Professional Development Workshop List
Section W-Z
Presenters: Susan Pittman & Bonnie
Vondracek
Contact Hours: 3
Audience: ESL Teachers
Activity Overview:
Tired of the “Gotcha” mentality? This workshop will focus on techniques to create a more positive learning environment from the book by the guru of positive thinking – Ken Blanchard. This motivational workshop will provide you with strategies to accentuate the positive and redirect the negative in your classroom and in your own personal life.
Objectives:
In this workshop, teachers will learn how to
- Understand the principles of Whale Done!™
- Gain insights and wisdom from fellow teammates on the power of positive relationships.
- Obtain new ideas on implementing the Whale Done™ response with students.
- Dialogue with teammates about growing and cultivating an environment of trust.
- Enjoy!
Reference Resources:
Blanchard, K. (2002). Whale Done! ™ The Power of Positive Relationships, New York, The Free Press
Each participant will receive an activity guide that will include a list of all references and resources used in the development of this workshop. In addition to research and reference materials, the guide will include activities that teachers can do with their students.
Instructional Activities:
Individual and small group activities will be interspersed throughout the workshop. Teachers will have an opportunity to practice a variety of activities designed to assist teachers in accentuating the positive when working with students as well as how to redirect students who are struggling within specific areas.
Activities completed during the workshop will be taken from the activity guide provided to each participant.
Presenters:Alex Baez & Carol Speig
Contact Hours: 3
Audience: Teachers and Administrators of ABE, GED, ESL, EL Civics, and Family Literacy
Activity Overview:
Topic: Why wait for a standardized test to tell you if your students are making progress? How do you determine what lessons will benefit your students? The focus of this session is to provide participants with an opportunity to examine different types of authentic assessment tools that can be used to evaluate students' learning achievements. The tools will serve as models for the participants to explore the flexibility of developing assessments appropriate for the specific character of individual activities or lessons. Participants will see the connection between authentic assessment and the development of lesson plans.
Objectives:
- Participants will be introduced to the different examples and different purposes of authentic assessment.
- Participants will explore the flexibility of authentic assessment as it pertains to various types of classes/lessons.
- Participants will gain insight into the value of linking authentic assessment to lesson planning/ lesson planning to authentic assessment.
Reference Resources:
Angelo, T. S. & Cross, P.K. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques - A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
Auerbach, E. (1992). Making Meaning Making Change. McHenry, IL: Delta Systems & Center for Applied Linguistics.
O'Malley, M.J. & Valdez-Pierce, L. (1996). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for Teachers. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Strickland, J. & K. (2000). Making Assessment Elementary. Portsmouth, N.H: Heinemann.
Weddel, K.S. (1997). Needs Assessment for Adult ESL Learners. (EDO-LE-97-02) Washington, DC: ERIC Digest, Center for Applied Linguistics.
Wrigley, H.S. (1992). Learner Assessment in Adult ESL Literacy. Washington, DC: ERIC/NCLE Digests National Center for ESL Literacy Education.
Instructional Activities:
- Participants will do a jigsaw reading and report on different types of authentic assessments
- Participants will develop a classroom lesson/activity and design an authentic assessment to determine the effectiveness of the lesson/activity
Teaching English Communication Skills in Workforce Oriented Programs
The Workforce Literacy Institute includes the following activities:
- 3 6-hour Saturday workshops (18 hours)
- 2 evening 2-hour evening follow up sessions (4 hours)
- Preparation of reading materials for workshops and follow ups (6 hours)
Total number of hours spent on workshop activities: 28
Description:
Being able to communicate in English, face
to face, on the phone, or in writing is critical to success in workplaces
on the border just as it is elsewhere. Although in El Paso many daily exchanges
can be handled in English, good jobs, advancement, and transition to training
increasingly require English. English literacy skills are no less important,
particularly in demand positions related to health, technology, and transportation
where the ability to negotiate print is essential since mistakes carry serious
consequences. Yet developing these skills presents a serious challenge
for instructors and adult learners alike in a region where many job seekers
have only a few years of education in Mexico and struggle with both English
language acquisition and with literacy. In an environment where Spanish
is the language of daily life, learners are seldom challenged to use
English outside of the classroom.
