2019 Conference

Learn how error logs, student reflections, and grammar workshops can help integrate grammar instruction in a college writing course for ELLs! Student feedback, results, and recommendations will be presented. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Other

Promoting academic vocabulary acquisition is a primary goal of any ESL teacher.  How can teachers maximize vocabulary instruction and support ELs of all levels?  Participants will investigate synonyms and antonyms to build bodies of vocabulary, leaving with hands-on activities to use in the classroom with ELs of varying proficiency.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

It sounds shocking. A group of high school juniors pose for their prom, giving the Nazi salute. This story is not limited to one school in Wisconsin. Last year, at K-12 schools and colleges, hate crimes rose by 25 percent. This workshop offers strategies to teach inclusivity and combat ignorance. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

In our presentation, we introduce and model a framework to select, analyze, and incorporate children’s story books into ESL teaching. We examine pedagogical opportunities and challenges of using such authentic texts with learners at various proficiency levels and discuss methods of avoiding cultural essentialism and stereotypes.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School

Nearly 1500 English learner students in Massachusetts public high schools dropped out in 2017-18. In this session we will dive deeper into the data around students not graduating from high school and some areas for discussion.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education

High School

Multiliteracy narratives contain formulaic language, e.g., idiomatic expressions and interactional patterns. A confluence of language and culture, comics embody good learning opportunities in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics, all heavily saturated with formulaic language. Come learn how to turn the formulaic language used in comics into a teaching tool!

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
Workplace ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

It is no secret that ELs need to learn English. In this seminar, we focus on collaboration between ESL and ELA teachers.  After all, we both teach English. We will focus on specific strategies and tools that ELA and ESL can utilize to support each other and help students succeed.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

This workshop will give ELL coaches, ELL directors and pre-service teacher educators ideas on how to help SEI and ELL teachers to examine their own cultural identity a pathway for understanding their students’ cultural identity.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

Ever been stressed out by a class with newcomers who speak many different languages?  Ever wished you could use your favorite graphic organizers on student Chromebooks?  If so, this hands-on session with a Google multilanguage translation tool and colorful graphic organizers is for you.  You’ll need a Google Account.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

Effective teaching is culturally responsive! Come learn practical teaching strategies that ensures a culturally responsive classroom for ALL learners. Move beyond surface-level cultural activities in your classroom and begin to focus on cognitively demanding lessons designed through the lens of social justice and culturally responsive teaching. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School

We will review how our platforms can support All English learners and Spanish bilingual students in ELA, Math and Spanish, while providing actionable information to the teachers.

Commercial Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary

The researcher discusses the research outcomes for a study that explored the Impact of the RETELL initiative on the English Language Acquisition of ELs in Massachusetts as measured by the ACCESS test. Is the RETELL initiative actually responding to the needs of EL students that we are attempting to help?

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education

How do we provide students across the commonwealth exposure to a cannon of literature that is racially and culturally heterogeneous? This session will provide participants with an action plan to implement less prescribed literary choices for students, to reflect a broad spectrum of identities and experiences.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Dual Language Programs

This session reports on the design of an ESL teacher education course focused on advocacy and the course’s impact on novice ESL teachers’ advocacy beliefs and actions. The audience will be invited to contribute ideas about how to continue to infuse advocacy into the preparation of all ESL teachers.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

Teacher Preparation/Education

This is workship of teaching patterns of critical thinking using the 3CA(an acronym for the educational components of Concept maps, Critical thinking, Collaboration, and Assessment) model of classroom instruction. Critical thinking is defined as the “WH questions”: “what, when, where, how who, and why” taken from Aristotle’s, the Nicomachean Ethics.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
Private Language Schools

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs

This session provides an overview of the guidance and state funded bilingual grants.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education

Are your language objectives feeling stale?  This hands-on workshop examines content-based tasks through a language lens.  Learn to identify key language demands of assignments and develop a common understanding of highly effective language objectives. Leave with the tools and mindset to write learning targets that will benefit all students.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education

