Conference Workshops & Presentations
Here are a sample of workshops and materials that I have presented at the following conferences:
- SPEAQ (Société pour la perfectionnement de l'enseignement d'anglais langue seconde au Québec)
- SPEAQ CAMPUS (Undergraduate ESL Teachers in Quebec annual conferences)
- RASCALS (Regroupement au service des cégeps, anglais langue seconde)
- DEESL (Development of Enriched ESL in Québec)
- WCML (World Congress of Modern Languages)
Surviving and Thriving in Teaching
This workshop provides an overview of research into reasons why teachers leave - and how to build resilience.
C1 (Oral Interaction) workshops
Workshop 1: ESL students are often reluctant to speak in class and getting them to interact genuinely in English can be a challenge. In this workshop, we will explore the reasons why students are reluctant to speak, find ways to adjust our teaching strategies to make speaking easier and look at a variety of activities that help students interact in fun, stimulating ways.
Click HERE for links to materials & presentation.
Workshop 2: Assessing students while they interact orally (C1) is not as easy as it sounds. In this workshop, we will look at some strategies and tools to assess your students – and even practice assessing a few together!
Click HERE for links to materials & presentation.
Click HERE for links to materials & presentation.
Workshop 2: Assessing students while they interact orally (C1) is not as easy as it sounds. In this workshop, we will look at some strategies and tools to assess your students – and even practice assessing a few together!
Click HERE for links to materials & presentation.
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Workshop 1: Critical Thinking About News
In this workshop we look at how to teach students to verify sources - check before you believe! Click here for materials |
Workshop 2: Deconstructing Texts
In this workshop we look at how to deconstruct (decode) poster ads with students Click here for materials. |
Workshop 3: Film and Literature In this workshop we will look at how to inspire students to recognize literary devices in cinema that will give wings to a deeper appreciation of cinema as a literary and art form.
Click here for materials |
Graphic Organizers: Academic Writing
Academic writing is an essential skill that students who want to go on to post-secondary education need, but many have no idea how to structure even the most basic essay. In this workshop we will explore how to use colorful graphic organizers to help students organize their thoughts clearly on their way to writing essays with confidence. Click here for workshop presentation & materials (link to Dropbox)
Project Based Learning
Project-based learning is one of the best ways to make learning relevant, integrate cooperative learning and to implement differentiation, but setting up an effective project can be as challenging as it is rewarding. This workshop looks at how to start a project in class, what kind of scaffolding to give students, and how to assess students fairly. In this hands-on workshop, participants will plan a project for their classrooms to bring back with them. Click here for workshop presentation & materials (link to Dropbox file)
Teaching the roots of language:
Learning a language takes time. Given the realities of the classroom how can we teach language most effectively in the short periods we spend with our students? Our goal in this workshop is to identify teaching strategies you may already be using and learn a few new ones to maximize the effectiveness of your time teaching the roots of ESL to beginners.
Click here for access to materials from the workshop
Click here for access to materials from the workshop
Understanding your Professional Teacher Identity
What does it mean to be an ESL teacher? What makes language teachers different from other kinds of teachers? In this workshop we will look at current research into how our professional teacher identities evolve and change. We will learn how to draw on our professional identities to respond to the particular challenges of our profession, bringing joy and passion to our teaching.
Click here for access to materials from the workshop
Click here for access to materials from the workshop
Classroom Management Strategies
Part 1: Preventing problems - Teachers need to plan for a safe environment for learning to happen. This workshop asks teachers to try out a number of pedagogical techniques including circulation, classroom layout and setting goals that will help create the controlled and secure environment that both teachers and students need for classroom success.
Part 2: This workshop asks teachers to try out a number of « low-key » intervention techniques including « The Voice », « Circulation » and « Body Language » that will help maintain the controlled and secure environment that both teachers and students need for classroom success.
Click here for Workshop materials (link to Dropbox file)
Part 2: This workshop asks teachers to try out a number of « low-key » intervention techniques including « The Voice », « Circulation » and « Body Language » that will help maintain the controlled and secure environment that both teachers and students need for classroom success.
Click here for Workshop materials (link to Dropbox file)
ESL Reading Strategies
One of the most important and most effective ways to help your students become successful readers is to teach them explicit reading strategies. Teaching reading strategies is not only key to helping students with learning disabilities (LD) in an integrated classroom, they can also benefit students of all abilities, making them an amazing 'return on investment' for all teachers. Yet many teachers have no idea how to teach reading strategies or where to begin. In this workshop we look at some key reading strategies to teach students and discover when and how to implement them in your classroom. Click here for Workshop materials and resources (Link to Dropbox file)
Differentiation in ESL
Teaching a second language requires a myriad of skills and approaches. Teaching a second language to a diverse group of learners with different needs, different levels of English, and different learning styles can leave even the most experienced teachers stymied. How do we deal with differentiation in an ESL classroom? In this workshop, we look at how to be proactive when approaching differentiation and explore teaching strategies for differentiation that actually work.
Click here for workshop presentation & materials (link to Dropbox file) Using Body LanguageESL teachers strive to teach our students how to communicate effectively, but how many of us know how to use our own body language to help us express ourselves successfully? In this workshop we will explore how to exude confidence, to manage our classrooms effectively and how to communicate successfully with our students by using body language. Click here for workshop materials (Link to Dropbox)
Poetry in ESL
Most teachers avoid using poetry in a second language classroom because they believe poetry to require high-level vocabulary and an understanding of complex grammatical structures. In fact, poetry is an ideal activity for an ESL classroom as most poems are short, require simple grammatical forms, and use high frequency vocabulary. This workshop aims to demonstrate how to use poetry effectively in a second language classroom, encouraging students to express their experiences and emotions while practicing reading, pronunciation and writing. Click here for workshop presentation & materials (link to Dropbox file)
Long term planning
Sometimes when you walk into a classroom, you can just tell that the teacher is ‘on the ball’. She knows where she is going and how she will get there. Is it just experience? If so, how can novice teachers get to this place of control and comfort sooner? This workshop looks at how planning – both long term and short term – can really help you move from "lost" to "leader".
Click here for workshop presentation & materials (link to Dropbox file) Using Novels in ESL / EESLWhy use novels in a second language classroom? How can we inspire student to enjoy literature and not simply watch the movie? In this workshop we look at different approaches to teaching novels that make literature come alive in your ESL classroom. Click here for workshop materials and resources (link to Dropbox file).
Short storiesUsing short stories in the classroom. Click here for links to resources
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Dictations 2.0In this workshop we explore four different dictation techniques that
turn dictation from a static, teacher-centred activity, into an interactive, communicative tool for your classroom. Click here for workshop materials (link to Dropbox file) |