El Paso programs face an additional barrier to English language acquisition: most teachers are bilingual and classroom interactions often rely heavily on translation, further minimizing the opportunity for students to listen to extended English and express their ideas without moving back and forth between languages. The proposed sessions will take the realities of learning and working on the U.S.-Mexico border into account and will present research-based strategies and principles that maximize English learning while taking advantage of the bilingual capabilities of teachers and job seekers alike.
Approach: The proposed workshops will be draw on research in workplace literacy in the U.S., Australia, and Europe, as well as on the latest research in second language acquisition and literacy development for adults with few previous educational opportunities. The sessions will follow a model of “focused teaching” and “engaged learning” that relies on teaching demonstrations, action learning, and technology integration. Concepts related to models of learning that take advantage of learners’ multiple intelligences will be integrated, and skills and strategies will be linked to Equipped for the Future. The realities of work on the border will be addressed, as skills related to social communication will be introduced along with strategies for holding one’s own (defenderse) and speaking up at work.
Workshop Session Outline-Goals for the workshops series:
The goal of the 3 session workshop series is to deepen the knowledge base of instructors teaching work force orientated classes and to increase their repertoire of skills and strategies, focusing on those elements of teaching and learning found to be effective and thus gaining more “bang for the buck.” The ultimate goal will be to have workers who have the language and literacy skills to communicate in English, handle problems in the workplace, and deal effectively with written information.
Session 1: Communicating in the workplace – what counts?
This session will focus on approaches, models and strategies that have been found effective in research and in practice. Teachers will also explore how their strength as teachers can transfer to teaching in employment oriented contexts and will see how these different models can be shaped into a coherent teaching approach that reflects how adults learn. Participants will hear the results of interviews with managers and supervisors explaining what matters in terms of English in their company and will design a curriculum outline designed to focus on essential skills and strategies.
Session 2: Contextual Lessons and Integrated Skills - More learning and less teaching:
In this session participants will learn how to use workplace oriented materials to design integrated lessons that deepen learning. Participants will see how a multiple modes of teaching can lead to deeper learning and will create mini-lessons for the workplace that illustrate these concepts. Participants will gain hands-on experience in effective ways of increasing linguistic foundation skills that focus both on receptive skills (listening/reading) and expressive skills (speaking/writing). Research-based methods of teaching employment-related vocabulary will be illustrated through the use of demonstration lessons.
Session 3: Take it Outside - Maximizing the use of English in the classroom and beyond
This session will show how English and Spanish can be effectively used in employment oriented teaching and how opportunities for speaking English can be increased within the classroom as well as beyond (e.g., through surveys, interviews, and projects). Scenarios for problem solving will illustrate create ways to engage students and introduce them to available technologies (low tech and high tech). Teachers will gain hands-on experience in using graphics and text as well as PowerPoint to enhance their lessons and will learn how to develop projects with their students that take advantage of these technologies.
Transition to Post-Secondary Education
Presenters: Far West GREAT Center Staff
Contact Hours: 18
Audience: Teachers
of ABE, GED, ESL with TWC students or pre-college students
Activity Overview: The institute will address the increasing demand for adult basic education programs to provide literacy and basic skills instruction with a focus on continuing post secondary education and/or obtaining and maintaining employment.
Several modules will be presented to assist instructors with the aforementioned transition process. Modules include: Career Exploration, Financial Aid and Admission process for local community college, local vocational programs, and teaching strategies designed to maximize the ability of adult students to succeed in a post-secondary environment.
Objectives:
In this institute, teachers will learn about:
- Goal setting in the classroom with students based on individual needs and goals
- Assisting students with career exploration
- Financial aid, admissions, and programs available at the local community college
- The local vocational schools and how to select program and provider
- Helping students perform more effectively in the local college’s ESL standardized tests
- Helping Limited English Proficiency students, through instructional modifications, succeed in post secondary training.
References:
Sommers, S. (2000). VESL – Vocational English as a Second Language Courses A & B Curriculum Guide. Bridge to Advanced Technological Education and Employment.
