Clock hours are available for all workshops.  Clock hour fee is $15, payable by check only.  Make checks payable to Seattle University.  Sign up on-site.  

Workshop #1 - Got Softchalk? Create Engaging, Interactive Lessons for Online and F2F Learning

January 28, 2012, 9:00 am-1:00 pm.  Coffee and a light snack provided.

About the presentation:

Come and learn how to transfer text-based lessons into interactive experiences using SoftChalk.  Through this hands-on training, participants will create interactive web pages that incorporate audio, slideshows, text-poppers, self-scoring quizzes, and much more.  We will also discuss a variety of ways teachers can publish finished lessons, including to a learning management system such as Angel, Moodle, and Blackboard.

Prior to the training, attendees need to download a free 30-day trial-version of Softchalk (http://softchalk.com) onto a laptop that they will bring to on the day of the workshop.

About the presenter:

Ruth Duffy, ESL instructor, Shoreline Community College, is the lab director of its multimedia center for ESL and GED students.  Along with teaching, Ruth has presented at numerous national and state conferences on topics related to computer assisted language learning and best practices in online classroom design.  In 2010-2012, she was Shoreline Community College’s eLearning Faculty-in-Residence, providing training for web 2.0 and eLearning tools.

Intended Audience:

Designed for educators in K-12 and higher education.  Participants need to have a general understanding of word-processing software and be comfortable learning new technologies.  Mac and Windows users welcomed.                     

Workshop #2 - Education Policy and the ELL Teacher - 

About the presentation:

Running into a brick wall at your school? Developing the art and craft of teaching ESL is valuable, but not sufficient, for being an effective ELL professional in K-12 schools today. Learn how school and district policies can help or hinder your ELL work and what you can do about it. Participants will look at actual policies and policy recommendations in six areas: academics, student support, family engagement, facilities use, program placement, and evaluation. Participants will get a simple framework for analyzing K-12 policy and hands-on practice doing so. Two case studies will also be reviewed to get practical tips for working with and changing existing policies at the school and district level.

About the presenter:

Dr. Brita Butler Wall has 30 years experience in language education and is the former president of the Seattle School Board. She also co-founded and directed an education advocacy organization that resulted in significant policy changes at the local and state level.

Intended Audience: 

designed for ELL K-12 teachers

Workshop #3 -  Teaching Intensive Reading Skills

”February  11, 2012, 9am-1pm. Coffee and a light snack provided.

About the presentation:

Teaching reading can be challenging, because students often confuse “reading” with “literacy,” and assume that once they can decode words—and know enough vocabulary—they’ll be proficient readers. However, there are specific reading skills that can be taught and practiced in the classroom that will make your students better readers.

This workshop will cover some of these key reading skills, such as skimming, scanning, identifying main ideas and details, recognizing signposts and transitions, coping with unfamiliar vocabulary, distinguishing between fact and opinion, recognizing tone and purpose, annotating, and dictionary skills. Participants will look at ways to add pre-, during, and post-reading exercises to texts for classroom use.

About the presenter:

Dorothy E. Zemach taught ESL for over 18 years, in Asia, Africa, and the US. Now she concentrates on writing and editing ELT textbooks and conducting teacher training workshops. Her areas of specialty and interest are teaching writing, teaching reading, business English, academic English, testing, and humor. She is a frequent plenary speaker at international conferences, and a regular blogger on classroom teaching issues.

Intended Audience:

High school on up, primarily academic (high school, community college, university) teachers

Workshop #4 - Strategies for Providing Access to Academic Vocabulary & Content to ELL or Other Challenged Learners

March 3, 2012, 9am-noon.  Coffee and a light snack provided.

Presentation Description:

Workshop will include demonstration of and discussion regarding strategies to scaffold instruction for ELL or other challenged learners in order to provided comprehensible access to academic vocabulary and content. The research of prominent education leaders such as Isabel Beck, Robert Marzano,  and Susan Kovalik (to name a few) will be discussed as a theoretical framework; actual strategies will be modeled; and time will be given for participants to work on some vocabulary development activities to take back to implement in their classrooms.

About the presenter:

Tiffany Rose, TOSA - Mukilteo School District, is a certified GLAD Key trainer and has taught elementary ELL. She is currently working on a PhD in Education with a focus on educational policy and program design.

Intended Audience:

K-12 teachers

Workshop #5 - Is it LD or Something Else? Adult ESOL Learners Who Struggle to Learn: What Causes Their Struggle and One Effective Response

March 17, 2012, 8:30am-3:00pm. Lunch will be provided.         

Presentation Description:

Causes for adult ELLs’ struggle in learning are examined, including issues around adult language acquisition, weak phonological skills, cultural differences, the effect of low or no prior print literacy, and health and physical functioning,   To help learners of all levels, interests and needs learn more effectively, the presenter proposes learning centers—small-group, differentiated learning opportunities, and provides not only research evidence but also anecdotal examples of the effectiveness of this approach to instruction for adult ESOL learners.   Participants will receive literature with information about centers and will be able to examine many examples of activities used in centers.  Presenter’s biography 

About the presenter:

Dr. Lovrien Schwarz,  a teacher of ESL for over 40 years, is a nationally-known consultant on the topic of learning difficulties/disabilities and adult ESOL.  She has recently focused on the practice of learning centers as a way to address a wide range of needs in typical adult ESOL classrooms.

Intended Audience:

Teachers/ tutors of adult ESOL learners, program directors, others who work with adult ELLS