Pride, academic language and meaningful intercultural exchange can converge in a high school ESL curriculum unit offering hands-on agriculture and technology experiences in alternation with group writing (Language Experience Approach) and video documentation. Developing individual and team confidence through project learning will be a central question in this presentation. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

High School

The authors draw from their experiences as collaborative responsive teachers drawing on critical multimodal literacy, dialogic pedagogy, and culturally sustaining pedagogy to offer teachers and researchers meaningful ways to address the complex needs of emergent bilingual learners within the demands of instruction and accountability under No Child Left Behind.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

High School

Discover new ways to use Google apps and other online tools to improve instruction for English learners.  Learn about digital tools for teaching vocabulary, Chrome extensions to support student independence, a multilanguage translation tool, and digital graphic organizers.  Take home a spread-the-knowledge slideshow to share with your school’s faculty.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

Pictures provide a universal language for thinking and expressing ideas. Via lively video, witness firsthand two dynamic multimodal approaches to teaching writing and strengthening language skills that can be integrated across the curriculum. Experience firsthand the power of bringing words and pictures together. View impressive research findings. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs

This presentation provides a framework and practical strategies used in workplace education settings in the Boston area to address the variety of language abilities and needs of multi-level language classes. Participants will gain tools that are applicable in many multi-level settings - including public schools.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education
Adult ESOL
Workplace ESOL

Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs

Translanguaging and multiliteracies are global phenomenons occurring across national and geopolitical boundaries. Many have supported their uses in classrooms, but are teachers prepared for translingual teaching? This session will explore and discuss the relevance of translanguaging in everyday life and offer strategies to support translingual and multiliterate practices in classrooms.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Private Language Schools

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
Dual Language Programs

This session provides an overview of the State Seal of Biliteracy Guidance, criteria, and approved assessments.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Bilingualism and Biliteracy

Learn how you can enhance English language teaching capacity abroad through 10-month paid teaching fellowships designed by U.S. Embassies for experienced U.S. TESOL professionals. As an English Language Fellow, you can provide English language instruction, conduct teacher training, and develop resources. Join us to hear from program staff and alumni.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
Workplace ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

Long term ELLs require explicit instruction to make their written discourse precise and clear. Participants will explore a “Scaffolding the Literary Essay Tool" and leave with anchor papers, specific language frames, graphic organizers, and student profiles to use in practice and to share with their schools.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education
Community College ESOL

Middle School
High School
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

Presenting a classroom-tested vocabulary program that lets students work at their own level, choosing their own words and texts. It’s way to tie independent reading to vocabulary development and let each student work at her own pace. Not a panacea, but one part of a balanced ELA program.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

Participants will see a model Project Based Learning (PBL) unit on Identity for middle and high school SLIFE ESL classrooms.  Participants will have the opportunity to view sample materials, review project ideas, and apply unit design elements to their own curriculum.  

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

SLIFE Programs

Have you panicked at the thought of teaching complex, grade level texts to Level 1-3 ELLs? Fear no more! You'll walk away from this session with practical ideas that have proven effective in ensuring your students are offered an equitable education to their grade-level peers.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary

Entering a new era… Hear how one district is enhancing student engagement, increasing teacher collaboration, and redefining the ESL teacher role by using the Next Generation ESL Curriculum Resource Guide to develop curriculum. Participants will leave with scaffolds, supports, and suggestions for navigating each stage of the curriculum development process.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary

In this session, participants will learn how to teach students at all levels to use context clues, words parts and reference tools to help them to independently figure out the meanings of unknown words they encounter in text.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

PK-12 Education
Adult ESOL

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

Teachers have the expertise of teaching; EL students have the expertise of learning a second language. This interactive presentation will explain the model one high school has implemented to harness the potential of both to create an afterschool program where EL students teach the teachers how to speak Spanish. 

