PALT 2025 Junior Intensives: Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Creations on Language Education in the 21st Century
The Philippine Association for Language Teaching (PALT) successfully hosted the PALT 2025 Junior Intensives on October 26, 2025 (Sunday) via Zoom, bringing together pre-service language teachers and language majors from various higher education institutions across the country. Guided by the theme “Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Creations on Language Education in the 21st Century,” the event served as a dynamic platform for emerging educators and language majors to present their innovative outputs, exchange critical and creative insights, and engage in contemporary discourses on language education.
The primary objectives of the Junior Intensives were fourfold: (1) to provide pre-service language teachers and language majors an avenue to showcase their finest works curated by their academic mentors; (2) to encourage the expression of original, critical, and creative ideas; (3) to promote collaboration and collegiality among participants; and (4) to immerse them in relevant and current issues in language education.
The program commenced at 8:00 a.m. with an opening prayer and the singing of the Philippine National Anthem, followed by Opening Remarks from Dr. Rosario I. Alonzo, Chair of the PALT 2025 Junior Intensives and member of the PALT 2025 Board of Trustees. A message from Dr. Editha M. Atendido, President of PALT 2025, highlighted the importance of fostering creativity and scholarly engagement among pre-service teachers in advancing the field of language education.
Following the formal opening, Dr. Alonzo introduced the panel of judges. Afterward, Dr. Hjalmar P. Hernandez, Co-chair of the Junior Intensives and Business Manager of PALT 2025, presented the house rules, acknowledged the participating institutions, and led the morning photo opportunity.
The day-long event featured a total of four presentation sessions, categorized into Empirical Research and Exemplary Lesson Plan strands. Presenters from institutions such as Saint Mary’s University (Nueva Vizcaya), the University of Santo Tomas (Manila), and Lapu-Lapu City College (Cebu City) showcased their scholarly and pedagogical innovations. Research topics ranged from language awareness and code-switching to speech anxiety, digital pedagogy, and Philippine English, while lesson plan presentations emphasized critical thinking, multimodality, literacy development, and inclusive classroom strategies.
Each presentation was allotted 15 minutes for delivery and 5 minutes for the question-and-answer portion, fostering meaningful academic exchange between participants and judges. The event also integrated two health breaks and a lunch intermission, ensuring a well-paced program conducive to intellectual engagement.
Notably, the Marian students from the School of Teacher Education and Humanities (STEH) under the Department of Languages participated by presenting their course studies. The Marian presenters with their respective papers included: Rachel Kenrida Montgomery (BAELS-3) and Val Menardo B. Basilio Jr. (BAELS-3) with their paper, “Awareness of Philippine English among Undergraduate Students of the School of Teacher Education and Humanities (STEH)”; Jeorge Alexander F. Apostol (BSED-Engl 2), Lanz Constantine T. Gapuz (BSED-Engl 2), Princess Joy H. Gregorio (BSED-Engl 2), Jannah Jade F. Maala (BSED-Engl 2), Sean Rae V. Seenivasagam (BSED-Engl 2) , and Jamie Madeleine O. Tubay(BSED-Engl 2) with their paper, “Factors Contributing to Students’ Speech Anxiety and the Students’ Coping Strategies”; Jesiekare B. Bay-An(BSED-Engl 2) Kristine Joyce G. Guinaob (BSED-Engl-2), Abigail B.Hangdaan (BSED-Engl-2), and Mark Shadrak B. Sibbaluca (BSED-Engl-2) with their paper, “The Perceived Common Practices of Tertiary Students in Maintaining their L1 and Its Challenges” and Oliver Aranda (BSED-Engl-2), Jamilla Balacanao (BSED-Engl-2), Genghis B.Contig (BSED-Engl-3), Jingky Mai P. Dulawan (BSE-Engl-3) and Winthy Shecar G. Sierra (BSED-Engl-3) with their paper, “The Domains of the Perceived Use of Code-Switching among Tertiary Students”.
The Awarding of Certificates took place at 4:30 p.m., followed by Impressions and the Announcement of the Best Student Presenters. In his Closing Remarks, Dr. Hernandez underscored the significance of the Junior Intensives as an incubator for the next generation of language educators who are capable of addressing the evolving challenges of 21st-century teaching and learning. The event concluded with a final photo opportunity and the singing of the PALT Hymn at 5:00 p.m.
The PALT 2025 Junior Intensives stood as a testament to the association’s continuing commitment to nurturing excellence, creativity, and collaboration among future language educators. By empowering pre-service teachers to critically engage with current educational issues and innovate within their classrooms, PALT reaffirms its vision of advancing language education that is both responsive and transformative.
Written by: (Marites Querol, Head, Languages Department) |
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