This professional learning series is for ESOL teachers working with adult learners who have limited first-language literacy and are also at the beginning stages of learning English. Through independent readings, reflective classroom tasks, and interactive, facilitated webinars, participants will explore relevant research and its implications for best practices in the remote or in-person classroom. The sessions will focus on reading development for these learners, using the whole-part-whole approach, to build a foundation of literacy skills. Participants will share ideas for developing effective, engaging, and satisfying teaching and learning experiences for literacy-level language learners. 

Come prepared to discuss engaging research-based practices with your teaching colleagues and leave with ideas that you can implement immediately to support ongoing literacy instruction. 

Between the two facilitated webinars, participants will explore resources for potential use with students, reflect on their learning, and contribute to an online discussion or complete a short questionnaire. Each independent session is estimated to take one to two hours.

• Session 1: We will discuss the unique characteristics of adult literacy-level learners in regard to their learning needs and their acquisition of both literacy and English; explore the roles of "orality" and "literacy" and how they interact inside and outside of the classroom; and discuss the role of scaffolded instruction, as well as empathy, in adult literacy-level instruction. (2/21/25, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
• Session 2: Independent activities in Canvas (2/22-3/6/25)
• Session 3: We will discuss research findings from the articles and video as well as how that research can be applied in teaching, try out hands-on phonics activities, and discuss the role of "balanced literacy" in classroom instruction. (3/7/25, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.)
• Session 4: Independent activities in Canvas (3/8-3/20/25)
• Session 5: We will share the resources that participants explored and discuss how they could be used to enhance instruction for literacy-level learners; brainstorm ways to bring multisensory learning into remote and in-person instruction; and make a sustainable plan for incorporating learning from the sessions into future teaching practices. (3/21/25, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.)

Following Session 5, you will have the option to receive one-on-one coaching with EL literacy instruction expert, Lee Haller, to extend your learning and support your ongoing implementation of new practices and approaches.

Total PD Hours: 8+ additional time for coaching

PLEASE NOTE:

• If you are interested in this topic, but are unable to attend all of the sessions as outlined here, please see our resource collection on the SABES website at: https://sabes.org/pd-center-resources/34
• Before the course opens, registrants will receive a separate email with instructions on how to access the synchronous sessions via Zoom and the asynchronous activities in Canvas. If you do not receive these instructions, please check your Spam folder and/or email nruskin@edc.org.