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs

This presentation reports on collaborative learning in a professional development series that is social justice-oriented for international students and their teachers. We discuss how "problem students" become resources. A collaborative effort between a university teacher educator-researcher  and teachers  offers for site-based learning that affects students' academic and social progress.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

Private Language Schools

Middle School
High School

Witness powerful collage images and writing from immigrant and refugee students grades 3-12 as they reconstruct and share their family immigration stories. Three educators share experiences creating multimodal identity texts with students new to the country. Experience for yourself how creating images first supports critical thinking and language acquisition.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs

We will present an overview of a curriculum unit for HS ELs ELD 2-5 that ESL teachers can utilize and adapt to their own context. We will explain our experience writing and teaching the vertically aligned unit and share our data, sample lesson plans, instructional practices, and student work.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

High School

Increasing Academic language is an important factor for an English Learner’s success in school and beyond. Using both Jeff Zwiers and Kate Kinsella's research on academic conversations, language, and writing, we aim to provide the background knowledge and tools to increase academic language use in all classrooms, regardless of content.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School

In this session we will discuss different purposes for using rubrics, answer key questions for developing and revising rubrics for ELs, and workshop rubric ideas with colleagues.  Special attention will be paid to rubrics that include both language and content criteria.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Data and Assessment

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs

Many long term ELLs are not engaged in and do not progress in their language learning. How can program administrators and teachers successfully engage long term ELLs? This session provides useful questions and practical tools to increase the engagement and performance of long term ELLs in your school.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Program Administration and Evaluation

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School

As a high school classroom teacher in an urban area with a predominantly immigrant population with rolling enrollment, the challenge to present multiple opportunities for peer interaction in the second language is daunting.   This sessions aims to present a classroom tool to aid in facilitating daily collaboration.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs

Join the Board of Directors for a review of MATSOL's activities over the past year and vote to elect new directors to the board. Refreshements will be served. All members welcome!

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Struggling to finish that unit you started writing, or to convert your tried and true lesson plans into units? Join our interdistrict networking group for curriculum developers (novice to experienced welcome)! We will share successes, struggles, and strategies in the unit writing process. Let’s support one another along the way!

Discussion (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

In this interactive session, participants will have an opportunity to discover engaging activities that support Language Learners through amplification of complex reading selections, close reading, critical thinking, collaborative conversations, and vocabulary-building.  Participants will explore practices that address closer examination of texts through collaboration with the purpose of uncovering deeper meaning.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

During 2018-19, we piloted a formative assessment system district-wide, following a smaller pilot at one school. Assessments include those already conducted in the district as well as those specific to English learners. Together we have developed a system to efficiently address individual needs while meeting the LOOK requirements.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Data and Assessment

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

This session is geared toward middle/high school educators. We explore some of the best practices geared toward lowering the affective filter in order to create a community of learners. We will focus on how we use poetry to increase student participation, build a classroom culture, and encourage creative writing.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs

Looking for innovative and effective ways to assess newcomer ELs in the content areas? In this workshop teachers will learn strategies for incorporating the four language domains into assessments and will walk away with a toolkit of strategies for differentiating assessments for students with a range of emerging English skills.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs

BPS Office of English Learners engages members of the various linguistic communities to come together at monthly meetings to ensure family and community voices are a part of major decisions that affect students. This presentation will explore how various stakeholders are engaged and maintained, as well as typical topics discussed.

Panel Presentation (45 minutes)

Family and Community Engagement

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Dual Language Programs

It is no secret that teacher self-efficacy affects student learning. Moreover, issues of equity require that teachers refrain from engaging in limiting language and behaviors that consciously or subconsciously affect student success. In this seminar, we have the difficult discussion regarding the behaviors that have this adverse effect on students.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
SLIFE Programs

Student-led classrooms and peer-to-peer interaction is vital for language acquisition, but engaging SLIFE and beginner ELs in rigorous academic discourse can feel unattainable due to students’ limited English proficiency. This session aims to demonstrate effective scaffolds to engage all ELs in Socratic Seminars at the secondary level.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

“Present progressive” or “present continuous”? “Relative clause” or “adjective clause”? Using examples from popular integrated-skills ESL books, this workshop critiques the different ways these books teach the same grammar point and how we, as teachers, can support our students so that everyone is, literally and figuratively, on the same page.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

High School

Current trends in education push for more collaboration as teacher collaboration can enhance instructional practices and student learning (Ronfeldt et al., 2015), especially when it comes to supporting multilingual students. The audience will learn from practitioners who engage in collaborative practices in their school and district.

