Happy Fall in New England - from the ESOL PD Center

Classes are underway. Students are settling in. First assessments have been completed. Fall has officially arrived. At the SABES ESOL PD Center, we continue to plan and design PD opportunities to support your work - focusing on integrating our newly revised ESOL professional standards, heightened awareness and incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices, and a continued focus on the use of the appropriate educational technologies necessary to effectively teach ESOL in a remote, in-person, or blended environment. We continue to use your valuable feedback to develop PD that will enrich your work and meet your needs, and encourage you to peruse our website for additional resources and PD. A few items we'd like to highlight include:

Resources:                       

• NEW! Professional Development Menu for MA ESOL Professional Standards: This Google site is a wonderful starting point for your exploration of the newly revised ESOL Professional Standards. With an overall introductory graphic, easy navigation, and page dedicated to each standard (which includes the standard language, introductory video, and upcoming PD), this site will be a useful resource for you to refer back to time and again. Check back regularly as it is a work in progress and we continue to improve it as it grows.

• NEW! ESOL Resources That Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the ESOL Classroom: Visit this page on the ESOL launch page of the SABES website to access the newly created Google site which features curated lists of ESOL DEI resources to help you support your work, understanding of, and instruction on this vital component of ESOL instruction. 

Upcoming Professional Development: Our upcoming sessions are sure to pique your interest! For a snapshot of our plans for the year, please review our Year-At-A-Glance -

• Getting your students ready for the U.S. Citizenship test? Intrested in brushing up on the most recent changes and expectations? These sessions are for you:
  • Preparing English Learners for the U.S. Citizenship Test - Part 1: Qualifications and the Application Process 
  • Citizenship Preparation for English Learners - Part 2: Preparing for the Test and Interview
• Engaging Tools for U.S. Citizenship Test Preparation
• Five Useful Google Classroom Tools for ESOL Instruction 
• Approaches That Work
  • Problem-Based Learning
  • Project-Based Learning
• Teaching the Notes and Melodies: Incorporating Pronunciation Instruction into ESOL Lessons - Pronunciation 
• Introducing Civic Literacy in the Adult ESOL Classroom

And for those of you looking for some self-paced options, check out some of our other favorites when you get the chance: The Introduction to the Revised MA Professional Standards for Teachers of Adult Speakers of Other Languages, The Learners' View on Zoom - A Collection of Tiny Videos and Viewer's Guide for Smartphone Use on Zoom , ESOL Recorded Session Library

All of this to say, we are here for you and excited to launch into a new year of growth and learning with you. Interested in a topic and don't see it here? Reach out and let us know! 

The ESOL PD Center Team:

• Dori McCormack - dmccormack@qcc.mass.edu
• Kate Anderson - kateanderson@qcc.mass.edu
• Laura Porter - lporter@qcc.mass.edu

(A brief and light-hearted video with tips on participating in virtual sessions. Oh, the things we have seen! :).