensive AP test coverage and adaptable activities tailored to different proficiency levels, educators will leave with the exact tools needed to ensure every student approaches test day fully prepared and confident.
Dates: October 24, November 21, December 19, January 23, and February 21, 2027
Instructor: Suyapa Hurtt, NBCT and LAUSD 2026 TOY Units: 4 CEUs (40 hours)
04- Teaching Advanced Level Spanish Literature and Culture, 3rd Cycle
Participants will learn to re-engage students, respond to their socio-emotional needs and address learning loss. Teachers will learn to optimally deliver a standards-based and framework-aligned program of Advanced Placement Spanish Literature and Culture. The program will feature the content and format of the examination and the AP Framework; explore major historical periods and literary movements in Spain and Spanish America; strategies for the analysis of poetry, prose and drama; study of representative authors and works; and examination of parallel manifestations in art.
Dates: December 5, 2026, January 16, February 13, March 13, and April 17, 2027
Instructor(s): Ana Estangüi and Ana Rubiales López Units: 4 CEUs (40 hours)
05- Unit Planning with the End in Mind
Optimize planning an engaging unit of study (embedding civic engagement, social-emotional learning, global themes, your choice!) with the end in mind and a focus on language proficiency using the CA WL Standards’ three modes of communication and the CA WL Framework’s High Leverage Teaching Practices. Learn to integrate authentic materials, plan with an AI partner, and create assessments that inform student language learning and their understanding of the language’s culture to build intercultural competence. Join us for one complete session from October to January to plan one full unit. Come back for Session 2 from February to April to delve deeper in your practices and plan another unit. Each session is 20 hours and 2 CEUs.
Dates:
● Session 1: 10/14, 11/4, 12/9, 1/13, 1/27
● Session 2: 2/3, 3/10, 3/31, 4/14, 4/28
Instructors: Dr. Valerie Sun, Maggie Chen, and Iman Hashem Units: 2 CEUs (20 hours)
06- CI- The Secret Ingredients for World Languages Success!
Rediscover the JOY of acquiring a new language w/comprehension-based method! This highly interactive workshop models high-leverage teaching practices (ACTFL WL CORE practices) with an emphasis on target-language comprehensibility throughout. Learn to scaffold students successfully to culturally authentic materials and assessments by backward planning classroom communication using learner-centered TPR, PQA, clip chat, and story-based instruction. Implement these comprehensible input strategies step by step in your own WL classes with the support of expert CI coaches to maximize your students’ language proficiency and interculturality.
● In-Person: November 7, December 12, 2026
● Online: January 9, February 6, and March 6, 2027
Instructors: Jason Fritze and Crystal Hsiao Units: 4 CEUs (40 hours)
Prices range from $350.00 to $450.00 (price depends on options selected)