Invited Speaker (90 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

While social interaction is key to second language acquisition, teachers of SLIFE and beginner ELs often feel hesitant about designing collaborative learning experiences for their students. This session aims to present how and why peer-to-peer interaction is essential to language learning, especially in SLIFE and beginner EL classes.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

This session will inform participants of the requirements for English learner benchmarks and where to locate benchmarks and targets provided by DESE. Current district processes and procedures for identifying and serving ELs who have missed benchmarks will also be presented.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education

National Geographic Explorers lead the way In Panorama - which works deeply on comprehension in English or Spanish, in a print and/or digital environment. Experience the many astounding visuals, academic discourse routines, and other supports that help ELLs access complex text while simultaneously building background of the NGSS and C3 standards.

Commercial Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary

PBS LearningMedia™ is a free resource for PreK-12 educators that features short-captioned videos across the curriculum and other digital resources specifically designed for ELL students. This session is a combination of “show and tell” and hands-on guided practice, culminating in a scavenger hunt on PBS LearningMedia with prizes!

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education
Adult ESOL

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs

First-year EL educators often struggle to support and establish themselves within their school.  They must learn to navigate a new educational environment, critically engage students, and advocate for themselves.The purpose of this presentation is to outline survivalstrategies that are designed for teachers in their formative first year.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School

Participants will calibrate their understanding of the authentic language ELs produce using a variety of rubrics and success criteria. Participants will examine samples of student work from ESL and SEI classes at the secondary level, following a protocol and using a variety of tools and strategies.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Data and Assessment

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School

You’ve taught your class new vocabulary, but what next? How do you deepen your ELLs’ understanding of the words? In this session, you will play a game to become familiar with a menu of easy-to-implement strategies that will help you add vocabulary practice seamlessly into the work you’re already doing.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

The session shares research findings on pre-service student learning in SEI courses and need for more critical consciousness of their own culture-identity lens (Equity Vision) for a culturally responsive pedagogy for ELLs. This responds to the urgency for critical linguistics amidst aggressive anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies of exclusion

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

Demystifying Model Performance Indicator's (MPIs)  General Education:  Unpacking MPIs & Creating ACCESS like tasks.  Take the mystery out of writing MPIs, analyze language demands of ACCESS testing, and create differentiated tasks that are comprehensible for all learners.  Teachers will build MPIs across levels and design a WIDA like task.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs

Where do low to mid-incidence districts start in the implementation of Student Success Plans? Join From the Ground Up to learn how a mid-incidence district was able to get plans up and running, the pitfalls experienced, and gather resources and templates to support your district’s implementation process.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Program Administration and Evaluation

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
English Learners with Disabilities

How do we ensure English Language Learners read accurately, automatically and with prosody? In this session, we will consider the recommendations outlined from the What Works Clearinghouse specific to Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding. In doing so, participants will experience research-supported practices for the effective teaching and application of foundational skills so that students become fluent and confident readers and writers.

Commercial Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary

In this guided discussion, participants will explore the criteria and processes Boston Public Schools uses to vet tech-based platforms aimed at supporting English Language development and literacy achievement. Throughout the session, audience participation will allow for idea exchanges on additional platforms that offer cross-functional support for ELs.

