Welcome back - from the ESOL PD Center

As our summer activities wind down and thoughts drift back to our classrooms and students, the SABES ESOL PD Center would like to say "Welcome back!" to our returning teachers, and "Welcome!" to those joining the field of adult ESOL for the first time. We hope you all had the chance to take some time to rest and rejuvenate over the summer and are ready to embark on what is sure to be another interesting year. At the SABES ESOL PD Center, we have been busily planning and designing PD opportunities to support your work that focus 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 -

• Using the MA English Language Proficiency Standards to Inform Instruction - Learn more about the MA ELPS and how to successfully - and effectively - integrate them into your ESOL instruction
• Engaging Tools for ESOL Instruction - Nearpod and Padlet - Comfortable with the tools we have been discussing - Google Apps, WhatsApp, ZOOM? Looking for more of a challenge? Spend two sessions with us to explore Nearpod and Padlet - two engaging and interactive tools that will help to enrich your instruction and encourage participation 
• Contextualized, Communicative Grammar - Dive into strategies for teaching grammar in communicative contexts
• WhatsApp for Beginners - Get started improving communication with your students right away with WhatsApp - a free texting application used by many of your students already! It's versatile and free with access to wi-fi

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 :).