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2022 Professional Development Conference��March 19th; 11:00am - 4:30pm

on Zoom

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About the Conference

Join us virtually on Zoom for a day of professional development focused on our two primary conference goals:

1) learn strategies and tools for learner-centered instruction and

2) explore ways to create more racially equitable classrooms.

We are excited to welcome C. Marie Taylor, President & Principal Consultant at Equity Through Action, as our Keynote Speaker.

Continue to learn more about the other conference sessions!

Revisit for the most up-to-date conference session information.

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Using Jamboard with Literacy and Beginning Level Adult English Language Learners

�Darlene Fahrenkrug

Using a Jamboard provides language opportunities for literacy and beginning-level learners. Creating an effective Jamboard activity can take as little as 5 minutes, but the result supports development of language, literacy, and confidence which is a key part of their persistence. The presenter will demonstrate Jamboards with differentiated activities to practice reading, speaking and pronunciation, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and developing social emotional learning for use as a whole class, small groups, and individuals.

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Enough with Tradition!

Let’s Teach for Freedom

�Laura Irwin

In her book Teaching to Transgress, scholar and advocate, bell hooks focuses on education as a practice of freedom. Participants will learn the essence of her writing where the goal is to "teach students to "transgress" against racial, sexual, and class boundaries in order to achieve the gift of freedom". bell hooks' ideas are widely taught in many pedagogical courses and education centers. We’ll explore how to incorporate key concepts from her writings into the ESL classroom.

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Utilizing the Maryland TESOL Handbook for Educators of English Learners for Adult ESL Literacy�Drew Fagan and Luis Javier Pentón

The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field sets out to address the language, cultural, and academic needs of English learners across the globe. Understanding which components of the field are directly applicable to our own teaching contexts can be overwhelming. The Maryland TESOL Handbook for Educators of English Learners was created as a resource for everything about the TESOL field that is specific to working within educational contexts in Maryland. This interactive session will help educators engage with tools for addressing adult English learners’ needs in Maryland and for exploring various types of professional opportunities in our field. https://www.marylandtesol.com/Handbook.

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Fostering Brave Spaces for More Speaking and Mutual Learning

�Lee Shainis

Whether we are teaching English classes online or in person, it is crucial that students experience a sense of belonging in the classroom and feel safe to share about their perspectives and experiences. This session will share concrete tips for teachers of all levels to increase the sense of safety and belonging in their classrooms. Workshop participants will explore how to achieve a powerful experience of multi-directional learning that forms meaningful cross-cultural connections and increases student engagement and practice for best learning outcomes. 

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Language is Not Neutral:

Practical Considerations for Making the Classroom Antiracist and Inclusive

�Presenter: Katya Salmi

As awareness rises around the role race plays in educational settings, many educators are asking what they can do to address racial inequities in the classroom. In this session participants will unpack key terms like: decolonization, anti racist pedagogy, and positionality. The presentation will explain why these concepts are important and relevant to all classrooms. This interactive workshop will consider how we can incorporate anti racist practices and principles of decolonizing education into ESOL education.

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How to Prepare Your ESL Students

for a Job Interview

�Presenter: Mike Pina

One of the most important conversations your students will have will be a job interview. This can be extremely challenging for non-native English speakers, especially those who are not sure how their past work experience can translate into jobs in the English-speaking world. This session will provide techniques you can use to prepare your students for interviews, including how to get them into the right mindset, how to use the most effective vocabulary and how to handle tough questions.

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Communicative Activities for the English Language Classroom

Peter Parker

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach or a set of ideas about language learning and teaching. The goal of CLT is to engage learners in authentic communicative activities—information sharing, negotiation of meaning, and interaction. Participants will examine the specific features of CLT and will engage in two types of communicative exercises: information gap and jigsaw activities. Participants will learn how to adapt these types of activities to accommodate students at varying levels of proficiency and ability levels.

*This presentation will not be recorded.*

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Disrupting Implicit Racial Bias in the Adult ESOL Classroom

�Shannon Wilk de Benitez and Cathryn Paul

Participants will gain an understanding of what implicit bias is and how it impacts all of our lives, including the implementation of ESOL programming. Participants will examine various types of implicit bias (intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional and systemic) and reflect upon how implicit bias impacts policies within their ESOL program, their own ESOL work and the participation of their learners. Presenters will describe how CASA's ESOL programs seek to disrupt implicit bias through their curriculum, teaching methodology and program activities.

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Open Networking

�MCAEL Team

This session is for those interested in building new connections by networking with fellow adult ESOL professionals. This “free flowing” session will utilize breakout rooms to rotate participants into one-on-one or small groups. Participants are encouraged to use this session to exchange contact information with colleagues and discuss topics most important and relevant to you as adult ESOL professionals.

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See you on March 19th!

Questions? Email conference@mcael.org