Discussion (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Newcomer Programs

Gold Standard Project-Based Learning is an instructional approach ideally suited to more fully engage ELLs in classroom learning. This workshop will explore the fundamentals of PBL, share experiences from a pilot by teachers from different content areas, and provide participants with the opportunity to jumpstart their own PBL design.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
Workplace ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

High School

How do we teach ELLs to harness technology as a tool to improve students writing? Learn strategies and ideas in order to incorporate Google Classroom to support students writing development.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

Gain an awareness of the educational and social contexts of your Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Japanese students. Learn how their cultural experiences and perspectives impact their learning, how to integrate these populations of students into your classroom, and to support them and their families in more culturally sensitive ways.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
Workplace ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

BPS’ Im/migration Stories Project pairs students from SLIFE and regular education history classrooms to share their stories of migration as a form of civic engagement. Several partnerships which support the project will be shared, including BPS’ Office of English Learners & Social Studies Department, Re-imaging Migration, and I Learn America.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

Learn about how one district consolidates intake, family communication and services through pathways for ELL student success.  The cross-functional district team in Taunton Public Schools comprised of guidance counselors, administrators, student services personnel, teacher assistants, and ESL and general education teachers have a shared mission of equity for ELLs.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Program Administration and Evaluation

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

Due to immigration reform, institutes of higher education (IHE) have seen a decrease in the number of international students studying abroad and a threat to educating Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students. Research will focus on the historical context of internationalization, case law and conclude with recommendations for IHE.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL

The RETELL Initiative aims to improve the standards, assessment, and strategies used with ELLs. But how much has this actually changed their daily experience? Are teachers being supported at school and district levels to effectively use these tools? Join us to discuss how RETELL is impacting you and your ELLs.

Discussion (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

Looking for ways to boost extended academic talk in your classroom? This session will provide a toolbox of practical ways to implement structured and sustained speaking activities in the elementary classroom while building student confidence. Presenters will share concrete teaching strategies, scaffolds, and digital tools.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary

This interactive presentation provides theoretical and research-based approaches to academic language use in the context of the inclusion classroom.  Participants will identify, discuss, and reflect on strategies that offer all learners opportunities to develop, practice, and use academic language orally through a versatile range of authentic communication classroom practices.   

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

Social-Emotional Learning has many benefits, especially for newcomers and SLIFE who are adapting to learning not only a new language but also a new culture. This session demonstrates effective ways to embed SEL competencies into ESL activities that deepen students’ content knowledge and encompass all four domains of language acquisition.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

A rich and robust vocabulary is essential to a literate life! Join us for this interactive session as we consider the research and experience lessons and instructional practices for engaging English Language Learners in meaningful, authentic and effective word learning.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary

When you hear about co-teaching, do you ever imagine a dynamic team of ESL and general education teachers?  In this workshop, participants will learn to: establish ‘logistics’ for co-teaching language and content, articulate areas of strengths and expertise when planning/teaching/reflecting on teaching, and craft a strong scheduling pitch to administrators.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
English Learners with Disabilities

Are you an early childhood professional looking for concrete strategies to develop reciprocal partnerships with culturally and linguistically diverse families? This workshop encourages you to challenge common assumptions and build more complex understandings about cultural, linguistic, and social practices that promote authentic engagement with families.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Early Education

ESL educators are faced with ethical dilemmas regarding accountability, responsibility, accommodation, authority, and civil liberties. The responses to these dilemmas are rooted in individual ethical philosophies. This presentation will explore five ethical philosophies as they pertain to the field of TESOL and the creation of individual ethical philosophies. 

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

Teacher Preparation/Education

Design, tinker, create! These competencies needed by all students are often inaccessible to language learners. Through this interactive, hands-on session, you will experience teacher-generated, standards-aligned STEAM and computer science classroom activities and learn how to engage Prek-12 students at different language proficiencies in authentic 21st-century problem-solving, communication, and computational thinking.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Is questioning a learned skill?  Inquiry plays a vital role in enhancing students’ literacy of the world.  The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) gives structure to the questioning process. In this session, participants learn the steps of QFT process and walk away with a versatile strategy to use in the classroom.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

To teach students, you must know them - their lives, their communities, their languages, and their cultures. Close to 60 percent of the Brockton Public Schools' students are Cape Verdean. So Brockton Public Schools worked with Bridgewater State University to organize a educational tour to Cape Verde during April vacation. Teachers visited both urban and rural schools at all levels: primary, secondary, and post secondary. They traveled to the island of Fogo, where many of the students come from. This presentation will review the process and experiences of the teachers involved.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
English Learners with Disabilities

