Integrated and Contextualized Workforce Skills in the ESL Classroom
How can you prepare your learners to succeed in the workforce? Find out what employers say are essential skills for today's workforce. This Community of Practice shows you how to connect transferable skills in the English as a Second Language classroom to the workplace. It also offers examples of contextualizing ESL instruction easily by using workplace activities and forms.
What Teachers Need to Know about the English Language Proficiency Standards
Facilitator: Dave Coleman, ESL Teacher/Advisor, Los Angeles Unified School DistrictIf you are and ESL teacher or a teacher from another program area with English language learners in your class, attend this webinar to interact with the guiding principles of the new English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and consider how they apply to your teaching. See how the ELP Standards are organized and how you can provide scaffolding for your students to help them meet these rigorous requirements.
Increasing Rigor in the ESL and Basic Skills Classroom
Facilitator: Betsy Parrish, Professor/Coordinator TEFL/Adult ESL, Hamline UniversityFederal funding for adult education and College and Career Readiness Standards are two of the signposts pointing us towards increasing the rigor of instruction in adult education to help learners reach their education and career goals. Betsy Parrish is a national expert on increasing rigor in adult education classrooms. She has published articles on the topic and created many training materials for teachers. In this webinar, she will discuss the significance of increasing rigor, and she will provide several examples of classroom activities for embedding instruction in academic language, higher order reading and listening strategies, organizational and note-taking strategies, and critical thinking at every level from beginning to advanced. This session is appropriate for ESL, ABE and ASE instructors.
Building College and Career Readiness for ESL Learners
Presenters: Lori Howard, ESL teacher, coordinator, author and CASAS Program Specialist CoorinatorSylvia G. Ramirez, Professor Emeritus at MiraCosta College and teacher educator, author and consultantIn this session, participants were introduced to the College and Career Readiness Standards, and considered how these standards can be applied to ESL instruction. They learned and practiced an approach to unpacking each of the standards by identifying the specific skills addressed, applying the standards to currently used textbooks, and considering what additional activities might be needed to supplement existing texts in order to help ESL learners meet the standards.
The ESL Writing Process: Practice, Polish, Publish
Presenter: J. Adelson-Goldstein, CALPRO FacilitatorIn this session, participants looked at the research supporting the use of the writing process in second language writing instruction, in order to explore activities and tasks that guide learners through that process. The webinar focused on the pre-writing tasks to help learners delve into the writing topic and organize their thinking; writing models and prompts that are meaningful for adults; and editing exercises and instructor feedback that help learners polish their work. Ways to celebrate successful learning outcomes through publishing learners work were also addressed.
One Level to Many: Multilevel ESL Classrooms
Presenter: Sue Pon, Administrator, Oakland Unified School DistrictIn this problem solving exchange session, Sue Pon discussed ideas for organizing the multilevel classroom through single lesson planning by providing options and tools for multilevel ESL instruction, differentiated learning activities and techniques to empower learners into taking responsibility for their own learning.
Orientation for New ESL Teachers (Self-Directed Online)
Course Description:
This self-paced course supports independent professional development; there is no facilitator nor other participants. Sign up now and access the class for 3 months. There is no official start or end date to worry about.
To a new English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in an adult education program, the task of teaching English can seem overwhelming. This course orients new teachers to the most immediate and important aspects of teaching adult ESL in California. A teacher new to ESL often asks such questions as, "Who will my new students be?" "What is their English proficiency?" "What materials should I use?" and "How do I assess my students and document their progress?" Many local agencies have procedures and practices that address these issues and will provide guidance to new teachers. The California Department of Education (CDE) has specific requirements and also provides certain documents to guide you. The estimated course completion time is 7 hours.
Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.
Registration Information:
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.
Contact Information:
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.
Teaching Adult English Learners: Principles and Practices (Self-Directed Online)
Course Description:
This self-directed course supports independent professional development; there is no facilitator nor other participants. Sign up now and access the class for 3 months. There is no official start or end date to worry about.
This course is designed to support teachers new to working with adult English learners, or ELs. After completing the course, participants will be able to identify and apply appropriate instructional strategies for teaching adult ELs. They will also have strengthened their skills as an instructor and be able to implement classroom management practices to optimize learning in both in-person and virtual learning environments. The estimated course completion time is 3.5 hours.
Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.
Registration Information:
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.
Contact Information:
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.
Adult English Language Learners with Limited Literacy
Authors: Martha Bigelow and Robin Lovrien Schwarz, September 2010Produced by Literacy Information and Communication System/National Institute for LiteracyThis paper reviews a variety of research, including that on language acquisition, literacy development in adults and children, cognition and brain functioning, adult education, and professional development.