ELES 2026 – Early Language Education Summit

ELES 2026 is Chile’s first high-level academic summit dedicated exclusively to early English and bilingual education. Bringing together leading national and international experts, innovative classroom practices, and research-based methodologies, ELES is where inspiration meets implementation.

If you believe the early years shape lifelong learning, this is the event you simply cannot miss.

Speakers

Click on each speaker to see the talk title and full description.

Julia Mena Dobson

Speaker

View details

She is a teacher trainer and materials writer based in Córdoba, Spain. She specializes in Early Years, Young Learners, and CLIL. After beginning her career as a teacher and department coordinator, she became a freelance educator and international trainer. She regularly collaborates with institutions such as NILE and ELT Consultants on British Council projects worldwide and has designed and delivered CLIL and ELT courses for Primary teachers in the UK. With a background in Fine Art, Julia integrates creativity into her teaching and has authored a six-book Arts and Crafts CLIL series for Oxford University Press.

The Wonders of the CLIL World

Title of the Presentation

Grace Vilar

Speaker

View details

She is an experienced English educator with over 30 years of experience in bilingual schools across Argentina. A specialist in Phonics and Literacy, she is a certified Synthetic Phonics trainer and collaborates with leading UK experts in reading instruction. She works internationally as an Educational and Literacy Consultant and is a committee member of IFERI and Associate of Educators International. She is the author of the Spanish Phonics program “Alfabetización en español: FÓNICA.”

The Phonics Power Hour

Title of the Presentation

Javiera Guiloff

Speaker

View details

She is Assistant Head Academic of Lower Prep at The Grange School in Chile, with over 15 years of experience in bilingual primary education. Her expertise centers on curriculum design, assessment for learning, and program alignment with international and national standards. She is passionate about inquiry-based pedagogy and mentoring teachers to create inclusive, meaningful learning environments.

Reimagining Storytime: A Pedagogical Framework for Picture Books and Early Language Learning

Title of the Presentation

Ezia Valenzuela

Speaker

View details

She is an English teacher holding advanced degrees in Educational Planning and Innovation. She has extensive experience in initial teacher education, curriculum design, assessment, and foreign language didactics, supporting educators through training and pedagogical mentoring, particularly in diverse and vulnerable contexts.

Are They Really Getting It? Comprehensible Input for Young Learners, More than Just ‘Slow Talk’

Title of the Presentation

Karime Hasbún

Speaker

View details

She is an Early Years educator with a Master of Arts in TESOL (Young Learners) from the University of Leeds (UK). She currently serves as Pre-Kinder and Kinder Coordinator at a bilingual school and lectures in TESOL programs, promoting neuro-informed, play-based English teaching practices.

Play with Purpose: Practical Strategies for Teaching English to Young Learners

Title of the Presentation

Dr. Carla Chávez

Speaker

View details

She is a specialist in Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) and early bilingual teacher education. Her work bridges theory and practice, integrating intercultural frameworks with current inclusion and neurodiversity policies. She advocates for preparing educators as intercultural mediators in diverse early learning environments.

The Intercultural Mediator: ICC in the Early Years

Title of the Presentation

Paola Pando

Speaker

View details

She is an educator, researcher, and teacher trainer with over 25 years of experience in ELT. An expert in Early Language Acquisition, she integrates neuroscience and SLA principles through her INSPIRE Method to support brain-friendly, meaningful learning.

Choosing the Right Book to Light Up the Brain: A Neuroscience and SLA Approach to Storytime for Young Language Learners

Title of the Presentation

Ma. José Concha

Speaker

View details

She is a preschool educator specializing in bilingual program development and academic leadership. With extensive experience in teacher mentoring and early literacy methodologies, she supports schools in strengthening preschool bilingual education.

Elevating Pre-School Bilingual Education: Strategies for Deeper Content Understanding

Title of the Presentation

Daniela Montero

Speaker

View details

She is an educator at the International School Nido de Águilas in Chile and serves as a Primary EAL specialist. Her practice is grounded in inclusive, student-centered approaches informed by SEL, SIOP, and WIDA frameworks.

Belonging, Brain, and Language: Inclusive Early Multilingual Education

Title of the Presentation

Camila Martínez

Speaker

View details

She is a bilingual primary education teacher whose work focuses on interdisciplinary teaching, CLIL, and communicative approaches that position language as a vehicle for cross-curricular learning.

When Experience Comes First: Designing Learning Pathways that Bridge Subjects through Language and Interdisciplinary Inquiry-Based Tasks

Title of the Presentation

Olivia Evans

Speaker

View details

She is an experienced educator with a background in Elementary Education in the USA. She has worked across diverse bilingual contexts and currently supports English teaching initiatives in Chile.

Engage, Interact, Learn: Collaboration as a Tool for Growth in the ESL Classroom

Title of the Presentation

Joaquín Triandafilide

Speaker

View details

He holds advanced degrees in Education and Linguistics, with specialization in Neuroscience. He advocates for inclusive, brain-based education and promotes neuroscience-informed practices in K–12 classrooms.

Teaching Every Brain: UDL Tools to Support SEND Learners in K–4

Title of the Presentation

Catalina Vidal

Speaker

View details

She is an English teacher and department coordinator with over 15 years of experience. Her work focuses on creating emotionally safe and motivating classrooms that strengthen engagement and language acquisition.

Small Routines, Big Impact: Daily Classroom Practices to Support Regulation, Engagement, and English Learning in Primary Education

Title of the Presentation

Montserrat Escauriza

Speaker

View details

She is an educator and researcher specializing in early bilingual and multilingual development. Her work integrates sociocultural theory and neuroeducation to design intentional, child-centered learning environments.

Learning Centers as Responsive Micro-Environments for Early English Listening and Speaking Development

Title of the Presentation

María Francisca Kelly

Speaker

View details

She is an English language specialist and founder of Bukku Education. Her work integrates applied neuroscience, early literacy, and play-based pedagogy to design developmentally appropriate EFL programs.

Play Based Learning: A Neuro-Informed English Practice Lab

Title of the Presentation

Tamara Álvarez

Speaker

View details

She is Director of the Bilingual Primary Education Program at Universidad de los Andes. Her work bridges linguistics, phonetics, language development, and early literacy, with a strong focus on synthetic phonics and teacher education.

From Playful Talk to Purposeful Literacy

Title of the Presentation

María Belén Santucho & Nadia Belén Nieva

Speakers

View details

María Belén Santucho is an Early Childhood educator and Director of Jardín San Marcos in Buenos Aires. Nadia Belén Nieva is an English teacher and academic coordinator specializing in Early Childhood English Teaching and Applied Linguistics. Together, they design innovative, play-based English learning experiences for young learners.

Enhancing English Learning with ‘Playful Adventures’: A Journey into Memorable, Meaningful, and Magical Language Acquisition

Title of the Presentation

Abigail Uribe

Speaker

View details

She is an English language education specialist with over 30 years of experience in teaching, teacher training, and academic leadership. As Founder and CEO of Learning Corporation LATAM, she leads bilingual program implementation across Chile and Argentina, focusing on high-impact, joyful, and research-informed English education.

When English Finds Its Rhythm: Acquiring Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Fluency Naturally and Joyfully

Title of the Presentation