This presentation will highlight current data on ELs including demographics, achievement, and trends. This will be followed up with updates on current and future projects from OELAAA including all things LOOK, RETELL, WIDA, and other topics.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education

This session will present a variety of reading comprehension strategies for entering ELs and SLIFE. These strategies develop students’ ability to actively engage and negotiate meaning with difficult text and can be applied across content and grade levels.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

ELLs in the US have an amazing opportunity to learn from authentic interactions. This opportunity is often underutilized by students lacking confidence with native speakers and by teachers unsure of structuring such activities. This presentation will demonstrate several activities that promote learning from community interactions. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

Adult ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL

The implementation of the LOOK Act has brought some changes to the requirements of the relevant ELE compliance criteria. In this presentation, the Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) will clarify the requirements for ELE criteria and explain how implementation in districts will be monitored during the Tiered Focused Monitoring (TFM) reviews. The presentation will also include information regarding the program proposal process and the requirements.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

Real life digital tools inspire ELs to engage in real academic conversation! Success in language acquisition is dependent upon development of oral language skills.  This session explores the online NearPod platform to increase speaking, listening, and comprehension skills.  We'll guide you through creating your own interactive lessons!

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Newcomer Programs

This session will focus on how incorporating personalized choice assignments into a teacher preparation course embraces and extends the wide range of student abilities by providing multiple means to acquire and demonstrate growing expertise in course competencies. The rationale, the structure, and success of the assignment will be discussed.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

Teacher Preparation/Education

In this session our aim is twofold: (1) discuss the research available on the use of music as pedagogical instruction in Two Way Immersion Programs; (2) show applied practice in everyday classrooms. From theory to practice we discuss how teachers' and students' funds of knowlegde come together in education.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary

The session goal is to alleviate apprehension about pronunciation and pronunciation teaching in the language classroom. Participants will gain an understanding of reasons instructors avoid pronunciation and how to mitigate these fears; discuss pronunciation practices; understand research-classroom connections; and discuss observed links between pronunciation, other language skills, and overall proficiency.

Discussion (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

The study shows importance of strength based approaches, and how to recognize and support English learners' epistemic, communicative, and cultural  repertoires and their long term language and identity development in science classrooms.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Middle School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
Dual Language Programs

For many English language learners, the ESL class needs to meet objectives of language and literature which are used in all ELA classes.  How can we use real literature--books, graphic novels, short stories--with our ELLs in middle school, particularly at beginning language levels?

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Middle School

This interactive session focuses on English Learners’ social-emotional needs. The presenters model lessons that give ELs the language tools they need to reflect, resolve interpersonal conflicts, and self-advocate. Participants also learn about school-wide SEL approaches, collaborate with others, and use an SEL planning checklist to reflect on their own practice.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

ESL and SEI teachers must have deep understanding of pedagogical content knowledge as well as culturally sustaining pedagogies (Paris & Alim, 2017) and anti-racist TESOL practices (Motha, 2014), however access and opportunities for this deep learning can be limited. Educators will share innovative approaches to address these professional learning needs.

Invited Speaker (90 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Hear about a newly formed ELL Team’s journey to become a collaborative, cohesive, and top-notch unit. Learn and share ideas/activities for trust building and collaboration that will pave a path for a strong teacher team that benefits ALL students!

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Professional Development and Teacher Education

Teacher Preparation/Education

Middle School

This session will review the OLA ELPAC guidance and provide insight from districts who have recently started their ELPAC.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Family and Community Engagement

PK-12 Education

Engage with evidence-based technology that unlocks the potential for ELs through hands-on experiences, transformative technology, and instructional strategies. Come learn how technology can accelerate literacy ELs. We will share digital first reading, writing, speaking, and listening resources with SEL culturally relevant lessons and embedded SIOP® (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) strategies.