Bingman, M. B., Colette, M., Merrifield, J., & Woliver, B. (1996).Getting There: A Curriculum for Moving People Into Employment. Tennessee, Knoxville: The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee.
Baird, B. (1991). Project FORWARD Curriculum. Texas Education Agency, Division of Adult and Community Education.
WIA Eligible Training Provider System: http://www.twc.state.tx.us
Instructional Activities:
The information will be presented
in two (2) Friday and Saturday sessions. There will be numerous presenters
each day. Each presenter will discuss their appropriate module and facilitate
activities accordingly. Here are some of the selected activities:
- Introductory Presentation on the transition to post-secondary education
- Adult Student Panel of former adult education students currently in post-secondary education
- Presentation on academic and vocational options for adult students at El Paso Community College
- Presentation on helping adult students navigate admissions and financial aid
- Group work on developing strategies for improving adult student scores on college-level standardized ESL tests
- Hands-on career exploration module with online component
- Group work on improving academic learning strategies for post-secondary education
- Follow up meeting with participants required
Strategies for Success
Presenters: Susan Pittman & Bonnie
Vondracek
Contact Hours: 3
Audience: ABE/GED Teachers
Activity Overview:
Many adult education students have a diagnosed or undiagnosed learning disability. It is important for teachers to understand the different types of strategies that can be incorporated into the classroom in order for all students to have equal access to education. This workshop provides participants with an overview of different strategies for each of the primary areas of learning disabilities: dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia. Participants will experience what each type of disability is like, as well as complete a learning plan as part of a case study.
Objectives:
In this workshop, teachers will learn how to
- Identify and explain the three primary design features of effective learning strategies
- Identify and use appropriate steps in a remembering system to help students access and use information as needed
- Identify and use appropriate strategies for teaching students with dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia
- Learn how to develop a learning plan for a student with a learning disability
- Access resources that they can use when developing lessons for students with learning disabilities
Reference Resources:
Learning Disabilities Research and Resource Site
The International Dyslexia Association
National Center for Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities Association of America
National Institute for Literacy (LINCS)
Learning Disabilities (LD) Adaptations/Accommodations Guide
Instructional Activities:
Teachers will have an opportunity to experience different types of learning disabilities. They will access different strategies that can be used in any type of classroom and will participate in a case study that requires they develop a learning plan for a disabled student.Strategies for Success
Presenters: Susan Pittman & Bonnie
Vondracek
Contact Hours: 6
Audience: ABE/GED and
ESL Teachers
Activity Overview:
Many adult education students have a diagnosed or undiagnosed learning disability. Teachers need to understand the differences between accommodations and modifications that can be provided in the classroom. Teachers should also have a wide range of strategies that can be incorporated into the classroom in order for all students to have equal access to education. This workshop provides participants with an overview of different strategies for each of the primary areas of learning disabilities: dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia. Participants will experience a simulation of each type of disability. Participants will also learn how to modify activities for the classroom and to complete a learning plan as part of a case study.
Objectives:
In this workshop, teachers will learn how to
- Define the term accommodations
- Specify and apply five types of accommodations
- Distinguish the differences between accommodations and modifications
- Identify five accommodations that can be provided during assessment
- Identify two accommodations that are not allowed on tests
- Identify professional resources that they can use to enhance their own knowledge in the area of accommodations, including GEDTS Accommodations
- Match resources to the objectives that they have established for their classes
- Identify and explain the three primary design features of effective learning strategies
- Identify and use appropriate steps in a remembering system to help students access and use information as needed
- Identify and use appropriate strategies for teaching students with dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyslexia
- Learn how to develop a learning plan for a student with a learning disability
- Access resources that they can use when developing lessons for students with learning disabilities
Reference Resources:
20 Ways to Make Instruction More Memorable
The International Dyslexia Association
National Center for Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities Association of America
Learning Disabilities (LD) Adaptations/Accommodations Guide
Instructional Activities:
Teachers will have an opportunity to experience different types of learning disabilities. They will access different strategies that can be used in any type of classroom and will participate in a case study that requires they develop a learning plan for a disabled student. Participants will also practice modifying activities to address various learning disabilities.
