Kitty Purgason

• “Creating and adapting materials for multilevel classes,” invited webinar for AE Live (U.S. State Department), June 2018.
• “Well-balanced language teaching and learning,” invited plenary for conference at Uzbekistan World Languages
  University, Feb 2017
• “Supporting ‘unmotivated’ international secondary students,” presentation at CATESOL Anaheim 2015 (with Erik Floyd and Ilene Giamanco)
• "Building Bridges between Generations of Teachers," discussion co-led at TESOL, Toronto 2015
• "Multi-level Activities with Proverbs," presentation at CATESOL Santa Clara, 2014.
• "Recommendations for Novice-NEST and Trained-NNEST Teaching Teams," presentation at TESOL Portland, March 2014.
• “Adapting Authentic Materials for High Interest Lessons,” Los Angeles Retional CATESOL, 2013
• “English Language Teaching for Cultural Self-Expression and Multicultural Understanding,” presentation at the International Conference on Multiculturalism and Global Community, Tehran, Iran, July 2010.
• “Critical Thinking and Courteous Conversation,” invited speaker, Los Angeles Regional CATESOL, 2010.
• “Essentials of Teaching Conversation,” post-convention workshop, TESOL Boston 2010.
• “Developing ESL Materials from Public Radio: ‘The gods of business,’” demonstration at Los Angeles Regional CATESOL, 2008 and CATESOL, 2009.
• “Clashing Values, Ethical Dilemmas, and Teaching Conundrums,” discussion session, TESOL Denver 2009.
• “Song-Based ESL Materials: Teacher Choice and Student Choice,” demonstration at Los Angeles Regional CATESOL, 2007.
• “Managing Communicative Classes of 50+ with Student Teams,” poster session at CATESOL San Diego, 2007; presentation at TESOL New York, 2008.
• “Get into Groups Made Efficient and Effective,” demonstration at CATESOL San Francisco 2006 and TESOL Seattle 2007 (also published at http://www.catesol.org/Purgason.pdf).
• “Easy Ways to Create Jigsaw Activities for Interactive Reading Classes” demonstration at CATESOL Long Beach, 2005.
• “Encouraging Professionalism in Volunteer-Based Organizations, “ chair of five-speaker colloquium at TESOL Long Beach, 2004.
• “Preparing Adult ESL Students for Choices,” paper at TESOL Baltimore, 2003 and CATESOL Pasadena, 2003.
• “Hearing the Voice from Within: Parker Palmer in Teacher Education,” paper, with Joe McVeigh, at TESOL Baltimore, 2003.
• “EFL in (International) Theological Seminaries,” chair of colloquia at TESOL Baltimore, 2003, and TESOL Salt Lake City, 2002.
• “Addressing the Language Gap,” featured speaker for IEP strand, Los Angeles Regional CATESOL, 2002.
• “Getting Students to Talk...in English,” paper at Los Angeles Regional, Long Beach, 2000, and CATESOL state conference, Ontario, 2001.
• “Student-Created Information Gap Activities,” demonstration at CATESOL state conference, Fresno, 1997; workshop at TESOL national conference, Seattle, 1998 and New York, 1999.
• “Options for Using Your (Outdated) Textbook,” plenary at Conference on Methodology for Secondary Teachers 1996, sponsored by Peace Corps, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
• “An Active Methodology for Teaching Technical English,” plenary at Conference on Optimizing Foreign Language Education 1996, sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
• “Communicative Pronunciation Activities,” demonstration at TESOL, Long Beach, 1995.
• "Learner-Centered Vocabulary Activities," demonstration at CATESOL state conference, San Diego, 1994.
• "Helping Students Avoid 'My Most Embarrassing Moment,'" paper presented at CATESOL state conference, Sacramento, 1991.
• "Distance Education for TESOL: Designing an Individualized Methods Course," paper presented at TESOL national conference, San Francisco, 1990.
• "Making Drills Communicative," demonstration at CATESOL state conference, Pasadena, 1987, and CATESOL Los Angeles regional conference, 1989.
• "A Model for Teacher Training for the Authentic Language Plus Model of Language Instruction," part of a project for the National Security Agency and UCLA, 1987.
• "Listening Skills for Technical Students," paper presented at Conference on Academic Preparation Programs, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey, 1986.
• "Diagnosing and Treating Pronunciation Problems," demonstration at CATESOL Los Angeles regional conference, 1985.

Christian Conferences

• Christians in English Language Teaching conferences:
  • Organized the first CELT conference in Long Beach, 2004, with 40 invited speakers
  • Mentored planners, served on committees, or chaired the program for subsequent CELT conferences including in
    San Francisco 2005, Denver 2009, Hong Kong 2012, and Atlanta 2019.
  • Presented the following at CELT conferences:
    • Multilevel Activities with Proverbs (2015)
    • Using Folktales to Prompt Multiskill Practice and Spiritual Questions (2014)
    • ELT Professionals Wanted: Christians and Grant-Funded Opportunities (2014)
    • Adapting Authentic Texts for Spiritually Valuable and Pedagogically Useful Lessons (2013)
    • Is English a Force for Good or Bad? (2012)
    • Teaching Critical Thinking and Courteous Conversation in a World of Choices (2010)
    • Speaking of Faith: Developing ESL Materials from Public Radio (2008)
    • Helping students understand biblical references in media and literature (2007)
    • Popular Songs, ELT, and Spiritual Issues (2006)
    • Magnet, Catalyst, and Seed: Models for TESOL and Mission (2006)
    • English Language Teaching and Development (2006)
• Urbana invited seminar speaker: “English Language Teaching and Missions,” St. Louis, 2009, and 2012
• Speaker for mission agencies and church conferences, including OMS, OMF, Passion for the Nations