Commercial Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Middle School

This session will teach you the most effective ways to  incorporate language (via writing, reading, speaking, and listening) into a mathematical classroom. You will learn a process of scaffolds that move your students from a place of mere calculation to a deeper understanding of the reasoning behind mathematics.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School

During this session, BPS staff from Newcomers Assessment & Counseling Center, Office of English Learners, and the Math Department will share the process, resources, and research used to create math assessments for EL students in grades 3-12 in the eight target languages spoken in BPS using an interdisciplinary collaborative approach. 

Panel Presentation (45 minutes)

Data and Assessment

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

PBS LearningMedia™ interactive lessons are self-paced, standards-aligned media-based lessons with clear instructional goals. Lessons are available for grades K-12 across the curriculum. In the lessons students explore content through video, text, audio, images, primary sources and short readings. PBS LearningMedia, co-produced by WGBH is free to teachers and students.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education
Adult ESOL

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

In this interactive session, the presenters will share their experiences with International U.S. Air Force Academy cadets enrolled in English for Academic Purposes who have presented their research to their cohort in subject area classes and open panel presentations. Through their presentations, the research papers truly became a social event.

 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools
Other

Discussion (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Integrating social and emotional learning (SEL)  competencies into instruction can be a challenging task for educators at all grade levels. This session aims to present an effective school-wide model for integrating SEL competencies into instruction that has proven to be successful with newcomers at the secondary level.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

Come one, come all! Welcome families inside your classroom with a variety of academic celebrations that showcase student work and progress. From seasonal celebrations to publishing parties to math game mania and more, participants will learn how to strengthen relationships with families & communities by planning a celebration to remember.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Family and Community Engagement

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary

What does fostering social justice actually look like in ESL teaching and learning? Participants will first explore findings of a document analysis study examining the integration of social justice principles into ESL teachers’ lesson plans. Second, they will discuss practical ways to incorporate these principles into K-12 ESL instruction.

Discussion (45 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

This presentation challenges educators across Massachusetts to consider how the state meets the needs of emergent bilingual learners. We invite participants to reflect on the land-breaking Castaňeda decision, examine its relationship to teacher preparedness, and to critically examine if Massachusetts is adequately preparing teachers to teach bilingual learners.

Discussion (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education

Multiple lines of research show the importance of speaking to learning science. Drawing on the WIDA rubric for speaking, I present a planning routine that includes specific phonics, vocabulary-, sentence- and discourse-level activities. I also present examples of implementation and we take a listen at student work.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School

In this session, participants will explore one district's journey implementing the Next Generation ESL Standards.  Participants will be able to use our planning experience to reflect on their own. We will cover Focus Language Goals, Year Long Plan, UBD, PD, and Assessment.  

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs

New approaches address two listening challenges: successfully identifying words in continuous speech and understanding speakers’ intended meaning. Instructors need proven evidence-based strategies to help learners parse connected speech and discern speaker intent. Two practical, 3-part strategies are demonstrated to facilitate processing aural input for utterance content and interpreting message meaning.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation

Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

Technology can be a powerful medium for scaffolding conversations for English Learners. In this workshop, we will explore the potential of Nearpod’s Virtual Reality (VR) feature to promote academic language and self-advocacy and cross-cultural skills. Keeping WIDA standards in mind, participants will experience several VR lessons and discuss their findings.

Commercial Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education
Adult ESOL

In this session, members of the MATSOL Community College Faculty Network will facilitate a discussion of topics relevant to Massachusetts community college ESL programs. Topics include: ESL services and resources at our colleges; changes to curriculum, levels, or awarding of credit; advocating for ESL students and faculty; and the future of community college ESL in Massachusetts. We invite high school, private language school, and higher education faculty and staff to share issues and concerns with us.

Invited Speaker (45 minutes)

Policy and Advocacy

PK-12 Education
Adult ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL
Private Language Schools

High School

This presentation examines how the LOOK Act overturned Question 2 to create unprecedented flexibility for ELE programs. It explores two forthcoming dual-language programs in disparate communities through the lens of Valdés “cautionary note” on dual-language education, suggesting a translingual alternative to SEI and DLE rooted in codemeshing and multimodal literacy.

Research-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Bilingualism and Biliteracy

PK-12 Education

Middle School
High School
Dual Language Programs

This session investigates the foundations of the UDL framework: the importance of eliminating barriers, embracing variability, and providing choices for all learners through the UDL Guidelines. Participants learn practical strategies for collaboration with content teachers creating meaningful outcomes for ELs that are engaging, culturally sustaining, and linguistically appropriate.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Curriculum Development

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
English Learners with Disabilities

Discover a straightforward method for observing any classroom of language learners in order to provide targeted feedback on student engagement through language use.  

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Program Administration and Evaluation

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

Striving to improve the listening and speaking skills of ELLs?  Presenters introduce two online collaborative tools, Flipgrid and Popplet, that provide students with authentic opportunities to develop these skills. This session shows students utilizing the digital tools through videos and allows hands-on participation with the use of personal devices.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary

Many ELs spend 90% of their day in mainstream classrooms, yet even with training and experience, teachers still lack confidence in their ability to meet these learners’ needs. What’s missing? How can EL teachers help?  Join colleagues to share experiences and explore insights from original research conducted with Massachusetts teachers.

Discussion (45 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

Discover how “playbooks” provide meaningful roles for co-teachers with minimal planning time. Begin a playbook for your own setting by exploring videos and plans for playbooks currently used in New York City Public Schools. Identify how playbooks support implementation of SEI and differentiated instruction, while addressing challenges to effective co-teaching.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices

PK-12 Education

Early Education
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Dual Language Programs
English Learners with Disabilities

This workshop will explore aspects of Haitian history and educational culture that are helpful to teachers working with Haitian immigrant students. Learn ways to support students and connect with their families from a teacher who has traveled to Haiti and is continuing to build a partnership with a community there.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

High School
Newcomer Programs

Does conversation sometimes stall in your classroom? This session is designed to help teachers of multilingual learners create effective conversation prompts. The strategies you learn will get your students thinking deeply and help your classroom move from one word answers to extended discourse.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

This interactive presentation introduces participants to the work of the United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the writings of Viet Thanh Nguyen, and ways to scaffold and foster academic discussion in the classroom using Anticipation Guides (Zweirs, 2004), Word Analysis, Active Listening, and Accountable Talk (Michaels et al. 2011).

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Academic Language in the Content Areas

PK-12 Education
Teacher Preparation/Education
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Community College ESOL

Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School

This will be a fast paced, interactive, hands-on workshop to learn some book making techniques to use with your students (Pre-K- 12).  During this workshop we will make several books (examples) and also share ideas for their use with students. Instructions and materials will be provided.

Interactive Workshop (90 minutes)

Culturally Responsive Teaching

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs

Struggling with meeting the various levels of ELs in the classroom? Blended Learning for ELs creates a tangible and experiential opportunity for students to be fully immersed in the content and language. Learn different strategies and platforms to use in the creation and implementation of your own Blended Learning. 

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Digital Learning & Technology

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
Middle School
High School
Summer/After-school Programs
Newcomer Programs
SLIFE Programs
Dual Language Programs

Can ELLs learn the basics of grammar as unconsciously as they do their L1?  We will use humor to lower affective barriers while subtly pre-teaching rules and maintaining student participation through dialoguing. With fluid conversation, students can stop being passengers on the ship of World Englishes and start being co-captains!

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Vocabulary and Grammar

Teacher Preparation/Education
Adult ESOL
University Intensive English Programs (IEPs)
Private Language Schools

Participants will experience and learn about text directed activities and how they can support English Language Learners in reading.

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Reading, Writing and Literacy

PK-12 Education

Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary

In this session, learn how to create an electronic monitoring system that not only meets the expectations of monitoring Former English Language Learners but allows the data to be collected, recorded and analyzed to inform future instructional decisions. Data is power, let’s use it!

Practice-Oriented Presentation (45 minutes)

Data and Assessment

PK-12 Education